Food and beverage products with tea bases and botanical-infused flavours or aromas are seeing a surge in popularity amongst consumers in APAC, with more and more people seeking out ‘refreshing’ sensations.
Singapore-based plant-based brand Thoughtful Food has launched a range of cleaner label, ready-to-eat (RTE) meals in anticipation of its ambitions to start exports across the region and globally.
The food and beverage sector will need to focus on making more ‘immediate’ changes beyond just creating a novel protein supply in order to address sustainability and overall supply chain challenges, according to industry experts.
Singapore-based plant-based products firm Thoughtful Food believes that the sector needs to look more closely at dry and ambient innovation as a key driver, particularly for brands seeking to solve ultra-processing challenges or go more clean label.
Climate conditions in Asian countries are a key driver behind lower production costs and ‘ready-made’ opportunities for the region to emerge as a major insect farming market, providing a more affordable alternative source to the global protein supply.
Tofu and beverage brand Vitasoy hopes the performance of its soy milk and tea businesses in Asian will help it bounce back from manufacturing and logistical challenges faced in Oceania over the past six months.
The better-for-you snacks sector in Asia Pacific will need to step up its focus on product functionality and freshness if it is to build on the boom it has enjoyed in recent years.
Italy’s government has announced the passing of a bill banning the production and marketing of cultivated meat. The measures, which also restrict labelling for plant-based products, aim to protect Italy’s traditional food culture.
Precision fermentation firms in the Asia Pacific region need to move beyond a technology focus to prioritise scaling up and commercialisation or risk facing major ‘bottleneck’ challenges when demand increases.
Why do people buy meat alternatives? A new study reveals that values focused on one’s relationship to a group, such as ‘self-transcendence’, are far more likely to influence their decision to buy meat alternatives than ‘self-focused’ values such as a...
The nutritional value of plant-based meats is limited by lack of key micronutrients, although they contain significantly less saturated fat, indicates an assessment of products on the Hong Kong market.
China-based clean label brand Haofood is putting extra efforts into innovation while maintaining focus on taste and affordability to boost consumer adoption of plant-based diets.
Chinese 3D food printing firm MOODLES believes that this technology needs to be efficiently incorporated into the production of personalised nutrient-rich staple foods that consumers will eat on a daily basis if the sector wants to grow locally.
Hybrid innovation with meat and plant-based ingredients, affordability and a focus on the needs of flexitarians is needed to boost the protein sector in APAC over the long-term.
A new study reveals the key differences in nutrient intake when an animal-based diet is replaced with plant-based alternatives, with calls for greater in-depth research and consideration of such factors manufacturers when developing new products.
Affordability is emerging as the main driving factor for insect-based foods in the APAC region, possibly even more significant than its often-lauded protein or sustainability factors.
Stronger government regulatory support and the ‘debunking’ of myths surrounding hemp are still at a ‘crucial’ stage in Asia, the success of which is key to unlocking its active nutrition potential.
While dairy is the basis of protein nutrition, the use of plant-based and precision fermented protein is bound to increase in products such as infant formula, healthy ageing, and sports nutrition, says dairy multinational firm Friesland Campina.
The Netherlands-based food tech company Meatable says it has managed to reduce costs and raise production efficiency of its cultivated meat products, which are on course to be launched in Singapore by next year.
Japanese plant-based meat firm Tastable hopes its experience in texture modification will help it successfully commercialise and grow its new Nikuvege brand.
Australia and New Zealand are lagging behind when it comes to alt-protein innovation and advances, with capital and commercialisation challenges holding the sector back.
Nissin has committed to further product development plans for instant noodles using alternative proteins, after a first launch featuring plant-based ‘eel’ was well received in Japan.
Singapore start-up Altimate Nutrition has developed a range of cricket-based products that are ready for mass manufacturing and distribution, except that it continues to be hindered by regulatory approval delays.
Australian plant-based producer v2food says that consumers should not discredit the entire category based on a single negative experience, stressing it is still relatively young, especially when compared to the traditional protein sector.
