A joint venture between Blackmores and Bega Cheese to supply infant formula across APAC - and in particular China - has missed its sales targets, hitting Bega’s financial performance.
By Natasha Flynn, business development manager, HealthDirection
With more than 30,000 businesses generating sales of over A$4bn (US$3.1bn), the Australian complementary medicines industry has created a highly competitive landscape.
There is concern about the considerable variance in the recommended consumption levels of infant formula and follow-on formula in Asia and questions over the amount of protein they are required to contain, an international conference has heard.
Asia’s functional foods and supplements industry needs to stop making unfounded health claims, while also better educating policy makers about the sound science behind its reputable products.
The use of a modified alginate and hi-maize starch encapsulation technique could help to increase the survival rate of probiotics, say Thai researchers.
The United Nations health agency has called for a whole-of-society approach to address the double burden of malnutrition which affects populations across southeast Asia, particularly women and girls.
New Zealand’s a2 Milk Company has signalled its intention to branch out from infant formula into a broader range of dairy-based nutritional products – with the burgeoning China market very much in its sights.
Sales at Chinese infant nutrition firm Biostime dropped by 14% in the first half of 2016 to RMB1.46bn (US$220m), with the Biostime brand – which accounts for 86% of the company’s sales – down 5.4% and the value brand Adimil down 65.7%.
Australian women are well aware that folic acid (PFS) and iodine (IS) are recommended supplements to take during pregnancy, but only a quarter of them adhere to the recommendations, scientists report.
Trying to tackle obesity in women when they become pregnant is usually “too little too late”, according to two authors from the University of Sydney and Charles Perkins Centre.
Fish sauce fortified with thiamine could help fight cases of beriberi in Southeast Asia – a public health concern caused by thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency.
A multi-sector approach is needed to improve the ‘complex’ relationship between agricultural practices and nutrition status in South Asia, finds Gates Foundation research.
The use of diet and functional foods to alter the microbiota and impact the gut-brain axis could be a promising strategy for people with autism spectrum disorder, say researchers.
A renewed focus on multiple short term and long term strategies is needed to battle the high prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia in South East Asia, research warns.
Spanish probiotics, omega-3 and extracts supplier Biosearch Life has been given approval for the sale of its Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 LC40 probiotic strain by China’s Family Planning and National Health Commission for use in infant formula manufactured...
Australian supplement manufacturer Swisse Wellness has launched a sugar-free, tooth friendly, range of wellness products for children, the company says.
Australian researchers have found that malnourished fathers can prevent passing on poor health to children by taking antioxidant and vitamin supplements before conceiving.
