News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Astaxanthin has been a red-hot ingredient in the United States for several years and demand is ramping up worldwide. To meet that demand in the Japanese market, Heliae, an algae technology company based in Gilbert, AZ, is teaming up with Sincere...
Eliot Beer
The Arab world’s Brazilian coffee imports rose 20% year-on-year by volume in the first five months of 2014, while revenue fell 7.7% over the same period.
Almarai and PepsiCo announced a joint plan to invest US$345m in projects in Egypt over the next five years, taking advantage of the growing stability in the country.
US cranberry juice brand Ocean Spray has announced the official launch of its products in the GCC, to tap into the region’s growth markets.
Governments across the Middle East are trying to enforce price controls on food staples ahead of Ramadan, as consumers report price rises of up to 40%.
The recent conflict in Iraq has pushed the country to the brink of a food supply crisis through risks to harvests and growing refugee numbers, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned.
The UAE’s Saif Al Khaili Group has signed up to build a food processing facility in Abu Dhabi Ports’ Kizad Food Cluster, as part of a major industrial project, Kizad has announced.
China
Chinese beef import volumes remain historically high, but still a long way behind last year’s stratospheric growth.
Dairy Crest and Fonterra have entered into a strategic partnership to produce and market infant formula ingredients, demineralized whey powder and galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS).
A coalition of Asian investors is ploughing US$106m (€77.7m) in to Huaxia Dairy Farm to fund an expansion of the Chinese company's farming and processing operations.
Australia
Iconic Australian food maker Goodman Fielder has finally agreed to an A$1.34bn (US$1.26bn) offer by Wilmar International and First Pacific Company to acquire the company after the last two bids were turned down.
The US$130m Qurun Aquapolis aquaculture project in Oman announced the appointment of its lead contractor this month, with construction scheduled to be completed by 2016.
Italian food exports to the GCC were up 21% in 2013, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading the growth and sales, according to figures from Italian food export organisation Cibus.
South Korea
South Korean women are developing a taste for a tipple at a remarkable rate, with the number who regularly consume alcohol having grown by more than 33% in just over a decade.