Flavours and colours

Cool move: Plant-based milk brand OATSIDE expands into ice cream to fuel regional growth

20-Dec-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore-based OATSIDE has recently expanded its product line-up to include a range of ice creams as part of its growth strategy, on the back of burgeoning popularity of its oat milk products across Asia.

Refreshing boost: Tea bases and botanicals enjoying rising popularity in various formats amongst APAC consumers

20-Dec-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

AI in chocolates: ‘Imported’ flavours gaining traction in APAC on the back of growing demand for indulgence and adventure

18-Dec-2023 By Pearly Neo

‘Imported’ flavours that are traditionally more western in origin have been rapidly gaining popularity in the APAC chocolate sector because consumers associate these with indulgence and adventure.

Level up: Singapore’s Gryphon Tea Company reformulates RTD teas to meet better-for-you demand, raises Nutri-grade rating

23-Nov-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore-based Gryphon Tea Company has updated its cold-brewed tea range with “no added sugar” formulations, which the firm says has helped it keep up with the better-for-you trend and reach out to a bigger pool of health-conscious consumers.

‘Prioritising indulgence’: Cargill-owned Aalst Chocolate investing in consumer-driven innovation to solidify market position

21-Nov-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Cargill-owned Aalst Chocolate is putting “substantial investment” into insights-driven R&D, customised products, and strengthening of its bean-to-bar supply chain to push growth in Asia and beyond.

Going nuts for nuts: Singapore start-up hopes to carve out a niche with premium, customisable nut butters

21-Nov-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore-based start-up Noce Nuts says that consumers are willing to pay a premium for nut butters that are customised to their preferred taste and texture, including reduced sugar and salt options.

Minimise MSG use: Researchers urge caution amid fears of metabolic health impact

20-Nov-2023 By Shali S.

The use of MSG as a flavouring agent should be reduced, according to researchers who have also emphasised the need for further research into the long-term biochemical effects of human consumption.

‘Amateurish but authentic’: NZ’s Forty Thieves keeps up with video marketing trends to appeal to short attention spans

06-Nov-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Auckland-based nut butter producer Forty Thieves is investing in social media content creation and influencer marketing to target online consumers, whom it says have increasingly shorter attention spans.

Plant-based products and health: Study reveals nutritional shortfalls, but saturated fat benefits

01-Nov-2023 By Shali S.

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.

FNA DEEP DIVE: NUT BUTTERS

'More than just a spread': Novel applications and affordable pricing strategies crucial to grow nut butter success in APAC

01-Nov-2023 By Pearly Neo and Hui Ling Dang

The nut butter industry in Asia Pacific is targeting pricing strategies and novel applications as it seeks to achieve mainstream success beyond being ‘just a spread’, according to industry experts.

Sweet stability: Sunsweet sees stable recovery for prune products in Thailand after pandemic woes

31-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

Sunsweet’s ingredients arm is optimistic that stable recovery is incoming for prunes and prune-derived products in Thailand on the back of rising demand after a standstill during the pandemic period.

‘Glocalisation is over’: Microlocality and domestic production chain increasingly important for APAC consumers

18-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands that are able to convey microlocal tastes and tap into consumer pride with a strong domestic production chain are best-placed for success in the APAC region, according to Kerry.

‘A natural journey’: Freshness and clean label crucial combo to nail flavours in processed foods

03-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

The crucial combination of freshness and clean label is emerging as an important flavour strategy that food and beverage brands need to hit in order to cater to APAC consumers’ increasingly exacting demands.

Ethnic essentials: Experimental and hyperlocalised flavours find growing favour amongst ASEAN consumers

02-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

The dual flavour trends of experimentation and hyperlocalisation are finding increasing favour amongst consumers in the ASEAN region, requiring food and beverage firms across categories to ramp up innovation.

Collaborate to innovate: House of Pops injects Lebanese flavours into new collaboration range

27-Sep-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Dubai-based ice cream brand House of Pops has tapped into the popularity of Lebanese cuisine in the UAE through a collaboration range that is infused with Levantine flavours.

Targeting TikTokers: India’s Beyond Snack builds on strong growth with ‘exotic flavours’ aimed at young consumers

21-Sep-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

India-based Beyond Snack recently expanded its repertoire of banana chips in the hope of attracting Millennials and Gen Zs, whom the firm believes are particularly receptive to flavour innovations.

Comfort and convenience: Consumers are seeking wider flavour options and formats for meal replacements – Sustyfoods

13-Sep-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore-based meal replacements brand Sustyfoods says that convenience and functionality are key purchase drivers, and expects rising demand for savoury options and product formats that are more similar to “real meals”.

Who will pay? APAC cocoa industry says EU Deforestation Regulation could create ‘two-tier market’

12-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The cocoa and chocolates industry in Asia Pacific is concerned that the EU Deforestation Regulation could lead a two-tier market for cocoa beans, which could have far-ranging cost and pricing implications.

