May 2021

A growing consumer focus on health, naturality and sustainability is driving innovation in the cheese market, according to French-headquartered dairy company Ingredia. Not only this, but the development of cheese consumption in some global regions is leading to new ways of consumption as healthy snacking gains further traction.

Straits Times

Home-grown novel foods such as cell-cultured and plant-based meats could soon feature more regularly on menus in Singapore. Over the past two years, more than 15 alternative protein start-ups have set up base in Singapore, Ms Bernice Tay, director of food manufacturing at Enterprise Singapore (ESG) told The Straits Times.

US-based biotech company Jellatech is tapping into the growing demand for collagen and gelatin ingredients without the use of animals. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the start-up says there is a significant demand for healthier and more sustainable ingredients.

Food IngredientsFirst

Sophie’s Bionutrients has developed a proprietary strain of microalgae that can grow in a fermentation tank, be fed on various food waste and harvested in three days. Used in dairy and meat alternative applications, the Singapore-based B2B food-tech company’s microalgae is developed to contain 60 percent of protein, which exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) requirements for protein products. The company has recently unveiled its 100 percent microalgae-based milk alternative.

Arla’s Climate Checks program confirms that Arla farmers are among the most climate-efficient dairy farmers. It also provides a clear blueprint of what will drive further reductions of greenhouse gas emissions on their farms over the next decade.

Food IngredientsFirst

Industry’s natural coloring manufacturers are weighing in on the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) latest safety assessment for the food additive titanium dioxide (E171) which deems it unsafe. With the EFSA assessment flagging the need for more data to fill knowledge gaps, FoodIngredientsFirst speaks with a range of industry experts on their thoughts about how to move on in an E171-free space.

Cargill has entered a joint venture (JV) in Bflike, a Dutch start-up poised to be a new technology leader in the rapidly evolving meat and fish alternatives categories. This move illustrates how Cargill collaborates with the start-up world to speed up the process of bringing innovation to consumers amid rising flexitarian and meat-reducing trends.

Arla is keeping more renewable energy within the cooperative’s value chain by purchasing guarantees of origin (GOs) directly from its farmer owners. The move allows Arla to claim the CO2 reductions in the dairy chain while securing farmers a better price for their power.

Food IngredientsFirst

Chr. Hansen has launched its latest generation of FreshQ, a range of food cultures that improves the bioprotective effects of fermentation in dairy. The move will allow a broader segment of dairy producers, retailers and consumers to benefit from fermentation technology, and the unique food cultures can be applied to a broad range of fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, white cheese and tvorog.

New Food Magazine

The new Protein Innovation Centre in Singapore will welcome start-ups and university researchers from across the region to develop plant-based food solutions.

FoodNavigator-Asia

Vietnam has been singled out its agri-food resilience and strong likelihood to recover from the current coronavirus-inspired chaos thanks to considerable investment in its shrimp, pork and poultry sectors.

Food IngredientsFirst

The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) has inaugurated a new plant-based innovation lab, located in ADM’s Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The lab will develop “next-level, on-trend” and nutritious products to meet growing food and beverage demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

Food IngredientsFirst

Mondelēz International and cocoa beans and ingredients supplier Olam Food Ingredients (OFI) have begun a new collaboration in Indonesia to create the world’s single largest sustainable commercial cocoa farm.