Ancient grains, new formats: Nestle India puts millets at the centre of new product innovation efforts

Nestle India has launched a variety of new products focused on millets as a key ingredient this year, in an effort to increase consumer acceptance and awareness via familiar product formats while also aligning with the Indian government’s International Year of Millets’ campaign.

Tea-ing up the competition: Unilever India predicts strong challenges from smaller players in the coming year

Hindustan Unilever India (HUL) believes that strong market competition is on the way in the tea category from smaller players in the country, despite having successfully maintained profitability in the third quarter of the year.

E-commerce conversion: Singapore consumers’ purchasing decisions increasingly driven by health and sustainability - RedMart

Grocery e-commerce platform giant RedMart is seeing health and sustainability trends increasingly driving the purchasing decisions of consumers in Singapore, inspiring the firm to focus its own in-house product innovations on these factors.

Minimise MSG use: Researchers urge caution amid fears of metabolic health impact

The use of MSG as a flavouring agent should be reduced, according to researchers who have also emphasised the need for further research into the long-term biochemical effects of human consumption.

Cream of the crop: Liquid milk and ice cream categories spur Yili to ‘record high’ financial gains

China dairy giant Yili has secured ‘record high’ financial results in the first nine months of its financial year driven by liquid milk and ice cream category growth.

‘Create first, compete later’: APAC precision fermentation sector needs to shift focus from tech to commercialisation

Precision fermentation firms in the Asia Pacific region need to move beyond a technology focus to prioritise scaling up and commercialisation or risk facing major ‘bottleneck’ challenges when demand increases.

Kickstarting kale: Chinese trend for ‘punk nutrition’ lifestyle opens major functional food innovation opportunities

Chinese consumers‘ increasing demands for functional and fortified foods and beverages to support a lifestyle based on ‘punk nutrition‘ has opened up massive innovation opportunities for brands across various product categories.

Branded still better? Mondelez plays down private label threat citing ‘strong’ consumer confidence in Asia and Middle East

Snacking giant Mondelez has highlighted continued strong demand for its snack brands such as Oreo and Cadbury in emerging markets as key to its Q3 profitability, playing down threats from cheaper supermarket private label products.

Thai UPF warning: Products routinely exceed fat, sugar, salt RDIs – new data

New data from Thailand claims almost all ultra-processed food (UPF) products exceed the recommended daily amount of sodium and lack essential nutrients and minerals.

Magic marination: World-first liquid shio koji brand hopes to ride ASEAN umami and health trends

World-first liquid shio koji brand Hanamaruki has big plans to ride on the growing umami and wellness trends in South East Asia, after seeing success in western and East Asian markets.