Convenience foods & snacks

Dateline Southeast Asia

Malaysia must end 24-hour dining to curb obesity crisis

26-May-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Malaysians should be sleeping in the early hours of the morning, not eating and watching football at a 24-hour restaurant, according to the president of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity.

Feature

Cash in one’s chips: The humble potato’s new Asian markets

24-May-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Potatoes: like dairy not the first global staple you think of when it comes to Asia, but that doesn’t mean to say that there isn’t a growing market for spud-based ingredients.

Naturell launches India’s first protein-rich extruded snack

24-May-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Naturell India has launched a seven-grain protein snack which it claims is a first of its kind in the country.

South Asia radius

Rumour: Haldiram’s planning PE deal, company valued at $1bn

17-May-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Snack food manufacturer Haldiram’s is getting closer to agreeing a possible US$200m investment deal after recently holding talks with top-tier private equity funds, according to media reports.

Courts, controversy and CSR – the palm oil story

13-May-2016 By David Burrows

There were more twists and turns this week in the controversy surrounding the IOI group, which was suspended by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) last month.

China

KFC follows up robot store concept with finger lickin’ nail polish

10-May-2016 By RJ Whitehead

KFC has been on an innovation offensive in greater China over the last couple of weeks. After news emerged that its concept store in Shanghai was staffed by voice-activated robots, the company’s Hong Kong operation has since announced the trial launch...

South Asia radius

'Celebrities should not be allowed to promote junk foods and drinks'

12-Apr-2016 By RJ Whitehead

A ban on celebrities endorsing sugary drinks and junk foods is among the policy moves called for by a Delhi think tank in a bid to reduce India’s diabetes rate, which is reaching epidemic proportions.

Salt stimulates passive eating of fatty foods: Study

05-Apr-2016 By Niamh Michail

Salt provokes fatty food eating, and can even trigger increased food intake among people who have a preference for less fatty foods, Australian researchers have found.

India

Foodpanda to offer money-back guarantee on 45-minute deliveries

05-Apr-2016 By RJ Whitehead

India’s biggest online food ordering platform, Foodpanda, has introduced a money-back guarantee that food will be delivered within 45 minutes.

South Asia radius

Regulator issues post-Maggi clarification on MSG stance

05-Apr-2016 By RJ Whitehead

The presence of monosodium glutamate from natural sources in noodles and pasta is not illegal under food safety legislation, India’s food regulator has announced in a bid to end confusion over the taste enhancer’s status.

Mondelēz partners in Melbourne hub for research into SE Asian markets

23-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

The Asia-Pacific arm of Mondelēz has collaborated with Melbourne University to open a food research hub to learn about consumer behaviour in Asean markets.

Urbanisation responsible for India’s soaring breakfast cereals market

22-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

India’s breakfast cereal market has been growing at an annualised rate of over 22% over the last five years, driven largely by an increasing preference for western lifestyles and tastes.

Snaxpo 2016

Sekar Laut to bring Indonesian crackers to US ready-to-eat snacks market

22-Mar-2016 By Douglas Yu

Indonesian business Sekar Laut is seeking a US manufacturer to help launch its crackers as a ready-to-eat snack in the American market.

Yum! Brands to open first Taco Bell in China this year

21-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Yum! Brands, the operator of KFC and Pizza Hut, plans to open its first Taco Bell store in China by the end of this year.

China direct

TV sting prompts official investigation into leading food delivery app

21-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

China’s most popular food delivery app has found itself at the centre of a television exposé amid claims that its service breaches food safety laws and faces fines pending an investigation.

Vietnamese lagging behind in stature due to poor diets

17-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Unbalanced diets with too much sugar and salt and too few vegetables have been blamed for the substandard stature of Vietnamese people.

Australia

Pester power: How kids influence household buying decisions

09-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Children rule the roost when it comes to some family food choices, with offspring largely responsible for choosing most of the snack food in the Australian weekly shop.

China celebrates International Women’s Day with meat snacks

08-Mar-2016 By Mark Godfrey

China's Sentai Foods is celebrating International Women’s Day by selling a gift box of its new range of pre-cooked meat snacks.

Bandar Foods raises $2 million to increase distribution of its modern takes on traditional Indian foods

01-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

An infusion of $2 million in Series Seed capital will help Bandar Foods bring increasingly popular Indian flavors to mainstream Americans’ everyday life through modern food technology and platforms, the company announced March 1.

Korea doubles snack imports in 10 years

26-Feb-2016 By RJ Whitehead

South Korea has seen the volume of snack foods imported into the country almost double over the last decade to 121,100 tonnes last year.

Nestlé results show Maggi incident still hurts

19-Feb-2016 By Laurence Gibbons

Nestlé’s still suffering from its Indian Maggi noodle recall and has lost touch with the Chinese consumer, hitting growth for the global food and drink manufacturer, according to market analysts.

Chapul cricket protein bars should be in 3-4,000 stores by end of year, predicts founder

19-Feb-2016 By Elaine Watson

Cricket bar pioneer Chapul is poised for significant growth in 2016 after securing national distribution agreements with UNFI and Nature’s Best (KeHE) that will see it boost its footprint from 500 stores today to 3-4,000 stores by the year end, CEO Pat...

Asian noodles hold promise, but consumer education is needed, Packaged Facts says

09-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite hitting spot-on several major trends driving food sales today, Asian noodles are struggling to gain traction in the US because many consumers are unaware of, daunted by or have misconceptions about them, according to a new report from Packaged...

South Asia radius

Indian unicorn becomes first to break even in food delivery market

09-Feb-2016 By Compiled by RJ Whitehead

Zomato is on track to become India’s first e-commerce “unicorn” to become profitable after the delivery startup announced that it had broken even in several key markets including its home country.

