Middle Eastern food and beverage heavyweight Agthia has urged F&B firms in the region to look beyond formulation and refomulation, and create new products based on consumer and geographical segmentation.
The South Korean government has just announced its food and agriculture business plan for 2021, where technology, food security and sustainability have been highlighted as key focal areas to achieve growth this year.
Taiwanese food firms have stepped up their food innovation efforts to utilise the local pineapple supply after China instituted a ban on Taiwanese imports, developing beers, sandwiches, appetisers and more from the fruit.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is targeting seafood production improvements in the Asia Pacific region to keep prices affordable and prevent sustainability crises similar to those seen in land agriculture.
Processed fruit products and wines topped the list of food and beverage imports into South Korea last year, whereas past star performers beer and imported kimchi numbers suffered severe drops as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian F&B brands and retailers will need to ensure their business strategy encompasses sustainability, affordability and the identification of a right niche if they wish to achieve growth in what looks to be a ‘tough year ahead’, according to...
Japan’s supermarkets need to offer a better range of fresh foods and embrace business sustainability in their operations in order to avoid becoming obsolete in the face of challenges posed by COVID-19 and e-commerce, insist experts at the National Supermarket...
South Korea is promoting measures overseas to stop the ‘misidentification’ of Chinese food products as Korean, a policy likely prompted on the back of a recent kimchi feud with China.
Japanese consumers are feeling the pressure of rising food prices in the country, with trends shifting towards bulk buying and a renewed focus on affordable brands.
New Zealand’s debate over creating a Grocery Code of Conduct has now moved to the parliamentary stage after the NZ Food and Grocery Council (NZFGC) presented it to parliament in the name of preventing potential ‘abuse of power’ by local supermarkets.
Malaysian palm oil is expected to see a rise in demand from India and China this year as economies gradually open up and local stocks diminish, but the industry must improve logistics and digital reach to effectively capitalise, according to industry...
Malaysian bak kwa company Oloiya (Chinese:我来也) is banking on flavour innovation to capture the younger market, as it bids to disrupt the century-old industry.
New Zealand oat firm Harraways has revealed its plans to focus new product development efforts on areas such as fortification and collaborative NPD as the 154-year-old brand moves to keep up with current F&B trends.
China has implemented mandatory traceability requirements for all food products transported via cold chain, including dairy products, fruits and drinks, in an expansion of its efforts to prevent COVID-19 from entering the country via imported foods.
Bakery products, cereals and fruit juices will remain the only processed food products to have fortification standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the near future, after the regulator confirmed it is not considering...
Robots developed by researchers at Hokkaido University are being trialled at a Japanese vineyard, Hokkaido Wine, for pesticide spraying and weed control.
A Singapore food tech firm that upcycles barley into healthier noodles wants to partner with major brewers and beverage brands to put their by-products to better use.
Indonesia’s first homegrown plant-based meat firm Green Butcher is banking on its localised flavours and spices focus to pique the interest of the nation’s consumers and grow the domestic category.
Only 15 countries worldwide are still implementing import restrictions on food items from Japanese districts that were stricken by the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown disaster in 2011 – but progress with those that remain may be hard to achieve...
Nestle has committed to focus on plant-based product localisation, sustainability and affordability as key focus areas for its Asia Pacific businesses on the back of the region posting near flat-growth as a result of poor performance in China.
APAC’s cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp sector is expected to progress rapidly over the coming years, especially in India, China and Australia where they are approved for food use, although many other nations are still wary of granting the regulatory go-ahead.
Kerry is preparing to ramp-up promotion of its plant-based innovation service to brands in APAC and the Middle East, while also doubling down on emerging taste trends and better-for-you product innovation.
Dairy products and vegetable sprouts have been identified as key food poisoning risks for pregnant women in New Zealand, leading to the raw consumption of these being removed from official governmental dietary guidance.
China has emphasised that stability will be the name of the game in government strategies to ensure national food security and the upcoming Fourteenth Five-Year Plan, with particular emphasis on market stabilisation and grain management.
The Japanese government has found no sign of genetically modified (GM) soybean and rapeseed crops having any impact on surrounding biodiversity over 15 years of natural growth, further strengthening its argument for further GM-related approvals in the...
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has launched a nationwide investigation into a widespread local honey adulteration scandal and is mulling ‘better’ test methods – but researchers are calling for the agency to take more ‘stronger,...
