Breaking News on Food and Beverage in Asia Pacific

Thailand and Vietnam join forces in bird flu battle

Thai and Vietnamese officials yesterday announced new cooperative measures designed to better contain and control the spread of deadly avian influenza in their poultry stocks.

China to undergo emulsifier boon, says report

Chinese demand for food emulsifiers is expected to witness strong growth over the next few years as food processors increase their usage to meet growing demand in the country for low-fat foods, according to new research.

Fonterra innovation takes colostrum into functional beverages

Fonterra has developed a technique that allows colostrum to be added to ready-to-drink beverages with a longer shelf-life, opening up opportunities for new kinds of products and building sales of the ingredient in Asia.

Rank plans further packaging consolidation

New Zealand-based investment group Rank has begun preliminary talks over the possibility of acquiring American firm Blue Ridge Paper Products, in a bid to continue its rapid consolidation of the global beverage packaging market.

Xango to launch new functional juice in Europe

A new juice containing a host of added value ingredients, including the latest superfruit, mangosteen, will be launched in Western Europe this summer to target the growing functional food sector.

GlaxoSmithKline admits false health claims

Australian legislation on nutritional labelling has come under the spotlight with the announcement by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) that its Ribena drinks brand may have misled consumers over the amount of vitamin C it contains.

Tetra Pak to expand in China

Tetra Pak plans to tighten its grip on China's growing beverage and dairy markets with a €60m state-of-the-art packaging materials plant in the country, it announced Tuesday.

Freedom acquisition targets healthy snacking

Australian group Freedom Nutritional Products is to expand its snack producing capabilities with the acquisition of Sydney-based Cookie Man's biscuit manufacturing assets.

Codex labelling committee to discuss GM, organics

The agenda for the 35th meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling includes items on two of the most emotive issues for consumers and industry - genetically modified foods and organic foods.

Weekly Comment

Swallow your tongue

Fluffy language is increasingly clogging up the information air passages, and the food and drink industry must accept blame like everyone else.

Minister sees hope in US-Korean trade dispute

South Korea's assistant agriculture trade minister is confident that a proposed free trade agreement between the country and the US will go ahead, despite further disagreements over agricultural issues relating to the deal.

China key to Anheuser-Busch vision

US brewer Anheuser-Busch is to expand its Chinese distribution outlets as it looks to offset declining sales growth in its domestic operations.

Mangosteen juice is here to stay, Xango

In 2006, Datamonitor categorized the mangosteen juice category as one of the top ten trends to watch in its online ProductScan, but according to manufacturer and marketer Xango, the category is here to stay.

Changing consumer trends driving polyol growth

The increasing demand for low-calorie foods is expanding the application base for polyols, according to a new report.

Royal Cosun strengthens Chinese presence

Royal Cosun is to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities in Asia, part of a bid to capitalise on the growing demand for potato products in the region.

Nestle Waters seeks turnaround with Philippines sale

Nestle Waters said the sale of its Filipino operations to local group Universal Robina Corp (URC) would better serve its interests in the country.

Krispy Kreme unfairly targeting kids, says group

Fast food group Krispy Kreme is "guilty" of unfairly targeting its products on children, according to a panel of Australian parents.

Weekly Comment

Rise and shine: the GM wake-up call

News that a variety of GM corn produced signs of liver and kidney toxicity in rats should be a wake-up call for better testing and more transparency from biotechs, if GMOs are to be accepted by increasingly sceptical consumers.

Danisco launches Howaru for colds and flu

Danisco has developed a new formulation of probiotics called Howaru Protect, specifically targeted to reducing cold and 'flu symptoms, and is exploring its use by the food, supplements and pharmaceutical industries.

Polystyrene foam performs then degrades, its manufacturer claims

A new polystyrene foam for food packaging offers accelerated degrading with no loss of performance while in use, its manufacturer claims.

Industry failing to tap rice diversity

The food industry is failing to capitalize on the natural nutritional and growth benefits of thousands of unknown strains of rice according to an expert.

Ajinomoto acquisition targets Asian supply chain

Asian food giant Ajinomoto will use its latest acquisition to leverage its Knorr brands into emerging markets.

