Breaking News on Food and Beverage in Asia Pacific

Costs, prices and sales rise at McCormick

Spice firm McCormick has posted increased sales in its industrial business for the third quarter, but these were largely driven by price increases as the company struggled to offset rising costs.

Biodegradable film cuts material use, manufacturer claims

A biodegradable packaging film uses 25 per cent less material than most food wraps currently being used for meat and poultry, according to the manufacturer.

Purac to move lactic acid production from Europe

After recording disappointing margins last month, CSM subsidiary Purac announced yesterday it will switch lactic acid production from Europe to Thailand, the US and Brazil.

Briefs: Unilever, Vietnam, wine droughts and a GM fight

A Unilever acquisition, a boost to Vietnamese exports, wine growers' drought fears and a fight over GM regulations are all raising eyebrows in the Asia-Pacific region this week.

Strengthen food trade ties with Latin America, says minister

Only two days after pushing for a trade deal with China, New Zealand prime minister said today that the country must increase food exports to South America.

Tetra Pak makes the business case for social responsibility

Tetra Pak's involvement in school feeding programmes shows how companies can leverage their industry knowledge to help the poor, while still being able to justify the effort on the bottom line.

Australia prepares rapid food safety amendments

Manufacturers campaigning to amend the Australian Food Standards Code will have their complaints processed in a much shorter time, under new regulatory amendments coming into force next week.

Sugar reform and biofuel take toll on yeast extract prices

Rising costs and shrinking supply of sugar molasses are driving up the cost of yeast extract production, says Bio Springer, which is today announcing a double digit price increase for its extracts as of next year.

China trade deal would benefit food sector, says minister

A trade agreement with China would benefit food and beverage companies in both countries, New Zealand's deputy prime minister Michael Cullen said yesterday.

Weekly comment

Consumers and the confidence crisis

Consumer demand - the holy grail of any industry - is a fragile and easily manipulated treasure. But influencing consumers for anything other than their own benefit will, more often than not, carry unintended consequences.

Batter made better

The search for a better batter has resulted in a process that helps increase crispiness and reduce fat, according to a new study.

Is Asia the future for phytochemical research?

The future of research into the ability of phytochemicals to treat modern disease lies in Asia because of restrictive laws and "cynicism", a UK based research company has said.

China food safety round-up

Malaysian fears, too many pigs, a rejection of Canadian meat and grocery tracking are some of the issues hanging over the Chinese food industry this week.

New Zealand authority faces court battle over GM

The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) will face a court hearing in March 2008, after an anti-GM group claimed that it has illegally approved the field testing of genetically modified brassica.

Carlsberg builds new brewery in Vietnam

Carlsberg will strengthen its position in Vietnam's burgeoning economy with its new brewery built in association with a domestic partner, the company announced this morning.

Major processors sign up to carbon labelling scheme

Four major processors, including Cadbury Schweppes and Coca-Cola, have signed up to a UK scheme to measure the carbon emitted in making some of their key products.

Nutracea looks to tap Southeast Asian rice production

Nutracea announced it has received an opening purchase order from network marketing company the Cosway Corporation for launch of its stabilized rice bran in Southeast Asia.

Australia pledges extra cash for drought-stricken farmers

Processors world-wide fear wheat shortages, as reduced crops this summer have led to the government pledging extra funding for farmers to keep supply levels high.

DaChan Food looks for investors

DaChan Food, China's biggest poultry processor, will list 31 per cent of its operations on the Hong Kong stock exchange to raise funds for its processed food business, local news reports said.

Vietnam pushes for cocoa market growth

Vietnam looks set to become one of Asia's primary cocoa producers, with the government pledging to invest 40 billion dong (€1.8m) in the country's burgeoning cocoa trade, according to local news reports.

No danger in New Zealand's milk, says safety authority

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has ruled that milk containing either the A1 and A2 protein does not pose a danger to the public and should remain part of a nutritious diet.

Weekly Comment

Arnie and the clones

Cloned foods have not yet made it to our grocery aisles, but in the advent of such a rollout consumers must have a defined right to decide if they want to swallow the technology or not.

Australian and New Zealand health claims update

An update on proposed health claim regulations in Australia and New Zealand, which could have far-reaching results for European companies, will be given at a conference later this month.

Rice epigenetics project could yield hardier crops

Researchers in the US are using a new technology to decode 50m rice DNA sequences in one go that could be used in Asia to grow hardier harvests of rice and other staple food crops.