Singapore F&B heavyweight Yeo Hiap Seng (Yeo’s) is making plans to reformulate as many products as it can within its beverage portfolio to both keep up with consumer trends, as well as fall in line with upcoming government standards.
Researchers have consolidated the glycaemic index (GI) of 940 common Asian and Middle Eastern food items such as nasi lemak, chapati, dim sum, dates and habba hamra in a review article published in the Nutrition and Diabetes journal.
The Chinese government has issued a series of warnings and directives on the consumption of fermented foods, counterfeit foods and beverages on the back of a deadly mass food poisoning event and the rapid rise of food fraud cases in the past year.
Nestle Malaysia CEO Juan Aranols has revealed the firm’s strong export focus is key for growth, but believes that it will ‘live or die’ by ensuring its products are competitive domestically and win the hearts of local consumers.
Seafood giant Thai Union has revealed how it is looking to broaden its healthier products portfolio including ready-to-eat (RTE) meals, on the back of significant investment in Singapore low-GI firm Alchemy Foodtech.
South Korea’s ‘New Southern’ policy focusing on tightening relations with South East Asia and India appears to have paid off in skyrocketing food and agricultural export numbers, some of the highest in recent years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recent study led by the Philippines Department of Science and Technology (DOST) revealed that suspected COVID-19 patients administered with virgin coconut oil (VCO) had reduced symptoms and a faster recovery phase compared to the control group.
Japan has updated its nutrition labelling rules to both reflect the quality as well as the quantity of carbohydrates present in processed foods, and also better reflect the calculation of calories being consumed per serving.
Experts have suggested that the palm oil industry and food firms manufacturing palm oil-containing products use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify the right consumer segments and methods to sway sentiment back in their favour.
The Japanese government has approved a bill to increase the intellectual property (IP) protection over local high-value produce in a bid to prevent these from being illegally exported and planted overseas, losing control over further cultivation, sales...
The Chinese government has announced a new three-year strategy to further develop the local dairy industry, with emphasis on strengthening R&D as well as tighter governance to quell remaining food safety concerns and boost the sector’s reputation.
The yoghurt industry in the Asia Pacific region has highlighted continuous innovation, particularly in terms of flavours and formats, as the key driver to remaining relevant in the eyes of local consumers - despite the sector being one of the oldest in...
South Korea-based food technology firm Phyto Corporation (PhytoCo) has doubled the sodium reduction rate of its world-first plant-based salt PhytoSalt - making it the only salt worldwide capable of reducing sodium intake by 40%.
Indonesia and China have been highlighted by experts as major opportunity markets for halal F&B brands looking to internationalise their products post-COVID-19, banking on rising purchasing power and government support in both countries – though some...
Nestle Malaysia’s CEO Juan Aranols has revealed the firm’s priority is to keep its products available and affordable for consumers, even as the firm deals with the impacts of a second COVID-19 lockdown.
Singapore-based start-up ProfilePrint has cited growing interest in alternative proteins and specialty ingredients as potential areas to explore with its patented artificial intelligence food ingredient analysis technology.
Singapore-based foodtech firm Nutrition Innovation is bringing its sugar reduction technology Nucane Life to Malaysia in partnership with local sugar giant CSR, offering local food manufacturers a clean label option for reformulation with added functional...
The palm oil industry in Malaysia needs to prepare itself for an uncertain year ahead with expected price volatility, production decrease and policy changes in the west, with the government attempting to shift to more value-added products in hopes of...
Meluka Australia has expanded into the offline channel in the US with Whole Foods Market, a subsidiary of Amazon, on the back of growing demand for its organic honey.
Leading Japanese firms Asahi, Ajinomoto, Kirin, Hotei Foods, Nippn and Nissin have underlined how their manufacturing, R&D and employee safety are being maintained as certain prefectures come under another state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ulusoy Un Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. – one of Turkey’s largest flour millers and grain traders – has received a cash injection from an EBRD and TSKB co-financing programme, created in 2016 to improve and simplify access to finance for small- to medium-sized...
United Foods Company, an UAE-based manufacturer and distributor of edible oils, fats and frozen foods, has outlined plans to expand its beverage portfolio this year in an exclusive interview with FoodNavigator-Asia.
Consumers are opting to buy ‘No Palm Oil’ labelled products in places where these are available due to the sense of ‘emotional protection’ this confers versus any real scientific knowledge, an expert panel has claimed whilst recommending better social...