Dignified Food for Seniors: Closing Gaps in an Ageing World
Singapore’s Institute of Technology (SIT) has unveiled MAKANsoft, a halal‑certified food texturant that reshapes puréed dishes into familiar forms while meeting IDDSI Levels 4‑5. The innovation tackles choking risks and the loss of dignity for seniors with dysphagia, costing roughly SG$2 (US$1.6) per person per day in care settings. MAKANsoft is being rolled out with B2C and B2B partners under the DIGNIFIED programme backed by A*STAR. It targets the rapidly aging Asian market, where culturally appropriate texture‑modified meals are in short supply.
Vietnam Halts Food Safety Overhaul — but Reform Remains on Agenda
Vietnam’s ambitious overhaul of its food‑safety law was halted after the April 6 deadline due to inadequate testing infrastructure, staffing shortages, and port bottlenecks that left thousands of containers stranded. The Vietnamese Food Administration postponed the reforms until at least April 15,...
Kraft Heinz Insights: Is the Concept of Consumer Brand Loyalty Dead?
Kraft Heinz China’s head of data insight, Donna Li, warned that brand loyalty is no longer a given in today’s hyper‑connected market. Consumers can switch products after a single “okay” experience, forcing brands to earn repeat business through continuous, meaningful engagement....
Alt Protein Watch: Beyond Meat, Processed Foods and Fusion Cuisine Growth
Beyond Meat is repositioning toward high‑protein drinks as plant‑based meat demand collapses, with Q1 2025 revenue falling sharply. In China, food‑science leaders are urging a fairer view of additives while the government rolls out a new natural‑colour standard that bans chemical...
5 Food and Drink Innovations Shaping the Industry’s Next Growth Wave
Food and drink innovators are capitalising on niche consumer needs, from chewable creatine gummies to nutrient‑dense meals for GLP‑1 drug users. Brands such as Momentous, Nestlé and Starbucks are launching products that blend performance, health and cultural appeal, while functional...
Taiwan Courts Overseas Halal Food Markets with Culture, Health Benefits
Taiwan’s external trade agency TAITRA showcased a range of low‑GI snacks, low‑sodium options and vitamin‑infused beverages at Singapore’s FHA 2026, positioning them as halal‑certified health products for export. Brands such as K.K. Orchard highlighted chilled sweet‑potato chips that lower glycaemic index,...
‘Consumers Want More’: Tetra Pak on Keeping up with Rapid Global Change
Tetra Pak’s VP of Marketing says consumers now demand more than just taste – they want functional benefits, unique flavors and convenient formats. Rising geopolitical risk, supply‑chain disruptions and higher oil prices are squeezing margins, pushing food firms toward ambient, shelf‑stable...
Middle East Focus: SAMBAZON Acai, Iran Conflict and Saudi Food Fraud
SAMBAZON, the world’s largest açaí brand, is leveraging rapid growth in Japan and the Middle East to position the berry as a lifestyle staple, highlighting its unique jungle‑based processing that guarantees same‑day handling. At Gulfood 2026, the company emphasized its vertical‑integrated...
Men More Likely than Women to Justify Meat-Eating, Turkish Study Finds
A Turkish study of 520 adults found men justify meat‑eating with direct, masculinity‑linked arguments—health, strength, hierarchy—while women rely on indirect tactics such as dissociation and avoidance. Men reported higher meat consumption and stronger endorsement of speciesism and social dominance orientation...
Brand New: News From Nestle, TaoKaeNoi, SAMBAZON and More Big Names
Nestlé says filtered coffee will outpace espresso in APAC as consumers chase cleaner flavors, positioning the segment as the next major trend. Thai snack maker TaoKaeNoi has signed Chinese celebrity Chen Zheyuan as global ambassador to accelerate its sea‑weed snack...
Tee Yih Jia Targets Plant-Based Growth with Asian-Western Fusion
Tee Yih Jia’s plant‑based brand ALTN is pursuing an “East meets West” strategy, launching new frozen meat‑free Asian and Western dishes as the broader plant‑based market slows. Leveraging its distribution network in 80 countries, the company refines recipes to appeal...
