India cuts nutraceuticals GST to 5%, minister urges firms to pass on savings
The Indian government announced that the GST rates for nutraceuticals has been reduced from 18% to 5% from September 22.
The new GST is applicable to all types of nutraceuticals, from multivitamins, to protein powder, from finished goods to natural extract ingredients.
The GST reduction is also part of a wider, national GST adjustment introduced by the Modi administration as part of the “Next-Gen GST reforms”.
Meiji launches NMN collagen to grow market share
Meiji Co. Ltd is putting a twist to its flagship amino acid collagen powder with the addition of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) in a bid to grow its global market share.
Citing data from Japanese market research firm Fuji Keizai, Meiji said that NMN was a booming category in Japan.
Combining NMN with collagen could be a popular formulation not only for the domestic market, but also overseas, the company added.
China’s infant formula sales up for major players in first half of 2025
Several leading infant formula companies reported growth in their infant formula sales for the first half of this year, with the popularity of premium products and expanding sales in both offline mother-and-baby stores and online channels a common thread.
Danone’s Aptamil, Yili, Friesland Campina’s Friso, The a2 Milk Company, and Biostime from H&H Group were some examples that have continued to see growth in China’s infant formula market in the first half of this year, amid concerns on fluctuating birth rates in China.
Feihe, which ranks number one in terms of market share, however, saw a decline in its revenue and profit.
FrieslandCampina Ingredients opens functional food application center in Singapore
FrieslandCampina Ingredients is seeking to capture Asia-Pacific’s burgeoning functional foods and beverage market with a new application center in Singapore.
Located at The Rutherford, Singapore Science Park, the new application center is equipped with machineries for making functional food and beverages using ingredients that the company specializes in, such as protein and prebiotics.
Clear protein water, yogurt, shakes, gummies, baked goods, bars, ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk, and powder, are some of the applications that the center can create.
Magnesium, relaxation, and sleep supplement trends in Australia
The Australian supplement market has seen an increase in products for energy, sleep, and muscle relaxation, with ingredients like magnesium at the center of the action.
Swisse Wellness, JSHealth Vitamins, Opella-owned Nature’s Own, Ārepa, and AusVitality Wellness Co are some of the brands that have launched magnesium products in recent months.
The sudden interest in magnesium among the Australian public could have come from discussions on social media like TikTok, according to Sarah Lawman, head of Australia at JSHealth Vitamins.
dsm-firmenich to award research grant to projects studying healthy longevity
dsm-firmenich has launched a nutrition research grant to advance the knowledge of healthy longevity and nutrition supplementation in the context of Asia-Pacific (APAC).
The grant, totalling €250k (US$290k), will be given to five winning research proposals. Each proposal will receive a funding of €50k (US$58k) over a period of 18 months.
Applications to the grant are now open and closes on November 14. The grant award winners will be announced next April and a grand award event will take place next July.
Malaysia pharmacy chain creates functional powder to lower foods GI
Malaysia pharmacy chain Alpro Pharmacy has developed a functional powder for lowering the glycaemic index (GI) of foods, amid high prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the country.
Called the Prof. Slow Smart Fibre For Rice, the functional powder, when added to uncooked white rice at a ratio of 10g to 50g could help reduce GI by 38%.
The purpose of developing the functional powder is to help consumers take in a healthier diet without changing their food options drastically, said the community pharmacy chain.
China regulator to release new stability and safety rules for health foods
The Chinese regulator is introducing new health foods regulations, including requiring more stability and safety reports on non-purified fermented raw materials.
The China State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) will be introducing new regulations under the current “China Food Safety National Standard Good Health Food Production code (GB17405)”, it announced in a press conference held on August 29.
The new regulations are aimed at safeguarding consumer health, promoting the industry’s development, and implementing policies, said National Health Commission (NHC) Department of Food Safety Standards, Risk Surveillance and Evaluation’s deputy director-general Gong Guoqiang.
Red Bull’s former APAC head sets up functional drink start-up with neuroscientist
Arun Hozack, formerly the President of Red Bull Asia-Pacific, has launched a functional drink start-up known as Numin with neuroscientist Dr Shawn Watson.
The idea behind Numin is to tackle the issue of decision fatigue by helping people make higher quality decisions for a longer period of time.
High-stake decision makers, such as commodity traders and professional e-sports athletes could be most prone to decision fatigue, but this is a condition that everyone potentially faces.
NZ firm uncovers how blackcurrant actives can alleviate diabetic complications
A molecule in blackcurrants could alleviate diabetes-related vascular complications, such as peripheral neuropathy, by rebuilding blood vessels and capillaries, reveals New Zealand-based The cGP Lab Ltd.
The molecule producing the benefits is cyclic glycine-proline (cGP) extracted from New Zealand grown blackcurrants.
An open-label trial conducted in Wuhan, China, has shown that cGP supplementation could alleviate diabetic-related vascular diseases, such as peripheral neuropathy, and could also improve glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.
