Welcome to NutraIngredients-Asia.com, the home of authoritative and independent news and insights about the nutrition, health and dietary supplements industry in Asia Pacific.
Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) are leading to improvements in food security and safety in Asia and the Pacific, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Using yeast to churn out the fruit protein brazzein could enhance its commercial potential as a low calorie sweetener and aid the fight against obesity and diabetes, according to studies taking place in Korea.
New Zealand’s a2 Milk Company has signalled its intention to branch out from infant formula into a broader range of dairy-based nutritional products – with the burgeoning China market very much in its sights.
Quinoa is what’s up in WutsupBaby’s line of infant and toddler cereals. It has won over East Asian consumers, reflected by its 10% revenue increase in the past 10 months. Now, the California-based company is ready to sell stateside.
Manufacturers in China should be looking at moving past traditional soy-based drinks by incorporating multiple types of plant protein in functional beverages, says Mintel.
Asian sugar production is expected to see its first deficit in over five years after a drought last year prompted by El Niño-induced pulled output down to a five-year low, resulting in a period of high raw material prices.
The purchase of a Uruguayan beef processor by a giant Chinese industrial conglomerate looks well-timed as China dangles the prospect of a free trade deal before the Latin American nation.
The food industry has hit out at claims in a leading journal that New Zealand’s childhood obesity plan was flawed and that the government valued corporate profit over public good.
Drinking beetroot juice after exercise can reduce muscle pain and improve recovery, but does not improve real-world performance, according to a study also showing no benefit from antioxidants.
Companies exporting dairy to Jordan will be forced to cut all partially hydrogenated oils or face a ban on business as the country becomes the latest to bar their use.
Bangladesh is mulling controls over foreign investors in the country’s growing poultry industry after local rivals said they fear being swallowed by overseas companies.
Investigations into the health of pigs exported from Jiangxi are underway after Chinese authorities blocked trade following a warning from Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).
Sales at Chinese infant nutrition firm Biostime dropped by 14% in the first half of 2016 to RMB1.46bn (US$220m), with the Biostime brand – which accounts for 86% of the company’s sales – down 5.4% and the value brand Adimil down 65.7%.
A new research laboratory will explore the potential benefits of complex carbohydrates that include natural immune system enhancers and high-quality cosmetics.
The antipodean food regulator has begun public consultation as it reviews whether to allow a potato that has been genetically modified to reduce bruising.
Australian nutraceutical firm Gordagen Pharmaceuticals is preparing to launch its heart health and endurance products in the US by the end of the year.
One of the Gulf’s biggest food and beverage companies has completed the acquisition of 70% of Al Safi Food, effectively granting it a local platform to manufacture and distribute food and beverage products in the Kingdom.
The on-again-off-again sale of a majority stake in Kuwait Food Co, otherwise known as Americana, to a Gulf-based consortium has been scrapped by the Al Kharafi family, bringing to an end months of negotiations over a deal worth billions of dollars.
Saudi Arabia is now recognised as the third most obese nation in the world, while more than one-third of children in the country have been found to be overweight.
Homes and restaurants in the UAE toss out food worth an estimated AED14.7bn (US$4bn) each year, according to the Emirates Environmental Group. The waste is then dumped in the country’s landfills where capacity is shrinking.
China’s number four dairy farming firm Saikexing has secured a $125m loan to reduce environmental pollution, improve food safety, and expand the supply of milk within China.
The government of India’s semi-autonomous Punjab region is planning to build the country’s most advanced pig-processing facility as India’s consumption of pork and reliance on meat imports both continue to rise.
Australian government and meat industry agencies are boosting their efforts to increase biosecurity for the country’s critically important livestock sector.
Indian food manufacturers face four fundamental hurdles when it comes to expanding their use of natural ingredients, in addition to the extra cost that they can incur.
Yonekyu Corporation, one of Japan’s leading processed meat companies, has applauded the impact of Sealpac’s thermoformers on its production lines, claiming the equipment is “extremely strong”.
Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) CEO Jed Matz has welcomed a report from the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, which assessed the dangers of tighter competition laws.
It is “difficult or impossible” for vegans to get enough of nutrients like vitamin B12, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) has said in a position paper now cited by the government.
India’s “shockingly low” level of EPA and DHA intake is storing up a potential health crisis, especially because life expectancy and therefore the rate of chronic illness is forecast to rise considerably over the coming decades.
Indian consumers are increasingly aware that all fats are not bad, are demanding more products that offer “complete wellness” and are becoming increasingly opening to exploring alternative proteins and natural sugars.
China, India and Saudi Arabia’s growing markets are spurring global demand for food processing machinery, which is expected to grow at an annualised rate of around 8% until 2020.
India has one of the best-staffed agricultural research and development systems in the world and, with ongoing financial support, and is poised to lead the way in combatting hunger and food insecurity. Yet bureaucratic issues are still getting in the...
Two government departments in Thailand alongside the Thai Broilers Processing Exporters Association (TBA) will improve conditions in the chicken industry, following claims of modern-day slavery.
A report commissioned by the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) has argued economic policy would have no impact on the balance of power in Australia’s beef sector.
Detroit-based startup Gäyo Kopi has introduced wild-certified Kopi Luwak coffee (sourced from wild civets in Indonesia) to the US market, completing pre-order shipments of the rare imported coffee this month, the company said.
Reducing the amount of packaging can only improve gross margins to a certain extent, with most MNCs in India now turning their attention to achieving greater operational efficiency, according to a PepsiCo India packaging exec.
Logistics infrastructure is the major stumbling block hampering the efforts of India’s food and beverage SMEs as they seek to expand and tap into growing consumer demand, business leaders have warned.
