Protein bar brand SOBAR, produced by California-based Zeno Functional Foods, is gearing up to launch in the US and expand into Asia this year with its reformulated products that are said to reduce alcohol absorption.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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...
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.
Kirin Beverage will focus on no-to-low sugar, low-calorie and products with health benefits across its non-alcohol range after seeing soft drink sales slip by 9% in 2020.
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...
Researchers have consolidated the glycaemic index (GI) of 940 common Asian and Middle Eastern food items such as nasi lemak, chapati, dim sum, dates and habba hamra in a review article published in the Nutrition and Diabetes journal.
India’s nutraceutical industry’s hopes of a reduced GST rate on supplements was squashed again when there was no mentioned of special grant for the sector during the recent budget announcement.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Singapore firm Silverconnect will focus on expanding its snacks and breakfast options for dysphagia patients for this year, including a pureed pineapple tart in time for the Chinese New Year.
South Korea has announced that general foods can make functional claims so long as there is sufficient scientific evidence backing the claims, but experts have said they do not believe that it will be to the detriment of the nation’s functional foods...
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.
Developing functional foods that deliver health benefits to support the population’s immune and nutrition status is important in the battle against COVID-19, says an ex-policy expert from the Philippines.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A group of ready-to-use therapeutic foods manufacturers is rallying the Indian government to address acute malnutrition through commercial partnerships.
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.
Companies advertising their dietary supplement products in New Zealand should avoid pitfalls such as making therapeutic claims, using imagery that implies therapeutic purposes, or overpromising a health outcome.
Japan’s Nissin Food Group has launched a psyllium-based powder that claim to suppress triglyceride, glucose and blood pressure levels post-meal – the first products under its new Triple Barrier brand.
See our top 10 most read regulatory stories of 2020, including COVID-19 lockdown and essential business status, South Korea’s control on imported krill oil and more.
In this round-up of regulatory developments, we focus on China’s expansion of its health food raw material directory, ASEAN’s move to harmonise its supplement rules, and more.
Danone has launched Aptamama – a probiotic product for preventing lactation mastitis in breastfeeding mothers. The product is exclusively sold in China.
The long-awaited harmonisation of supplement rules across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has moved a step closer, with the new regulations set to be formally signed off next November.
The dietary supplement and functional food industries has a huge opportunity to create new products across all life stages in order to tap the full potential of the healthy ageing market in Asia-Pacific.
Australian supplement brand Nature’s Way says its toddler nutrition range Kids Smart has smashed new sales records and was the pivotal in the firm’s overall performance in this year’s Double 11 shopping event in China.
Existing research on human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) is only at the tip of the iceberg and there are vast opportunities for developing new pre/probiotics/synbiotics with HMOs, says an expert specialising in this field.
Atlas Biomed has launched its home-based gut microbiome test in Japan as part of its personalised nutrition service – the first APAC venture for the company.
The combined supplementation of the botanical berberine and probiotics has been found to help reduce blood sugar levels in diabetic patients, more so than taking each product alone, says a 12-week RCT conducted in China.
Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and vegetable producer Fresh Select have jointly established a new food manufacturing company, Nutri V who will upcycle surplus vegetables into powders and snacks.
China’s homegrown nutraceutical brand BY-HEALTH smashed sales records under the health and nutrition category across Alibaba-owned Tmall and JD.com during the double 11 Singles’ Day annual shopping event.
The active nutrition market in APAC is growing fast, with industry experts from Herbalife, aland, USDEC, Glanbia and Beneo citing higher consumer demand for natural ingredients, more varied dosage formats, and more occasions where they could consume the...
The consumers in APAC are increasingly selecting immune-supporting nutraceuticals and health foods based on the types of ingredients used, with a heightened awareness of lactoferrin.
Malaysian personalised nutrition start-up Nourished is seeing a boom in demand for tailored skin health and weight management products, especially among consumers between 16 and 45.
Australia’s recent bill amendment on the country-of-origin labelling will provide “long-term certainty” for supplements that meet the requirements to make the coveted ‘Made in Australia’ claim, said an industry body.