China direct

Court rules six-winged chicken posts harmed KFC’s reputation

08-Feb-2016 By Compiled by RJ Whitehead

Three companies have been ordered to pay 600,000 yuan (US$91,200) to KFC for using social media to spread false rumours about the international fast-food chain in China.

How can food grown on Mars boost food security on Earth?

02-Feb-2016 By Niamh Michail

Dutch researchers have launched a crowdsourcing appeal for a project that will analyse the safety and nutrient content of food grown on Martian and lunar soil - and the findings could prove useful for life on Earth too, they say.

New marketing push 'reinvents' Kellogg's Special K brand in Australian market

01-Feb-2016 By Vince Bamford

Kellogg’s Australia claims it is reinventing the Special K brand with a new marketing push designed to inspire women to make “realistic and positive changes”.

Annie Chun’s takes seaweed to mainstream snackers with launch of crunchy Seaweed Crisps

04-Jan-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Roasted sheets of flavorful nori increasingly are competing with crunchy kale chips and other healthier-for-you snacks, but the stick-to-the-top-of-the-mouth texture of dehydrated seaweed isn’t for everyone.

Toyo Ink Group to expand into packaging with DYO Printing Inks acquisition

16-Dec-2015 By Jenny Eagle

Toyo Ink Group is to acquire 75% of shares of DYO Printing Inks in Turkey to expand its inks and coatings in the packaging market, including materials for food packages.

Was the Maggi “ban” in fact a ban? FSSAI says not

15-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead

India’s food regulator never “banned” Maggi noodles but instead issued a show-cause notice to Nestlé for an explanation about lead levels and product labelling, a court has heard.

Packaged foods growth driving Indian ready-to-eat innovation

15-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead

The perceived convenience associated with packaged food has been driving lightning growth in the segment, according to an Assocham report.

HK online food retailers to get new safety guidelines

07-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Hong Kong’s food authorities have reacted to various food scandals this year by issuing new guidelines for online sales.

Nissin buys Jinmailang out of Chinese noodle joint-venture

07-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Nissin has ended its joint-ventures with Jinmailang so it can focus on supplying premium products to the Chinese market.

Australian consumer watchdog finds Arnott's Biscuit sat fat claim misleading

01-Dec-2015 By Douglas Yu

Arnott's Biscuit has agreed to remove a "75% less saturated fat" claim from packs of its Shapes Light & Crispy after the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) found it misleading to consumers.

This week Down Under

Keen-snacking Aussies still not tucking into healthy potato chips

25-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

The number of Australians who snack on potato chips continues to grow, while those who do so are also most likely to wash them down with flavoured soft drinks, market research has found.

Palm oil producer launches peatland protection project in Indonesia

23-Nov-2015 By Michael HURLEY

A palm oil producer’s pledge to rehabilitate peatland in Indonesia will provide momentum for industry-wide change, it says.

Cost cutting drives General Mills to shut NZ manufacturing plant

18-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

General Mills will close its East Tamaki plant by the end of the year as part of an international restructuring process in the face of the company's dwindling international performance.

Health consciousness drives lightning breakfast cereals growth

17-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

India's breakfast cereal market has grown at an annualised rate of just over 22% since 2010, with Kellogg's, Bagrry and PepsiCo Quaker together capturing more than three-quarters of the market.

FSSAI returns to court in bid to reinstate Maggi ban

17-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

In the latest twist in the long-drawn-out Maggi noodle saga, India’s food regulator has petitioned the Supreme Court to quash an earlier ruling to lift a ban on the popular instant noodles brand.

South Asia Radius

FSSAI returns to court in bid to reinstate Maggi ban

17-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

In the latest twist in the long-drawn-out Maggi noodle saga, India’s food regulator has petitioned the Supreme Court to quash an earlier ruling to lift a ban on the popular instant noodles brand.

South Asia radius

Maggi noodles back on shelves in time for Diwali

10-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Maggi noodles have returned to Indian shelves in time for the Diwali holiday, Nestlé has announced.

China direct

Dali Foods to lead renewed Chinese IPOs activity after moratorium ends

09-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Dali Foods will be floated after Chinese companies were given the go-ahead to resume IPO activity in the wake of emergency measures that were designed to prevent a plunge in financial markets.

South Asia radius

Indian QSR category expected to tip $3.8bn in five years

03-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

India’s fast-food sector continues its lightning growth, with Assocham estimating it will reach Rs25,000cr (US$3.8bn) by 2020.

DISPATCHES FROM 2015 AACC INTERNATIONAL

PepsiCo science chief: Food industry must innovate in grains to feed growing population

21-Oct-2015 By Hal Conick

The baking and snacks industry must explore innovations in grains to meet the challenges of a growing population, according to PepsiCo's global R&D head.

South Asia radius

Nestlé prepares to return Maggi noodles to the shelves

20-Oct-2015 By RJ Whitehead

As individual Indian states begin to lift their ban on Maggi noodles, Nestlé has been paving the way for a return to the shelves for the snack which has suffered a torrid year at the hands of the subcontinent’s food authorities.

Gulfood Manufacturing 2015, Dubai

PepsiCo, Mars, Mondelēz and Fonterra throw spotlight on Middle East

20-Oct-2015 By Jenny Eagle

PepsiCo, Mars, Mondelēz and Fonterra will focus their efforts on the Middle East at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai next week (October 27-29) with two conferences entitled Next Generation Manufacturing and F&B Innovation.

Nestlé cuts full year outlook as Maggi noodle scare hits sales

16-Oct-2015 By Nathan Gray

The worlds biggest packaged food manufacturer, Nestlé, has revised its growth target for the year to 4.5%, after the Maggi noodle recall in India knocked sales and under-calculated U.S. Skin Health rebates weighed down profits.