Breaking News on Food and Beverage in Asia Pacific

Third party food safety certification vital for consumers

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.

Boiling shrimp could cut shellfish allergy - study

Boiling shrimps for 10 minutes could reduce the chemical that triggers allergic reactions to seafood, according to new research.

Special Edition: Kids' food

Kids’ food trends in the spotlight

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.

Coke unveils plan to buy most of its largest bottler

Coca-Cola has revealed plans to buy the bulk of its largest bottler following a similar move from rival PepsiCo last year.

China melamine-tainted milk health threats assessed

Tens of thousands of Chinese children sickened by melamine-tainted milk showed signs of kidney damage months afterwards - with the potential for long-term harm a serious concern, said new research.

Coffee again linked to anti-diabetes benefits

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.

News in brief

BBC prompts Unilever palm oil action

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.

Growing optimism in packaging industry, says survey

Increasing revenues, growth in the emerging markets and a belief that companies will boost spending on packaging over the next two years are all trends forecast in a new industry survey.

Bakery and snacks proving earner for Campbell

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

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

'Game changing' high pressure processing system launched

A game changing high pressure processing (HPP) system makes improved food safety technology more affordable and responds to the growing trend for preservative-free products, said manufacturer Avure Technologies.

Study highlights fast way to screen chips for acrylamide levels

On-line near infrared (NIR) and visual (VIS) spectroscopy monitoring could be used to screen potato chip samples for high acrylamide content as well as accurately predict their moisture and oil content, claims a new study.

Study warns of future threats to food safety

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

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

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.

Firmenich shores up presence in Dubai

Firmenich has announced the opening of a new affiliate in Dubai, in a bid to deepen its understanding of Middle Eastern consumers’ flavour and fragrance preferences.

News in brief

Most melamine contaminated product destroyed, says China

China declared this week that most melamine-tainted dairy products have been destroyed over the past three months.

Crown expands can production in Vietnam

Crown is planning to install a second beverage can line and double production at a recently acquired drinks container facility in Vietnam.

Discounts could influence healthy choices more than education

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.

Seaweed extract shows joint health promise

An extract from brown seaweed may reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis by up to 52 per cent, suggests results from phase I and II clinical trials from Australia.

RFID standard to boost supply chain security - ISO

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.

IADSA to focus on advocacy and emerging markets regulation

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.

Weekly comment

Do drink makers have stomach for anti-obesity fight?

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.

Saturated fats not linked to heart disease: Meta-analysis

Dietary intakes of saturated fats are not linked to cardiovascular disease, so says a meta-analysis of 21 studies from across the world.

Snack maker hails integrated packing system

Speed, accuracy and minimal giveaway are all benefits of using Ishida’s integrated multihead weigher and bag maker, said UK snack manufacturer Snacks Unlimited.

News in brief

Umami in a tube hits shelves

A new cooking aid is now being sold by Waitrose supermarkets in the UK, to allow home cooks to give an umami kick to dishes they make.

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

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.

Penford develops gluten-free ingredients for mainstream products

Penford Food Ingredients has developed new ingredients systems to make crispy coatings and baked goods that “just happen to be gluten-free”, the company says.

China forced to relaunch food safety crackdown

China is launching a new national food safety drive following a wave of recent damaging revelations over melamine-tainted milk products in the country.

Liquid crystal advance could boost food shelf life

A breakthrough in the manipulation of liquid crystals could result in food packaging that extends product shelf-life, according to new research from the United States.

Fury over Kraft u-turn on Cadbury plant closure

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.

Layered gels may help sugar reduction

By controlling the distribution of sugar in a gelled product, the overall sugar concentration may be lowered without affecting the perceived sweetness, says a new study from Sweden.

China could become world’s biggest grocery market by 2014

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

News in brief

India quashes GM aubergine plan

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.

Soft drinks may increase pancreatic cancer risk

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.

Companies should collaborate to fight food fraud: Report

Greater collaboration and information sharing could help the food industry tackle food fraud, according to a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and consulting firm AT Kearney.

Chinese dairies shut down on melamine discovery

Chinese authorities have closed two dairies in the northern region of Ningxia following the discovery of a further 170 tonnes of melamine tainted milk powder, according to media reports.

Weekly comment

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

“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?

Soy may reduce diabetes risk in overweight women

Increased intakes of soy and its isoflavones may decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in overweight women, says a new study from Japan.

Coca-Cola faces mercury poisoning cases in China

Coca-Cola brand Sprite has been caught up in a Chinese investigation into two cases of alleged mercury poisoning.

Crown eyes acquisitions; forecasts demand rebound in US and Europe

Crown Holdings said it is looking to make acquisitions in emerging markets and expected demand in its North American and Western European packaging sectors to bounce back this year.

Omega-3 may boost kidney health in diabetics: Study

Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may improve the kidney health of diabetics, say results of a double-blind placebo-controlled trial from Hong Kong.

Fonterra reveals expansion plans in China

Fonterra is planning to build two new dairy farms in China as the company struggles to keep up with increasing demand.

‘Jury still out’ on sweeteners and metabolic effects

The scientific literature does not support a link between intakes of artificial sweeteners and metabolic changes in children, says a new review from the US National Institutes of Health.

Amcor completes Alcan acquisition

Global packaging giant Amcor today announced that its acquisition of Alcan Packaging had been completed as it spelled out what the move would mean for suppliers and customers.

News in brief

China launches new melamine probe

China has launched a new investigation after the discovery of more melamine-tainted milk products.

Zero-calorie fruit-based sweetener gets FDA GRAS

BioVittoria has received an FDA letter of no objection that its fruit-derived zero-calorie Fruit-Sweetness sweetener is GRAS (generally recognized as safe), the company said on Monday.

Vitamin, minerals may reduce eczema risk in children

Increased intakes of beta-carotene, vitamin E, folic acid, and iron may reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema, suggests a new study from Korea.

Bacteria-killing protein to combat E.coli in red meat

A bacteria-killing protein that would be applied to raw meat during processing to “significantly reduce” the presence of E.coli is under development, said one company behind the project.

Weekly comment

No bitter battle over salt science

Excess salt can cause hypertension, heart disease, death. That’s the scientific consensus behind public health campaigns to reduce consumption of sodium chloride in the diet. But not everyone reads the science as conclusive, and when it comes to minerals that are essential to human life, the voice of caution must not be drowned out.