Price premiums, unsatisfactory taste, and a persistent perception of over-processed products are the most common barriers to plant-based meat consumption in Asian markets.
South Korean firm PlantEat believes that innovation must result in minimal sensory changes and products should remain as familiar as possible in order to boost consumer transitions to healthier diets.
Singapore start-up Hegg has launched its eggless Japanese mayonnaise in the domestic market and is looking to capitalise on growth opportunities across Asia with ‘localised flavours.’
The burgeoning plant-based dairy sector in China will need to quickly shift from its first generation focus on emotions and sensory properties to more functional innovation in order to ensure continued growth in the local market.
Tetra Pak believes that food and beverage brands today need to meet consumers’ increasing emotional needs in terms of feeling ‘empowered’ when making purchasing choices, such as offering them innovative product options that are healthier or more sustainable.
NZ-based Off-Piste Provisions has outlined how consumer demands for healthy convenience food and a ‘chewing experience’ are key drivers guiding its product development strategy amidst plans for Australia and United States expansion.
Singapore-based OnlyEg has rapidly grown its presence in various markets across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions with a focus on the taste and texture of its ‘no sacrifice’ plant-based eggs, available in a multitude of ready-to-eat (RTE) formats.
Korean cultivated meat player Seawith says that collaboration needs to be balanced with competition to deliver a ‘great product’ for the market, as it outlines its partnership strategy on both B2B and B2C fronts.
Cultivated meat company Cell AgriTech says it is benefitting from Malaysia’s advantage as a cost-competitive manufacturing hub as it outlines plans to roll out its first cultivated meat product by 2025.
Danone has launched a dairy and plant milk powder blend designed for infants and toddlers in Australia and New Zealand – the first of its kind that the firm has introduced in Asia Pacific.
New Zealand oat milk pioneers Otis Oat Milk believes that its first production plant in the country will boost growth and provide ‘huge’ cost reductions.
Singapore’s Shandi Global has developed a range of plant-based products that it says are equally, if not more, nutritious than regular chicken meat, which will soon be brought to market both locally and overseas.
The precision fermentation sector needs to clearly demonstrate the scalability and credibility of the technology if it is going to outlast the significant hype that surrounds the sector.
Philippines-based plant-based firm WTH Foods is in the process of expanding into both the European and South East Asian markets with its new low-sodium, clean label plant-based seafood products.
Sydney-based precision fermentation firm All G Foods is doubling down on R&D and consumer insights research to complete its first finished product, as it sets sights on the APAC, Middle East and US markets.
China-based cultivated meat firm Jimi Biotech foresees that it will take a few more years before the alternative protein obtains regulatory approval in the country, although it is optimistic about investor interest and consumer acceptance.
The China plant-based sector has lost ‘some of its hype’ and is far from a ‘quick win’, claims one of the category’s pioneers in the country, which has recently announced a significant new distribution deal.
The next stage of evolution for the plant-based seafood sector in APAC is likely to come from the sea itself, in the form of proteins from marine-based plants such as seaweed and kelp, according to seafood giant Thai Union.
Children are the ‘toughest food critics’ meaning that healthy snack firms have to pay equal attention to taste and nutrition if they are going to attract mass appeal and help improve the diets of young people.
South Korean food tech company Armored Fresh is launching its plant-based cheese direct-to-consumer on Amazon and via its own site in the US after notching-up over 150 sales accounts in the country since launching just six months ago.
The new China Agri-Food Biomanufacturing Alliance says that bridging the gap between early-stage innovators and agri-food giants is key to driving industry growth.
Singapore-based Vitality Foods has developed a range of plant-based stocks to address current flavour-related challenges in the alternative meat industry.
The alternative protein sector in the Middle East will need to work towards gaining regulatory acceptance and improved product accessibility to overcome consumer acceptance challenges, very similar to those that were faced in APAC.
Singapore-based ANEW says it is tapping into parent company’s years of experience in food manufacturing to carve out a niche in the plant-based space with its ‘low-calorie, high-protein’ luncheon meat and RTE sauces.