News brief: Asia-Pacific tackles BSE, obesity, GM and food prices

China bemoans food prices, Korea fears for its safety standards, while New Zealand tackles the obesity crisis and declares GM onions to be scandal free.

GM Thai rice on sale soon?

A biotechnology boom will soon hit Thailand as the authorities move towards removing a ban on the field testing of biotech products, according to a new report.

Chinese vitamin C supply could be under threat

The face of the vitamin C market may be on the verge of change as reports circulate that prices from China - the world's primary supplier - are rocketing.

China Water & Drinks acquires stake in bottle maker

China Water & Drinks plans to acquire a stake in the largest water packaging manufacturer in China, a bid by the company to control its supply chain and bring down costs.

Nestle moves noodle production out of Australia

Nestle plans to move its Australian noodle production plant to Malaysia, according to Australian news reports.

Asia-Pacific heads into food safety battle

In light of global publicity over food scares originating in Asia-Pacific, the region is now fighting back, both internally and globally, by making food safety its top priority.

Fonterra considers possible operations split

The shareholders' council of dairy cooperative Fonterra yesterday called for a clearer distinction in the financial reporting on the performances of the company's commodities and processing operations.

DSM takes big step for nutritional products in China

DSM has today announced it will restructure manufacturing at its Nutritional Products arm in China, a move it called a "big step" in its plan for Asian expansion.

Weekly comment

Hooked on Es

This comment was amended to correct a statement about bans of additives in other countries. Some of the chemicals were previously banned by Norway, Austria and Australia but those bans have since been removed. Allura red AC, tartrazine and sunset yellow are allowed in the US, while quinoline yellow, carmoisine and ponceau 4R are not. None of the colour additives are currently banned by Australia, which lifted a ban on quinoline yellow in 2003. The country does not permit tartrazine to be used in medicines.

Asia could face food harmonisation difficulties, warn group

A move to harmonise food supplement law across ASEAN countries could become as complex as those being tackled in the EU, a consultancy group has warned.

Coca-Cola reports progress on environment, workers rights

The environment, corporate governance and workers rights are transforming the way managers oversee their global manufacturing operations, as demonstrated in Coca-Cola's second report on its progress in these areas.

Sugar waste used for food packaging

Bagasse, a previously useless waste product from sugar cane, can now be used to make biodegradeable packaging for food products in Thailand, its manufacturers claim.

Popcorn brands ban diacytel

Two of the largest US popcorn makers have removed diacetyl from their brands, as doctors report that the chemical may now cause a fatal lung disease in consumers as well as factory workers.

Ninetowns expands B2B food operations in China

The on-line service provider yesterday announced its move into the booming B2B food industry, with its plans to acquire a 22 per cent interest stake in Hangzhou Tophere Info-Tech Inc.

Australia pushes for Korean trade deal

Australia must enter into a trade agreement with Korea or face losing 12.5 per cent of its food and agricultural exports to the US, a new report warns.

New Zealand pushes for traffic light labelling

The New Zealand government should impose "traffic light" health labels on foods and beverages, recommends a parliamentary committee.

Weekly comment

Food prices and the death of the productionist model

Last week saw a string of communications about food price rises: first warnings were aired about wheat, then meat, then dairy. It's a vertiginous view from the heights of the commodity markets, and it's clearer than ever before that we need to re-jig our basic food supply systems if we are to feed the world in the future.

China laws may affect new overseas business

Anti-monopoly laws introduced by the Chinese government have been heralded as a foundation for a 'fair and uniform law system' for doing business in the country, but international business groups believe it could spell further hurdles to establishing new business in the country.

Indofood profits squeezed by high costs

Indofood's, one of Indonesia's largest food companies, has posted 21.3 per cent net sales growth for the first semester 2007, but rising commodity prices are putting the company under pressure.

Nestle campaigns for benefits of dark chocolate

A new Nestle-backed campaign in Australia is promoting the health benefits of dark chocolate to doctors, dieticians and nutritionists.

InBev refocuses towards profitability

InBev lifted its organic revenues by 8.2 per cent during the first half of the fiscal year to €6.7bn as the group continued to restructure its international beer operations towards stronger growth.

EU minister in China to discuss improved food safety

The EU's top health representative is meeting with China's officials this week in a bid to ensure processors and others get safe supplies from a country beset by problems with its quality controls.