New Zealand’s High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge is collaborating with research institutions to use science to reinforce the nutritional value of local foods – kiwi, wagyu beef and mussels - in a bid to drive export value.
While Singapore public health officials are taking strides to persuade adults and school-age children to steer away from sugar, their awareness campaigns appear to be missing a crucial segment of society—babies and infants.
Japan’s rapidly ageing population and regulatory framework has boosted the market demand for supplements addressing specific symptoms, but firms are also seeing potential in younger consumers who are keen to prepare for a healthier old age.
An Australian-led RCT has found that restricting calorie intake moderately, by people only marginally overweight, can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
A mother’s gut bacteria and diet are crucial in promoting a healthy pregnancy, with reduced levels of the short-chain fatty acid acetate – produced by fermentation in the gut – being linked to an increase risk of preeclampsia.
Taiwan's health food manufacturer Grape King Bio has outlined its plans for China’s probiotics markets, focusing first on products for improving gut health, the immune system, weight management, female and infant health before launching its second...
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) is encouraging health food firms to contribute to the expansion of the Health Food Raw Materials Directory by presenting evidence to support the functional efficacy of ingredients to the unit.
A Chinese study has identified a powdered food supplement that could improve inflammatory marker expression in overweight and obese middle-aged and elderly individuals with hypertension.
A systematic review led by the China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment has recommended nutrient standard modifications for infant formula to help improve the health of six- to 12-month-old infants in the country.
Diets higher in glycaemic index (GI) and load (GL) substantially elevate the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among healthy populations of men and women, according to a new systematic review.
A new report has identified three key solutions to address under- and over-nutrition in APAC, as well as the top 'megatrends' driving the prevalence of both issues in Asia.
High intake of folate, insoluble and soluble dietary fibre, carotene, iron, vitamin C and potassium has been associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome in a first-of-of its kind assessment of nutrient patterns in a Japanese population.
New Zealand-based scientist and social entrepreneur Sir Ray Avery has developed a nutritional snack bar for children and teenagers, which he intends to make available globally.
Read about food fortification, illegal diet pills and an 11-year-old dairy ban in India, health claims under scrutiny in Singapore, and yet more infant formula controversy plaguing Nestlé in our news regulatory round-up.
Read about latest the regulatory developments in China, Blackmores' acerbic response to the MBA's "attack" on complementary medicine, and the mystery of India's missing fortified flour in our regulatory review.
India's Food and Civil Supplies Department (DFCS) is investigating 90 depot holders for failing to distribute fortified flour to designated beneficiaries.
Indian trade organisation the Expert Nutraceutical Advocacy Council (ENAC) will run a one-year post-graduate diploma course in food technology and nutraceuticals with tertiary institutions in India, to bridge the gap between industrial needs and academic...
The Indian government is stepping up efforts to improve the nutritional status of residents in rural areas of the country, with a new three-year project to drive R&D in functional foods.
A nutrition research centre in Singapore is seeing more queries from manufacturers and ingredient suppliers to produce low glycemic index (GI) food and beverage.
Read about the latest omega-3 tech for expectant mothers and their offspring, what triggers FPIES, probiotics' gut and mental health benefits, and why breakfast may not affect weight management.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Ministry of Commerce summoned all 91 direct-selling firms operating in China to a meeting as part of the “100-day operation” to clean up the health food market.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department in Pune, Maharashtra, has announced a programme to fortify staple foods in the city, supported by a package of support for food and nutrition firms.
At least 300 cases worth roughly US$6.7m (RMB45m) have been identified since China launched a '100-day operation' to stem illegal and unethical practices across the nation's health food and supplement industry.
Food and supplement brands, policymakers, NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Pakistan are aiming to fight malnutrition with a collaborative effort to ensure financially sustainable food fortification.
India's fortified flour distribution scheme is spreading further throughout Haryana, with Ambala and Karnal the latest districts to see the scheme introduced among its residents by February 1.
Indian regulator FSSAI has issued a gazette notification of its amendments to the standards for children's supplements in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.
Gut dysbiosis is a common feature of the afflictions that come with aging, according a recent Japanese review. The finding opens wider the door for probiotics and prebiotics in a healthy aging positioning.
The Kakadu plum — also known as gubinge — is getting increasingly more attention for its nutritional value in Australia and New Zealand, with researchers exploring its potential use in supplements and functional foods.
Kiwi scientists have published nationally representative research on the breastmilk composition of breastfeeding mothers in the country, which could aid the development of supplements or programmes to support the health of breastfeeding mothers and their...
Recent studies have revealed how polyphenols can alter gut microbes, suggesting they are worthy of further examination alongside probiotics to boost health outcomes.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has announced the minimum levels of iron and zinc that growers of national varieties of pearl millet should include in their produce.
China's National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation have introduced draft regulations that standardise the manufacturing and labelling of food for the elderly.
The Agriculture Department of Odisha, India, has rolled out a programme to promote the cultivation of mandia (finger millet) as part of its efforts to fight malnutrition among tribal peoples in the state — especially women and children.
The local government in the Philippine province of Ilocos Norte in Laoag City is seeking to promote greater consumption of iron-fortified rice, amid fears that higher costs are hampering efforts to increase uptake.
India's Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore is working with Hassan deputy commissioner Rohini Sindhuri Dasari to develop a nutritional powder for economically disadvantaged pregnant and lactating women.
India regulator FSSAI has published updated rules for food fortification standards, as part of its efforts to make the practice part of the national agenda.
The consumption of different types of fibre could aid in alleviating depressive symptoms in adults, according to a study by China's Qingdao University.
The Indian government has announced that 118 districts in the country will receive fortified rations, in its latest attempt to fight widespread malnutrition, especially among women and children.
Asians are at higher risk than Europeans when it comes to obesity and related cardio-metabolic disorders in older age, and functional ingredients may be vital to helping them combat these issues.
Personalised nutrition has the potential to go mainstream in APAC, but the pace of progress will depend on how quickly and effectively MNCs, start-ups and governments can collaborate.
A specific probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolate may boost the nutrient and mineral levels of a traditional rice-based fermented beverage, according to researchers at several Korean and Indian universities.
Controlling carbohydrate intake alone is unlikely to influence sports performance in elite athletes, according to a study led by Australia's Deakin University.
NutraIngredients-Asia and FoodNavigator-Asia are bringing together business leaders, policymakers and academics to debate how industry can meet the food and nutritional challenges brought about by Asia-Pacific's rapidly ageing population.
Rice consumption may have a positive impact on mental health, with other foods central to the traditional Japanese diet acting as mediators, according to researchers in Japan.