Watsons’ strategy: Catering to evolving consumer behavior and supporting brands
Health and beauty retailer Watsons discusses shifts in consumer purchasing behavior, and its efforts to meet evolving customer needs and support brand partners’ growth.
Supply chain
Healthplex Expo 2026 (HNC 2026)
Douyin on key drivers behind health food sales boom, opportunities to capitalize on
Chinese short-video giant Douyin weighs in on the key drivers behind the burgeoning health food sales on its platform, as well as trends and growth opportunities for brands to capitalize on.
Wooree Enterprise launches supplement brand exclusive to GS Shop retail channels
Wooree Enterprise’s CLARION has expanded its portfolio to include a line of supplements that are exclusively available via GS SHOP’s retail channels, as part of a collaboration.
KHFF discusses export difficulties, urges regulatory harmonization
The Korea Health Functional Food Association (KHFF) led discussions on key topics such as export challenges and regulatory harmonization at a recent multi-nation summit.
Baycosmetics launches supplement business after securing in-demand packaging supply
Japanese cosmetics OEM company Baycosmetics has set up a health foods and supplements division after securing packaging materials that are facing shortage in the country.
Retail evolution: Era of unmanned supplement stores unfolds in South Korea
Unmanned convenience stores focusing on health functional foods are emerging as a promising business model amid an evolving retail market in South Korea.
Ginseng adulteration under the microscope in new BAPP Bulletin
A new bulletin from the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) details the latest adulteration and mislabeling of ginseng roots, a highly regarded herb with high prices incentivizing fraud in the supply chain.
GOED to launch online database of omega-3 companies
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) is launching an online database to help industry players identify and locate companies operating across the omega-3 supply chain.
Brand new: a2MC’s kids supplements debut, POCARI SWEAT factory, HUL acquisition
See new developments from health and nutrition brands across Asia-Pacific, including The a2 Milk Company’s kids supplements debut, POCARI SWEAT’s new factory and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) acquiring clean-label and women’s health firm OZiva.
Otsuka Pharma beefs up POCARI SWEAT production in China
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, the owner of the electrolyte drink POCARI SWEAT, is ramping up production in China with a newly opened factory in Tianjin.
Blackmores CEO to head new entity set up by parent company
Alastair Symington, CEO of Blackmores Limited, will be leading a new entity set up by parent company Kirin Holdings Company.
Bayer pours €5M into micronutrient supplement factory, R&D in Indonesia
Bayer has invested €5 million (US$5.9m) in its multiple micronutrient supplement production line and R&D center in Indonesia.
Fish oil oxidation: Experts debate the science and health impacts
Research shows that some fish oil supplements are oxidized, but is there any scientific evidence to support the perception that oxidized fish oil is less efficacious or even detrimental?
Vietnamese health supplement firm taps brown algae extract for weight control
TA Vital, a Vietnam-based company specializing in spirulina and algae products, has formulated a supplement containing brown algae extract for weight management, with plans to develop sleep, stress, and immune health products further down the road.
GNC evaluating store leases of former S’pore franchise
GNC Holdings LLC is evaluating the store leases of 54 outlets formerly ran by its Singapore franchise after a court ruling upheld GNC’s rights to these outlets.
Illuminating product differentiation is key for HBC’s new business development chief
Norwegian company Hofseth BioCare ASA (HBC)’s recently appointed Head of New Business Development lists raising awareness of product differentiation as a key priority in driving growth.
Across the Nutraverse: Lead in protein powders, herb extracts for healthspan, counterfeit responses
Catch up with our weekly round-up of key news from across the Nutraverse.
NutraIngredients reimagined: Relaunch provides global insights and region-specific coverage
We’re thrilled to share some important updates to NutraIngredients that will enhance how you engage with our content.
Sustainability summit: Time for action on botanical over-exploitation
Global experts convened this month to drive business investment in the sustainable cultivation and quality preservation of botanical ingredients.
Fish oil production surges early in 2025
Global fish oil production rose 34% in the first quarter of 2025 year on year, despite reduced yield from European waters.
Tariffs: White House exempts key dietary ingredients like vitamins, amino acids
The White House has published a list of products exempt from both the Global Tariff and Reciprocal Tariffs, with the list including vitamins, amino acids, CoQ10, minerals and some other supplement ingredients.
Fish oil production ‘off to a good start’ in 2025
Fish oil total output in January 2025 was up 71% year over year, according to data provided by marine ingredients organization IFFO.
RFK, Jr. seeking to eliminate self-affirmed GRAS
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is directing the acting FDA commissioner to explore the elimination of the self-affirmed GRAS pathway for ingredients.
Asia’s diverse e-commerce platforms drive supplement industry growth
Finding trade routes into China and Asian Pacific countries can be challenging for nutraceutical companies, but cross-border e-commerce appears an effective way to enter these markets.
NutraCast: Mushrooms from China? Why Nammex says yes
China has a rich tradition of growing, cultivating, studying and using mushrooms in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Deep-rooted expertise, historical background and substantial research contribute to a profound comprehension of mushroom chemistry and...
