Cannabis-based nutraceuticals and their APAC applications, probiotic innovations for mental and metabolic health, and the changing bone and joint health supplement sector make up our five most read stories on social media over the past month.
Indian nutrition brand &Me is eyeing South East Asia with its functional beverages for women, with plans to update its packaging, introduce more product formats, and conduct clinical trials within the next six months.
Read about China's ambitious food safety plans, India's proposal on infant food for special medical purposes, Nestlé Australia and NZ's bid to lower protein content in follow-on formula, and functional health claims in Japan and Korea.
China firm Hanyi Bio-tech has developed a technology to increase the water-solubility of cannabidiol (CBD), and aims to expand its application into a range of health food and supplement products.
India's Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed a novel nutraceutical product from seaweed that is said to be able to combat hypertension, and is now on the lookout for industry partners to help bring it to consumers.
Indian firm VLCC Wellness is preparing for domestic and international expansion with its first launch under its VLCC Wellscience banner – a new range of nutricosmetics.
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.
Japanese pharmaceutical, chemical and IT group Teijin has outlined a long-term goal for expansion in Asia and Europe after establishing its nutraceutical F&B business, NOMON.
Taiwan's Bened Biomedical is expanding its psychobiotic business from APAC to Europe, with a new proprietary probiotic strain, as well as recent research on its established PS128 product, driving the firm's continued growth.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may be useful for patients of dry eye disease (DED) if they are not concurrently using other systematic or topical eye medications, according to a Taiwanese study.
Australian goat milk infant formula firm Nuchev has signed a deal with domestic supermarket chain Coles, whereby it will launch its Oli6 range of formula products in 300 Coles outlets and on the Coles website in June.
Extensive investment in innovation to develop more sustainable products, as well as ambitious CO2 reduction targets directly linked to the company's bottom line, are two of the key strategies DSM is adopting as part of its sustainability efforts....
Australian supplements giants Blackmores' ongoing hunt for a new CEO in the wake of Richard Henfrey's resignation may soon come to an end, as owner Marcus Blackmore has confirmed that the firm is now looking at its final candidates.
Australian firm Freedom Foods has completed the institutional component of its $130m equity raising, which includes $100m for capital expenditure programmes in its Nutritional Products business, and $30m to support larger working capital requirements...
Find out what researchers are saying about omega-6's impact on pregnancy, omega-3's effect on liver fat, the link between probiotics and anxiety, excessive BCAA intake and more in our science news round-up.
Eating a diet high in omega-6 could play a role in a lower percentage of male babies being conceived, along with a higher risk of pregnancy complications, according to a new Australian study on rats.
Pharmaceutical companies are showing increasing interest in the nutraceutical industry, believing it is a natural fit with their core businesses. But Responsible Nutrition Association of India founder Amit Srivastava wonders if this is a match made in...
Find out which Japanese firms will feature at this year's Healthy Ageing APAC Summit, which brands have benefited the most from the FFC system, and what new innovations have sprung up in Japan.
Italian probiotics firm Centro Sperimentale del Latte (CSL) is looking to drive further APAC growth and reinforce its presence in the region, having recently opened an office in Singapore.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notification on a draft regulation for infant nutrition safety standards, calling for industry stakeholders to submit their comments.
Australian health and wellness firm Keep It Cleaner has launched another 12 products under its Bambini range of baby food and snacks, all of which feature DHA-enriched formulations.
Nestlé has applied to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to reduce the minimum protein requirement for milk-based follow-on formula in the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Probiotics may not be as effective as non-probiotic methods of intestinal microbiota regulation when it comes to relieving anxiety symptoms, according to a Chinese systematic review.
Gencor Pacific is eyeing success in South East Asia and Taiwan with its proprietary ingredient Levagen, following positive results from a clinical trial assessing its effects on osteoarthritis.
There is just over one week left to enter the NutraIngredients-Asia Awards 2019, which will recognise the region's brightest and best nutrition, supplement and functional food firms.
Find out what's been happening in China's supplement and health food market, from overseas firms like Glanbia and Robertet expanding their China presence, to local businesses introducing protein and probiotic innovations.
FANCL, Nippon Suisan, and Ezaki Glico are three of the biggest beneficiaries of Japan's Food with Function Claims (FFC), which was introduced four years ago and gave firms more opportunities to make health claims without going through the more stringent...
South Korean consumers have raised concerns, including fears of price hikes and a spike in fake health claims, when the country permits some functional health claims to be applied to general foods.
Taiwan's health food market is dominated by lactobacillus products, followed by stout camphor fungus, enzymes and collagen, according to new findings from Taiwan's Food Industry Research and Development Institute (FIRDI).
Get the latest on what Blackmores is doing for pharmacists in APAC, OptiBiotix's Thai expansion, HealthKart's latest round of funding, ESI Nutrition's infant formula approval in China, and Evolve BioSystems' launch in Singapore and...
Carrying the official logo of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates for health food is crucial for smooth exports, the government unit said.
South Korean authorities will revise current regulations and introduce safety measures in the booming personalised nutrition industry, including strengthening the quality control of personalised functional health foods, regulating advertising, and assessing...
China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has published a list of fake or illegal product advertising cases covering health foods for the first time this year, with many carrying a raft of exaggerated claims.
The time is now for industry to voluntarily improve the transparency of probiotic product quality, even in the absence of regulatory requirements, says a recent review.
UK firm OptiBiotix is continuing its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region with the latest deal for its weight management product, SlimBiome — an exclusive three-year agreement with Thai national distributor Primo.
Stricter infant formula marketing rules in New Zealand have been working well for both industry and consumers so far, according to trade association the Infant Nutrition Council (INC).
The New Zealand Blackcurrant Cooperative (NZBC) is targeting functional food and beverage growth in Japan, with the outfit hoping to gain momentum for the Rugby World Cup being held in the nation this year.
HealthKart — India's largest omni-channel nutrition platform — is planning further offline expansion and a more extensive in-house range of supplements, supported by a fresh round of financing to the tune of US$25m.
With the number of seniors in APAC set to double to 1.3bn by 2050, there will be vast opportunities for food and nutrition firms to secure sales success within this demographic…but only if they can effectively communicate with this growing audience.
ESI Nutrition, a division of French dairy cooperative Laïta, is banking on both its powder and liquid milk formula capabilities to expand in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Researchers from Singapore, Ireland and the UK have developed a Diet Quality Index (DQI) to aid in the development of dietary interventions for young children.
Beauty from within could be 'the heart of market growth' in India's vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) industry, with physical appearance among the top three reasons for consuming VMS products.
Japan's Ezaki Glico is breaking the norm of selling infant formula at supermarkets and mum-and-baby stores, and will now sell its liquid infant formula under the label Icreo Baby Milk through a vending machine in Hokkaido.
Chinese start-up SMEAL Shanghai Biotechnology is competing for a slice of China’s diet replacement and weight control market by selling its products in an atypical format – by packaging powdered beverage in bottles instead of sachets or tins.
US-based microbiome firm Evolve BioSystems have entered the APAC market with its flagship consumer probiotic for newborns, Evivo, which has launched in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Supplements containing cannabidiol (CBD) and functional foods with hemp are among the biggest buzz categories in nutrition right now, but can they become mainstream commercial success stories in APAC?
Read about domestic and foreign supplements in China, how one organisation is driving nutraceutical growth in India, and how you can register for the second NutraIngredients-Asia Awards in our trends spotlight.
Personalised nutrition ‘is the future’ for dietary supplements, but there still needs to be major advances in testing, product formulation and consumer feedback before it can become a mainstream solution.
