Functional foods & drinks

Manuka and strawberry tree honey helps decrease colon cancer cell viability: In vitro study

11-May-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Strawberry tree honey and Manuka honey can induce cell death in colon cancer cells, an in vitro study has found.

Hemp for human food consumption finally gets the green light in Australia and New Zealand

30-Apr-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Hemp foods are finally set to hit Australian plates after regulators approved legislation legalising low-THC hemp for human consumption as a food.

Dubai enlists Nutricia for grassroots infant healthy-eating initiative

19-Apr-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Dubai health officials have called on Danone’s infant nutrition brand to support its drive to persuade parents to adopt health eating habits for their toddlers.

Iron deficiency in Korea: Clinicians underestimate health consequences, study states

18-Apr-2017 By Gary Scattergood

A large number of Korean infants and young children still develop iron deficiency anaemia despite increased breastfeeding rates, improvements in public health and a rise in iron-fortified food, a recent study discovered.

Sports nutrition: Singapore’s elite athletes focusing on food first, supplements second

18-Apr-2017 By Millette Burgos

Alternative sources of protein and a greater focus on ‘food before supplements’ is shaping the sports nutrition practices of Singapore’s elite athletes.

Hemp product sales slowly inch up as cultivation barriers get more lax

17-Apr-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Retail sales of hemp food, CBD, and supplements posted $285.3 million in sales in 2016, according to data by retail research firm SPINS and Vote Hemp, a non-profit advocating a freer market for industrial hemp.

OPINION: How probiotics research is taking us to the next level of understanding

13-Apr-2017 By Marla Cunningham

While clinicians are increasingly aware of the evidence behind specific probiotic strains for a variety of conditions, restoring balance to a microbiome disrupted by diet, medications or illness often remains an area of confusion, writes Health World...

Omega-3 clampdown in Indonesia: Regulator now given ‘full picture’ says national trade body

04-Apr-2017 By Millette Burgos

Indonesian regulators didn’t have the ‘full picture’ when they slashed the permitted daily limit for omega-3 health claims earlier this year, claims the country’s trade association boss.

NATURAL PRODUCTS NEW ZEALAND SUMMIT 2017

NZ government backs natural products innovation as exports help offset dairy slump

30-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

The New Zealand government is committed to helping natural products and supplements firms meet their export potential by removing barriers to innovation, according to the country’s environment minister.

NATURAL PRODUCTS NEW ZEALAND SUMMIT 2017

‘Clean and green’: Australian and New Zealand functional honey products continue to buzz in China

29-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Natural products with functional claims such as honey continue to face a bright future as both a food and a therapeutic product, not least in China where demand is expected to soar.

‘Extreme superfoods’: Diets yielding high levels of acetate and butyrate protect against type 1 diabetes

28-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Specialised diets designed to release large amounts of acetate or butyrate after bacterial fermentation in the colon protected against type 1 or juvenile diabetes in mice, said researchers from Monash University in Australia.

VIDEO: The top consumer trends driving business innovation at Ingredion

27-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Ingredion may be best known for its clean label products, but according to the firm’s president for APAC and EMEA, there are a further three key trends driving business innovation at the company.

Regulators pave the way for use of hemp as a food in Australia and New Zealand

23-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has issued a circular paving the way for the sale of low-THC hemp seed products as a food.

Sweet potato and weight loss: Food firms urged to exploit 'new business opportunities'

16-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Sweet potato supplementation significantly reduced obesity caused by a high-fat diet and also had beneficial effects on liver and kidney functions, a new China study showed.

Six stand-out functional food and supplement trends from Indonesia

14-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

From consumer spending to retailer awareness, we pinpoint six of the most pressing functional food and supplement trends ahead of next week’s HI South East Asia exhibition and conference in Jakarta.

Probiotics and ageing: DNA sequencing shows how bacteria evolves from birth to centenarians

13-Mar-2017 By Millette Burgos

How gut microbiota composition changes with age has been charted using state-of- the-art DNA sequencing in Japan, revealing which strains are most prevalent at different stages of life.

