Convenience foods & snacks

Blockchain for palm oil: Malaysia looks to technology and traceability to foster industry trust

04-May-2020 By Pearly Neo

Malaysia is looking to utilise blockchain technology and traceability to raise the level of trust in its local palm oil industry, by proving its commitment to transparent, sustainable and responsible supply chains.

‘New and lasting habits’: Singapore’s online shopping surge will persist after COVID-19

29-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Many Singaporean consumers have shifted their purchasing behavior from offline to online shopping as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts predict that this shift will be a long-lasting one with effects long past the outbreak.

COVID-19 in South Korea: Online food product sales see over 90% growth

28-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has seen an increase of over 90% in online food product transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, but continues to face trade-related challenges even as the country has moved to relax some social-distancing regulations.

Faster, cheaper halal certification: WhatsHalal targets food firms in Malaysia and Indonesia

27-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Singaporean start-up WhatsHalal has developed an enterprise solution platform aimed at helping companies to ease application processes for halal certification, with a primary focus on food companies.

Tighter control: South Korea steps up regulatory requirements for imports from foreign food facilities

27-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has made Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification mandatory for all foreign food facilities exporting into the country, in an effort to tighten its control over imported food safety hazards.

COVID-19 in UAE: Fresh food markets and confectionery stores resume business after weeks of closure

24-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

UAE’s fresh food markets, food trading outlets and selected confectionery stores in shopping malls have gradually reopened, following shutdowns due to COVID-19.

International alignment: FSSAI updates imported food code system for over 1,500 items

23-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has revamped the national food code system for all imported foods into the nation in an attempt to achieve more uniformity with the internationally used HS Code system.

COVID-19 payback: Pakistan flour industry calls for tax exemptions in light of ‘hard work’ during pandemic

22-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

The flour industry in Pakistan has requested the government to exempt or at least subsidise all flour mills from taxes that would normally have to be paid in light of the sector’s significant contributions to food stability throughout the COVID-19 pandemic...

Distribution, cultural diversity and trust: Why there is no COVID-19 panic buying in UAE

22-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Many countries have experienced mass panic buying of food and beverages amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the UAE seems to have been spared the worse of irrational consumer behaviour.

COVID-19 in Japan: Major F&B manufacturers battling to provide ‘business as usual’ during state of emergency

20-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Japanese F&B firms in Japan such as Nissin, Ajinomoto, Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin, Kewpie, Hotei Foods, and Megmilk Snow Brand say they are battling to provide 'business as usual', despite the state of emergency in the country due to the COVID-19...

Japan Focus: Kirin, Calbee, Aeon and more feature in our round-up

17-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Kirin, Calbee, Aeon and more big Japanese brand names feature in this edition of Japan Focus.

Popping into APAC: Australia first in region to launch white chocolate version of Coco Pops

17-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Kellogg’s Australia has launched the white chocolate version of Coco Pops for the first time in the Asia Pacific region.

China Focus: Plant-based snacks, COVID-19 market impacts, 3D meat printing and more feature in our round-up

16-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Plant-based snacks, COVID-19 market impacts, 3D meat printing and more feature in this edition of China Focus.

‘More harm than good’: New Zealand report calls for overhaul of national agricultural strategy

16-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

New Zealand researchers have called for a complete overhaul of the country’s current national agricultural strategy, which is heavily skewed towards dairy and meat, to accommodate a more plant-focused approach.

Do it ‘almost’ yourself: Korean food firms look to meal kits for freshness and convenience

15-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

The meal kit market has traditionally been dominated by specialised meal kit delivery services such as Blue Apron, but rises in demands for both freshness and convenience have piqued food and retail firms’ interest in this rapidly growing sector.

Could Hollista CollTech’s ‘unsexiest product ever’ be a reformulation match made in heaven?

14-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Malaysia-based biotech firm Holista CollTech has developed a new sugar formulation which is more intense, low-calorie and low-GI in hope of helping F&B companies reformulate products more effectively, especially in Singapore and Malaysia where government...

COVID-19 in ASEAN: ‘Protectionist’ measures threaten global supply chains as lockdowns persist

14-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Several countries in the South East Asian region have moved to impose extended lockdowns, export bans and other heightened trade barriers in response to continued widespread COVID-19 infection rates within the region, posing a very real risk for food...

