Author: admin

Indoor farming หรือสวนผักในอาคารกำลังเกิดขึ้นมากมายในหลายประเทศ โดยเริ่มต้นจากเป็นแหล่งวัตถุดิบพืชผักที่มีอายุการเก็บเกี่ยวไม่ยาวนานสำหรับบริโภคในชุมชน และขยายผลจนสร้างรายได้ให้ประเทศ หรืออาจกลายเป็นทางออกสำหรับการจัดการด้านซัพพลายเชนอาหารของในบางประเทศเช่นกัน

 

สำหรับประเทศที่มีลักษณะภูมิประเทศเป็นทะเลทรายอย่างสหรัฐอาหรับเอมิเรตส์นั้นต้องเผชิญกับความท้าทายของสภาพภูมิอากาศร้อนและไม่ค่อยมีฝนตก จึงไม่ค่อยเอื้ออำนวยให้ประเทศนี้เป็นแหล่งวัตถุดิบอาหารเท่าใดนัก แถมยังพึ่งพาการนำเข้าอาหารจากต่างประเทศเป็นส่วนมากด้วย นครใหญ่สุดของสหรัฐอาหรับเอมิเรตส์อย่างดูไบแม้เป็นเมืองที่เฟื่องฟูด้วยเศรษฐกิจและการลงทุน แต่ร้อยละ 80 ของสินค้าอาหารนั้นนำเข้าจากต่างประเทศ อย่างไรก็ตาม เพื่อเป็นแนวทางหนึ่งที่ช่วยลดการพึ่งพาการนำเข้าอาหารของดูไบ การนำเทคโนโลยีการเกษตรแบบ Indoor farming มาใช้จึงกลายเป็นทางออกที่กำลังน่าจับตามองของเมืองนี้เพื่อให้สามารถผลิตอาหารบางส่วนได้เอง และกระจายต่อไปยังเชนร้านอาหารได้อย่างสะดวกและรวดเร็วขึ้น

Indoor farming…ทำได้จริงหรือ?

Indoor farming หรือการทำสวนผักในอาคารมักออกแบบให้เป็นสวนระบบปิดที่ควบคุมความชื้น อุณหภูมิ การให้น้ำ แสง และสภาพภูมิอากาศให้สามารถปลูกพืชผักได้มากมายหลายชนิด ไม่ว่าจะเป็นผักใบเขียว ผักสลัดหลากหลายชนิดไปจนถึงเห็ดและมะเขือเทศ โดยอาศัยวัสดุเก่าเหลือทิ้ง เช่น กล่องส่งของ หรือเครื่องบดเก่ามาเป็นภาชนะสำหรับปลูก มีทั้งแบบในอาคารหรือใช้พื้นที่ที่แต่ก่อนไม่เคยใช้ประโยชน์อย่างดาดฟ้าบนอาคารเป็นที่ตั้งเรือนเพาะปลูก เป็นต้น ส่วนผลผลิตที่ได้นั้นก็สามารถเก็บเกี่ยวแล้วนำไปใช้ในชุมชน ร้านอาหาร หรือส่งขายไปยังชุมชนใกล้ๆ ได้ในระยะเวลาสั้นๆ และมีผลผลิตที่แน่นอนตลอดทั้งปีด้วย นอกจากนี้ การทำ Indoor farming ยังมีข้อดีคือ ไม่มีตัวแปรสำคัญทางสภาพอากาศที่แปรปรวนหรือภาวะโลกร้อน อีกทั้งยังไม่จำเป็นต้องใช้สารกำจัดศัตรูพืชหรือสารเคมีกำจัดวัชพืช ในบางกรณีไม่จำเป็นต้องใช้ดินสำหรับเพาะปลูกด้วยซ้ำไป

