Breaking News on Food and Beverage in Asia Pacific

Singapore centre targets innovative food production

The Singapore government this week launched a food innovation and resource centre to grant processors throughout the country the means to compete in the global food industry.

V&S targets China for strong spirit growth

China's spirits industry continues to entice some of the world's leading beverage groups with Sweden's V&S group becoming the latest multinational to tap the market through a new joint venture.

Vietnam next for Arla's emerging market drive

Sweden's Arla foods has today revealed it plans to enter Vietnam's dairy market in October to boost its presence in the dynamic emerging markets of Asia.

Danone spills details on Chinese Evian scare

Danone revealed yesterday that five containers of its Evian bottled water have been detained in China after failing quality control testing.

Indonesia aims to allay transhipment fears

Indonesia is to step up cooperation with its customs officials and foreign trade partners to prevent imported goods from being re-exported as the country's own products, news reports have said.

China spends $3 billion on US soybean imports

China has signed contracts worth nearly $3bn to import US soybeans, reported the US Soybean Export Council.

Beer healthy for CRE profits

China Resources Enterprise (CRE) posted solid first quarter growth as it continues to consolidate its position in the country with its food and beverage divisions.

Shrimp certification boost for Vietnam exports

Vietnam's drive to boost exports of its sea-food products received a boost this week, as a number of processors have been honoured for their aquaculture practices, the country's ministry for fisheries revealed yesterday.

Ecolean continues Chinese sustainability cooperation

Swedish packager Ecolean is to extend its cooperation with Chinese dairy group Sanlu to improve sustainability in its packaging.

Weekly Comment

Press releases for the press?

In a world where getting your name out there is called branding, and branding in turn equals better market share, some companies will go to great lengths to draw attention to their name. With information sources driven by open-access Internet, companies can tailor press releases not always intended for the press.

Coca-Cola may move for South Korean bottler

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) could step in to purchase its troubled South Korean licence, after an Israeli group linked to a possible deal for the bottler, pulled out of the move, press reports have said.

Processors may continue to pay for wheat monopoly

Food processors could continue to pay higher prices for Australian wheat after the country's government decided this week to retain its controversial export monopoly on the grain.

Latest iodine fortification plan proposed

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has published a final set of proposals to make iodine fortification mandatory for bread.

Kraton extends Asian packaging presence

Kraton has completed the second phase of its Asian expansion plans with the opening of a technical service centre for its products in Shanghai.

Universal Beverages outlines Chinese hopes

United Beverages, India's largest brewer, this week stressed the importance to its operations of breaking into the Chinese alcohol market .

Philippines outlines food export plan

The Philippines agriculture department plans to boost its food export capabilities as part of a new three year programme being discussed today.

Rusal steps up Vietnamese focus

Metals group Rusal is to extend its global presence further with the opening of a new representative office in Vietnam.

Australian funding for fitness in food formulation

Researchers at the University of Queensland today were awarded funding to devise healthier formulations for the food industry.

Melamine legacy blights Chinese exports

A number of US food processors said they will boycott Chinese exports over fears regarding the safety of products coming from the country.

Weekly comment

Masterfoods and the vegetarianisation of food

Masterfoods' U-turn over its plan to reformulate its famous confectionery brands using animal-derived whey sets a precedent that will prevent any other food manufacturer from flying in the face of the global trend towards the vegetarianisation of our food.

Unilever upgrades Asian distribution

Unilever continues to step up its operations within Asia with the inauguration of its new distribution centre in Vietnam.

Moet Hennesy hopes to lift Chinese spirits

Moët Hennesy has acquired a majority stake in Chinese group Wen Jun Distillery as it moves to expand its global premium spirits and wine brands range.

Australian GM report sparks canola controversy

Australia can adopt commercialised genetically modified (GM) canola production without compromising its organic agriculture, say new findings from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).

