Rule changes in China dominated the regulatory landscape for the supplement and infant nutrition industries in Asia over the past 12 months — and this was clearly reflected in our top five policy stories of 2017.
Video interviews with senior industry leaders from the likes of Danone, DSM and DuPont proved highly popular throughout 2017, as we tackled on film some of the biggest health and nutrition challenges in Asia-Pacific.
Malaysian authorities have clamped down on fake infant formula being sold in Johor Bahru, namely a counterfeit version of Enfagrow A+ Malaysia’s Enfalac A+ Step 1.
A proposal by the International Probiotics Association to work towards harmonizing probiotic guidelines for use in foods and dietary supplements has received the support of Argentina, and the country will lead the work.
A new trial is to explore how the first 1,000 days after conception might influence the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in later life.
Singapore's consumers overwhelmingly favour global supplement and infant formula brands over local outfits, according to new research from Nielsen, though local food firms remain popular.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Pakistan's nutrition chief Melanie Galvin has compared infant formula manufacturers to the tobacco industry, saying they have been "using similar tactics here after regulations were tightened against them...
Global manufacturers of speciality infant formulas have received a major boost from the Chinese government, which has done away completely with the 20% import duty.
Cutting saturated fats (SFAs) in children's diets and replacing them with monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs / PUFAs) significantly reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, cutting the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.
Australian supplement firm Blackmores has entered Singapore's increasingly competitive infant formula market, albeit with a more cautious approach in light of recently enforced government regulations.
Indian supplier VAV Life Sciences is targeting sales growth for its Lipova egg yolk powders for supplements, functional foods, infant formula and sports nutrition products, after moving to a new GMP-certified facility earlier this year.
Combined probiotic and zinc supplementation was found to benefit infants who had been orally administered the rotavirus vaccine Rotarix, said researchers in India.
Danone Nutricia is to further explore the benefits of probiotics in preventing infant allergies, after an initial trial showed that supplementation restored the microbiota diversity of babies delivered via C-section.
Diabetes and other metabolic disorders are providing fertile ground for new probiotic research, says a DuPont expert who has highlighted new findings on supplementation and a reduced risk of gestational diabetes.
The demand for goat milk infant formula in soaring in Asia, according to Nuchev CEO Ben Dingle, who is targeting South East Asia market entry on the back of his company's success in China.
India is home to the largest number of malnourished children globally, with 50% of the world's under-nourished children residing in the country, according to new data.
Parents in Hong Kong and China are the world's biggest spenders when it comes to infant formula, but consumer oragnisations have accused global manufacturers of 'exploiting parents concerns' around safety to charge premium prices.
Vitamin-mineral treatment can help regulate emotions in children with ADHD, according to the results of a new trial conducted by researchers in New Zealand.
Young children with biliary atresia (BA), a rare liver disease, require long-term vitamin supplementation even after undergoing surgery for their condition, according to Chinese researchers.
Blackmores' long-term fortunes in China will be dependent on establishing a successful retail business alongside its current thriving cross-border e-commerce sales, its new CEO told us in an exclusive interview.
Elevated pathogen / bacteria ratio in infants could be an early microbiota biomarker for allergies, according to researchers in Singapore, the UK and the Netherlands.
Products from Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson, Nestlé and Danone will be imported into India for children suffering from inborn errors of metabolism (IEM ), under a new Diet4Life initiative.
A probiotic formula containing Bifidobacterium longum BORI (B. longum) and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 (L. acidophilus) has been shown to shorten the duration of rotavirus diarrhoea in young children, according to a Korean RCT.
Synbiotics — a combination of probiotics and prebiotics — are providing one of the most promising opportunities to modulate the gut health of infants born via C-section, thereby lowering their risk and incidence of developing allergies.
Chinese authorities may have introduced more stringent infant formula rules, but New Zealand exports are continuing to soar, with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) economists forecasting they will soon top NZ$1bn for the first time.
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has issued a blanket ban on marketing and free sampling of infant formula in hospitals in Pakistan, following a meeting with Formula Milk Association office bearers on 26 September.
Singapore supermarket chain FairPrice has launched a house-brand low-cost infant formula range in the wake of consumer and government complaints about the rising cost of branded milk products.
French dairy ingredient supplier Epi Ingredients (the dry division of dairy cooperative Laïta) plans to expand in Asia, with infant nutrition growth among its top targets.
The most significant individual factors in the first 1,000 days of a child's life that influence health and development relate to nutrition, substance use and the experience of significant stress, according to a wide-ranging Australian evidence paper.
DuPont is targeting innovation at both ends of the age spectrum as it seeks to meet the vast needs of Asia's ageing societies, while also helping infant formula firms overcome considerable pricing and regulatory challenges.
Chr. Hansen says it has experienced one of its best ever years for APAC probiotics sales, driven by demand from infant nutrition firms and deeper consumer understanding across the region.
The International Centre for Diarrhoea Disease Research in Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) has begun a community-based RCT to determine the effectiveness of nutrition intervention strategies on childhood stunting.
Children and teenagers should consume more nutrient-rich core foods and less energy-rich products, argues a study led by the University of Newcastle in Australia, which also found that portion sizes of the latter are rising in tandem with gains in BMI.
Increasing nutrition knowledge amongst the most poorly educated parents in China needs to become a priority in order to improve childrens' diets and reduce obesity, academics claim.
The ever-growing importance of e-commerce sales for supplements in APAC was underlined in our first state of the industry survey, with almost 70% of respondents believing the channel will ultimately become as important as brick-and-mortar retail.
A recent Indonesian study has found no significant association between vitamin D deficiency and latent tuberculosis (TB) in children aged one to five, despite previous assertions to the contrary.
The raft of new supplement and functional food regulations introduced in the past two years, or those imminently pending, have been broadly welcomed by the industry in APAC, according to the findings of our inaugural State of the Supplements, Health &...
A treatment that offers a long-term cure for children with a fatal peanut allergy could soon be commercially available, thanks to scientists in Melbourne.
Bamboo shoots hold great nutritive and economic potential for Northeast India, according to an article by Bodoland University and the Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College for Women.
