Breaking News on Food and Beverage in Asia Pacific |
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UK group Associated British Foods (ABF) has taken full control of a yeast and baking ingredients venture in the Philippines, previously part-owned by Pilmico Foods, clearing the way for an expansion of the business.
Chocolate giant Cadbury will spend NZ$20 million (€10.3m) to expand production of chocolate crumb in New Zealand, allowing it to meet forecast growth in demand from the Asia-Pacific region, it announced yesterday.
Scientists in Australia have located the gene that controls the red colour of apples, opening up opportunities for breeding new, redder apple varieties.
China, producer of half the world's fruit and vegetables, is set to overtake the Netherlands in the next two to three years to become the world's third biggest fresh produce exporter in value terms, predicts a new report from agriculture specialists at Rabobank.
Thai and Vietnamese rice exporters are planning to make an official declaration that they have no genetically modified rice in production in a bid to enhance their sales on the global market.
China's corn sweetener producers are embarking on a new stage of growth, with a recent upsurge in capital investment allowing them to offer significant volumes of value-added products.
Edible oil prices in China have surged this month as strong global demand for oilseeds in biofuel production compounds a poor rapeseed harvest.
Three Malaysian oil plantation firms are to merge to create the world's largest listed palm oil producer, accounting for 6 per cent of global production, revealed adviser CIMB Investment Bank yesterday.
San Miguel, the Philippines biggest food and beverage producer, said on Friday that it has not yet reached a deal deciding the future ownership of its bottling joint venture with Coca-Cola.
Australian food and beverage makers using terms like 'pure' or 'organic' need to make sure their ingredients live up to the claim if they want to avoid action by competition authorities, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned.
Luzhou Bio-chem, one of China's biggest corn sweetener producers, is set to boost production of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to meet growing use of the sweetener in Chinese beverages.
Australian foodmakers, already facing higher wheat prices, can expect to pay higher prices for canola oil for several months, as drought leaves the country in short supply.
China's health foods market is small compared to developed nations but it is set to grow rapidly with government encouragement and rising incomes.
Malaysia's halal industry has joined up with global testing and certification service Intertek to undertake the major task of developing a set of international guidelines for the market.
Australian winemaker Palandri Wines has developed a new wine bottle made from a plastic and aluminium material that can both be recycled and save the firm costs.
New consumers of dairy products in the Middle East are taking a greater share of New Zealand exports, and will continue to be one of its major growth markets, predicts a new report.
Coca-Cola is entering the hot beverage market in Singapore, where it says the opportunities are double those of its traditional fizzy drinks business.
South Korea's CJ Corp has signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 85 per cent of the Los Angeles-based frozen food processor Omni Food for US$6.8 million, it said yesterday.
More duck eggs containing the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red have been found in China, food officials said yesterday, expanding the recall outside of Beijing to the country's east coast.
Tingyi, the Chinese company behind the leading Master Kong noodle brand, is investing in the latest processing technology from Europe to grow an efficient beverage business that is threatening the market share of its competitors.
Tingyi, maker of China's leading instant noodle brand Master Kong, posted a 15.8 per cent profit increase for the third quarter of 2006, thanks to surging beverage sales.
Australian baker and spreads maker Goodman Fielder will pass on commodity price rises to customers and focus on higher-margin breads in order to meet its target profit for the coming year, chief executive Peter Margin told shareholders yesterday.
China has introduced new regulations to ensure that its fast-growing retail sector deals fairly with suppliers but analysts are sceptical about their potential to impact current practice.
Myanmar's edible oil crop is set to expand with a US$12.3 million loan to increase productivity and quality.
China's food packaging market is set to attract more foreign players as demand for rigid containers increases in coming months, predicts a plastics specialist.
Cholesterol-lowering margarines are set to be joined by cholesterol-lowering milks, yoghurts and cereals as Australia and New Zealand's food authority finally approves the new categories.
Strong growth in brewing and property helped Singapore-based Fraser & Neave lift operating profit nearly 20 per cent on last year but high raw material costs and weaker consumer spending have hurt its smaller drinks and dairy units.
Duck eggs containing the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red IV have been pulled from shelves in Beijing, in the latest food scare to hit the city.
Food companies using corrugated boxes could be paying less for the packaging if suppliers took greater care to protect the key material during manufacturing, claims an Australian research firm.
Chinese meat processor Zhongpin has signed an agreement to lease a production facility in Heilongjiang province, significantly boosting its production capacity and expanding its presence in the north-east.
China's increasingly savvy chocolate consumers will be better equipped to choose higher quality chocolate if new regulations entering into force next month are properly enforced.
Uni-President, Taiwan's biggest food and beverage maker, is to buy a 19.5 per cent stake in Tait Marketing and Distribution to open up new sales channels to the hotel and restaurant sector.
Australian orange growers have warned that supplies of the fruit will be tight this year as frost followed by a severe drought has caused a sharp drop in the Valencia orange crop.
Australia's biggest soft drinks maker Coca-Cola Amatil has expanded its alcoholic beverages portfolio through a new agreement with premium spirits distributor Maxxium.
Increased meat and fat consumption, and lower grain and vegetable intake has left 60 million urban residents in China overweight and 160 million with high blood pressure, according to a report released at the weekend.
Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut is gearing up for the chocolate market of the future, with the final go-ahead for its first production plant in China
Asian Citrus, China's biggest orange plantation owner, has signed two new supermarket contracts, as part of a plan to increase its direct supply to this retail channel.
Price is the most significant barrier to companies looking to market omega-3 fortified products in Asia, says an analyst, but it is not big enough to prevent growth in demand.
China's Yurun Food has bought out the assets held by chairman Zhu Yicai and his wife to gain greater full control of its subsidiaries ahead of an expansion.
Food miles, the trendy catchphrase alluding to pollution caused by food exports, is 'a red herring' that detracts from serious environmental issues to be faced by food producers, says Fonterra's trade strategy manager, Fiona Cooper-Clarke.
A genetically modified wheat variety that has significantly more resistant starch than regular wheat could reach the market in five years, say Australian scientists who have won financial backing to commercialise the crop.
Malaysian confectionery maker Apollo Food will spend RM10 million in coming months on additional capacity and developing new products, as it seeks to strengthen its position in the sector.
Shanghai-based dairy Bright Dairy has seen a further decline in net profit for the third quarter but strong yoghurt sales during the summer season helped it lift operating income by 7.2 per cent.
A new system of labelling foods unveiled by a group of Australian food makers yesterday is confusing, say the country's health campaigners.
Chinese firm J&A Industrial has introduced a new high barrier, multilayer package that protects meat from high-humidity environments.
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