Convenience foods & snacks

Brekky champions and cereal offenders: Oz tastes in breakfast food ads

09-Dec-2013 By RJ Whitehead

A tall teenaged boy kisses mum goodbye. Surfing at sunrise. Hypnotising taste. Nutritious energy. Superfood. Supermum. Stupid dad. And a public scale that weighs women as “Fabulous”. Yes, it’s breakfast advertising, Oz-style. But how much do Australians...

Chinese noodles given all-clear following mass safety inspections

20-Nov-2013

Having launched an inspection of a number of the instant noodle products for sale on the Chinese market, the country’s food safety watchdog has indicated that none contained heavy metals beyond allowed levels.

Opinion

Speculation suggests BK is learning from others' Indian midadventures

31-Oct-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The wires are ablaze with talk today about the long-awaited entry by Burger King to the Indian fast food market – as much for the chain’s late arrival in the country as for the business model it is said it will adopt.

McAloo Tikki enters row as another Indian JV starts to fall down

21-Oct-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The humble McAloo Tikki, McDonald’s' cheapest and most popular sandwich in India, is at the centre of a row between the multination’s regional office and one of its disgruntled joint-venture partners.

Soapbox

Coke or milk? A philosopher’s perspective

14-Oct-2013 By Katherine Rich, CEO of the NZ Food & Grocery Council, and Julian Baggini

Food is a big part of all our lives not only providing sustenance, but enjoyment and a social experience.

Obesity has replaced undernutrition as a weighty issue in Thailand

01-Oct-2013 By RJ Whitehead

While Thailand has successfully controlled its problems with undernutrition over recent decades, the country is now facing an outbreak of overnutrition.

Urban, young office workers in Asia could energize cereal bar category

27-Sep-2013 By Kacey Culliney

The cereal bar category in Asia is on the cusp of a boom with young urbanites a ripe target, particularly in India, says an analyst.

PepsiCo eyes expansion with new AMEA CEO

24-Sep-2013

PepsiCo has appointed a new chief executive officer for the Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region as it aims to bolster penetration in the region.

Cereal makers worry as more Aussie schoolchildren skip breakfast

24-Sep-2013 By Ankush Chibber

New government data has revealed that one in seven Australian schoolchildren are skipping breakfast, putting at risk their own health and perhaps also that of the country’s cereal makers.

THE BIG INTERVIEW: KELLOGG ASIA PACIFIC PRESIDENT – PART II

Kellogg APAC president: We’re ready to drive Pringles deeper into Asia

20-Sep-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Pringles brand awareness is varied across Asia Pacific but commercial innovations like seasonal marketing and in-store promotions should deepen traction, Kellogg’s Asia Pacific president says.

Fast food growth rate set to be a whopper in India

19-Sep-2013 By RJ Whitehead

While the Indian economy slows, its consumers’ taste for burgers and pizzas is growing fast, with one research agency suggesting the fast food market there will double over the next three years.

Capital Foods denies talks with Nissin as noodle brand eyes up India

18-Sep-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The majority owner of Indian processed food manufacturer Capital Foods has vigorously scotched suggestions that is company is poised to be sold to Japanese giant Nissin Foods.

Soapbox

Everyone’s a food expert—even when they get the facts so badly wrong

18-Sep-2013 By Katherine Rich, CEO of NZ Food & Grocery Council

“Thought leadership” is the new fashion for some corporates. It has been described by some as providing ideas that intrigue, challenge and inspire, but for others the phrase can sound more than a little bit Orwellian.

THE BIG INTERVIEW: KELLOGG ASIA PACIFIC PRESIDENT – PART I

Kellogg APAC president: We're in a position to create the breakfast category in Asia

18-Sep-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Kellogg is in a position to drive, shape and ultimately create a cereal category in Asia Pacific, and that’s exactly what it plans on doing, its regional president says.

Fast food sales continue to decline as Chinese economy slows

12-Sep-2013 By William Hao Wei Yang

Major international fast food brands continue to suffer from declining sales in the Chinese market, with Yum! Brands notably reporting a 10% drop in sales over August.

A masterstroke? Pepsi-flavored Cheetos could spell innovative salt reduction

09-Sep-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Frito-Lay’s limited edition Pepsi-flavored Cheetos in Japan aren’t anything ground-breaking, but the new taste profile could be used as a platform to reduce salt levels, an innovation expert says.

Greenpeace and RSPO clash over forest fires

05-Sep-2013 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Food companies that only use certified sustainable palm oil have been accused of “certifying destruction”, according to a Greenpeace report released to coincide with the first European Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) summit in Berlin this week.

China's snack market promise

03-Sep-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

The Chinese snack market is growing rapidly, says Canadean market research firm with cakes, pastries and sweet pies performing particularly well - but multinationals need to observe local customs.

A case of semantics: Snax biscuit brand denied trademark

28-Aug-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Indian snack company Britannia Industries has lost a trademark battle for its Snax brand despite winning in a similar case against PepsiCo back in 2009.

Mondelez announces leadership changes in EEMEA and Asia

27-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelez International has announced new heads for its EEMEA region and Asia Pacific region after Pradeep Pant announced his retirement, aged 59.

Sights on India

PepsiCo’s possible crisp co. pounce a strong signal of snack expansion

22-Aug-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Market-watchers in India have recently been speculating that PepsiCo is poised to make a bid for an Indian crisp manufacturer as a means to grab greater control of snacks in developing Asian markets.

Limited edition Pepsi-flavored Cheetos in Japan

22-Aug-2013

Frito-Lay has developed Pepsi-flavored Cheetos for the Japanese snack market, but revealed no plans to bring them to other markets.