Save the frogs: Cadbury Freddo replaces mascot to support conservation in bushfires aftermath

13-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Cadbury has changed its Freddo chocolate mascot, the well-known Freddo Frog, to pictures of real-life endangered frog species on its packaging for a limited time to raise awareness and support conservation efforts.

COVID-19 in Oceania: Food safety worries and exports emerge as region’s biggest concerns

13-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Food safety and export continuity have emerged as the biggest concerns for the food industries in Australia and New Zealand as lockdowns in the region continue, with the various food sectors attempting to allay public concerns.

Popular purchases during COVID-19: AI predicting changes to F&B consumption trends in Asia

11-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Experts claim to have successfully deployed artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict consumer purchasing trends in Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and found them to skew heavily towards foods and beverages that are related to immunity...

FNA Deep Dive: Insect Protein

Yucky or yummy? Experts clash over APAC’s insect-based food potential

10-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

The use of insects as an alternative protein and food source has been consistently in the limelight in recent years with advocates citing sustainability and health benefits, leading to a plethora of start-ups focusing on the sector, but just how viable...

COVID-19 concerns: UAE assures citizens of six-month food supply and import objectives

08-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The Ministry of Economy in UAE has stated that it has enough food to meet the needs of its citizens for at least six months, amidst concerns of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which is showing no signs of slowing in the region.

Qatar takes top spot for food security in Middle East and North Africa: Annual GFSI report

08-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 published by The Economist Intelligence Unit, has revealed Qatar to be the number one nation for food security among 15 Middle Eastern and North African countries.

Pakistan sugar wars: No end in sight as import tax enforced and investigations launched on mills

08-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Pakistan has enforced an import tax on sugar entering the country, adding another layer of complexity to the country’s ongoing war between sugar cane farmers and sugar mills.

Recycle the scrunchable: Nestle Australia developing system for soft plastics recovery

08-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Australia has announced plans to develop a sorting and recycling system focusing solely on soft plastics, which have hitherto received far less attention in recycling schemes than rigid plastics.

Japan snack giant Calbee Snack intensifies palm oil and electricity sustainability efforts

07-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Japanese snack firm Calbee is intensifying its sustainability activities by working on the sustainable procurement of palm oil and attempting to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.

Strip and dip: Mission Foods launching new corn snacks in South East Asia and China

07-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Mission Foods is launching Corn Strips in South East Asia and China, with the firm claiming traditional triangular corn chips can be ‘frustrating’ for consumers.

Boosting ‘Make in India’ food strategy hitting nation’s hopes of regional free trade agreements

07-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

India recently announced import tariff increases for many food and agricultural products in hopes of encouraging local trade, but the same move is likely to push it even further away from the possibility of entering free trade agreements within the APAC...

Asia’s retail big beasts: Hypermarket giant Aeon, e-commerce pioneers JD, and convenience kings Seven & i top rankings

06-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Japanese and Chinese retailers, Aeon, JD.com, and Seven & i were ranked as the top retailers in Asia, according to a new global report by Deloitte analysing 250 of the largest retailers worldwide.

COVID-19 APAC lockdowns: F&B manufacturing an ‘essential service’ in some countries – but not enough

06-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

The F&B manufacturing sector has been classified as an ‘essential service’ by many APAC countries in as COVID-19 lockdowns are imposed, enabling factories to continue producing food supplies – but this has not been seen in some places which need the...

Stop COVID-19 hoarding: Indonesian police and Philippines government order purchase limits

30-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Indonesian National Police and Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have both issued orders to limit the purchases of noodles, rice and other staple food items nationwide in hopes of curbing the hoarding and panic-buying induced by the...

India’s COVID-19 lockdown: Coca-Cola, Nestle and more MNCs call for F&B manufacturing to be made ‘essential service’

30-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

In the wake of India’s nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, Coca-Cola India, Nestle India and various other big MNCs in the country have called for F&B manufacturing to be made an ‘essential service’ in order to keep shelves stocked and avoid further...

‘New Era of Meat II’: China’s Pepsi-owned Baicaowei reveals plant-based sausage snack

27-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

PepsiCo-owned Chinese snacks firm Baicaowei is targeting a ‘new era of meat’ with its plant-based sausage snack, claiming that this is unlike any other seen in the country before.