ปัจจุบัน กลุ่มธุรกิจที่ให้บริการด้าน Indoor farming เป็นธุรกิจสนับสนุนที่มีบทบาทสำคัญ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นผู้ให้บริการระบบแสง ระบบการให้น้ำ ระบบปรับสภาวะอากาศ ไปจนถึงระบบควบคุมแบบอัตโนมัติและเซ็นเซอร์ต่างๆ โดยในตลาดโลกผู้ที่ให้บริการในธุรกิจดังกล่าวส่วนใหญ่เป็นผู้ประกอบการในสหรัฐอเมริกา ออสเตรเลีย แคนาดา และในแถบยุโรป เช่น เนเธอร์แลนด์ ฝรั่งเศส และเยอรมนี โดยมีปัจจัยขับเคลื่อนการพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีของประเทศเหล่านี้จากข้อจำกัดด้านภูมิอากาศที่หนาวเย็น ไม่เหมาะสมในการเพาะปลูกผักและผลไม้บางชนิด รวมถึงระยะทางการขนส่งผักและผลไม้จากแหล่งเพาะปลูกไปยังร้านค้าที่มีระยะไกล ก่อให้เกิดการเน่าเสียของผักและผลไม้ระหว่างการขนส่ง ส่งผลให้เกิดการมุ่งพัฒนาระบบการเพาะปลูกพืชที่สามารถเพาะปลูกที่ใดก็ได้เพื่อแก้ปัญหาดังกล่าว

 

อ้างอิง:

www.cnbc.com/2019/10/02/high-tech-indoor-farming-seen-as-key-to-fixing-dubais-food-supply.html

www.fastcompany.com/40420610/has-this-silicon-valley-startup-finally-nailed-the-indoor-farming-model

Economic Intelligence Center (EIC) ธนาคารไทยพาณิชย์ จำกัด (มหาชน)

There is no arguing that Europeans love their chocolate: on average three-quarters of consumers include chocolate in a typical grocery basket, while per capita consumption rates are among the highest in the world, with annual intakes of 10kg or more in six of the West European nations.

A new report from Innova Market Insights highlights the growing sophistication of many of Europe’s chocolate shoppers, with a push towards premium and indulgent products clearly reflected in new product development (NPD). For example, activity in chocolate blocks continues to grow and they represented 45% of the region’s launches in 2018, while wrapped chocolates showed fastest growth in launch numbers between 2014 and 2018. At the same time, NPD in more everyday chocolate bars or countlines has been sliding.

Premiumization of the market is further indicated by growing use of dark chocolate, which increased its penetration from 25% to 35% of launches between 2014 and 2018, while there was a comparative drop in milk chocolate products, down from 71% to 59%.

But it is no longer the case that innovators are restricted to simple milk, dark or white chocolate types. ‘Limits in chocolate development are being broken down,’ reports Lu Ann Williams, Head of Innovation at Innova Market Insights. ‘Ruby chocolate has emerged as an entirely new concept within chocolate formulation, while darkmilk choices are also hitting the shelves, offering a halfway point between rich dark and smooth milk recipes.’

Meanwhile, Barry Callebaut – creator of ruby chocolate in 2018 – has followed up with the introduction of WholeFruit chocolate, which it claims is the first to use the entire cacao fruit, rather than just the beans. This results in a fruitier flavor and will also appeal to eco conscious customers as it reduces waste. The US will see the first use of WholeFruit chocolate but as soon as European approvals are achieved, the region’s ‘chocoisseurs’ will certainly be ready for it.

 

Source: www.innovamarketinsights.com/european-innovators-target-the-chocoisseurs/

Nestle is launching what it describes as luxury, hand-crafted KitKats in the U.K. market, with the custom-made chocolate bars set to cost up to 14 pounds ($17.40) each.

The range, which will be sold at the “KitKat Chocolatory,” includes several special edition flavors, including gin and tonic, cherry bakewell and earl grey, which will cost £7.50 each.

Customers will also be able to create their own bespoke candy bars for as much as £14, with almost 1,500 flavor combinations on offer. Custom-made “Create Your Break” KitKats will be eight-finger bars, which will offer a choice of milk, white, dark or ruby chocolate and three ingredients, such as salted caramel chunks and rose petals.

 

A standard four-finger bar retails in U.K. shops for around sixty pence.

Every KitKat sold in the “Chocolatory” will be individually made, with customizable packaging that will let customers have personalized names and messages printed on the front of the packs.

The premium KitKats will go on sale at 30 John Lewis department stores and the Chocolate Story in the city of York later this week, with the online store due to be rolled out in November.