Sanat Products plans more acquisitions after snapping up Hindustan Herbals Limited

07-Mar-2017 By Adi Menayang

Thanks to the increased popularity of turmeric and other botanical products in food and beverage, market analysts have seen an uptick of interest and familiarity for Ayurvedic ingredients outside of India, which has translated to increased activity for...

Probiotics in space testing is ready for lift off, says Yakult

06-Mar-2017 By Millette Burgos

Yakult is ready to begin carrying out tests on the consumption of probiotics in space, by undertaking experiments on astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Thailand’s top three supplement and functional food trends as beauty bubble begins to burst: Infographic

06-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Healthy ageing, natural supplements and personalised nutrition: these are three emerging trends in Thailand offering ample opportunities for industry growth.

Branding, mass media and community outreach: How Vietnam boosted complementary feeding for infants

01-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood and Millette Burgos

More infants in Vietnam received complementary foods thanks to a widespread social franchising, marketing and branding campaign that targeted new mothers, providing 'rigorous evidence' that such strategies can help combat malnutrition.

VIDEO: Talking trends – Chr. Hansen on the probiotics and healthy dairy boom driving growth across Asia Pacific

27-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Probiotics, functional dairy and natural colours – combined with Asia’s rapidly changing lifestyle and health needs – are among the top factors driving industry growth in the region.

Lychee and Alzheimer’s: Saponins boost rats’ cognitive function 'almost as effectively as drug'

27-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

Saponins extracted from lychee seeds helped improve cognitive function and prevented neuronal injury in rats induced with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a new study reports.

China direct

Analyst: Chinese vit. A prices doubled last year and will remain high

26-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

A tripling of the price of vitamin A in China in early 2016 led an overall increase of almost 99% for the year.

Berries from Tibetan Himalayas have ‘great functional food potential’: China research

23-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Anthocyanin-rich berries from Vaccinium glaucoalbum, a perennial evergreen shrub found in the Tibetan Himalayas, have great potential for functional food and nutraceutical products, according to researchers in China.

Revealed: The single biggest Indian health concern offering vast functional food and drink potential…

23-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

India’s tired citizens may just be the key to unlock a new market for functional food and drink formulations. 

After Australia backs medical cannabis, is hemp about to approved as a nutrition and food source?

22-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Industry and academic experts have been responding to Australia’s decision to establish a legal medicinal cannabis trade – with most welcoming it as a positive first step – while others are eagerly awaiting a judgement in April which will rule if hemp...

Phytosterol fortified milk lowers cholesterol and fatty liver build-up: BASF-supported study

22-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

Milk fortified with phytosterols not only helped lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but also decreased fatty liver build-up, a study found.

Six Japan food, nutrition and consumer trends set to shape 2017

21-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

We pinpoint six of the must-know food, nutrition and consumer trends taking shape in Japan, from superfoods to sports nutrition, ahead of one of the country's biggest trade shows, FoodEx Japan, which takes place next month.

Whey out? Could cricket protein rival whey as a sports nutrition and functional drinks ingredient?

20-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

Crickets could become a functional protein ingredient to rival casein and whey in nutritional beverages and sports drinks, researchers suggest.

Asian consumers more interested in nutrition and healthy eating than westerners: Survey

17-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Asian consumers are far more likely to be interested in healthy eating than those in the West, according to a new survey of attitudes to diet and nutrition.

Singapore centre seeks to increase science standards for home-grown supplements, TCM and food firms

16-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

A recently established Singapore centre is seeking to increase the standard of evidence-based data for SMEs in the supplements, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and functional foods space.

DSM and Singapore Institute of Technology unite to back next generation of food and nutrition technologists

16-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Students from Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will be able to benefit from DSM’s facilities in a bid to boost the skills of the next generation of food and nutrition technologists.

New Australian university centre eyes Asia opportunities for omega-3 and probiotics products

14-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia is opening a $1m new Food Science Innovation Precinct to drive new products and research in probiotics, omega-3, functional foods and dairy.

