The food industry is experiencing growth in the demand for natural products, as people become more savvy and selective about what they put into their bodies. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for “pure” products and want to know what is in their...
A study of school children in a Northern Territory Indigenous community has found that around half are iron-deficient, leading researchers to claim it is a major public health problem.
Only two countries out of the 19 being monitored in Asia-Pacific will meet the UN’s second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of achieving zero hunger by 2030 if prevalence of undernourishment rates (PoU) continue to reduce at 2010-15 rates.
The Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) has welcomed new rules for supplements and nutraceuticals announced by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), saying it is a crucial step towards better regulation in the country
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued its long-awaited rules for functional foods and supplements – publishing a 79-page set of criteria on its website.
A project in Australia’s Northern Territory is to trial giving anaemic children rapid iron infusions before they are discharged from hospital in an attempt to reduce the risk of ongoing iron deficiency.
One-in-ten non-pregnant young women in Australia have an iron deficiency, which is also estimated to be highly prevalent in indigenous communities, researchers say.
To ‘continue neglecting nutrition’ is incompatible with the World Health Organization’s goal of reducing tuberculosis (TB) by 90% by 2035, a leading academic from India has claimed.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors including obesity and hypertension are highly prevalent among low income urban Pakistani adults – with those people following a traditional diet most at risk, a new study has found.
Nutrition has the power to make or break the vast majority of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – but not enough nutrition or food firms are pledging to help solve the problems of hunger, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
They say that grey hair is a symbol of wisdom. This is so true as many Australian seniors are now taking a more proactive approach to their own healthcare by doing independent research to stay healthy and active.
Poor nutrition is a key driver for poor outcomes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a study from Australia has discovered.
Singapore health officials will launch the county’s first Diabetes Action Plan next year in response to the City State being identified as having the second-highest proportion of diabetics among developed nations.
Young cancer patients in Delhi, India, will soon get nutritional support from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as part of their treatment regime.
Better protection of intellectual property and a period of market exclusivity for innovative products would help improve research and development in Australia, claims trade body Complementary Medicines Australia.
More clinical trials are needed to build up a catalogue of evidence-based findings to enable Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to play a bigger role in Singapore’s healthcare system.
Nutrition professionals, scientists and other public interest bodies are staying on the sidelines and allowing the food industry to dominate Australia’s nutrition policy-making, according to research analysis.
China may have opened up its economy even more in the last several years but it's not as if the floodgates are wide apart. Much of this "openness" is actually born out of necessity rather than a love of equity. It's foreign trade policies...
Specialists in Myanmar are warning that unhealthy lifestyles and the low intake of essential vitamins and minerals is leading cardiovascular problems to spiral out of control.
As global krill oil major Aker Biomarine awaits regulatory approval for its new Superba 2 product line in China, increased consumer demand for omega-3s is bringing increasingly more local suppliers to the market.
More than 400 foods have been approved under Japan’s 2015 Foods with Function Claims (FFC) regulation, with the market already estimated to be worth US$70bn.
The U.S.-China Health Products Association (USCHPA) is staging a free seminar at next week’s SupplySide West show to provide the lowdown on the latest regulatory changes in China’s nutritional ingredients and dietary supplements market.
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.
Australia’s natural nutrition and complementary health industry has received a “once in a lifetime” boost after the government gave the green light to a raft of changes to how businesses will be regulated.
The food industry needs to stop looking at challenges such as obesity, malnutrition and waste as costly challenges and see them as the opportunities for creating “$2 trillion of added value” as it strives to increase global production by 70% before 2050.
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.
Global and local players in Asia’s heart health sector are adopting radically different strategies – but dubious health claims from some of the latter threaten to undermine the market, according to an industry analyst.
Asia’s booming seaweed industry – buoyed by demand for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and antimicrobial products – needs to avoid the ecological and societal pitfalls experienced in agriculture and fish farming, according to a UN university institute.
‘Significant progress’ has been made in rolling-out voluntary Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) nutrition labelling in Asia over the past four years, but more work is needed to educate consumers and emphasise their benefits to small and medium-sized enterprises...
Implementing stringent safety and quality regulations, tackling micronutrient deficiencies and maximising the opportunities from inward investment need to be three of key priorities for the food industry in India, amid projections of a doubling of production...
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.
A study of wild edible fruits found in the Himalayas indicates they are a rich source of antioxidants, with researchers concluding they can help meet the nutritional needs of the local population and play a crucial role in nutraceutical development.
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.
Worsening dietary trends and soaring blood pressure levels will contribute to millions of new cases of heart attacks and strokes in China over the next two decades, researchers claim.
Sending dietary advice to people in low and middle income countries (LMICs) by text message has shown to positively influence recipients’ nutrition choices, a new study reports.
The Australian Diabetes Society president has said people with type 2 diabetes should be wary of social media hype about the benefits of going on the paleo diet, arguing there have been no trials going beyond 12 weeks.
Australia's natural nutrition industry body has come out fighting after a government review into pharmacy regulations in the country published concerns over the sale of complementary medicines.
Australia’s food safety regulators have once again called for submissions on whether to permit the sale of food derived from the seeds of low-THC hemp.
At a time when the Australian natural nutrition industry is worth A$4.2bn (US$1.8bn), companies face stiff competition as they set out to access to bigger overseas markets, helped by our government’s focus on freer international trade.
Guidance by an independent British committee of experts that advises everyone to take the so-called “sunshine vitamin” whatever the weather has been well received in Australia, where up to 58% of people suffer from vitamin D deficiency in spite of its...
Australian governments must wean patients off expensive hospital treatment by investing more heavily in preventative medicine and risk management, according to a senior health official, at a time when lifestyle diseases are putting a serious strain on...
