Antioxidants/carotenoids

We want to hear from you! Help us shape the future of NutraIngredients-Asia

26-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

2020 was a year of changing business practices, challenged global supply chains, and skyrocketing sales of dietary supplements and functional foods as consumers took more control of their own health and wellness.

Triple benefits: Black cumin benefits blood pressure, lipid profiles, and glycaemic control – meta-analysis

20-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Black cumin (Nigella sativa) has been shown to produce therapeutic benefit on key metabolic health markers, namely the reduction of blood pressure, improving lipid profiles and glycaemic control.

Wellness, fitness, beauty: India’s Fitday unveils plans for in-store health screenings amid vast expansion push

19-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

India’s dietary supplement and health foods retailer Fitday has detailed how it plans to offer new in-store services, including hair scalp and skin condition screening, as it embarks on ambitious plans to open 50 new stores nationwide.

Immunity gift: Korea’s Youguth launches fermented red ginseng with probiotic supplement in Singapore, unveils NPD plans

15-Apr-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

South Korean probiotic supplement brand Youguth has launched its fermented red ginseng with probiotic supplement for immune health in Singapore, with aims to tap on the gifting culture to promote sales.

Safety and effectiveness more important than professional advice for Malaysians buying nutraceuticals – study

12-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A nutraceutical that has clearly proven to be safe and effective is a more attractive factor than professional advice for urban Malaysians when choosing to buy a nutraceutical.

Multi-strain probiotics improve glycaemic control of patients with diabetic nephropathy – 12-week RCT

08-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A combination of probiotic strains could improve glycaemic control when taken by patients with diabetic nephropathy, a 12-week RCT conducted in China has shown.

GALLERY: The 10 most read APAC health and nutrition stories in March

06-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

See March's 10 most read stories, including H&H internationalisation plans for Swisse and Biostime, vitamin D deficiency linked to higher COVID-19 infection rate and more.

South Korean supplement trends: Red ginseng and probiotics popular as 69% say they use health functional foods

05-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Nearly seven in 10 Koreans said they had bought and consumed health functional foods last year, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) involving 1,500 men and women aged 19 and above.

Brand New: Swisse's halal-certified products, CP Foods' hemp foods, Life-Space's kids supplements

02-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we look at what brands are up to. For Swisse, it is embarking on halal-certification for its products as it expands its presence in South East Asia, while CP Foods is working on hemp-based ready-made foods as the country relaxed restrictions...

Low GI dairy: Australia’s Jatcorp to stock new diabetic friendly powder beverage in over 100 pharmacies

25-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Australia’s healthy foods and supplement manufacturer Jatcorp is expanding its product line with the launch of a low glycemic index (GI) formula suitable for diabetic patients. It is targeting to launch the product in over 100 pharmacies in Australia.

Seizing opportunities: ATP Science branches into FMCG nutrition and practitioner-only supplement space

23-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Australian health and nutrition company ATP Science is branching into the FMCG space with the launch of a range of high protein, low calorie, low sugar ice-cream, plus venturing into practitioner-only supplements for gut health.

Offline still king: Japanese supplement, beauty retailer Welcia-BHG on track with Singapore store expansions

17-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Japanese health supplement, personal care and beauty product retailer Welcia-BHG is on track to expand its offline presence in Singapore, with five new stores planned for this year, despite concerns on how COVID-19 could affect foot traffic.

Health foods litigation in China: Unregulated influencer marketing and fake goods spur nearly 1000 actions

17-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A total of 964 cases of public interest litigation have been filed against individuals and companies for the illegal production, marketing and sales of health foods in China in the last 15 months.

Permitted indications rules: Around 10% of Australian supplement products not transitioned to new list

15-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

About 10 per cent of complementary medicines in Australia did not manage to transit to the new list of health indications permitted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have been cancelled.

Trend tracker: Muscle health, clean nutrition, emergence of ‘light and strong’ functional foods in China

12-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we shine the spotlight on trends across APAC’s health and nutrition market, including the use of BCAA-leucine, astaxanthin for muscle health in elderly, clean nutrition trends in India, and the rise of ‘light and strong’ functional foods...

Automatic sales: Herbalife India to expand product vending kiosks to Chennai, Mumbai

10-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Herbalife Nutrition is expanding its product vending kiosks in India to Chennai and Mumbai, after its initial launch in Bengaluru last month.

