Brand new: Herbalife, Morinaga, Bright Dairy in the spotlight
Healthcare strategy: Herbalife outlines plan to work with professionals to drive nutrition education in APAC
Herbalife has outlined its plans to engage the healthcare community, including general practitioners, nutritionists, and dietitians, to better educate APAC consumers about the right nutrition intake.
A recent survey by the company showed that 74% of consumers saw healthcare professionals as the most useful source of nutrition information.
Yet, only one in three had received regular nutrition advice or asked for nutrition advice during the visit to the healthcare practitioners.
Infant probiotic opportunity: NutraIngredients-Asia Awards winner Morinaga Milk to expand BB536’s application in infant nutrition
Morinaga Milk Industry is looking to further expand the application of its probiotic strain, Bifidobacterium longum BB536, into infant nutrition after producing Japan’s first bifidobacterial-fortified infant formula in September this year.
BB536 is a Human-Residential Bifidobacterium (HRB) strain studied for its effects on promoting a healthy gut microbiota and immune development. There are currently more than 200 scientific studies of BB536 and its beneficial effects on infant, children, adult and senior health.
In 2016, Bing-Bing Wu et al., reported that BB536 (1x107CFU/g) given to healthy newborns for six months had positive effects on establishing a healthy gut microbiota early in life, leading to improved immune development in infants. The RCT involving 300 newborns was published in the World Journal of Pediatrics.
Sweet relief: Malaysia’s Berjaya seeks to expand functional anti-hangover candy into pharmacy channels
Malaysia-based Berjaya Pharmacy Distribution is hoping to enter the pharmacy, grocery and food service channels nationwide with its anti-hangover candy, Sober Up.
Sober Up is touted to be Malaysia’s first hard candy that reduces typical hangover symptoms of headache, nausea and fatigue.
Its functional ingredients is a patented French Oak Wood Extract (commercial name: Robuvit) produced by Horphag Research in France.
Pharmacy driven: McPherson’s paving new retail focus for soon-to-be acquired Blackmores’ TCM business
McPherson’s will be focusing on the pharmacy distribution network for the TCM and oriental botanical brands that it will be acquiring from Blackmores.
Fusion Health and Oriental Botanicals, the two brands under Global Therapeutics which Blackmores will be selling off, will mark the start of McPherson’s venture into the health and wellness segment.
At present, majority of the McPherson’s business is in the beauty, skincare, and cosmetics categories, owning brands such as A’Kin and Dr LeWinn’s.
China probiotic expansion: Bright Dairy unveils R&D, collaboration and NPD priorities
Shanghai-based Bright Dairy has carved out plans for expansion of its probiotic portfolio, with a focus on developing new products providing functional benefits from weight management to cognition.
Founded over 100 years ago, Bright Dairy is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with portfolios in yogurts, milk, on top of probiotics.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Dr Liu Zhen Min, head of Bright Dairy Research Institute said the R&D direction was in line with the company’s mission on disease prevention via the consumption of functional foods and beverages.
