H&H CEO interview: Baby nutrition boom, Swisse’s expansion surge and COVID-19 contingency planning revealed
The CEO of Health and Happiness (H&H) Group has revealed how its baby nutrition products are booming in China and further afield, underlined Swisse’s ambitious international expansion plans, but acknowledged there were some supply chain risks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Laetitia Garnier spoke to us after the firm saw its FY19 revenue increase by 7.8% to reach RMB10,925 million (USD 1,566 million), mostly led by its strong performance in its baby nutrition and care segment.
The company released its FY19 financial report on March 23, stating that the group managed to show continued growth despite the slowing global economy.
WATCH: Physique and vitality trending topics in APAC’s men’s health
The men’s health supplement category might not be as high profile as those for children’s and women in the APAC market, but two industry insiders have outlined why the category shouldn’t be underestimated.
In the latest episode of our Nutrition Asia video series, we spoke to Cambert, the firm which develops and distributes supplements under the brand Kordel’s in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Health Biz Info which is based in Japan to find out more.
According to Ho Swee Lin, the GM of Cambert, the men’s health market is not to be underestimated. In fact, one of its men’s health products, the Testofen Plus Ashwagandha Panax Ginseng, is amongst the top three best-selling products across the company’s full range of products – which include children’s and women’s products.
Milk innovation in Vietnam: Vitamin K2 fortification gains steam, but calcium and vitamin D still most popular
Milk companies in Vietnam are increasingly turning to functional milk product development as the market competition intensifies, with vitamin k2 fortification becoming more common than before, data from Mintel has shown.
While vitamin K2 is on the rise, calcium and vitamin D remain the most popular fortification nutrients for bone health products, said the market research firm.
Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin which has shown to benefit the heart and bones.
Vision 2030: Ajinomoto to shift focus to promote healthy ageing and salt reduction
Japanese food manufacturer Ajinomoto is focusing on food solutions to combat global health issues as a new growth driver for the next decade.
As part of its vision for 2030, the company will shift its focus from ‘delicious and convenient foods’ (2010 to 2019), to ‘food and health issues’ (2020 to 2029).
The company announced this strategy as part of its medium-term management plan for 2020 to 2025.
Calpis goes plant-based: Asahi to launch soymilk version of cultured milk beverage
Asahi is to launch a plant-based version of its cultured milk drink Calpis, using soy milk instead of regular milk.
The soy-based Calpis drink (Green Calpis) is expected to be released in April. Calpis is a popular lactic acid drink first launched in 1919 and is made from non-fat dairy milk, which is fermented slowly by adding microorganisms including lactobacilli.
While the flavour is expected to the same as original Calpis, the Green Calpis drink is touted to have a more refreshing aftertaste and lower in sweetness, from its use of soymilk.