Study links early junk food exposure to mental problems in children

21-Aug-2013 By Ankush Chibber

A broad new study has found that that mums with unhealthy diets of cereals and sweet drinks during pregnancy are more likely to have children with behavioural problems.

GLG Lifetech works with China’s largest food company to tackle obesity, diabetes epidemic with stevia

15-Aug-2013 By Elaine WATSON

Stevia supplier GLG Lifetech is working with China’s largest food company - state-owned COFCO (China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Corporation) - on three major healthy food and beverage formulation projects.

Fact-finding and brand building: Special K asks for social media posts instead of cash

14-Aug-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Special K’s pop-up shop in Australia where social media posts are used instead of cash will give Kellogg crucial face-to-face contact with consumers for fact-finding and brand building, says a marketing expert.

Flipping and frying in China’s complex fast food market

01-Aug-2013 By RJ Whitehead

As companies jostle for rights to own fast-food franchises in China, is the real quick service restaurant picture really as rosy as it looks on the surface?

China research

KFC named China’s most powerful brand

29-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Fast food chain KFC tops the table in China as the most powerful international brand in the country, according to research compiled for the BBC.

Soapbox

Obesity needs tackling, but only through considered measures

24-Jul-2013 By Katherine Rich, chief executive of the NZ Food & Grocery Council

The level of obesity among New Zealanders, and children in particular, is a major concern, with 28% of adults and one in 10 children aged between two and 14 classed as obese. What’s more, the figures are even higher when broken down by ethnicity.

Industry and public to be consulted on fibre claims Down Under

23-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has released a consultation paper about the qualifying criteria for dietary fibre nutrition content claims.

Sparking nostalgia: Kellogg goes retro with limited edition packs

18-Jul-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Kellogg Australia will launch limited edition retro packaging across a handful of its iconic cereal and bar brands for the month of August.

Opinion

Junk food industry should prepare for plain and graphic label debate

16-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the adoption of plain and highly graphic packaging last year by the Australian tobacco industry has led to a marked reduction in smoking, albeit in a very short time. And when you see some of the frightening images on...

Special edition: Sustainable sourcing

SPECIAL FEATURE: In conversation with the WWF: The rocky road to sustainable palm oil

16-Jul-2013 By Elaine WATSON

The good news: Around 15% of global palm oil produced in the past year was certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The bad news: Only half of it earned a premium, which doesn’t sound like a great recipe for inspiring more producers...

Oat cereal outpaces other healthy options in India, finds Nielsen

12-Jul-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Indian consumers have universally steered towards healthier breakfast options over the last decade and oat cereals have far outpaced other choices, Nielsen research shows.

RSPO commends members on quick action to quench fires

11-Jul-2013 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Five RSPO-certified palm oil producers accused of contributing to Indonesian forest fires have submitted digital images of their plantations in an effort to clear their names – and the RSPO has commended them for fast action.

Market research

Western tastes give pizza a bigger slice of China's prepared foods pie

10-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Ready meals will continue to lead the prepared meals market in China, but pizza is expected to show the fastest growth up to 2017, according to a new report by Canadean.

Liquid breakfast row: Reaction

Industry hits back at criticism of Australian liquid breakfast claims

27-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Manufacturers and industry groups have slammed an Australian consumer watchdog’s assertion that nutritional claims on the packs of some liquid breakfasts are “shonky”.

Consumer group outs ‘shonky’ Aussie liquid breakfast brands

25-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

An Australian consumer rights watchdog has branded liquid breakfasts’ nutritional claims as “dodgy” and “shonky” following an investigation into 23 brands.

Fiber: The golden ingredient in Japan’s promising cereal sector

11-Jun-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Fiber is a core selling point of breakfast cereal in Japan given the low dietary intake in the country, says a Canadean analyst.

Africa, Asia to lead rise in global sugar demand through 2021, report says

06-Jun-2013 By Hank Schultz

Rising demand in Asia and Africa will drive significant growth in global sugar consumption, according to a new Rabobank report. The report, Global Sugar to 2021, projects global sugar consumption to grow from 166 million tons to 203 million tons in raw...

Market research

China’s grocery market to grow by one-third, India to overtake Japan

04-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China, the world’s biggest food and grocery market, is now valued at more than US$1tn per year and is forecast to grow by a further one-third by 2016, according to latest figures published by IGD.

Want-Want chairman tops Forbes Taiwan rich list as China business booms

30-May-2013 By Kacey Culliney

The chairman of Taiwanese food and drink major Want-Want has topped the Forbes Taiwan rich list for the second year running on the back of a booming snacks business in China.

Fast food looks to China's hinterland towns for future growth

27-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

According to a new report by market researcher Mintel, China’s fast food and takeaway market is expected to reach RMB1.8tn (US$294bn) by 2017. The increase, it says, will be largely bolstered by rising economic power in lower-tier cities.

Ankush at large

India’s food processors simply targeting the wrong kitchens

27-May-2013 By Ankush Chibber

If you have been following all the big research and consulting companies’ reports, you will be well used to hearing the words “purchasing power”, “disposable income” and “larger grocery basket”, mostly in that order.

Ready meals on the rise in time-poor Japan

21-May-2013

With a value growth of 4.3% expected between 2012 and 2017, the prepared meals sector has been showing above-average growth in Japan.

PepsiCo bites into Southeast Asia with expansion partnership

25-Apr-2013 By Kacey Culliney

PepsiCo will push its snacks brands further into Asia in a new deal with Swiss market expansion specialist DKSH.

CHOICE Australia slams ‘alarmingly’ high salt levels in kids’ snacks and cereal

04-Apr-2013 By Kacey Culliney

CHOICE Australia has slammed industry on high sodium levels in snacks and breakfast cereal targeting kids and has called for tougher action towards change.