From Japan's Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's red yeast rice supplement scandal, to Unilever's hydration brand Liquid I.V. making its way into more markets, including China and Australia, here are the most-read stories on NutraIngredients-Asia in April 2024.
Elivity, a new longevity supplement brand, has made its debut in Singapore and it aims to move Asia’s understanding of the category beyond the use of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN).
Red yeast rice extract production would need to fulfill three key elements of testing to ensure product safety, industry experts highlighted amid an ongoing crisis involving products made using Japan’s Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's red yeast rice raw materials.
Unilever says the launch of its hydration brand Liquid I.V. into China earlier this year came at “the right moment”, citing recent rapid growth in the country’s electrolyte beverage sector as a key factor.
Several major infant formula brands, including a2 milk and Danone’s Aptamil, are successfully gaining market share despite a shrinking birth rate and tighter regulatory regime in China, their latest financial results have shown.
Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA), which oversees the Foods with Function Claims (FFC) sector, is asking all businesses to declare any health hazards linked to their products in the wake of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s red yeast rice saga.
Health & Happiness Group (H&H Group) says demand for its high-end adult nutrition brand Swisse Plus+, especially its nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and liver health products, is key to the 37.4 per cent revenue jump for its adult nutrition business in mainland China in FY23.
Swiss start-up xLongevity is advocating the need to test the efficacy of nutrient supplementation and has started doing so in Asia, beginning with a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) test currently offered in India.
Bone and cognitive health needs are cited as the trending nutraceutical categories in Vietnam, but companies should keep in mind how the market is still heavily rooted in herbal formulations with a preference for basic dosage formats, despite its rapid modernisation and higher spending power.
A study has found that dietary taurine intake was significantly and positively associated with maintenance of knee extension muscle strength over an eight-year period among middle-aged and older Japanese individuals.
China’s infant formula giant Feihe says group profit was down 33.5 per cent in FY23, as the country struggles with raising its birth rate despite introducing a three-child policy three years ago.