COVID-19 in the Middle East: UAE closes all fresh food markets, supermarkets allowed to open 24 hours

27-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The UAE government has closed all fish, meat and vegetable markets for two weeks in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Small but growing: Middle East healthy snack industry on an upward curve

25-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The snack sector in the Middle East is soaring as consumers become increasingly time poor, with more healthy options also becoming increasingly popular, albeit from a low base.

Plant-based Veego: Government-backed firm launches Singapore’s first local alternative protein production facility

24-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Singaporean agri-food firm Life3 Biotech is setting up the country’s first local plant-based protein production facility backed by the Singaporean Food Agency (SFA), with plans to scale up production later this year.

Packaging problems: Slowdown in supply of materials in China causing problems in Australia

24-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The export slowdown of packaging materials from China in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak could exacerbate the shortage of products such as rice, flour, pasta, biscuits, and UHT in Australia caused by the current panic buying, according to the boss of...

WATCH: Mars reveals sustainability plan to tackle cocoa supply deficit in APAC

23-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Cocoa and chocolate in the Asia Pacific is in a state of ‘regional imbalance’, according to chocolate giant Mars, which has also revealed how it plans to use sustainability as a means to tackle challenges in Asia.

Ice cream in Indonesia: Aice opens largest factory in South East Asia

19-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Singapore headquartered Aice Group Holdings has opened its second ice cream production facility in Indonesia - the largest such factory in South East Asia, according to the company.

Popping up: Vietnam’s growing appetite for snacks presents opportunity for Nestle’s Air Popcorn

19-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Nestle Vietnam has entered the popcorn category with its new Air Popcorn products targeted at the growing number of younger consumers who snack.

‘Urban myth’: Asian foods are unhealthier than Western fast foods - Singapore study

18-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

A new Singapore study claims to have disproved the ‘urban myth’ that an Asian diet is healthier than a Western one, especially in terms of saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol.

Malaysia in lockdown: COVID-19 reignites food supply fears in Singapore despite government reassurance

18-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Malaysia’s announcement that borders of the entire country will be closed for two weeks in an attempt to control the local spread of COVID-19 has led to renewed panic in neighbouring Singapore, which imports large amounts of fresh produce from the country,...

ASEAN food security: Corruption, micronutrients and food import dependency region’s biggest challenges

16-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 listing crowned Singapore as the country with the highest food security score worldwide, but closer examination of the index data reveals several pressing concerns, not only for Singapore, but for other ASEAN...

Health void: Just 16% of India’s products classified as ‘healthy’ with local firms leading the way

16-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Local F&B companies in India such as Mother Dairy and Parle Products appear to have come out on top in terms of product healthiness in a new listing – but overall, just 16% of all companies’ products have been recognised as ‘healthy’ items in the...

Health star ratings: Nestle and Unilever come out top in India, but scores are low

11-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Products from Nestle and Unilever in India have emerged at the top of a list of firms improving the nutritional quality of foods in the country based on criteria from the Health Star Rating (HSR) system used in Australia and New Zealand – but the highest...

Ramadan discounts: New UAE initiative will slash prices of food and supermarket items by up to 60%

11-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Economy has revealed a new initiative to reduce the prices of 5,000 food and supermarket goods with discounts ranging between 25% to 60% as the Ramadan month draws near.

Ten years in the making: TerViva targets US and Asia with its world-first pongamia food products

09-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

TerViva has become the world’s first F&B firm to develop food products from the pongamia tree, opening the doors to a whole new source of plant-based protein and oils for the industry.

Guest article

Asian millennials have evolved and so has snacking

09-Mar-2020 By Gill Hyslop

Snacking – a familiar term that used to represent the habit of junking between meals – is today part of the millennials lifestyle. Noorul Malik, savvy millennial and marketing & communications executive, APAC, SGK Global, looks at how urbanisation,...

Nuclear no more: Singapore latest APAC nation to lift all Japanese food bans

09-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Singapore has joined Philippines, Brunei and New Zealand in officially lifting bans on all food items from Japan, but some strict restrictions remain in place from China, Taiwan, and South Korea due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

Pakistan food crisis: Government looks to reduce prices amidst skyrocketing hikes and IMF pressure

09-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Pakistani government aims to reduce the skyrocketing prices of basic food items in the country by reducing taxes, amidst an unsuccessful bid to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce its tax collection target.