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Get creative with new Calpico Concentrate

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

PT Calpis Indonesia, the maker of Calpico fermented milk drink popular, has introduced Calpico Concentrate, the first of its kind in Indonesia. Calpico Concentrate is a non-carbonated beverage that has undergone lactic acid fermentation. Now in concentrated format, the drink is made from high quality non-fat milk and do not contain artificial colorants or preservative.

To prepare, just add 125ml of water for every 25ml of Calpico Concentrate at a ratio of 1:5. Each bottle of Calpico Concentrate can make 14 x 150ml glasses of Calpico.

Expand usage of Calpico 

The launch of Calpico Concentrate is seen as a move to expand the usage of Calpico in the foodservice industry or at home. Calpico Concentrate is used as an ingredient to create new cocktail/mocktail.

According to the recipe on Japancentre.com, to create Calpis Milkshake, all you need is 180ml calpis concentrate, 240ml milk and 250ml vanilla ice cream. Consumers can also use it to produce ‘White Sensation’ with shochu and ‘Snow White’ with sake.

 

 

Cut down the salt intake

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

As governments continue to wage war against sugar, sodium has yet to receive the same scrutiny as public enemy number one – sugar. High intake of sodium is known to elevate blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease. In Malaysia, public health campaigns focus mainly on sugar even through Malaysians consumed 74% salt than they need, according to the InterSalt Study of 1988.

Singapore is one country that is working on sodium reduction in food. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) declared war on salt in 2010 after the Salt Intake Study as part of the 2010 National Nutrition Survey revealed Singapore residents’ daily salt intake was 60% more than the recommended level.

Here are a few examples of sodium reduction in food in Singapore ranging from Maggi porridge to Lee Kum Kee soy sauce.

Maggi Chilli & Garlic Sauce with less salt. Maggi Tomato Sauce is also less in salt
Maggi Fish Flavour Rice Porridge with less salt
Lee Kum Kee Reduced Salt Soy Sauce (right)
Ayam Brand reduced salt sardines

Nestle spearheading efforts to cut sodium

The Swiss food giant announced in May 2017 that by 2020, it wants to lower salt content across all Maggi-branded products by 10%. These would affect Maggi products such as noodles, soups, seasonings and stock cubes.

A spokesman for Nestle Singapore said the company has reduced the sodium content in Maggi 2-min curry noodles by 31% since 2013 and is looking to lower it by a further 10% in 2018, reported The Straits Times.

In India, the company is working to lower salt and sodium content in Maggi noodles by 10% in the coming one to 1.5 years, said Nestle India chairman Suresh Narayanan reported The Economic Times on 26 February 2018. According to Suresh, Maggi contributed 35% of the Nestle India’s reported growth in 2017.

Public health bodies intervene

In Hong Kong, health authorities there are working with school lunch suppliers to reduce sodium levels in meals. Following the start of the academic year in March 2017, the 13 suppliers have lowered the sodium levels by 9% or a 50mg reduction per meal, reported South China Morning Post. Nearly all school lunch samples (99%) in a government study in 2013 contained 950mg of salt per meal, higher than the recommended consumption of 500mg.

In South Korea, the average daily sodium (소금) intake has fallen from 4,583mg in 2013, 4,027mg in 2014, 3,890mg in 2015, 3,890mg in 2016 and 3,669mg in 2017, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (국민건강영양조사) reported Korea Times on 13 March 2018. The figure in 2017 is still above the WHO recommendation of 2,000mg per day. The government started the less salt campaign in 2012.

One of the suggestion ways to lower sodium consumption is through the use of a small amount of MSG, which can potentially lower sodium intake by 25%, said Professor Sang Suk Oh at Ewha Womans University.

Even through most campaigns are aiming at sugar, the public health danger posed by salt cannot be ignore. Lowering salt content is something the government and brand owners will need to start looking to improve the health of their people/consumers.

This opens the opportunity for sodium alternatives, higher quality salt eg bamboo salt and improving the product’s health perception through reformulation.

 

 

Nestle Malaysia enters bottled water segment with Pure Life drinking water (updated)

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Nestlé Malaysia has finally entered the bottled business by making available its Pure Life brand in the country. The author first spotted the Pure Life drinking water at a food vendor outside of Giant supermarket in Kuala Lumpur.

