Novel perceptions: People with diabetes more willing to compromise taste and cost for healthier staple foods People suffering from diabetes or have a family history of chronic diseases were more willing to adopt novel staple foods, compromising on taste and cost, compared to their healthier peers, according to a study conducted in Singapore.
The study found that taste and cost were key considerations for Asian consumers in accepting novel healthy staple foods, however participants with diabetes were more willing to compromise these for the health benefits.
Researchers conducted 11 focus group discussions, comprising 37 healthy participants and 22 participants with diabetes to explore attitudes and perceptions towards novel staple foods.
Heads up: Higher intake of dietary calcium and magnesium may reduce migraine A higher intake of calcium and magnesium from the diet is linked with lower migraine occurrence, according to researchers from Harbin Medical University in China who analysed more than 10,000 cases.
Migraine is a common neurological disorder and previous studies have demonstrated nutrients such as magnesium, riboflavin, coenzymes Q10, vitamin B12, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid can help in preventing migraine, through nerve function.
There are limited studies on calcium and its association to migraine onset, and even for magnesium, most studies for migraine prevention are limited to drugs and supplements.
Pineapple mania: Taiwanese food firms go into product innovation hyperdrive in response to China ban Taiwanese food firms have stepped up their food innovation efforts to utilise the local pineapple supply after China instituted a ban on Taiwanese imports, developing beers, sandwiches, appetisers and more from the fruit.
Small packaged pineapple cakes (Fengli su) have always been one of Taiwan’s most popular souvenir snacks, and many local shops are dedicated to the manufacturing and sales of these – but since China announced its ban on Taiwanese pineapple imports starting March 2021, many of these stores have stepped out of their comfort zones to launch new pineapple-based innovations.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is targeting seafood production improvements in the Asia Pacific region to keep prices affordable and prevent sustainability crises similar to those seen in land agriculture.
According to FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, fisheries and aquaculture have become even more crucial to global food security after the COVID-19 pandemic and is key to helping the world economy recover.
“We know that land alone will not feed us with abundant quantity and food diversity - we need Blue Transformation to secure Blue Food production, said Qu when addressing 34th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries earlier this month.
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South Korea food imports 2020: Wines and processed fruit top list as beer and kimchi take COVID-19 hit By Pearly Neo Processed fruit products and wines topped the list of food and beverage imports into South Korea last year, whereas past star performers beer and imported kimchi numbers suffered severe drops as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to data from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), South Korea continued to import vast amounts of food and beverage products to maintain food security in 2020 despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was an uptick in foods linked to health and wellness benefits.