China supplement market diverging: BY-HEALTH says ‘light and strong’ functionalities emerging as annual revenue grows 15%

09-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

China vitamin and dietary supplement (VDS) firm BY-HEALTH says the country’s health foods market is increasingly diverging between either foods/snacks with ‘light’ functionalities or supplements with ‘strong’ functionalities, as it unveiled 15% revenue...

GALLERY: The 10 most read APAC health and nutrition stories in February

02-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

See February's 10 most-read stories, including Malaysia's dietary supplement association plans in tackling unauthorised sales on third-party e-commerce sites, China's regulations on health foods filing, Blackmores financial performance...

Nutrition Asia Video Series

WATCH: Ajinomoto and AstaReal on amino acids and astaxanthin for preserving muscle mass in elderly

26-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this month’s Nutrition Asia, we hear from Ajinomoto and AstaReal – two companies which have been researching and developing nutrition products for improving muscle health among older adults.

Brand revival: Energy drink Dark Dog establishes Asia HQ in Singapore, maps regional distribution plans

24-Feb-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Austrian energy drink brand Dark Dog has established its Asia headquarters in Singapore as it looks to expand regional distribution of its organic product range.

Tocotrienol for diabetic kidney disease: Excelvite partnering with brands to target practitioners, pharmacy channels

23-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Malaysian tocotrienol supplier Excelvite is working with supplement brands to promote the use of tocotrienol-rich vitamin E to pharmacists and doctors treating patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), on the back of new clinical findings.

China focus: Health foods registration developments, probiotics and beauty in the spotlight

19-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we look at new developments concerning health foods registration regulations and the NPD efforts companies are making in the area of beauty-from-within and probiotics.

Goji’s looking good: Review supports wolfberry’s benefits in preventing or delaying eye diseases

18-Feb-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Wolfberry, also known as Goji Berry or Fructus lycii, is being touted as a credible dietary supplement for maintaining eye health, particularly in preventing or delaying common retinal diseases among the ageing population.

Korea’s stats: Nutra imports up 23%, complex nutrient products most popular, US top exporter

17-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

South Korea’s import of health functional foods was up 23.4 per cent last year, higher than the three-year annual average of 21.4 per cent, with the US taking the top spot in product volumes.

Sports nutrition accreditation: How ingredient suppliers are stepping-up to meet safety and anti-doping demands

15-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

An increasingly stricter regulatory framework and surging demand for safer products from both elite sportsmen and everyday consumers is driving the appeal of professionally accredited sports nutrition ingredients, not only finished products.

Regulatory review: See latest policy round-ups from South Korea, China and Malaysia

12-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

South Korea will start the third phase of its mandatory traceability programme for special purpose foods, while international brands selling co-enzyme Q10, fish oil and melatonin into China for the first time will still need to enter the market via the...

Long-term vision: Vitality Wellness spots growing demand for eye health supplement in ageing population, eyes reformulation opportunities

11-Feb-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

New Zealand-based Vitality Wellness has seen domestic sales of its eye health supplement increase by around 30% in the last year, attributing this demand to the ageing population.

Innovation for all women: India’s &me to focus on mental, menstrual, sexual health NPD, following product for menopause

09-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

India’s nutraceutical and functional foods firm for women &me has outlined plans to focus on three key areas this year, namely mental, menstrual, and sexual health needs.

Caught by surprise: China tells international brands new co-enzyme Q10, fish oil and melatonin products still need to use registration track

09-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Newly imported products containing co-enzyme Q10 and four other raw materials recently added to China’s Health Food Raw Material Directory entering China will still need to go through the registration route, while local products can go through the less...

NUTRACHAMPION PODCAST EPISODE 15

LISTEN: Complementary medicine and chronic disease management is “where the research opportunities lie” – Prof Alan Bensoussan

05-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

New regulations in Australia is making research on the role of complementary medicine, including Chinese medicine, to manage chronic diseases more attractive, according to a prominent researcher who stars in the 15th episode of our NutraChampion podcast.

GALLERY: The 10 most read APAC health and nutrition stories in January

02-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

See January's 10 most read stories, including new data on how the gut microbiome is linked to severity of COVID-19, Indian firm Windlas Biotech's launch of an artemisinin supplement as an adjunctive to COVID-19 treatment and more.

E-commerce complaints: Malaysian industry calls for clampdown on ‘unauthorised’ online sales

02-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

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.

Beauty-from-within in China: Shawya sees significant potential amid upgrade of flagship nutricosmetic ‘Whiteasy’

01-Feb-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A China nutricosmetics and skincare company Shawya has underlined its plans for this year, which includes upgrading the formula of its flagship whitening supplement brand Whiteasy and developing new product range, such as a sleep and anti-hair loss supplement.