Lumina Intelligence insights: What works in the world of biotics?
The biotics industry is undergoing a transformation, largely directed by customer reviews, proprietary and generic ingredients, synbiotics, and personalisation, according to ecommerce insights service Lumina Intelligence.
Got a burning question for Business Leaders from Gaia Herbs, NOW, Nouri, Pharmavite, & The Vitamin Shoppe?
The 4th Annual Business Leaders Forum will take place on January 25. The FREE webinar gives attendees the opportunity to ask a burning question (or two) to our C-suite panel from some of the most iconic brands in the dietary supplements space.
Nutrition Asia Video Series
From mass customisation to individualisation: How automation, supply chain management, 3D printing can drive personalised nutrition forward
Personalised nutrition could progress from mass customisation to full personalisation as companies leverage on factory automation, supply chain management, and 3D printing to increase the efficiency of providing customised products.
Flavanol-rich cacao extract found to improve mood states in middle-aged women – Meiji-funded RCT
Japanese researchers have found that eight-weeks’ consumption of a beverage containing flavanol-rich cacao extract reduced negative mood and improved positive mood among middle-aged women.
Oxford ICSB: ‘You always learn something from this meeting’
From authentication and identification of botanicals to approached to establishing safety and efficacy, the 21st International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB) provides stakeholders in the botanicals space a unique opportunity to learn and...
FDA’s takedown of NMN raises fairness, transparency concerns
NMN, an anti-aging ingredient, has been disallowed by FDA because of its prior investigation as a drug. The determination, which came as something of a surprise given the ingredient’s market history, has raised questions of fairness and transparency.
US infant formula shortage: FDA approves two products from Australia’s The a2 Milk Company
Two products made from Australian and New Zealand-listed The a2 Milk Company (The a2MC) were granted entry into the US market under an expedited process, the US FDA announced.
Renewed lockdowns in China creating many short- and long-term effects
Renewed lockdowns in China has thrown another wrench into the global supply of botanical ingredients. But having graduated from the recent school of hard knocks, suppliers are managing to cope, experts said.
Majeed aims to change preconceptions as head of Americas for Chinese supplier BGG
Changing the perception of Chinese ingredients will be among the first jobs that Shaheen Majeed will undertake for his new employer, BGG.
NuSkin turning to affiliate model to regain sales momentum
NuSkin Enterprises is among the latest multi level marketing companies transitioning to a hybrid model that includes affiliate marketers, the company announced recently.
Growing astaxanthin market supports investment, including in new organic form
Recent astaxanthin market growth has supported acquisitions, capacity increases and other investments, including new organic offering.
With expansion complete, BGG claims to have biggest astaxanthin production facility in world
Chinese astaxanthin supplier BGG World has announced an expansion to the company’s closed tube production facility in southern China that the company claims now makes it the biggest in the world.
Omega-3 oxidation: South Korea considering new standardising measurements in EPA, DHA products
The South Korean authorities have released a proposal on how oxidation should be measured in EPA and DHA products, in what is being seen as a move to bridge the gap between locally-made and imported products.
Omega-3 adulteration: Almost half of products bought on Asian e-commerce sites fail to meet single species label claims
Nine out of 19 omega-3 products that were bought through prominent Asian e-commerce sites and marketed as containing a single species, did not contain the ingredients declared on the labels, according to new data.
Sports nutrition accreditation: How ingredient suppliers are stepping-up to meet safety and anti-doping demands
An increasingly stricter regulatory framework and surging demand for safer products from both elite sportsmen and everyday consumers is driving the appeal of professionally accredited sports nutrition ingredients, not only finished products.
Food safety overhaul: China announces revamp of national standards for processed and nutritional foods
China is planning to revise safety standards governing multiple processed foods and nutritional ingredients in its latest initiative to battle food contamination and adulteration in the country.
Pandemic boosts need for tracking technology in supply chain
The demand for nutraceuticals and functional foods is expected to witness an upward surge driven by immunity-boosting supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the current times exposing need for technology to address immediate global needs with an...
Elderberry demand continues; so does adulteration
The huge spike in demand for elderberry products has seen a rise in the amount of adulterated material entering the market, sources say.
Turmeric tumbles: India’s merchant association says raw material price has dropped 10%
India’s raw turmeric price this year is about 10% lower than last year partly because COVID-19 lockdowns and market closures have led to a surplus, said a major merchant association in India.
‘Resonated with investors’: CBD specialist Elixinol raises $11m, pledges branded products focus
CBD specialist Elixinol Global has managed to hit its capital raising target of AUD$11m (US$7.3m) following a two-stage fund raising exercise, which it believes is a proof of how its CBD supplements have resonated with its investors.
Depleting stocks, longer delivery time: Companies on meeting vitamin C supply amid COVID-19 disruption
The huge demand for vitamin C has sent stocks running low for retailers and the situation is further complicated by longer delivery times and more expensive freight costs.