Sciona gains license to explore Asian nutrigenomics potential

Australia's Genetic Technologies (GTG) has bestowed a license to its non-coding DNA patents to personalised nutrition company Sciona, which is expected to be the start of a long relationship in the lifestyle and life-extension arena.

New Zealand's Rank group set for SIG acquisition

New Zealand investment group Rank is set to further consolidate its position within the global food packaging industry after announcing plans to increase its stake in Swiss giant SIG.

Enzymotec's CardiaBeat to enter Australia

Enzymotec's all-round heart ingredient CardiaBeat is set to make its debut on the Australian supplements market, with the signing of an agreement with Probiotec.

Australian companies pledge trans fat removal

The Australian food industry has vowed to significantly reduce tran fats within its products by the end of the year, to meet increasing health concerns over their products.

Falling commodity prices benefit Thai processors

A five month rise in commodity prices for Thai processors appears to be finally abating as supply begins to catch up to demand.

Weekly comment

GM: A healthy debate

The development of genetically modified crops to improve human health could be the golden ticket for advocates to persuade the wary public that GM is not a wholly nefarious idea after all. But will a new, healthy spin be enough to counter deep-rooted fears that genetic modification, by its very nature, poses an equal and opposite threat to human health?

CP Kelco restructures into regional business units

Hydrocolloid firm CP Kelco has announced a complete overhaul of its business structure, in a move designed to boost its regional operations.

New rival to take on world dairy market

One of New Zealand's leading meat processors plans to build a dairy business capable of supplying markets around the world, offering new competition to the established elite.

Growth ambitions see dramatic change for Lion Nathan

Australian brewer Lion Nathan has announced it may look to sell off its Newmarket brewery in New Zealand in a drive for cost efficiency and diversification.

Green lobby slams NZ packaging "gimmick"

A new plan by the Fresh Edge company to package apple slices has come under attack from the country's green party for exacerbating the country's waste problems.

Raisio enhances production for continued Asian invasion

Raisio has announced an expansion of its Finnish production facility to meet growing demand in Asia of its cholesterol lowering Benecol ingredient - as part of a bid to turn around declining profits in the sector.

Tate & Lyle ANZ expands regional presence

Tate & Lyle's new Australasian subsidiary is set to assume responsibility from Danisco for the distribution of Krystar crystalline fructose in the region.

Jalna extends Australian functional yoghurts range

Australian dairy foods company is introducing a raft of new yoghurt products aimed at addressing health concerns of consumers.

Carlsberg strengthens Vietnamese hand with Habeco deal

Carlsberg has acquired a 10 per cent stake in Vietnam's second largest brewer as it looks to increase its market share in the country's growing beer market.

Tax amendments could hurt Chinese food industry, says expert

A possible move by the Chinese government to repeal tax incentives for foreign investors could prove a massive setback to the country's food industry, warns an expert on Asian affairs.

New Zealand proposes interim regulation on food-type supplements

New Zealand is proposing to update its dietary supplement regulations to take into account new food-like delivery formats that have emerged in the 20 years since they were drawn up.

'Swing' generation is just the start of ageing consumer boom, Euromonitor

Consumer industries are only just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the purchasing power of older consumers, says Euromonitor International, which advises them to make age-aware adaptations to products in the coming years.

Weekly Comment

No excuses for illegal labour

There is no legitimate defence as to why some companies continue to use illegal labour. This isn't the vice trade, this is the food industry: no excuses.

Moisture-releasing ingredients may boost acceptance of other fish

Amid fears of falling fish stocks, adding moisture-releasing ingredients like diced vegetables or milk could boost acceptance of less desirable but abundant fish to consumers, suggests new research.

Report slams Filipino infant milk campaigns

A UN expert has slammed a Filipino advertising campaign for breast milk substitutes as "misleading, deceptive, and malicious in intent."

Dry goods batch system operates remotely

A precision batching system for dry goods can be monitored from abroad, providing diagnostics and performance reports to managers working remotely, its manufacturer claims.

Titan aims for Indonesian polyethylene dominance

Malaysian group Titan Chemicals estimates it will double its market share within Indonesia's polyethylene market as it looks to meet growing demand amongst processors in the country for its food packaging applications.

Drought drives ABB's grain diversification

Australian group ABB grain has announced new measures that it hopes will allow it to deal with a rapid decline in its barley operations after severe drought last year saw the country's smallest harvest in 25 years.