CEO interview: UAE’s United Foods expands beverage portfolio, outlines innovation and sustainability efforts United Foods Company, an UAE-based manufacturer and distributor of edible oils, fats and frozen foods, has outlined plans to expand its beverage portfolio this year in an exclusive interview with FoodNavigator-Asia.
The company is a distributor of frozen foods in UAE, importing French fries from Belgium, frozen vegetables from Egypt and Spain, as well as cheese from India.
In addition, it is the exclusive distributor for international brands such as Oreo, Cadbury and Mondelez ice cream in UAE.
The beverage portfolio currently consists of a water line, sold under the Jeema brand. The company hopes to add less sweetened and non-sweetened drinks into the portfolio.
Thailand salt tax: Firms failing to reformulate risk increased costs as 2021 implementation expected The implementation of a salt tax in Thailand is still expected to take place sometime in 2021, and this may have cost implications for food manufacturers whose reformulation efforts have not yet caught up, according to a local food industry expert.
Thailand has been discussing the implementation of a salt tax since 2018, and the plan would be to levy this on processed packaged food products in the industry, but not yet on condiments, high-sodium seasonings or other ‘everyday staples’.
The country’s Excise Department, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Finance and Bureau of Tax Planning were still in discussion of this as of last year, but according to Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT) Chairman Professor Anadi Nitithamyong, the plan has been delayed in favour of caution.
Consumers are opting to buy ‘No Palm Oil’ labelled products in places where these are available due to the sense of ‘emotional protection’ this confers versus any real scientific knowledge, an expert panel has claimed whilst recommending better social marketing as the best tool to fight this.
This was the opinion of the six expert panelists who convened virtually for the ‘Vertical Challenges for Sustainable Palm Oil’s Future’ panel debate, held as part of the international Palm Oil Trade Fair and Seminar 2021 organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).
The panellists were: international civil society body Solidaridad Network Asia Senior Advisor Teoh Cheng Hai, the United Kingdom Field Conservation Manager Catherine Barton, legal firm FratiniVergano Partner and ASEAN states advisor Pablo Vergano, MPOC Science & Environment Division Director Dr. Ruslan Abdullah and EngageMinds Hub, Consumer, Food & Health Engagement Research Center Di
From plant-based and cell-based regulations to policies governing alcohol, organic foods and sugar reduction, we bring you eight of the top regulatory updates that the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry can expect in 2021.