ANZ Focus: Aussie Syrah, World Cup Dairy and Brancourts
Australian food and beverage firms are launching a series of health‑focused initiatives as consumer preferences shift toward lighter, lower‑alcohol options and functional nutrition. Taylors Wines introduced a 13‑13.5% Syrah designed to pair with Asian cuisine, while Arla Foods acquired Brancourts to expand its cottage‑cheese and dairy footprint in Australia. At the same time, startup Savvy released Calm Water, a functional drink targeting stress and menopausal symptoms, and dairy marketers are revisiting World Cup sponsorship tactics first used by Danone in 1998. The upcoming Growth Asia Summit will bring C‑suite leaders from GNC, Glico and Nuchev to discuss health‑nutrition growth across the Asia‑Pacific region.
Is APAC Finally Moving Towards Food Safety Regulatory Harmonisation?
The Asia‑Pacific Food Regulatory and Standards (APFRAS) alliance, comprising 14 nations across Asia, Oceania and the Americas, held its fourth summit in Seoul on May 11‑12, 2024. South Korea, serving a second term as chair through 2028, used the meeting to...
Trend Tracker: Jelly Sticks, Food as Medicine and Glico Insights
Japan’s Hananomi turns traditional amazake into on‑the‑go jelly sticks aimed at gut and skin health, while Herbal Player leverages nanotechnology to make ginseng affordable despite its $500,000 premium heritage. Glico’s COO highlights the importance of “genba” – real‑world field insight...
Young and Sweet: China Firm Reinvents Apple Cider Vinegar for RTD
Lv Jie, a Chinese apple cider vinegar specialist, is rolling out ready‑to‑drink ACV beverages across Southeast Asia, offering 15 ml sachets and 200 ml cans that blend apple juice, ACV and prebiotic inulin. The line targets younger, health‑focused consumers seeking sweeter taste...
South Korea on ‘Unfair’ Online Ads: Helping Food Firms Avoid Snags
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) released a 78‑page handbook that outlines prohibited language and claims in online food advertising. The agency is also deploying AI‑driven inspections to monitor digital platforms for misleading or unsafe promotions. The...
Beyond Protein: Why Wellness Platforms Are the Real Deal
Demand for high‑value whey protein remains strong, prompting manufacturers to pre‑lock supply for several quarters and sustain a price premium. To meet this demand, processors are investing heavily in expanding capacity, especially for high‑protein WPC80 and WPI streams, while lower‑grade...
Ginseng Democratisation: Advancing the Food as Medicine Movement
Herbal Player, a spin‑off of China’s largest Canadian ginseng importer, is using patented nanotechnology to extract ginsenosides and launch affordable ginseng‑infused FMCG products. The firm introduced sparkling sodas with 30 mg of ginsenosides per 100 ml and candy tubes priced at CNY 29.90...
Taylors Wines Bets on Lighter Reds and Asian Cuisine for Syrah Launch
Taylors Wines is launching a lighter‑style Syrah with 13%‑13.5% alcohol, designed to appeal to home‑drinking consumers who favor lower‑alcohol reds and Asian‑cuisine pairings. The wine, produced in the cool Adelaide Hills, offers softer tannins and red‑berry notes, differentiating it from...
Japan Focus: Glico on Snack Trends, Amazake Jelly Sticks, Tea Innovation and More
Japanese snack makers are intensifying health‑focused innovation while tailoring products to local tastes. Glico’s COO emphasizes a “genba” approach, warning against assuming global formulas work in APAC. Hananomi has turned traditional amazake into portable jelly sticks, and Japan GreenTea Co...
Embracing ‘Genba’: Glico on Balancing Global Trends with Localisation
Glico’s newly appointed Asia‑Pacific COO Yukio Kimura is championing the Japanese "genba" principle—leaders working directly in the field—to fuse global brand strategy with local market realities across Asia‑Pacific. In his first 90 days he toured each market, learning cultural nuances that shape...
Japan Snack Firm Turns Amazake Into Gut and Skin Health Jelly Sticks
Japanese snack maker Hananomi LLC has launched a 15‑gram jelly stick that condenses 250‑280 ml of traditional amazake into a portable, probiotic‑rich snack. The product targets busy consumers seeking gut health, skin‑beauty benefits, and a gentle energy boost, and is shelf‑stable...
Tea Among the Stars: Space Sakura and Decaf Drive Japan Firm Exports
Japan GreenTea Co, a Tokyo‑based tea maker, is leveraging a 1992 spaceflight experiment that showed its sakura tea blooming in micro‑gravity to promote a visually striking, quick‑infusing product. The company has also rolled out a proprietary decaffeinated line—including sencha, hojicha,...
Hot Right Now: China Health Foods, Alt-Protein Fusion and Tetra Pak Exclusive
Chinese consumers are accelerating demand for gut‑friendly, clean‑label and plant‑based foods, prompting local innovators like Joywin to commercialise inulin fibre from Jerusalem artichoke. Tee Yih Jia is countering a slowdown in the broader plant‑based sector with an “East meets West”...
Fries that Fly? Curly Fry Inventor Lamb Weston Taps Novelty for New Retail Ranges
Lamb Weston, the potato pioneer behind the curly fry, is expanding its retail portfolio with novel products such as Dippers, Grill Fries, a Mash Cup, and the airline‑optimized Snap Fry. The Dippers are crinkle‑cut fries designed for scooping sauces, while...
Policy Picks: Alcohol Warning Labels, Vietnam Food Safety and More Updates
China’s Shanghai city has launched full‑scale alcohol warning‑label trials covering every beverage above 0.5% ABV across online and offline retailers, aligning with its 2019‑2030 health plans. Vietnam’s long‑delayed Decree 46 food‑safety overhaul remains stalled, creating port congestion and trade disruptions. South...