KitKat’s Chocolatory already has an international presence, with a boutique store in Melbourne, Australia, and several stores in Japan.

The KitKat candy bar is licensed under Hershey in the United States. Prior to being bought out by Nestle it was launched in September 1935 by the U.K. firm Rowntree.

 

Source: www.cnbc.com/2019/09/23/luxury-bespoke-kitkat-candy-bar-to-be-sold-in-the-uk.html

There is an old saying that “Time is Money”. For the manufacturers and bottlers of PET containers, this means optimizing PET production performance and organizing high-quality output. To stay competitive, processing plants must be continually improved.

Krones AG is a German packaging and bottling machine manufacturer. It is the world’s leading manufacturer of lines for filling beverages in plastic and glass bottles or beverage cans. The company manufactures stretch blow-molding machines for producing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, plus fillers, labellers, bottle washers, pasteurisers, inspectors, packers and palletisers. Krones product portfolio is complemented by material flow systems and process technology for producing beverages, plus syrup kitchens, for clients like breweries, dairies and soft-drink companies.

Understanding that Krones is essentially part of customers’ “production line” is what drives us to prepare and develop technical guidance through a collection of PET process  data. The purpose is to provide timely customer service and deliver customized solution at a minimal cost. For us, each customer is a person with diverse needs and requirements, and is treated as a partner – efficiently, reliably and honestly.

As the Head of PET Processing Asia/Pacific at Krones, Axel is responsible for building a team of PET Process specialists in the region. The team provides direct service point for bottle optimization, proposal design, light-weighting tests and troubleshooting.  Axel also develops energy saving approach for customers. Prior to Krones, he was involved in PET packaging and processing for biggest players in the market.  He has a proven professional track record with over 20 years experience improving overall bottle quality on biggest production lines as well as weight reducing of existing bottle for famous beverage brands. His passion is about the future of PET development and sustainability through innovations and technology that Krones is consistently improving.

The sports nutrition market is going through a major transformation, muscling its way out of its athlete-focused niche into the mainstream. Here, we highlight three trends emerging in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

 

Europe: Further Explore Plant-powered Sports Nutrition

The Mintel Trend ‘Power to the Plants’ outlines how the desire for healthier and sustainable lifestyles is motivating consumers to adopt a more plant-based diet. In response, more manufacturers are basing their formulations around plant ingredients such as nuts, seeds, grains and botanicals. This trend has made a great impact on mainstream food and drink, including sports/performance nutrition. According to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), in the 12 months to July 2019, 14% of total European launches in sports/performance and nutrition featured a vegan/no animal ingredients claim, a five percentage point increase since 2014.

Although plant-based formulations have seen a rise in public profile, brands must work hard to promote the benefits of plant-derived proteins to consumers. This will help plant-based sports nutrition products (eg pea protein) to more effectively compete with those featuring animal-based protein content.

PowerBar Natural Protein Banana and Chocolate Flavoured Sports Bar with Protein is made with high-quality and natural plant ingredients, including peanuts, protein, banana and dark chocolate pieces (Spain).

Fitness Boutique Apple Flavoured Pre-Workout Mix is made with 100% natural and functional ingredients such as guarana, green tea and ginseng. It is ideal to consume before a workout (France).

Fit Taste Herb Flavoured Protein Bites are made of pea protein, and are said to be an ideal savoury and healthy snack when on the go (Germany).

 

Asia: Communicate the health benefits of vitamins

Although the sports nutrition category in South East Asia remains small compared with other global regions, local brands have an opportunity to capitalise on the generally positive attitudes to fitness and active lifestyles which people have. For example, half of Chinese consumers consider themselves to be a “sports/exercise lover”, according to Mintel research on sports nutrition. This stems from a growing awareness around the importance of exercising and its impact on physical and mental health. Hence, sports nutrition brands can stay optimistic with regards to the future of the market, as it presents lucrative opportunities.

Vitamins are the most sought-after attribute consumers look for in sports/performance nutrition. However, there’s an opportunity to familiarise consumers with the health benefits of vitamins, presenting further opportunities for educational on-pack messaging.

Calbee Granola+ Nut Granola with Protein contains black beans, green soybeans, chocolate crunch, almonds and pumpkin seeds. It provides one third of the recommended daily amount of six vitamins, including fortified vitamin B6 for converting protein into energy and maintaining a healthy skin. It is suitable as a post-workout snack (Japan).