China must step up food safety reform, claims expert

China must continue to reform its food safety practices if it is to maintain consumer confidence in its products, says a food safety expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Danone and Yakult to accelerate R&D cooperation

France's Danone and Japan's Yakult will continue their strategic alliance involving closer cooperation on R&D and entry into new markets, maintaining their positions as leaders in the probiotics market.

Australian processors urged to drop the salt

Australian food processors and formulators are set to come under further pressure to reformulate their products as the country's latest "Drop The Salt!" campaign kicks off in Sydney today.

Shanghai mobilises food safety procedures

Safety bodies in Shanghai hope to hit back at growing international concern over Chinese food safety practices with its new food testing system, say media reports in the country.

FNP continues functional Asia Pacific drive

New Zealand-based dairy group the A2 Corporation is to form a joint venture with Freedom Nutritional Products (FNP) in a bid to expand its distribution and production capabilities.

Syngenta eyes Chinese corn potential with Sanbei investment

Syngenta is to acquire a 49 per cent take in Chinese seed company Sanbei with a view to jointly developing corn seed products to meet growing demand driven by changing food patterns and agronomic trends.

Australian debate illuminates nutrition labelling

As the debate over adopting nutrition labelling of food and beverage products in Australia rages on, industry and health experts remain strongly opposed on how best to supply dietary information for consumers.

Palm oil industry defends environmental record

Indonesia's booming palm oil market is playing its part in ensuring a sustainable supply of the product, as scrutiny over the environmental impact intensifies, according to an industry insider.

Red Bull's Asian expansion plan questioned

Energy drinks giant Red Bull may need to reconsider its expansion plans for the Asia Pacific region if it is to capitalise on massive potential in the area for energy drinks, says a new report by Euromonitor.

Indonesian agreement targets poultry safety

Singapore yesterday entered into an agreement with Indonesia to aid the country in stepping up measures to protect its poultry industry, which has been hit by an ongoing epidemic of avian influenza.

San Miguel expands partner strategy

Brewer San Miguel plans to list its domestic beer and global packaging operations on the Philippines stock exchange in a move to court more investment in the company.

Tata stirs healthier demand with joint venture

In a bid to tap growing consumer demand for healthier products, India-based Tata Tea has entered a joint venture with a Chinese company to produce value-added beverages.

New technology promotes green brewing

Australian brewer Fosters is doing its bit to go green by adopting a new brewing technology that produces energy via waste products.

Malaysia plays host to Global Halal Forum

The World Halal Forum kicked off in Malaysia this week, as the country moves to become a global leader in production and distribution of the strictly defined certification.

Imports drive down Korean grain production

Korean production of wheat and corn is set to decline as the country's food industry turns increasingly to imported materials for its needs, says a new report.

Weekly Comment

Ingredients for cheap?

As recent incidents of food contamination demonstrate, the cheapest source for ingredients may not turn out to be so cheap after all.

Unilever gains defy expansion costs

Unilever yesterday said it achieved underlying sales growth of 5.4 per cent to €9.5bn during the first quarter, while continuing to restructure in a drive to make its food operations more profitable.

Bega goes functional in dairy acquisition

Australian group Bega Cheese has been given the go-ahead for a planned acquisition of local rival Tartura Milk in its bid to expand its presence within the country's dairy sector.

Australian government ups R&D investments

The Australian food industry received a massive boost this week, with the government allocating an additional AUS$54.2 (€32m) in funds to the sector for research and development.

San Miguel sells packaging stake

Philippines-based brewer San Miguel has formed a joint venture with a Japanese glass and plastics group in a bid to extend its range of packaging products.

Gadot forges Chinese joint venture for citric acid

Gadot is taking its first ever step outside Israel with a joint venture to build a new citric acid plant in China - a project that it expects to yield significant cost advantages thanks to the fermentation technology of partner Jiangsu Nuobei Biochemical, as well as doubling its existing capacity.

Yili spends to meet Chinese dairy challenges

Chinese group Yili is to invest $48.9m into dry milk production to maintain its competitiveness within the country's dairy industry.