Breaking News on Food and Beverage in Asia Pacific

Cargill calls for harmonized fair trade cocoa schemes

08-Mar-2010 - As Cargill expands its cocoa farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast this month, we caught up with managing director of Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, Harold Poelma, to hear about developments in the sourcing of sustainably derived cocoa and his call for audit convergence among schemes.

Consumers suspicious of nanotech, irradiation and cloning

05-Mar-2010 - New technologies such as nanotech, animal cloning and irradiation trigger feelings of “unease, uncertainty, and sometimes outright negativity” among consumers, said a new report from the UK.

Special comment

In defence of omega-3

04-Mar-2010 - The best way to survive a shark attack is to fight back, so say survivors. Events this week suggest the sharks may be beginning to circle the good ship omega-3, and now is the time for industry and academia to start fighting back.

News in brief

Nestlé completes Kraft pizza acquisiton

02-Mar-2010 - Nestlé is starting the integration of Kraft’s frozen pizza business into its international organisation, after competing the acquisition yesterday.

Weekly comment

What's the colour of money? Bonuses should be green

01-Mar-2010 - Never before has the dangling of golden carrots in the boardroom been so closely scrutinised. DSM and others’ decisions to ensure those carrots have green shoots of sustainability attached to them is a wise and forward thinking move.

Third party food safety certification vital for consumers

26-Feb-2010 - Evidence that food product safety has been verified by a third party certification scheme is more important to consumers than brand name, proof of traceability or government inspection, said new research.

Special Edition: Kids' food

Kids’ food trends in the spotlight

25-Feb-2010 - Some major trends in children’s eating habits could change as the economy recovers – but foods marketed as natural and healthful are here to stay, according to a senior analyst at Mintel.

News in brief

BBC prompts Unilever palm oil action

24-Feb-2010 - Unilever has stopped accepting palm oil from an Indonesian planter after a damning BBC documentary showing rainforest clearing, according to the Indonesian Palm Oil Board.

Coffee again linked to anti-diabetes benefits

24-Feb-2010 - Consuming a whopping 12 cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of diabetes by an impressive 67 percent, according to a new study with Native Americans.

Bakery and snacks proving earner for Campbell

23-Feb-2010 - Improved sales and earnings performance within the baking and snacks division of the Campbell Soup for the fiscal year 2010 were due to favourable currency impact and margin growth in both Pepperidge Farm and Arnott’s, said the US company.

Weekly comment

Banning energy drinks is a doomed shot in the dark

22-Feb-2010 - Energy shot drinks have come under fire from German authorities which are employing an old-school prohibition logic that history has repeatedly dunce-hatted.

Study warns of future threats to food safety

19-Feb-2010 - Experts from Unilever, the Food Standards Authority (FSA), National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) have mapped out future threats to food safety and strategies to tackle them in a new study.

Kraft silent on pension freeze impact for Cadbury

18-Feb-2010 - Kraft has announced that it will begin to end pension increases for current and non-union hourly employees from year end 2019 but the US food group did not provide any clues in regulatory filings as to the future of the 100-year-old Cadbury pension fund.

Reducing meat and dairy makes case for fortification

17-Feb-2010 - Reduction of meat and dairy intake on climate change grounds would pose nutritional concerns for some nutrients but better public health advice on alternative sources and fortification could bridge the gap, write nutritional and climate experts from the UK.

Discounts could influence healthy choices more than education

16-Feb-2010 - Price discounts could be a far more effective way to prompt healthy food choices than nutrition education, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

RFID standard to boost supply chain security - ISO

15-Feb-2010 - A new international standard on radio frequency (RF) tags has been issued to improve the tracking and traceability of products in the global supply chain.

Weekly comment

Do drink makers have stomach for anti-obesity fight?

15-Feb-2010 - Bravo! The beverage industry has responded enthusiastically to Mrs. Obama’s campaign to tackle childhood obesity - but there’d better be more than froth behind that sparkling rhetoric.

IADSA to focus on advocacy and emerging markets regulation

15-Feb-2010 - Regulatory harmonisation in Asian and Latin American countries coupled with tight monitoring of media content on dietary supplements to offset negative opinion will continue to be the focus of the international food supplements body in 2010.

Two-in-one bars don’t cut choc consumption, finds study

11-Feb-2010 - A new study has indicated that including two-in-one chocolate bar packs do not foster more responsible snacking, and more regular size products and healthier snacks should be available.

Fury over Kraft u-turn on Cadbury plant closure

10-Feb-2010 - Kraft Foods’s reneging on a decision to keep a Cadbury factory near Bristol in the UK open will result in the loss of 400 jobs and has drawn criticism from politicians and unions alike.

News in brief

India quashes GM aubergine plan

09-Feb-2010 - India has put off the commercial cultivation of a GM aubergine due to safety concerns, despite getting the go-ahead from government scientists last year.

China could become world’s biggest grocery market by 2014

09-Feb-2010 - China could overtake the United States as the world’s biggest grocery market within five years, according to market research organization IGD.

Weekly comment

US military may enlist Omega-3s to boost performance but why wait?

08-Feb-2010 - “An army marches on its stomach.” This advice, from French military adventurer Napoleon, seems to have impressed the US military which is considering fortifying troops’ rations with omega-3 fatty acids. What is it waiting for?

Soft drinks may increase pancreatic cancer risk

08-Feb-2010 - Drinking two or more soft drinks per week may double the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, suggests the first study of its kind in an Asian population.