Japan’s Kirin Brewery will launch the country’s first zero-sugar beer this October, with ambitious plans to sell 1.2 million boxes or 150,000 hectoliters by the end of 2020.
Japan’s domestic tea leaf consumption shows no sign of reversing its longstanding decline with ready-to-drink beverages and coffee continuing to gain popularity at its expense across the nation.
Confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle has collaborated with Toyo Beverage to introduce its first range of drinks in Japan under the Chupa Chups brand.
Japan has stepped up its efforts to promote recycling and sustainability in the country by amending its regulations to allow the sales of specified condiments and beverages in PET bottles without any labels or tags whatsoever.
Low-to-no alcoholic (LNA) beer brewery Nirvana Breweries has its eye set on the Asian market starting with Japan, and is convinced that its broad range and distinct flavour will set it apart from the competition.
Japan’s Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings has released Japan’s first caffeine-free energy drink containing the botanical ingredient, enXtra, which has been clinically proven to improve alertness and focus up to five hours with or without caffeine.
Japan’s Suntory has launched a new beverage approved under the food with function claim (FFC) scheme, which is said to supress the post-meal absorption of carbohydrates, particularly sugar.
Japan’s Kirin Brewery will launch its latest no-alcohol beer, Kirin Greens Free, nationwide this month, the latest in a long line of booze-free innovations in the country.
Eight weeks intake of fermented citrus juice containing lactic acid bacteria has been found to reduce nasal symptoms and increase regulatory T cells (Tregs) in Japanese adults during the peak pollen season.
Japanese dairy company, Megmilk Snow Brand has launched the first fermented milk product with a food with function claim (FFC) touted to relieve eye and nose discomfort due to allergies.
Japan’s Asahi Breweries is focusing on its beer business this year, as it seeks to replicate its sales of JPY 666 billion (US$6 billion) in 2019, despite a forecast of 2% decrease in Japan’s overall beer market.
Kirin is planning to develop food and beverage products that contain its proprietary ingredient, matured hop bitter acids, which the firm says have shown cognitive benefits.
Asahi Breweries will start producing its non-alcoholic beer Asahi Dry Zero using renewable energy, following in the footsteps of some of Asahi Super Dry.
Global beer production has increased for the first time in five years to reach 191 million kilolitres, according to a new report from Japanese brewing giants Kirin.
Coca-Cola Japan’s natural mineral water and fruit-flavoured water brand ILOHAS has launched a new white grape flavoured water in the country, in tandem with the autumn season.
Coca-Cola Japan is looking to revitalise its popular ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee range Georgia Coffee with two products that have wholly different focuses: Georgia Emerald Mountain Blend Premium and Georgia Grand Bito.
Japanese dairy manufacturer Takanashi Group is launching what it believes is the first yoghurt drink for good skin backed by a Food With Function claim (FFC).
Coke makes foray into alcohol while brewer spends billions on beauty
Coca-Cola Japan has set its sights on the local ‘relaxation drink’ market with a recent investment in newly-established beverage company Endian and its unique hemp-containing drink Chill Out.
Daily intake of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 - Asahi’s proprietary paraprobiotic - is able to relieve fatigue and stress-related symptoms in long-distance male runners.
After launching its Asia business in Singapore and Hong Kong in 2014, swiftly followed by Vietnam and Thailand, Aussie craft gin brand Four Pillars is now seeking to build its name in the altogether different environment of Japan’s capital.
Coffee intake has been linked with a decreased risk of depressive symptoms among elderly Japanese women, according to a new multi-centre cross-sectional study.
Suntory Beverage & Food is set to launch its new Pepsi Japan Cola exclusively in the country next month, in its latest bid to put the fizz back into the market as consumers increasingly opt for healthier options.
The Australian Green Tea Co-operative is planting rising numbers of green tea to keep up with Asia’s demand for it, in collaboration with Japanese tea company Kunitaro.
Japanese-style yogurt brand Alove is enjoying success in the US market, and expanding to the east coast. It taps into the growing drinkables category with a twist: portable Aloe vera.
Last week the EU and Japan agreed to a bilateral trade agreement, which will set significant duty-free quotas on EU exports of ingredients such as starch, butter, whey and processed foods.
Avantium has signed an agreement with Mitsui & Co. (Mitsui), to commercialize 100% biobased chemicals FDCA (Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid) and PEF (polyethylene furanoate) in Asia.
By Shane Starling at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo
Japan’s innovative but restricted €25bn functional foods and food supplements sector is about to be handed a set of game-changing marketing keys by the government, industry players told us at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo today.
'It is difficult to find shoddy things in Japanese stores'
Japan offers packaging companies an opportunity to develop more attractive products, with the importance of aesthetics built into its culture, according to market research agency Canadean.
Chr. Hansen CEO Cees de Jong talks with FoodNavigator about his vision for corporate evolution, with a definite emphasis on emerging markets – without neglecting the company’s European roots.
Import controls of food from Japan have been strengthened after a thirteenth prefecture was added to the list of areas liable for extra scrutiny over fears of radiation contamination.
Drinking several cups of green tea every day could cut peoples'
risk of death from a range of diseases, but does not appear to
lower the chances of getting cancer, says a Japanese study.
Major international brewer InBev says that the rapid growth of its
interests in the China market have been one of the key factors that
has helped it achieved a 5.5 per cent growth in its net profits for
the first six months of the...
US-based Alcoa
has completed construction of a new plant in Hangzhou, China, for
its Closure Systems International (CSI) business, feeding growing
demand for closures in both the domestic and Japanese markets.
Japan's number one producer of instant noodles says it has reached
the initial stages of an agreement to form an alliance with the
Hebei Hualong Food Group, a major Chinese food processer.
Skimmed milk is the source of a new calcium-rich miso to hit the
market as Japan's Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation
(ALIC) teams up with two research bodies to develop a new
functional fermented miso derived from...