Sweet and snacky: China cheese industry growth requires flavour localisation and western influence – Bel China

29-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Cheese heavyweight Bel has called for local brands to simultaneously develop local innovations alongside introducing more traditional western concepts in order to drive faster industry growth in China

Sweet surprises: 50-year-old Boonprasert Confectionery boosts format and functional innovation to meet new consumer needs

03-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand’s Boonprasert Confectionery is evolving its innovation strategy to focus on the development of novel formats and functional offerings to meet changing consumer needs in and out of its home market.

Easing customs congestion: Thai FDA launches express digital service to accelerate processing of F&B imports

01-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand is the latest Asian market to establish a fully digitalised express customs processing service, which is hoped to greatly accelerate food and beverage import operations at its checkpoints in line with the national Thailand 4.0 strategy.

Turmeric hit: Haldy seeks to refresh mint market appeal across age groups with Ayurvedic-inspired products

06-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Singapore mint specialist firm Haldy recently hit the market with its turmeric-based, Ayurvedic-inspired mints, which it believes has the potential to appeal to both younger and older consumers alike.

‘Futuristic perspective’: Mane Kancor combining growth with circular manufacturing ambitions

06-Jun-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Indian spice supplier Mane Kancor says it new facility in Byadgi will help meet growing global demand for chili extracts, as well as doubling down on its sustainability agenda.

A toast to innovation: Tiger breaks beer-making boundaries to keep up with ‘sessionable and accessible’ drinking trends

29-May-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore beer giant Tiger’s latest product innovation is driven by Korean culture, and aims to appeal to young consumers seeking progressive flavours and easy-to-drink options.

The emerging flavour trends in the salty snacks category

23-May-2023 By Gill Hyslop

With more than a third of snackers citing ‘the excitement of flavour’ as the reason to indulge, the flavour experts at T. Hasegawa - one of the world’s top 10 flavour houses - get to grips with what both the better-for-you (BFY) and indulgent-minded consumer...

‘Unabsorbable’ price hikes: Ajinomoto predicts further cost increases despite record-breaking profits last year

23-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Amino acid specialist Ajinomoto has predicted that more cost increases are likely in FY2023 due to continuous inflationary pressures, even though the company reported record-breaking sales and profits last year.

‘Samples Only’: Philippines FDA sets strict import guidelines for unregistered food products used for R&D

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration is implementing new strict import guidelines for food and beverage items that manufacturers want to use for R&D.

Stock options: Vitality Foods drills down on meaty flavour ‘translation’ to address plant-based gaps

09-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Singapore-based Vitality Foods has developed a range of plant-based stocks to address current flavour-related challenges in the alternative meat industry.

More than a buzzword: Net zero sustainability commitments must make business sense for food firms – expert panel

08-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The commitment to and achievement of net zero goals must make real business sense for food and beverage companies in the region in order to ensure these remain a key part of business operations as opposed to just fulfilling a trend.

FNA DEEP DIVE: ALCOHOL

Fresh approach: Carlsberg, Kirin, Brass Lion on why refreshing and fruity flavours dominate APAC alcohol NPD

26-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

The creation of alcoholic beverages with a focus on refreshing or fruity flavours is increasingly dominating new product innovation efforts across multiple alcohol categories from beers to liquors in the APAC region.

Spicing up the market: Borneo Hot Sauce amplifies marketing efforts to become household name in Singapore

19-Apr-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Chilli sauce producer Borneo Hot Sauce aims to raise its brand recognition in Singapore, following a promising debut which saw it sell 10,000 bottles in six months.

Premium olive oil opportunity: Laconiko pressing partnerships to tap on Asia’s ‘virgin market’

04-Apr-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Greek-US producer Laconiko is weighing up expansion plans in Asia, believing there is an opportunity to incorporate regional flavours into its premium olive oil and balsamic products.

Veggie powder power: Australia’s Nutri V eyes snacking space to take upcycled foods mainstream

28-Mar-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Australian upcycling firm Nutri V – a partnership between vegetable producer Fresh Select and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO – has taken its first steps into the B2C snacking space, with its CEO stating there is more product innovation on the...

Making leaps: White Rabbit ice-cream brand reveals expansion strategy for South East Asia

27-Mar-2023 By Si Ying Thian

The Singapore distributor of the iconic Chinese brand White Rabbit’s ice cream is looking for partnerships to provide a marketing boost in South East Asia, while also aiming for expansion across the region, providing its quality control objectives can...

Food in the Metaverse: Why APAC F&B brands need to keep up with Web 3.0 to accelerate growth

07-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands in the Asia Pacific region would do well to stay up-to-date with worldwide Web 3.0 transformations to accelerate business growth, especially when it comes to capturing younger consumers in the Metaverse.

Kerry’s 2023 Taste & Nutrition charts explore sriracha’s rise & guava, sesame, dulce de leche growth

01-Feb-2023 By Ryan Daily

After nearly two decades of first appearing in fast-food restaurants across the US and becoming a go-to favorite for spicy aficionados, sriracha today is not only an established flavor that many consumers love, but according to Kerry’s Taste & Nutrition...

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