Bottled water is one segment that has not been in Nestlé Malaysia‘s portfolio. According to Nestle, the company has started making available Pure Life drinking water since late February 2018 and is available at 99 Speedmart, Aeon and other selected retailers.

Imported from Thailand

The Nestle Pure Life in Malaysia is imported from Thailand. It is manufactured by Nestle (Thai) Ltd in the Surat Thani factory in southern Thailand. The Surat Thani plant is the second Pure Life manufacturing site in Thailand, launched in 2017, designed to serve 14 southern provinces. The first plant is located in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok. The southern factory produces Pure Life in 330ml, 600ml and 1.5 L sizes. Pure Life is certified halal by the Thai halal certifying body.

Drinking water

On the packaging, Nestle Pure Life is labelled as a drinking water. On the back, it mentions the source of water as “underground water” and is certified by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia with the approved number that indicates it is a drinking water.

The bottled industry is facing a slowdown as evidenced by the performance of Spritzer Bhd, the market leader in bottled water, which reported in its 2017 full year report that “the Group experienced lower than expected sales volume due to the prevailing soft market sentiment locally resulting in distributors not able to meet sales targets set.” The company also experienced poor sales in China due to “stiff competition.”

To cope with rising cost of living, consumers are increasingly shifting to private label bottled water, which offers better value for money. Almost all retailers now have private label drinking and mineral water. KK Super Mart has bottled water selling in carton stacked prominently in front of the shop selling at an affordable price of less than RM 10 for 12 x 1.5L.

Pure Life is available in 600ml and 1.5L. The promotion price at 99 Speedmart is RM 1.00 for the 600ml and RM 2.00 for the 1.5L. The regular price for the 1.5L is RM 2.80 and 600ml is RM 1.40.

 

 

7-Eleven Malaysia, Keeping the Elderly Company for CNY

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Rev. Leong Ka Meng, Founder of Charis Senior Citizen Home (3rd from bottom left); Ronan Lee, 7-Eleven Malaysia General Marketing Manager; and volunteers from 7-Eleven Malaysia and NGOHub Asia.

Kuala Lumpur, 28 February 2018 – Festive seasons are a time for celebration, and during Chinese New Year, the nation’s favourite convenience store 7-Eleven Malaysia journeyed to Charis Senior Citizen Home alongside its startup NGOHub Asia to celebrate the occasion with the elderly by preparing a delectable feast for them.

The festive spread consisted of dishes such as Chinese style-fried vermicelli with cabbage and shitake mushrooms, boneless salted egg chicken pops, garlic stir-fry mixed vegetables, chicken and prawn dumplings with Asian chili dip, assorted ‘nyonya kuih’ for dessert, and a refreshing minty lime drink. 7-Eleven Malaysia also distributed daily necessities such as cream crackers and cereal drinks as well as red packets to the community.

Charis Senior Citizen Home was founded by Rev. Leong Ka Meng in 1997, and the organization was formerly a walk-in centre whereby free meals and provisions were offered to the elderly who are underprivileged, homeless, abandoned or have lost complete contact with their family.

In 2004, the organization decided to expand their services, and opened up a shelter for these forgotten individuals. However, they are only able to accommodate up to 25 occupants due to limited space and helpers. The shelter currently has 24 male occupants and is located on the 2nd floor of a shop lot at Jalan Pasar Baru, Pudu. The 1st floor of the building, on the other hand, is the walk-in centre and operates from 6:00a.m. – 10:30p.m.

Ronan Lee, 7-Eleven Malaysia General Marketing Manager said, “It is a pleasure to be spending time with the elderly here, and during this festive period, they would appreciate having some company as it gives them the assurance that there are others who are looking out for them. Living up to our tagline of ‘Always There for You’, we wanted to bring a sense of merriment and festivity to the community during Chinese New Year, and we are glad to have done it today.”

During a sharing session with the community, Rev. Leong expressed his gratitude, “On behalf of the community, thank you 7-Eleven Malaysia for coming to visit and support us. We are happy and grateful to have you here to celebrate this auspicious occasion with us.” Charis Senior Citizen Home welcomes contribution from the society, be it in the form of financial aid or volunteers who can simply spend some time with the community here.

