China-Biotics has filed five new patents for its probiotics as it plans to enter new condition areas like feminine hygiene and infant diarrhea, and microencapsulated probiotics for harsh manufacturing conditions.
India’s Avesthagen Limited has announced the completion of its development of microalgae-derived DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), with the technology validated for commercialization.
Danish food ingredient supplier Palsgaard is building a new US $30m emulsifier factory in Asia, with production scheduled to start in the second half of 2012.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has said its business is likely to increase by 50 to 60 percent in 2011 compared to a year earlier, mainly due to increased demand in China.
Pittsburgh-based supplement retailer GNC is reported to favor an initial public offering (IPO) after reports claim that interest cooled from Chinese dairy giant Bright Food Group Co to acquire the company.
GLG Life Tech’s joint venture in China has been given the go-ahead by Chinese authorities to provide its stevia-derived sweeteners for use in foods and beverages, the company has said.
Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), an alliance of Nestlé and General Mills, said that a large percentage of its cereal brands sold in Australia including Cheerios have been endorsed by the Heart Foundation there through its Tick programme.
International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) has said it plans to invest $100m in two new flavor facilities in Asia over the next three years, responding to increasing demand from Asian food manufacturers.
Soy ingredients company Solae opened a food application centre in Shanghai yesterday, promising to cut product development times for Asia-Pacific customers.
Vitamin charity Vitamin Angels and DSM’s Sight and Life are addressing vitamin A deficiency in Indian children by establishing a sustainable supply and distribution system promoting “local ownership” of the deficiency problem.
Fusion Nutraceuticals has developed a new process for developing granulated zero-calorie sweeteners that better imitate the taste and functionality of sugar with nearly ten times fewer calories, the company has said.
Cargill is to acquire Indonesian starch and sweetener company PT Sorini Agro Asia Corporindo, deal designed to help it better serve its customers in the Asia Pacific region.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has entered into a joint venture with China Agriculture and Healthy Foods Company Limited (CAHFC) for the sale and distribution of stevia-sweetened foods and drinks, GLG has said.
Beijing Gingko Group (BGG) has signed an agreement that will see the European branch of Premium Ingredients International (PII) become the exclusive distributor of BGG’s liquorice extracts.
France and India have hailed the “strategic importance” of the Asian country’s food processing and agricultural sectors as they unveiled plans to achieve bilateral trade reaching €12bn by 2012.
GLG Life Tech has posted higher third quarter profits, driven by increased stevia sales in China, growing demand for natural products in North America and global health concerns, the company has said.
Sensient Technologies has opened a new plant in Guangzhou, China, including offices and laboratories for the production of flavors, colors, fragrances, and pharmaceutical coatings, the company has said.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has finalized a joint venture with Global Agrisystem Private Limited (Global Agri), a Katra Group company, to commercialize its stevia extracts in India and the Middle East, the company has said.
The Indian joint venture between Yakult and Danone established in 2005 to bring Yakult probiotic drinks to the Indian market is expanding with Bangalore targeted as the point of entry for southern markets.
Asahi Breweries has agreed to acquire P&N Beverages, the third largest soft drinks company in Australia in its latest move towards the goal of joining the ranks of the biggest global food companies.
Danone has agreed to sell its stake in China Huiyuan Juice Group for significantly less than what Coca-Cola offered before its acquisition bid was blocked last year by Chinese competition authorities.
Second quarter income for US chocolate maker, Hershey, fell 35 per cent due to factors such as charges related to its supply chain efficiency programme and the joint venture in India but Asia remains a focal area, said the company.
More money for dairy producers, paid earlier in the season to ease cash flow problems are the aims behind a new incentive payment from Fonterra Australia.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has announced that it is looking to develop agricultural and extraction facilities for stevia in India, as well as market its stevia extracts in the nation.
Cargill’s bid to buy Goodman Fielder’s edible fats and oils business looks to be scuppered by the Australian competition authorities, who say it would be an unacceptable concentration of refining assets in the country.
Cargill has opened a new flavour facility in China, which is expected to enable it to better address regional demand and taste in Asia in a timely fashion.
Emerging markets continue to attract both food processors and equipment suppliers, with AMF Bakery Systems, a leading supplier of bakery equipment in North America, recently expanding its footprint in the Asia Pacific region.
Cargill has entered into an agreement to acquire the edible fats and oils business of Goodman Fielder in Australia and New Zealand, which it says will aid efficient future growth in the region.
AkzoNobel’s National Starch business has acquired Penford’s Australian specialty starch business in order to shorten its supply chain for specialty corn starches in the region - despite National Starch being up for sale.
Sweetener company PureCircle has raised $67.18m through share placing to invest in the development of its natural sweetener products made from stevia leaves.
DSM has said that it intends to look for new partners in China for its nutritional products and anti-infectives, after its contracts with North China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (NCPC) were suspended.
A $1bn food processing investment is being planned for Thailand by the Chinese venture management firm China Science and Merchants Investment Management Company.
Danone’s troubled relationship with China’s Wahaha looks finally to be at an end; and rumours of a new deal with Mead Johnson over baby food are flatly denied.
The different language, culture and regulatory set-up may make running an ingredients company in China a daunting proposition for Western executives. But Yossi Gohary, general manager of Solbar Ningbo, says it’s all about cultural compromise.
Pure Circle, supplier of stevia-derived Reb A, is expecting to report a 420 per cent increase in profit in its full year results due to good reception for the first products launched in the US.
