Almost US$100,000 worth of well-known spreads were confiscated by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from two local Indian dairy firms for ‘zero cholesterol’ and ‘low cholesterol’ mislabelling violations.
In this episode of our Food and Beverage Trailblazers podcast, we speak to the CEO and Co-founder of Singapore-based artificial intelligence company AI Palette Somsubhra Ganchoudhuri (Som) about using AI for food product innovation, and making the switch...
Food and beverage companies have been singled out as a significant force to ‘generate substantial growth’ for the halal industry, especially in Asia and the Middle East, by creating dedicated halal propositions in developing their businesses.
Malaysia is the second-largest palm oil producer in the world and the commodity is also the country’s second-largest export in terms of value - but the local palm oil industry as a whole faces an uncertain future due to volatile prices and continuing...
With the food adulteration situation in India showing no sign of slowing down, an authentication expert has argued that food packaging developments can help improve the situation and raise food safety levels in the country.
South Korea has enforced regulations banning the usage of plastic materials that are difficult to recycle such as PVC and coloured PET bottles for the packaging of food and beverage items.
Japanese researchers have found a link between high household salt intakes and increased deaths due to various forms of cardiovascular disease, renewing calls for lower salt consumption and increased intake of healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables...
South Korea has released a new 10-step nutrition labelling guidelines document to address challenges faced by food businesses in correctly labelling food and beverage items, in the hopes of increasing industry compliance to standards and regulations.
Capsinoids from non-pungent chilli peppers have been reported to increase physical activity (PA), reduce body fat mass, and promote metabolism in older Japanese adults.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is looking to implement stricter mandatory allergen labelling regulations in both countries, particularly surrounding aspects such as clarity, consistency and prominence, and has opened this proposal to public...
Three years after Singapore officially launched its War on Diabetes campaign, with the aim of ‘mobilising the whole nation’ to tackle the condition, we assess how the food and beverage industry has been a key ally in the battle.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has revealed the scientific basis behind how it plans to work with the food industry to develop the regulation system in Australia and New Zealand until 2023.
Many big F&B brands in India have been making the shift towards the responsible labelling of products, but this is still lacking in smaller local companies – a situation that might be helped by implementing better and stricter labels and regulations,...
Australia’s largest organic children’s snacks brand Whole Kids sees convenience for both mothers and kids as well as delivering delicious tasting products as its major priorities whilst planning for its upcoming expansion into the Asia Pacific region.
We take a look at the five top trends that look set to shape the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry in 2020, from fortification to cell-based development to sustainability and more.
Foreign food companies seeking registration approval for both plant and animal products in China will need to pass the review of two ‘expert panels’ formed by selected customs officers, as recently emphasised by an updated set of regulations published...
Asian bakery product imports have been found to contain the highest number of undeclared allergens compared to other food and beverage products sold from the region, according to a new study.
Malaysian ready meal firm Thalia, best known for its frozen lasagna and other Italian dishes, is now enjoying success in the nation’s rapidly expanding foodservice scene.
China has published a new list of products that can be accepted for organic certification, which has been enforced with immediate effect. A set of revised organic certification regulations is set to follow by January 1, 2020.
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has announced tightened food labelling and advertisement standards in a move to strengthen the country’s Food Labelling and Advertising Act, with sugar and other ‘negative content’ claims receiving...
A Philippines Department of Health (DOH) proposal to impose taxes on high-salt products has been met with vehement opposition with critics claiming it will penalise the poorest in society.
The New Zealand government has finally responded to the country’s Food and Beverage Industry Taskforce on Addressing Factors Contributing to Obesity’s report and its list of 51 recommendations.
Australia and New Zealand ministers have opted to keep implementation of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system by F&B companies voluntary, although stricter guidelines for the governance of sugar, sodium and dairy will be enforced to ‘increase efficiency’.
Singaporean retail giant NTUC FairPrice has poured in another S$1mn (US$735,000) to extend its million-dollar programme by another year after seeing particularly strong results for local food SMEs that specialise in processed food items such as instant...
Thailand has proposed a salt tax by targeting processed foods in hopes of curbing chronic disease, but an industry expert has cast doubt on the effectiveness of this proposal.
Kerry has teamed up with IBM’s artificial intelligence (AI) arm Watson to develop a new AI-based tool aptly dubbed Trendspotter, which it claims can help F&B manufacturers to identify and launch new products ‘ahead of trend’.
Singapore’s major food research entities will be consolidated under a new institute by the second quarter of 2020, enabling F&B firms large and small to access a ‘one-stop shop’ of research and information pertaining to food safety, regulations and...
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a set of legislations four years in the making, which would see F&B manufacturers banned from selling or promoting foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in or around school premises.
An open market, less regulation and good policies have been attributed as reasons for the success of Thailand’s palm oil industry in the past 50 years since it was first introduced into the country, where in direct contrast the Philippines has failed...
An expert panel comprising members of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Shared Responsibility Task Force have highlighted credibility, collaboration and real action as major reasons for the establishment of its new year-long pilot.
The Australian confectionery sector has called for one of the recommended changes to the Health Star Rating (HSR) system - to remove the energy icon and make star labels compulsory – to be reconsidered, claiming this could lead to its products appearing...
Indonesia is enforcing its new halal certification, with food and beverage the first area of focus as the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) takes over from the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI).
South Korean food technology company Phyto Corporation has developed a range of unique products all based on its research into a single plant, the seawater-grown crop Salicornia.
Pakistan’s Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has detected and discarded thousands of kilogrammes of adulterated food and beverage items over the past month, with over 100 brands deemed to be ‘unsafe’, amidst its efforts to intensify inspections in the province.
Singapore-based AI Palette claims to have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform that can help FMCG food firms create ‘successful products’ and shorten the NPD process, thus also increasing products’ speed to market.
The food tech scene is booming in Israel, where its start-up ecosystem is striving to be ‘number one’ in the game. So what makes this country a hotbed for food tech innovation? FoodNavigator hears from a food manufacturer, a start-up incubator and a venture...
Yeast extract specialist firm Angel Yeast has identified clean label, sodium reduction and rising demand for vegan/vegetarian foods as three mega trends driving the rapid rise of yeast extract popularity as a flavouring replacement worldwide.
German supermarket giant Kaufland has taken its first steps into the APAC market with the confirmation of five stores and plans for at least nine more in Australia, and experts anticipate it will impact bigger supermarkets in the country, though not surpass...
Food items with lower Health Star Ratings have been found to be discounted more frequently and heavily than their healthier counterparts, a recent Australian study has revealed.
Nestle and Alibaba have co-designed a virtual digital platform which looks to digitalise the operations of traditional retail outlets, in addition to creating customised product portfolios based on consumer demand.
The food and beverage industry in Indonesia is expected to play a ‘huge’ role in the South East Asian nation’s ambition to become the world’s fourth-largest global economy by the year 2050, with technology and innovation initiatives expected to drive...
Prepared and packaged foods are one the five key categories identified by an India-World Bank collaborative programme to boost the nation’s food manufacturing sector, which has now moved to the cabinet approval stage.
Poor organic branding and a lack of policing are amongst the major challenges facing the organic industry in the APAC region today, according to specialist organic retailer Nature’s Glory.
One-in-five food products in Japan are still not compliant with the country’s new food labelling standards, with time rapidly running out for manufacturers to make the changes.
Keeping products tasty and providing clear nutrition labelling have been found to be key factors influencing consumer appeal when it comes to food and beverage reformulation in India, a new report has found.