About 7-Eleven Malaysia

7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad through its subsidiary 7-Eleven Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is the owner and operator of 7-Eleven stores in Malaysia. Incorporated on 4 June 1984, 7-Eleven Malaysia has made its mark in the retailing scene and have been a prominent icon for over 33 years. 7-Eleven Malaysia is the pioneer and largest 24-hour standalone convenience store operator in Malaysia with over 2,200 outlets nationwide and serves more than 900,000 customers daily. 7-Eleven stores can be found across bustling commercial districts to serene suburban residential compounds throughout Malaysia, from petrol stations and LRT stations to shopping malls and medical institutions. 7-Eleven is Always There For You.

Healthy Breakfast Alternative for Hectic Mornings

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

New Fernleaf Yogurt provides low fat and less sweet goodness

Wake up to a healthier and tastier day with the all-new Fernleaf Yogurt, made with 100% milk from New Zealand to give busy Malaysians a quick boost of dairy goodness amid the morning rush!

Fernleaf Yogurt is the latest offering from the dairy brand with a long history as the Trusted GoodnessTM of Malaysian mothers for their families. Over the last 30 years, Fernleaf brings the goodness of dairy from its New Zealand farms to families across Malaysia, providing nutritious milk products that contributes to a healthy and balanced diet.

Smooth and creamy, the new range of yogurt is both a delicious and healthier choice for the whole family. Fernleaf Yogurt comes with the ‘Healthier Choice’ logo verified by the Ministry of Health Malaysia for meeting its health criteria, such as low in fat and less sweet.

Fernleaf Yogurt is less sweet compared with other major yogurt brands. It is such a crowd-pleaser that a consumer survey revealed 9 out of 10 who tried Fernleaf Yogurt will switch from their current yogurt brand while 99% of participants will recommend Fernleaf Yogurt to their family and friends.

“Mornings can be a hectic time for a lot of Malaysian families. Most people only have time for some grooming routine before heading out the door to school or work in order to beat the rush-hour traffic. Breakfasts, therefore, are often skipped. But we also know that a nutritious breakfast is crucial to provide energy for the day.

“With Fernleaf Yogurt, there is no better way to kick-start your day! Even during the busiest mornings, the yogurt makes a quick, delicious and healthy breakfast without taking up too much of your time. Imagine that – no more hungry mornings! The whole family now has a convenient and yummy alternative that helps power them through the day,” explains Karen Ong, Marketing Director of Fonterra Brands Malaysia.

The Fernleaf Yogurt is enjoyable on its own, but it also makes a great combo with other healthy snacks. For example, you can pour some in a mason jar with rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and berries to make Instagram-worthy overnight oats for a fulfilling breakfast on-the-go.

Or, simply toss some crunchy muesli or granola in Fernleaf Yogurt for a breakfast with plenty of satisfying bites!

On weekend mornings, when there is less of a rush, surprise your family with nutritious and fragrant egg salad that replaces the mayonnaise with healthier Fernleaf Yogurt instead. Serve the salad on wholemeal bread with some crumbled walnuts and voila! A great start to a great weekend.

The yummy yogurt is not only good for breakfast, of course. It works well as a snack all day long! For an afternoon pick-me-up, you can make fruit yogurt smoothie or a yogurt dip for celeries, bananas, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and wholemeal biscuits. Or, use it as a zesty dressing for your garden salad.

Fernleaf Yogurt comes in multiple delicious variants – natural, strawberry, mix berries and mango, each cup is 110g and priced at RM1.50.

Start your day right with Fernleaf Yogurt that is both convenient and healthy for hectic mornings! It is available at major hypermarkets and stores nationwide.

About Fernleaf

Over the past 30 years, Fernleaf has been bringing the goodness of the finest dairy from New Zealand farms all the way to Malaysia, providing nutritious milk to families so that they are able to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. With over a century of experience in the industry, Fernleaf believes that quality comes directly from the source. Only fresh milk from grass-fed cows, combined with advanced farming systems and utmost care in every single step of production, can promise you one of the highest standards of goodness in dairy nutrition.

