Increased involvement and commitment of food companies’ upper management in food safety processes is now a required factor under the latest 2018 versions of Singapore food safety standards SS444 and SS ISO 22000.
In Jakarta, Indonesia, China's largest dairy company, Yili Group, held a product launch event on October 23 which heralded the company’s entrance into the Indonesian market.
Food companies have been warned to avoid fancy ‘nicknames’ for rice as suggested retail prices (SRPs) are implemented in the Philippines, in a move that the government hopes will alleviate the country’s rising food troubles.
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports reached the VND 63.5tn (US$2.7bn) mark as of September 2018, up 14.1% year-on-year, but officials are concerned that more needs to be done to improve sales to domestic consumers.
Food industry experts from the ‘ASEAN-5’ – the fastest growing economies in South East Asia – have lifted the lid on the key food and beverage trends driving growth in their countries, and the major challenges they continue to face.
Experts have highlighted three crucial factors to enhance the rice sector, claiming that farmer resilience, organisational structures and nutritional benefits need to be improved.
The boss of San Miguel Food and Beverage (SFMB) has vowed that the firms planned IPO will go ahead, despite its value being slashed by roughly 50% to US$920mn (PHP 49.4bn) as a result of weak market conditions.
A 'graded sugar tax model' has been suggested by an expert analyst as an alternative to just soda or sugar taxes in Malaysia's battle against sugar over-consumption.
The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is striving to educate food firms on Japan food safety standards in a bid to reap export rewards.
Vegetable oils and fats specialist company AAK is placing an emphasis on unexplored markets and premium products as it pursues its ‘multi-oil, multi-solution’ company focus and ambitious growth targets in Asia.
Nestle (Malaysia) Berhad will be investing over RM100mn (US$24mn) to establish the world’s largest Milo Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, but it will also lead to Milo production at one existing site halting.
Azelis Indonesia will utilise its well-developed technologies in flavours, hydrocolloids and modified starch to expand its local market, company representatives have told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Indonesia will be home to 16.7 million people with diabetes by 2045 – up from 10.3m last year – but it is far from clear that health claim regulations are keeping pace with the public health challenges faced in the nation.
New Singaporean retail-tech startup teapasar aims to use unique new ‘tea-fingerprinting’ technology revolutionise the way the world buys and consumes their tea.
The scale of impact of current initiatives to deal with plastic and packaging waste in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam have been found to be affect only 5% or less of waste, according to a comprehensive study by Food Industry Asia (FIA).
Innovation, research and development are key factors if countries want to transform their ‘surplus’ commodities into value-adding products, said the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR).
The growing demand for plant-based beverages and dairy products in South East Asia and China is Australia’s Freedom Foods’ key for growing the Asian market, according to its MD.
With a quarter of urban Indonesians are avoiding, or intend to avoid, carbohydrates, analysts are predicting a bright future for the nation’s fledgling meal replacement snack bar sector.
International and local investment into Indonesia’s food and beverage industry is continuing to rise, but a trio of experts have underlined a series of challenges – from innovation to collaboration and food safety – that the sector has to confront to...
Nestlé announced it closed its joint venture with the Indofood Group last month, while PepsiCo reiterated its stance to not source palm oil – either directly or indirectly – from the company and its subsidiaries, purportedly linked to deforestation and...
Upwards of 40 people died last month in Malaysia from methanol poisoning. Why has this happened - and what can be done? It's time for some answers, says food and beverage journalist Richard Whitehead in this guest article.
New product development for functional drinks, coupled with innovations at the economy end of the market, could help Indonesia's soft drinks market bounce back from a recent slump in growth.
FrieslandCampina Kievit has opened an innovation kitchen in Manila, Philippines and revealed the findings of consumer study detailing the promising opportunities for the nation’s coffee, tea and chocolate beverage concepts.
From Dr Pepper’s acquisition of CORE Nutrition and tighter standards for advertising to kids and the UK’s pledge to halve food waste by 2020, a lot has happened over the past seven days. Here’s a round-up of the top seven global food and beverage news...
The Waters-sponsored International Food and Water Research Centre (IFWRC) has opened its doors to applicants from food companies and other scientists with food and water safety-related projects.
Malaysian beer industry leaders Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd (Carlsberg) and Heineken Malaysia Bhd (Heineken) have expressed varying opinions about the implementation of the Sales and Service Tax (SST).
It is undeniable that the food and drinks in supermarkets have been changing – from production to packaging, writes Matthew Kovac, Executive Director, Food Industry Asia (FIA) and Kee Ai Nah, Executive Director, Lifestyle & Consumer Cluster, Enterprise...
Strong growth in local Filipino food and beverage spending is set to propel e-commerce activity in the Philippines, especially in online mass grocery retail (MGR).
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has denied that there is any rice shortage in the country despite senators calling it a ‘full-blown food crisis’ and urging him to declare a state of calamity.
Charoen Pokphands Foods (CPF) aims to focus on overseas growth and exports over the next five years, particularly in the ASEAN market, with the firm targeting 70% of all sales coming from outside of Thailand.
San Miguel Food and Beverage (SMFB) will plough resources into building new company-owned production facilities in the Philippines in an effort to tramp-up production and help boost exports.
The US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and Food Innovation and Resource Center (FIRC) at Singapore Polytechnic have created South East Asian food with reduced salt and sugar, using US dairy ingredients.
A Singaporean start-up is finding favour with its locally-inspired potato chips — available in Hainanese Chicken Rice and Singapore Laksa flavours — now on the shelves in leading supermarkets.
Nestlé Philippines has responded to criticisms over packaging waste made by environmental campaigners after ‘plastic waves’ hit Manila, with the firm issuing reassurances that steps are in place to ‘reduce its environmental footprint’.
Thai egg producer Kasemchaifood is seeking to branch out from its b2b base and move into the consumer market via e-commerce after linking-up with logistics firm DHL.
Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has acknowledged the government is contemplating introducing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, after highlighting concerns about the nation's diabetes rates.
