Seafood multinational giant Thai Union is using the principles of forensic science to prevent food fraud, leveraging on DNA technologies to provide traceability and authentication for its seafood products.
Singapore-based Future Ready Food Safety Hub, known as FRESH, will focus on novel foods, aquaculture and agriculture to support the nation’s food security goals and meet the needs of consumers.
The Chinese government has launched a three-month crackdown targeting sellers selling counterfeits or using fake certifications for food and other products via e-commerce platforms, while placing extra onus on the sites to ensure compliance.
Listeria monocytogenes was most commonly detected in minced meat, fish fillet, sausage and raw milk, according to a test of 250 food samples collected from the Menoufiya governorate in Egypt.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has uncovered products containing Viagra and other medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) entering the country under the guise of vitamin C and bromelain supplements.
Research published in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology claims to provide an enlightening but worrying insight into the world of chemicals that are intentionally added to plastics.
Alcohol has emerged as the sector with the largest number of counterfeit cases in India in 2020, with experts attributing this to a lack of enforcement as well as high profits available for counterfeiters during the COVID-19 crisis.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is taking action against 21 e-commerce websites selling protein bars marketed with ‘fake’ claims, including body fat reduction and muscle strength related statements.
The head of India’s largest milk brand Amul has hit out at excess ‘dairy dumping’ from foreign countries and the recent rise of ‘highly processed’ plant-based dairy as major threats to India’s largest agricultural sector.
Hygiene standards, at-home experiences and the vegan and healthy trend are expected to form the post-pandemic future of the food and beverage industry in two of the world’s largest economies, China and India.
Food safety is a business-critical issue. People worry about food safety and security as much as global warming, pollution and poverty, research from confectionery giant Mars reveals. FoodNavigator hears from Dr Guangtao Zhang, director of the Mars Global...
Chinese consumers and GM labelling, widespread omega-3 adulteration found on e-commerce sites, new no-fail wine traceability technology and more feature in this edition of Safety First.
South Korean authorities say that a number of products which claimed to be “100 per cent” krill oil, actually contained vegetable oil and other blends of oils and fats.
Quality control, effective traceability and effective branding are needed to ensure the successful adoption and consumption of zinc biofortified rice in Asia, following its commercial release in several nations, experts claim.
Just as the man made globally famous by a Netflix documentary outlining how he conned wine collectors out of millions of dollars was deported to his native Indonesia, a team of scientists from Australia believe they have found a fast and simple method...
Asia’s insect food firms are hoping a new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Office confirming the viability of insect protein and calling for production to be modernised to ensure safety could be a major stepping stone on the sector’s path to...
Nine out of 19 omega-3 products that were bought through prominent Asian e-commerce sites and marketed as containing a single species, did not contain the ingredients declared on the labels, according to new data.
Pork DNA has been found in two confectionery products in Bangladesh, according to a study analysing 42 imported confectionery samples purchased from the Dhaka region.
Chinese consumers are willing to pay more for the enhanced mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) soybean oil, according to new data funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
South Korea has launched a pilot application dubbed the ‘Imported Food Search Lens’ to enable consumers to check the food safety information of imported products by taking pictures of product labels, even if they are not part of any specific traceability...
Monitoring tests of Japan’s food products after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident showed that drinking water, milk and infant food were within the radioactivity concentration limits after five years, but some samples from the wild animal meat and agricultural...
More effective policies to prevent allergen cross contamination are needed in Australia’s food industry, while voluntary labelling needs to more accurately reflect the risk profile, said a lead investigator of HealthNuts, the world’s largest comprehensive...
Japan Consumer Affairs Agency (CCA) is warning general food and health food manufacturers against labelling their products as being effective in preventing or treating COVID-19, to avoid consumer misunderstanding and harming public health.
The spotlight has been focused on the topic of microplastic pollution risk in fishmeal this week as a recent study shows the ingredient, used most often in fish and pig feed diets, can be contaminated by the tiny plastic particles.
Almost half (49.7%) of Chinese consumers surveyed say they were willing to sample cell-based meats, but almost as many (47.2%) said they would not wish to eat it regularly.
Only 15 countries worldwide are still implementing import restrictions on food items from Japanese districts that were stricken by the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown disaster in 2011 – but progress with those that remain may be hard to achieve...
The Japanese government has found no sign of genetically modified (GM) soybean and rapeseed crops having any impact on surrounding biodiversity over 15 years of natural growth, further strengthening its argument for further GM-related approvals in the...
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has launched a nationwide investigation into a widespread local honey adulteration scandal and is mulling ‘better’ test methods – but researchers are calling for the agency to take more ‘stronger,...
About 20% of fish products in Taiwan are mislabelled, with snapper, cod and surimi products found to be the most vulnerable to fraudulent substitution.
The Chinese government has issued a series of warnings and directives on the consumption of fermented foods, counterfeit foods and beverages on the back of a deadly mass food poisoning event and the rapid rise of food fraud cases in the past year.
A study by researchers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and China has found that the levels of iron, chromium, cadmium and nickel in fish caught from the Red Sea exceeded the levels recommended by various authorities such as the EU, FAO, and WHO.
The South Korean government has laid out its food safety upgrade plans for the first half of 2021, with a great deal of focus centred on meat and meat product imports and processing, in response to consumer concerns.
The Malaysian Dietary Supplement Association (MADSA) says its brand members are being disadvantaged by ‘unauthorised’ online retailers selling their products at lower prices – and is calling on the government to clampdown on the situation.
Marine microalgae for functional foods, eco-friendly plastic discovery, plant essential oils as preservative and more in this edition of Science Shorts
The Chinese government has announced a new three-year strategy to further develop the local dairy industry, with emphasis on strengthening R&D as well as tighter governance to quell remaining food safety concerns and boost the sector’s reputation.
Singapore-based start-up ProfilePrint has cited growing interest in alternative proteins and specialty ingredients as potential areas to explore with its patented artificial intelligence food ingredient analysis technology.
A study commissioned by the New Zealand government has revealed that chicken remains the country’s top source of campylobacteriosis, which is in turn the most common foodborne illness in the country – despite national efforts to bring it under control...
Essential oils derived from plants have the potential to replace chemical preservatives in meat and meat products against bacterial contamination, according to latest findings.
More studies are emerging of food products as a potential carrier for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing COVID-19, according to new review of the research, but there is no evidence of it leading to transmissions.
F&B firms and governments in Asia will need to step up and provide more reassurance regarding food product safety and supply chain transparency to local consumers, as recent studies have revealed a vast lack of confidence in several parts of the region.
Commercialisation of smart and active packaging is failing to fulfil its potential in the food and beverage sector, largely limited by regulations, cost, safety and accuracy issues.
China is looking to virtual ‘spot checks’ on incoming food imports and tightened cold chain management guidelines in an attempt to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 in the country as winter arrives and increasing cases of virus have been found on frozen...
China is planning to revise safety standards governing multiple processed foods and nutritional ingredients in its latest initiative to battle food contamination and adulteration in the country.
In Africa, naturally fermented camel milk sold by farmers at local markets often contain disease-causing microorganisms. Now, researchers have isolated ‘new’ strains of lactic acid bacteria they say can make the milk safer.
Scientists have developed a novel active coating containing chitosan, tea and cinnamon extracts to improve the quality of fish fillets during refrigerated storage.
The New Zealand honey industry has refuted recent claims of its products being unsafe for consumption in the wake of reports that over 20% of retail packed honey contains glyphosate residues, saying that these findings have been ‘over-sensationalised’.