About Fonterra Brands

Fonterra is a global leader in dairy nutrition – the preferred supplier of dairy ingredients to many of the world’s leading food companies. It is also a market leader with its own consumer dairy brands in New Zealand and Australia, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Fonterra is a farmer-owned co-operative and the largest processor of milk in the world. It is one of the world’s largest investors in dairy research and innovation drawing on generations of dairy expertise to produce more than two million tonnes of dairy ingredients, value added dairy ingredients, specialty ingredients and consumer products for 140 markets. Fonterra Brands Malaysia began its operations in 1975 in Shah Alam. Today it has two manufacturing plants, Susumas and Dairymas and a total of 700 full time workers dedicated to bring the best in dairy nutrition to Malaysians. All dairy products by Fonterra Brands Malaysia are certified Halal by the New Zealand Islamic Development Trust (NZIDT), which is recognized by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) as in accordance with MS1500:2009, the international standard used by JAKIM. Fonterra Brands Malaysia also adheres to international and local industry standards including HACCP, Veterinary Health Mark, ISO 9001:2000 and GMP. Fonterra in Malaysia is known for its leading brands Anlene, Anmum (Materna, Essential and Lacta), Fernleaf, Calciyum, Chesdale and under its foodservices division, Anchor Food Professionals, it is known for Anchor, Mainland and Perfect Italiano.

 

Pepsi Black with zero sugar bold taste launched

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

In line with the no/low-sugar shift in Southeast Asian food and drinks innovation, Etika, the bottler of Pepsi in Malaysia and Singapore, has released Pepsi Black for the Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore markets. The zero calorie and bold taste carbonated soft drink is described as the “cola taste that has been waiting for.”

The key artificial sweeteners in Pepsi Black are aspartame, acesulfame-K and sucralose. As a comparison, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar contains acesulfame-K and sucralose without aspartame.

Pepsi Black is certified as a healthier choice by the Malaysian government and by the Singapore’s Health Promotion Board under the sugar free category.

We have seen F&N launching sarsi zero and orange zero in Singapore but there are not yet available in Malaysia. Coca-Cola is ahead of PepsiCo in the no/low space. The company has recently made available stevia-sweetened carbonated soft drink in Singapore and Malaysia. The new Pepsi Black does serve to fill a gap in PepsiCo’s soft drink portfolio within the zero sugar space in the two countries. Hopefully, Pepsi Black will be available in the foodservice channel.

Pepsi Black has also been released in the Philippines and is available in the following sizes: 8oz, 12oz, 300mL, 500 mL, 750mL, 1L, 1.25L, 1.5L, 2L.

Pepsi Black was officially launched in Bangladesh in March 2018, reported The Daily Star.

Similarly, Pepsi Black was introduced in Thailand featuring Bruno Mars contest, the same marketing strategy used in the Philippines.

Anlene “We Are More” message crafted for Malaysian men

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

The Anlene’s “We Are More” launched in the Philippines and Malaysia in November 2017 is working to shift the brand perception of being a milk for elderly people to something more universal and young. In Thailand, this means focusing Anlene on consumers in their 20s to 80s, across all age groups. BBDO Singapore is being tasked to handle the relaunching of Anlene across Southeast Asia.

Anlene for men

One of the most interesting move by Anlene is to bring the brand closer to young male consumers. In Malaysia, Anlene has found four male personalities to convey the brand’s new “We are More” positioning. The first is Noh Salleh, the lead singer in the rock band Hujan. He is not just a singer but also a bike rider and a marathon runner.

The other local personality is Aidid Marcello, founder & creative director at MindQuest Productions, who is a regular feature in Anlene marketing campaigns. He was previously the brand ambassador together with other TV personality Phoebe Yap in 2013 to promote Anlene for bone health. Now in “We Are More” campaign, Aidid is described as more than a father who is active in gym and known as a producer.

For the Chinese audience, we have Thomas and Jack who together form the Mandarin pop band Dong Yu Zhe (东于哲). They are artists, entrepreneurs and racers. The other three female celebrities are:

  • Stacy Anam – Dancing queen, mother and entrepreneur
  • Chui Ling – TV host, mother and entrepreneur
  • Shalma Aini – TV host, entrepreneur, futsal

Compared with Malaysia, we only have one male personality in the “We Are More” TVC in the Philippines represented by an elderly male extreme bicycle rider. In addition, the TVC in Thailand focuses exclusively on young females.