Probiotics boost the kidney benefits of soy milk in diabetic patients, RCT reveals

14-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Probiotic soy milk improves several indexes of kidney function in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy – a major complication of diabetes and the foremost cause of end-stage renal failure.

Groundbraking natural low-GI sugar revealed, with Nobel link

09-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Until not long ago, Holista CollTech was best known for being the only company to produce ovine collagen using patented extraction methods. 

DSM bolsters Gulf presence with Dubai HQ

08-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Nutritional ingredients manufacturer DSM now has a representative presence in the Middle East with the opening of a regional office in Dubai. 

Fibre supplement boosts weight loss and lowers blood sugar in obese adults: Study

07-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

Fibre supplementation helped to boost weight loss and lower blood sugar in overweight and obese adults, according to a new Australian study.

India fortification plans: Regulator FSSAI releases consultation paper

07-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has pledged to ‘close the gap’ in micronutrient malnutrition after releasing a consultation paper on food fortification.

Review: Why Asian mushrooms merit animal and human studies to assess Alzheimer's benefits

01-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

The traditional use of some mushroom species in Asia to boost cognitive function, along with papers purportedly showing their brain health benefits, mean they are worthy of scientific investigation to see if they can help people with Alzheimer's...

UMFHA tells fake manuka honey to buzz off

31-Jan-2017 By Emma Jane Cash

The Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) has developed a system that uses compounds to validate manuka honey as genuine, after a rise in fake manuka honey was sold in UK markets.

Waste not want not: Why more needs to be done to maximise the functional food potential of by-products

27-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood and Millette Burgos

The functional food and nutraceutical opportunities offered by agricultural waste products in developing countries are not being fully exploited, meaning vital nutrients that could be of immense health and economic benefit are going to waste.

Looming perfect storm will lead to Aussie CBD boom, pioneer predicts

25-Jan-2017 By RJ Whitehead

An anticipated perfect storm in Australia, involving the recent legalisation of medical cannabis and the expected approval of hemp in foods and nutrition later this year, has led to the government stopping the export of hemp products to ensure national...

Australia

Hemp food pioneer hopes legalisation will bring sky-high growth

23-Jan-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Currently consigned to pet food aisles, or products branded “for external use only”, hemp may soon be sold as a food in Australia, which in turn is on the cusp of a chia-style healthy-food revolution.

Student’s start-up supplement bars help reduce anaemia in Indian women

19-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

A fortified iron supplement bar given to women in and around Mumbai reduced anaemia with no reported side effects, according to a study by Duke University researchers and collaborators in India.

Chinese dairy group opens South Australia formula facility

12-Jan-2017 By Jim Cornall

The first stage of Blue Lake Dairy Group’s A$65m (US$48.8m) processing plant at Tantanoola in South Australia has been officially opened.

Aquatic plant potential: Why duckweed could become a source of protein and omega-3 beyond South East Asia

12-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Duckweed has long been consumed as an inexpensive protein and source of omega-3 in three South East Asia countries, but now researchers are questioning if it has the potential to be adopted by south Asian and even Western consumers too.

Why cardiovascular health functional foods are primed to take-off across APAC: Euromonitor

11-Jan-2017 By Maria Mascaraque

Despite Asia Pacific being a region with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), sales of cardiovascular health positioned foods and beverages are not high, writes Maria Mascaraque from Euromonitor International.

Wild banana ripe for greater functional food and nutraceutical examination: Review

11-Jan-2017 By Millette Burgos

Wild banana (M. acuminata), which has long been used in traditional medicine in South East Asia, is worthy of further investigation to assess its functional food and nutraceutical development on a larger scale, a new academic review suggests.

Chinese domestic formula companies floundering amid stiff competition

10-Jan-2017 By RJ Whitehead

With more than 100 infant milk powder manufacturers established and thousands of product lines launched in the last 30 years, overcrowding in the segment appears to have hit Chinese businesses hard.

‘More evidence’ of green tea’s slimming potential needed to boost products beyond Japan

10-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

The status of green tea as a slimming ingredient in Japan should provide inspiration for companies elsewhere who are looking to use the product across the weight loss category, according to new market research.