Japan has banned the use of the terms ‘artificial’ and ‘synthetic’ to describe food additives on all food and beverage labels after consumer research found they were causing consumers to shun such products.
Digital supply chain transformation is crucial for food firms in the Asia Pacific region to ensure resiliency, sustainability and continued consumer demand for their products post-COVID-19.
The government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) has built of a new food safety and quality control centre with a Chinese partner, in the hope of providing a boost for the country’s economy and potentially graduating from its current ‘Less-Developed...
The Australian government has released a range of sodium reformulation targets to be implemented on a voluntary basis by the local F&B industry over the next four years, but public health researchers believe that this should be made mandatory.
Food and beverage firms in Australia would do well to maintain product pricing, focus on advertising and research, as well as wisely streamline their product ranges in order to come out on top post-COVID-19, according to recommendations from an industry...
Sugar taxation has remained the most effective for of food taxation when it comes to reducing diet-related diseases as compared to taxes on salt, saturated fat and junk food, according to a recent New Zealand study.
China’s alternative meat market has grown from its traditional imitation products to a more modern, realistic and meat-tasting profile powered by innovation – and now some of the industry’s biggest names are ploughing in resources to fuel the next wave...
Brands and suppliers need to innovate with speed and agility to meet the meet changing demands from APAC’s consumers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an expert panel featuring a raft of top firms has concluded.
The Singapore firm behind a brand of low fat and low sugar ice cream is now turning its attention to reducing sugar levels in Asian condiment and sauces.
New Zealand nut butter specialist firm Fix & Fogg has opted to establish a local production facility in the United States so as to overcome quota challenges and facilitate further expansion in the country.
Researchers in Australia have called for more stringent food allergen labelling regulations after recent data revealed that the lack of warning labels poses a bigger risk for consumers than cross-contamination during food processing.
Asia’s biggest food and beverage brands have successfully retained their top FMCG rankings and outpaced overall category growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with major players topping new lists from China to South East Asia.
Australian food and beverage firms need to improve their social media engagement to maximise reach to consumers in all of the country’s key export markets, especially given the rise of e-commerce post-COVID-19.
Australia’s implementation of the revised Health Star Ratings (HSR) system is on track with a focus on sugar and sodium reduction via a new nutrient calculator, as well as plans for 70% of industry uptake, the Australian Department of Health has confirmed.
The China Food Tech Hub, which aims to forge close ties between MNCs and start-ups, is adding three new members to its consortium this year, including big names such as Nestle, Ajinomoto and Barilla’s Blu1877.
Taiwan’s organic equivalence agreements policy means it risks losing over half of its organic imports, particularly those from its biggest trade partner EU, but despite this has shown no signs of shifting its stance.
Australian food and beverage companies making the shift to or adding e-commerce platforms to their businesses must carefully manage any new risk profiles – or run the risk of cyber attacks similar to those recently experienced by the country’s largest...
Many big food and beverage companies in Malaysia have made commitments to improve product and population nutrition, but researchers have found these to be ‘weak’, ‘non-specific’ and lacking in comprehensiveness.
Food and agriculture products are expected to help Thailand maintain its export trade worldwide post-COVID-19, despite the significant logistical challenges seen in all major export modes of transportation so far.
China has revealed microbial contamination, excessive food additives and excessive drug residues to be the major food safety challenges that the country is facing, based on data from the government-administered 2019 National Food Safety Inspections.
Japanese seasoning giant Ajinomoto has developed a new nutrient scoring system to evaluate the nutritional value of its products and help support future product development.
Japan has stepped up its efforts to promote recycling and sustainability in the country by amending its regulations to allow the sales of specified condiments and beverages in PET bottles without any labels or tags whatsoever.
Nestle Malaysia has expressed strong confidence in post-its COVID-19 recovery, with the firm accelerating its e-commerce drive at products with an ‘at-home’ focus.
China online commerce giant Alibaba has predicted that the retail sector in China will see a boom in digitisation as well as a rise in healthy food options moving forth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, food and beverage adulteration has continued unhindered in Pakistan with authorities having had to seize and discard thousands of units of dairy, fruits, spices and other items despite continuing food supply fears...
India’s food safety regulatory body Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has insisted that the public need not be concerned about food safety in the country despite a lack of laboratory staff to do food safety testing due to COVID-19 lockdowns...
Korea-based plant-based product firm Phyto Corporation (PhytoCo) has officially launched its world-first plant-based salt in the country, PhytoSalt, which the firm claims is low-sodium and microplastic-free.
Investments in China’s eGrocery start-up sector continues to soar with funding reaching USD2.1 billion in 2019, a 25% increase from 2018, new data reveals.
The F&B industry in Malaysia has called for food businesses in all states nationwide to ‘concurrently resume’ as per the government’s recent loosening of COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions, but has hit a snag with seven of the nation’s 14 states...
Consumers in Saudi Arabia have drastically ramped-up their online purchases of food products in the the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, new data reveals.
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.
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.
Foshan Haitian, China’s largest seasoning and soy sauce manufacturer, recorded profits of RMB5.3 billion (US$750 million) in FY19, up 22.64% from the year before, and insists it is on target to top that by RMB1 billion (US$140mn) this year despite the...
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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
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...
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...
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’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,...
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.
The Philippines is developing local reference standards to raise the quality control and monitoring of exported food products, and as such reduce the probability of these being rejected overseas and resulting in forced recalls.
Food and beverage companies in Indonesia have cited government regulations as the major factor for reformulation, in a country where 28% of the adult population is overweight, 22% is obese, and 35% of deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease.
There is currently a “mismatch” between the amount of halal food imported into Malaysia and the quantity it exports that needs to be addressed, according to Jamil Bidin, the recently retired chief executive of the agency charged with promoting the country’s...
Plant-based products have recently come under fire for potential negative health and environmental effects, but much of this has so far gone more or less unnoticed and/or unmentioned by its proponents, it has been claimed.