Suspo Sports Drink contains the nutrient HMB-Ca, which claims to help promote muscle synthesis and reduce muscle breakdown. It also contains citric acid which reduces lactic acid production, and taurine which replenishes energy (China).

 

Americas: ‘Clean’ recipes are in demand

Mintel Trend ‘Bannedwagon’ outlines how consumers are increasingly focused on product labels and ingredients, as part of the rising clean eating trend. The sports and performance nutrition category is under the microscope owing to concerns about artificial ingredients. This can prompt a stronger innovation focus towards cleaner labels, achieved by formulating with natural, unprocessed ingredients. That a majority of US adults aged 18-54 consider performance drinks to be too high in artificial ingredients reflects the need to eliminate such ingredients and focus on committing to cleaner labels.

Aloha Organic Chocolate Sea Salt Protein Drink is made of plant-based protein including peas and brown rice. It contains 6% juice, 18g of protein, 5g of sugar, MCT oil, prebiotics to improve gut health and electrolytes to replenish (US).

PaleoEthics Surge Pre-Workout Beverage is said to provide ‘clean energy and focus without crash, nervousness or jitters’ thanks to the use of ‘real’ whole food ingredients, such as bee pollen, cranberry and green tea. It’s also vegan, paleo-friendly and free from additives and fillers (Canada).

KIND’s High Protein From Real Food Peanut Butter Bar is a creamy and crunchy protein snack said to be made with real, whole ingredients. It is free from GMOs, artificial flavours, sweeteners and gluten.

 

By: Amrin Walji

Amrin is a Senior Innovation Analyst who specialises in analysing trends driving product innovation and development across the food and drink industry.

Source: 

www.mintel.com/blog/food-market-news/look-out-for-these-3-trends-in-sports-nutrition?utm_campaign=10918344_Mintel%20newsletter%20-%20Global%20-%2026%2F09%2F2019&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dotm&dm_i=2174,6I0NC,PFFSFX,PT1IA,1

The inclination for convenient food is also a rising trend in Asia – 91% of Asians have snacking habits and 24% are snacking daily. While snacking is enjoyable and convenient, many of the products available come with unhealthy nutritional profiles. Though a growing number of Asians are conscious of their food choices, the significant volume and variety of salty and sweet snacks represents a great temptation.

According to Mintel Global New Products Database, Asia is home to four out of five of the world’s top innovators in salty snacks, accounting for 11% of the world’s salty snack products launches in 2018.

The good news is advancements in food manufacturing today means people can still enjoy their favourite snacks without feeling guilty and having to compromise on taste and texture. In fact, if done right, these convenient foods can play a huge part in a healthy lifestyle.

 

Guilt-free Snacking

Food manufacturers can play a role in educating and providing consumers with alternative snacks that are packed with nutrients.

For instance, food ingredients naturally derived from plants such as the chicory root fibres inulin and oligofructose help achieve the amount of daily fibre intake a person needs while providing a prebiotic effect which promotes good digestive health. In addition, they can help to reduce the sugar in final products significantly. With a mildly sweet taste, reduced calories and good solubility, these fibres can be easily applied in various food applications like cereals, baked goods, confectionary, and dairy products.

Additionally, inulin can act as a fat replacer, as it helps to stabilise water into a creamy structure and can thus be easily incorporated into moist or semi-moist food. Whilst reducing sugar and fat, BENEO’s chicory root fibres can also help consumers to eat less naturally.

The global beverage company Coca-Cola, for example, has introduced a good initiative in 2018 to address the lack of dietary fibre among the Chinese population by developing beverages with added fibre, which satisfies about 30% of the daily fibre requirements for a Chinese adult. Fans of Coke can now enjoy a sugar-free drink that is supplemented with fibre.

In another example, to create a healthier chocolate snack, the leading food and beverage company Nestle developed a technique to turn the white pulp that covers cocoa beans into a natural sweetener. Using this technique, the resulting chocolate bar has 40% less sugar as compared to similar bars.