See the Anlene Philippines We Are More TVC here and the TVC for Thailand here.

The outcome of the “We Are More” campaign will likely resonate more with men in Malaysia than in the other two countries – Thailand and the Philippines as the message is less relevant to male consumers. The different approaches for the three countries reflect how receptive male consumers are towards Anlene’s products. Men in Malaysia are likely to have a higher awareness about Anlene than the other two countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fonterra bets on Anlene new position to reboot growth

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Fonterra Brands Thailand has started the “We Are More” campaign in Thailand, reported The Bangkok Post on 21 February 2018. The goal is to broaden the consumer base to include those in their 20s to 80s rather than above 50 years old. This will be made possible with the new product Anlene MoveMax, which was launched in the market in late 2017 to promote healthy muscles, joints and bones for improved mobility.

Anlene MoveMax was previously launched in Malaysia in 2016 and in Indonesia in 2017.

Set to enjoy higher growth

In Thailand, Fonterra has set a growth target of 3-4 times higher than the 5% growth rate achieved in recent years. This would bring the average annual sales growth of 15% to 20% in the coming three years.

New ambassador to attract younger generation

Sarunrat “Lydia” Deane will serve as brand ambassador to attract the younger generation.

 

 

 

 

 

Anlene low fat yogurt now with new packaging, formulation

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Fonterra Brands Malaysia has unveiled a new look for its Anlene range of low fat yoghurts as well as new formulations. The Anlene yogurts now come with 50% more nutrients (collagen, protein and high calcium), of which it has around 70% higher calcium than a 100g ordinary yogurt.

 

Like the previous Anlene low fat yogurt, it contains the MoveMax formulation to support movement with flexibility, dynamism and strength. The formula provides important nutrients such as calcium for bone health, collagen to repair joint cartilage and Protein for the growth and maintenance of muscle mass and bones, according to Fonterra website.

The pack comes with the Ministry of Health’s Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) to certify this product is a healthier choice for consumers.

The new Anlene range has higher protein, energy and vitamin D compared to the old one but this is compensated by slightly lower magnesium and calcium.

Below is how the old packaging looks like.

Compared with another range of yogurt from Fonterra’s Fernleaf, the repackaged Anlene low fat range, the only difference is the addition of collagen (fish) in the Anlene low fat yogurt.

The promotion price for Anlene low fat is two for RM 2.99 (1-14 March 2018) at Giant and the promotion price for Fernleaf low fat is one for RM 0.99 (normal price is RM 1.49).

 

Pocari Sweat sees strong growth in sales, revamped packaging

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Koy Ratchawin Wongviriya as the presenter of Pocari Sweat latest TVC

Pocari Sweat distributor in Thailand Otsuka Nutraceutical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said Pocari Sweat sales in the country surged by 80% in 2017 citing research data from The Nielsen Company (Thailand) Co., Ltd., reported the company’s press release. The strong performance of Pocari Sweat stands in contrast with the 8.5% decline in the overall sports drinks category, which fell to around THB 5 billion in 2017, Nielsen data shows.

The downturn of the sports drink market has hit Boonrawd Trading, the distributor of Singha beer. The company announced in February 2018 that it has stopped the sale of Sanvo sports drinks and Syder Bay cider in late 2017 to concentrate on the premium beer segment, reported The Bangkok Post. The reason for the exit of Sanvo was due to strong competition and strong brand loyalty for Sponsor, the market leader in sports drink.

New wave pattern packaging

Otsuka Nutraceutical, first established in May 2017, has repackaged Pocari Sweat to feature the wave pattern packaging to add a sense of practicality and modernity. The new packaging makes the bottle more durable. Thailand is the first country to launch this packaging. Similar launches are planned for other countries in the future.

Image from Pocari Sweat Thailand

Pocari Sweat has been distributed in Thailand since 1998 through local agents.

Lose to Live

According to the press release, Pocari Sweat has introduced the latest online TVC with the concept of ‘Lose to Live’ featuring Koy Ratchawin Wongviriya as the presenter. “The TVC shows that, to achieve one’s goal, sometimes it involves a lot of obstacles and losses. Although it is not easy, the result can always be appreciated. Whatever the challenge, Pocari Sweat is ready to stay beside the consumers to refresh their spirit.”

 

 

 

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