Growth Asia Summit 2026: Bel Group, Calbee Spotlight Protein and Healthier Innovation
The Growth Asia Summit 2026 will convene at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from July 8‑10, with Day Two spotlighting protein and healthier product innovation. Bel Group’s Chief Strategy Officer for Asia, David Naidu, will outline the dairy giant’s shift toward nutritionally...
Shanghai Alcohol Warning Label Trials in Full Swing Across Online and Offline Sales
Shanghai's Municipal Health Commission has launched a citywide pilot requiring warning labels on every alcoholic beverage containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The regulations mandate eye‑level, rectangular signs of specific dimensions in physical stores and prominent electronic warnings on...
K Food Exports Set to Take Major Hit After Losing Middle East Growth
South Korea’s K‑Food exports rose 4% YoY to $2.56 bn in Q1 2026, driven largely by the Middle East, which contributed $106 m and 32.3% of the growth. Escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran disrupted logistics, causing a sharp...
China Focus: TaoKaeNoi X Chen Zheyuan Collab, Processed Foods Debate, Gut Health Trends in China, and More
Thailand’s snack maker TaoKaeNoi has appointed Chinese actor Chen Zheyuan as its global ambassador, aiming to accelerate seaweed snack sales and reposition the brand as a health‑focused lifestyle label. In parallel, Chinese food‑science leaders are urging a more science‑based view...
Flashy and Sweet: Brands Tap Health Trends in Artificial Sweetener Push
Chinese additive firms are marketing non‑nutritive sweeteners (NNS) as wellness ingredients as they expand globally, echoing a broader industry shift toward sugar‑reduction. Brands such as Coca‑Cola, Pepsi, Mixue, Haribo and Mars Wrigley are swapping aspartame for sucralose, isomalt or allulose to...
Gut Health, Clean Label Foods Surge in China Market
Chinese ingredient firms are racing to meet a booming demand for gut‑health and clean‑label foods. Joywin Natural Products is scaling inulin fiber from Jerusalem artichoke, touting low‑GI and satiety benefits, while ZNatural expands natural plant pigments for colour‑cleaning. Consumers increasingly...
TaoKaeNoi Taps Chinese Celebrity Star Power to Boost Seaweed Snack Growth
TaoKaeNoi, the Taiwanese seaweed snack brand, has signed Chinese celebrity Chen Zheyuan to accelerate its evolution into a global lifestyle brand. The partnership combines hyper‑localisation of product flavors for Chinese tastes with cultural synergy through a star whose image matches...
Start-Up Spotlight: Plaquette, Vicky en France, Morus and More
The latest start‑up spotlight highlights a wave of sustainable food innovations, from Belgium’s Plaquette winning a Gulfood award for its waste‑free, bite‑sized candy‑butters to Singapore’s Vicky en France up‑cycling 35 kg of eggshell membranes into collagen. Japan’s Morus is commercialising silkworm‑derived...
Nestlé Backs Filtered Brews as Next Major Coffee Trend
Nestlé is betting on the rising filtered‑coffee craze by unveiling the NESCAFÉ Fusion 3, a commercial‑grade machine that delivers gravity‑extracted filter brews in under a minute. The trend, which began in Japan, is spreading rapidly throughout Asia‑Pacific as consumers seek clearer...
India Focus: Alcohol Trends, Beer Consumption Growth and GLP-1
India’s beverage alcohol sector is accelerating, with total volume up 7% year‑on‑year in the first half of 2025, positioning it among the world’s fastest‑growing markets. Strong urbanisation and rising disposable incomes are fueling a 14.6% surge in Indian beer consumption,...
‘There Are No Bad Additives, only Bad Humans’: Experts Urge Fairer View of Processed Foods
Chinese food‑science experts warned that additives themselves are not harmful; misuse and poor discipline are the real risks. China currently authorises more than 2,300 additives, yet consumer distrust fueled by past scandals is driving a clean‑label push that clashes with...