One solution is to reformulate snacks with a healthier sugar from nature like Palatinose^TM (isomaltulose), which is a slowly yet fully digestible carbohydrate. Derived from the sugar beet, it has a molecular structure like sucrose but with a stronger linkage between its molecules. Since the body breaks it down 4 times slower than sucrose, it is considered low glycaemic and does not cause huge fluctuations in blood sugar levels but still provides the full carbohydrate energy. This makes it an ideal alternative sweetener for consumers concerned about their blood sugar or energy levels.

With global snacks sales recording an average of US$160,000m in revenue, there is an immense opportunity for food manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon and add healthier alternatives to their food products. Natural and functional ingredients such as chicory root fibres and Palatinose™ can help manufacturers create tasty and healthy snack products to support consumers in their efforts to maintain a balanced diet.

 

By: Christian Philippsen, Managing Director, BENEO, Asia Pacific

Reference:

hk.yougov.com/en-hk/news/2015/04/29/asian-snacking-habit/

mintel.com/press-centre/food-and-drink/snackings-heavy-hitters-china-india-indonesia-and-japan-among-the-worlds-top-five-salty-snacks-innovators

statista.com/outlook/40110000/100/snack-food/worldwide

International Spice Conference – World’s Leading Knowledge Dissemination Platform for the Global Spice Fraternity

 

In a world with challenging food safety standards and rapidly evolving industrial environment, addressing the concerns and imbalances of the industry by its stakeholders is imperative. Ensuring sustainability of crops and improving the livelihood of the farmers are also collective responsibilities. It is in this context that All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF)  launched the International Spice Conference, a platform for all stakeholders of the global spice industry—business houses, spice organisations, policymakers, farmers and end-users—to address their issues and interact with each other.

Today ISC has grown to become the world’s leading knowledge dissemination and unifying platform for the global spice fraternity. The four successful editions of the conference have created a positive impact on the industry and its stakeholders. The conference has had representation from 50 nationalities, consisting of 900 delegates, 60 exhibitors, and 50 speakers.

The 5th edition of the International Spice Conference (ISC), will be held from March 8^th to March 11^th, 2020 in Kochi, Kerala, India at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty.

Every year ISC presents different themes and this year, the theme for ISC 2020 is Beyond Tradition: Shaping a New Spice World. ISC 2020 will address the need to look at futuristic approaches and innovative applications of spices for contemporary experiences in cuisines, health, and nutrition. The conference will highlight the direct impact on the consumers and industry and also covers the quality issues in the spice sector and appropriate solutions. Sessions on crops and markets with audiovisual presentations are an integral part of the conference.

ISC 2020, for the first time, is holding pre-scheduled buyer-seller meets, opening new avenues of global opportunities for every business.

You can register and become a part of ISC 2020 through our website: https://internationalspiceconference.com

Two-thirds of Americans now admit to buying meat alternatives, according to consumer research conducted by Innova Market Insights. While only 22% purchase from the category on rare occasions, as many as 10% say that they always buy meat alternatives, while a further 36% claim to do so often or sometimes.

The percentage of occasional meat purchasers represents the flexitarians who are choosing to cut down on their meat intake in favor of a healthier lifestyle. Ethical and environmental concerns are also increasingly influential in this decision-making process and this adds a new consideration to the marketing of meat alternatives. Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, suggests that, “Meat substitutes should now carry the right messages for both healthful and mindful customers, with plant-based diets emerging as the epitome of guilt free eating.”

Innovators in this market have certainly recognized the rise of veganism – particularly within younger age groups – and almost three-quarters of new meat substitutes launched in the US in 2018 carried vegan claims. But the need to balance this with flexitarian demands is clear: in earlier research conducted in 2017, only 14% of meat alternatives purchasers named vegetarian/vegan positioning as a factor influencing their purchasing decision, with higher levels of interest in simpler claims related to naturally healthy formulation.

As far as flexitarians are concerned, there have even been moves to develop hybrid products that combine meat properties with vegetables, while some alternatives even “bleed” or sizzle in order to emulate meat, ideas that would dismay many vegans. With such diverse attitudes in the customer base and no “one size fits all” solution, delivering choice is very much the name of the game.

 

Source: innovamarketinsights.com/more-americans-buy-meat-alternatives/