Science shorts: Abbott, Ajinomoto, coconut oil and COVID-19 studies in the spotlight

29-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we shine the spotlight on new scientific findings from Abbott, Ajinomoto, Philippines' virgin coconut oil and COVID-19 human clinical trial, and more.

Make it a priority: New Zealand natural health industry urges government to prioritise bill reform

27-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Trade body Natural Health Products New Zealand is urging the government to prioritise the regulatory reforms concerning natural health products, amid fears that dated, 36-year-old current regulations could be extended by another five years.

Prescription focus for diabetes product: Australia’s Omni Innovation changes retail strategy for pre-meal glycaemic control product

26-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Australian company Omni Innovation is shifting its focus to the prescription retail channel for its blood glucose control product, as it seals a new partnership deal with fellow Australian pharmaceutical firm Myopharm.

Olive opportunities: Malaysian brand Nutriva to launch formulas for diabetics and expand overseas

25-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Malaysia olive supplement company Nutriva International is set to launch new product for diabetic patients, as well as entering new markets such as Thailand this year.

On track: More health foods expected to be approved via registration track in China as 2020 figure hits new high

20-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

More health foods could be approved via the registration track this year, as the number of products approved in 2020 hit 715 – a record high.

Organic honey in demand: Meluka Australia debuts in US’s offline channel Amazon’s Whole Foods

19-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Meluka Australia has expanded into the offline channel in the US with Whole Foods Market, a subsidiary of Amazon, on the back of growing demand for its organic honey.

Brand New: See 2021 nutra trends analysis from GNC, Nestle, and developments from BY-HEALTH, FANCL

15-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we shine the spotlight on nutra trends analysis and forecast from major brands GNC, Nestle, as well as new product development from BY-HEALTH, FANCL, and more.

Direct selling spree: South Korea’s Atomy to enter New Zealand, Turkey, and UK this year after bumper 2020

13-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

South Korean direct-selling company Atomy, which sells health supplements, personal care and household items, is on an expansion spree and is set to enter New Zealand in March, and later in Turkey and the UK.

‘Fostering faith’: India’s Fitday on quest for country-wide offline retail expansion despite COVID-19

06-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Indian supplement brand and retailer Fitday is expanding its offline retail presence across the country, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

New rules in APAC: Nutra regulatory developments firms should be aware of in 2021

06-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe, Guan Yu Lim

Regulatory authorities across APAC are primed to announce new directions or updates to monitor the dietary supplements industry in 2021…Here’s what you need to know.

Health functional foods in South Korea: Key ingredient and registration details that firms need to know

06-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Problems with registration and ingredient compliance are some of the most common mistakes that nutraceutical firms have made when exporting their products to South Korea, according to a regulatory consultancy firm.

Nutra trends 2021: GNC, Nestle, Kirin, GO Healthy weigh in on this year’s key developments

05-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe, Guan Yu Lim

Major nutra brands GNC, Nestle, GO Healthy, and Kirin have shared with us the key trends they believe will continue to propel the sector in 2021.

China strategies: Singapore supplement brands see opportunities in eye health, female and Gen-Z market

04-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Singapore dietary supplement brands are seeing a number of key growth opportunities in China, including the demand for eye health products, while women and youths have been identified as the key consumer groups.

Where next in APAC? Brands say nutra growth opportunities are in Vietnam, India, halal markets in 2021

04-Jan-2021 By Tingmin Koe, Guan Yu Lim

Vietnam, India and the regional halal market are on the radar for supplement companies when it comes to their expansion plans, according to a raft of top companies.

Brand focus: Our top 10 most-read brand stories of 2020

22-Dec-2020 By Tingmin Koe

See our top 10 most read brand stories of 2020, featuring BioCeuticals, Comvita, OLLY, and Doctor’s Best.

COVID-19 rapid reviews: Task force to make recommendations on vitamins, botanicals to health authorities

22-Dec-2020 By Tingmin Koe

A group of Australian naturopathic experts is gathering on-the-ground data from health practitioners on the effectiveness of nutraceuticals in helping to combat COVID-19, and will present the findings to health authorities.

Trends focus: Top 10 most-read trends stories of 2020

21-Dec-2020 By Tingmin Koe

See our top 10 most read trends stories of 2020, including the bestselling nutraceuticals amid COVID-19, new immune health product launches, and consumption behaviour in China.