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‘Concentration of power’: NZ Grocery Code of Conduct moves to parliamentary stage as suppliers fight for their rights By Pearly Neo New Zealand’s debate over creating a Grocery Code of Conduct has now moved to the parliamentary stage after the NZ Food and Grocery Council (NZFGC) presented it to parliament in the name of preventing potential ‘abuse of power’ by local supermarkets.
The debate over establishing a Grocery Code of Conduct to keep supermarkets in check has been in progress for some time, but things became especially heated in the last year after major New Zealand grocery chain Foodstuffs made changes to its buying model, which was seen by many to heavily disadvantage food firms from manufacturers to suppliers.
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Palm oil opportunities: India and China demand for Malaysian palm oil likely to rise this year as economies open up By Pearly Neo Malaysian palm oil is expected to see a rise in demand from India and China this year as economies gradually open up and local stocks diminish, but the industry must improve logistics and digital reach to effectively capitalise, according to industry experts.
The experts - Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) Deputy Director Faisal Iqbal, Malaysian palm oil products manufacturer Alami Group Managing Director Ahmed Alami, and agriculture research firm Refinitiv Senior Analyst Dr Tan Kian Pang - convened at a virtual seminar on palm oil price trends and market expectations for 2021.
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India food fortification: No more processed foods to be added to voluntary fortification list for now – FSSAI By Pearly Neo Bakery products, cereals and fruit juices will remain the only processed food products to have fortification standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the near future, after the regulator confirmed it is not considering extending the list at present.
FSSAI recently released fortification standards for food firms producing cereal products, bakery products and fruit juices to adhere to when fortifying their products with nutrients ranging from vitamins to various minerals, but the agency has also stated that these will be the last processed items to get such standards for some time.
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Authentic approach: Indonesia’s first plant-based meat firm Green Butcher banks on local flavours to pique interest By Pearly Neo Indonesia’s first homegrown plant-based meat firm Green Butcher is banking on its localised flavours and spices focus to pique the interest of the nation’s consumers and grow the domestic category.
According to Green Butcher Co-Founder Helga Angelina Tjahjadi, staying authentic to Indonesian flavours is important to the firm in order to set itself apart from other plant-based meat firms entering the market, particularly as the local plant-based market is still in its early stages.
“We maintain a strong focus on authentic Indonesian and South East Asian flavours as well as strong nutrition profile [as our main value proposition] to our main consumer demographic, upper middle flexitarian and vegan consumers,” Tjahjadi told
Well spent: Healthy noodle firm KosmodeHealth seeking spent barley partnerships with major F&B brands A Singapore food tech firm that upcycles barley into healthier noodles wants to partner with major brewers and beverage brands to put their by-products to better use.
KosmodeHealth manufactures upcycled zero-starch, zero-cholesterol noodles, targeting a gap in the noodles market for low-GI, high-protein products.
According to KosmodeHealth Co-Founder and CEO Florence Leong, there are various noodles in the market today which are either low in GI or high in protein and fibre – but rarely any which exhibit both functions.
“There is a huge gap in the noodles market for such products – in terms of low-GI, there are noodles made of konjac but these have no protein or fibre, whereas 100% buckwheat noodles are high in protein,, but exhibit medium GI,” Leong told