August 2021

The public-private joint study could start by March, spearheaded by Space Foodsphere, a Tokyo-based space food research group comprised of dozens of entities including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, seasoning maker Ajinomoto and system integrator NTT Data, according to the sources.

Business Insider

The startup is already seeking regulatory approval in Canada, India, and Europe. Perfect Day, based in California, advocates for dairy-free products, free from animal exploitation. They aim to ethically produce milk using a cow’s milk gene and reproducing it using a fungus. The firm is already selling ice cream and cheese. At the end of 2021 it plans to sell cream cheese.

Business Insider

Food prices are on the rise again, as major companies struggle to combat surging transportation costs. Nestle and Unilever have hiked prices across several popular brands to maintain profit margins. The rise in commodity costs is showing no signs of easing in the coming months. See more stories on Insider’s business page. Top food and beverage companies are set to hike prices even higher after already initiating an increase in product costs earlier this year.

BusinessWorld

Food is worth enjoying when one is assured that it is safe. This pandemic has seen the rise of online sellers of food, both freshly cooked and packaged. Specifically, for packaged food products, how do we know what we’re buying is actually safe to eat? You can actually tell a lot by its packaging. Before we open the wrapper or the lid of a food product, its packaging should ensure us that it is properly prepared.

Manila Bulletin

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has bared the development of natural flavors from traditional “bagoong balayan” (salted fish sauce) and “bagoong alamang” (shrimp paste) in powder form through the spray-drying method. DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the agency’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) through its Food Processing Division developed the spray-dried natural flavors from fermented fish and shrimps.

The beer is now produced in a family-run private brewery near Kaiserslautern. Two Germans, working with Berlin Technical University made a beer to replace protein shakes. The beverage is vegan, alcohol-free, contains 21 grams of protein, 10 grams of amino acids and more. It has a citrusy flavor, a bitter aftertaste, and is reminiscent of an apple spritzer or cider.

Dada Group, operating the Chinese on-demand delivery and retail platform JDDJ, is highlighting the current shopping preferences in China, which range from mango-flavored chocolate to sauerkraut-flavored potato chips. The insights into the latest on-demand economy trends of snack food in China are showcased in the company’s Report on On-demand Consumption Trend of Snack Food, based on the JDDJ’s big data, online-to-offline experience and close partnership with PepsiCo Food.

Food firms looking to enter China have been urged to pay closer attention to Chinese legal requirements and work with local authorities to ensure trademark protection of their products, following Zespri’s ongoing challenges with illegal gold kiwifruit plantings in the country.

FoodNavigator-Asia

The Chinese government has launched a three-month crackdown targeting sellers selling counterfeits or using fake certifications for food and other products via e-commerce platforms, while placing extra onus on the sites to ensure compliance.

FoodNavigator-Asia

Nestle Indonesia has responded to the recent controversy that 60% of its global portfolio is made up of ‘unhealthy’ foods, stressing that reformulation and fortification are key priorities as it seeks to balance ‘nutrition and enjoyment’.

FoodNavigator-Asia

Thailand’s Mushroom World is hoping to alleviate food security concerns with its range of edible and medicinal mushroom products, riding on the plant-based protein and sustainability trends.

Food IngredientsFIrst

The Philippines’ Department of Health has adopted a new administrative order to eliminate industrially produced trans fat from its food supply by 2023 – becoming the 45th country to do so. Specifically, the new policy aims to reduce Filipinos’ trans fatty acids intake to less than 1 percent of their recommended total energy intake. “Trans fatty acids have no health benefits,” Luis Raymund Villafuerte, House Deputy Speaker, remarks.

FoodNavigator-Asia

The rapidly growing number of food firms emerging in the cultivated products space in China, along with imminent product launches, is expected to speed-up the regulatory process in the country, according to the national working group.

BusinessWorld

Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) in an e-mailed statement on Monday said that it will be expanding into the dairy sector in the Philippines. The company said it entered into a “strategic alliance” with Vietnam Dairy Products JSC or Vinamilk. Both companies will be contributing 50% to the total investment capital of the joint venture. “The joint venture will import dairy products from Vinamilk, and market and distribute them in the Philippines through DMPI,” Del Monte Philippines said.

Manila Bulletin

‘Berry Pinoy’: Philippine Wild Raspberry – The sapinit berry is a wild raspberry endemic to various parts of the Philippines such as Quezon, Laguna, Palawan and some parts of Mindanao. Results of the “BerryPinoy” program, which seeks to explore the potentials of Philippine indigenous berries as functional foods, will likely be released in December, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said.

Nhân Dân

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh attended the virtual pre-summit of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 on July 27, highlighting Vietnam’s wish to become a food innovation hub of Asia.