Egg-Based Collagen: The Next Beauty-From-Within Superstar?
Singapore‑based Vicky en France has launched C’est La BERRY, a jelly‑stick supplement that delivers 500 mg of up‑cycled French eggshell membrane collagen (types I, V, X) along with antioxidants, prebiotics, biotin and glutathione. The company reports that 35 kg of membrane—equivalent to waste from...
Our Top 10 Most-Read F&B Industry News From March 2026
The March 2026 roundup highlights how geopolitical tension, regulatory changes, and shifting consumer health priorities are reshaping the global food and beverage sector. A tentative cease‑fire in the Iran conflict leaves commodity supply chains fragile, while Indonesia and South Korea...
Alt Protein Strategies: ‘Identity Priming’ and Hybrid Meat
Researchers highlight two levers to accelerate alternative‑protein adoption: identity‑priming messaging that frames plant‑based foods as extensions of shared meat‑eater values, and hybrid meat products that blend plant and animal proteins. Experiments showed omnivores responded more positively to ads featuring a...
Packaging Happenings: Bite-Sized Butters, Japan Nutrition Labels and More
Belgian dairy innovator Plaquette earned a Gulfood award for its bite‑sized, sustainably packaged butter spreads, while Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency rolled out new front‑of‑pack nutrition labels aimed at cutting sodium. Yeo’s reported an 11% revenue decline to US$230 m and is...
The Evolution of the Energy Drink Category
The energy‑drink category is evolving from high‑caffeine, male‑focused products to healthier, niche‑oriented offerings. Functional beverage consumption is now mainstream, with 34% of U.S. adults and 53% of Gen Z drinking energy drinks at least every two weeks. Brands such as Celsius,...
Bite-Sized Dairy: Award-Winning Belgian Candy Butter Eyes Global Stage
Plaquette’s bite‑sized “candy” butters won the Gulfood Innovation Award at the 2026 Dubai show, praised for their waste‑free packaging and sustainability. The hand‑packed portions are produced by workers, including those with disabilities, creating social impact. The line spans sweet and...
Animal-Plant Mince Key to Revive APAC Alt-Protein Push: NECTAR Study
A NECTAR‑led sensory study of 116 APAC consumers found a blended chicken‑soy mince (70% chicken, 30% soy) outperformed a 100% chicken mince in a blind taste test. The research evaluated 20 blended products across ten categories, revealing that appearance and...
Japan Focus: Sodium Labelling Shift, Asahi Cyberattack, Silkworm Protein, and More
Japan has updated its nutrition label guidelines to emphasize sodium control, nudging manufacturers toward lower‑salt formulations. Asahi Group suffered a September 2025 ransomware attack, refusing the ransom and reporting a profit dip in the subsequent quarter. Energy shocks linked to the...
Safety First: China Liquid Transport Controls, Cyberattacks and More
China has introduced stricter transport regulations for edible oils, alcohol and syrups after a PR crisis, while the food‑and‑beverage sector faces rising cyber‑threats that could cripple operations. Regulators across APAC are tightening scrutiny of e‑commerce product claims, prompting brands to...
Middle East Focus: Hunter Foods Spicy Chips, Gulf Exports and Matcha Nuggets
Hunter Foods rolled out ultra‑spicy premium chips aimed at true chilli lovers across the Middle East, while UAE‑based Farm Fresh introduced matcha‑infused chicken nuggets, signaling a push toward bold, functional snacking. Estonia is leveraging its ‘Northern Standard’ brand to meet...
Silkworm Protein Firm Taps Health and Familiarity for Regional Growth
Morus, a silkworm‑protein company, is expanding across ASEAN by marketing DNJ capsules, protein powders and SilkMatcha as food‑as‑medicine solutions for metabolic health. The firm leverages silkworms’ glucose‑modulating DNJ, vitamins and minerals to address blood‑sugar, hypertension and gut‑health concerns. Its strategy...