Returning to Bangkok, Thailand, and co-located with Vitafoods Asia, the largest event in the region’s F&B calendar will take place on 20-22 September
Informa Markets is delighted to announce that Fi Asia is back in Bangkok, Thailand, for 2023. The leading trade show in the ASEAN food and beverage industry, with more than 21,000 expected visitors and over 600 exhibitors will convene to do business, discover innovations, spark new ideas, gain valuable insights on key topics, and experience the energy of invention and profitable connection. This truly global event brings together tastemakers from the Asian and global industries to make it a uniquely inclusive occasion.
Fi Asia is the must-attend event: Delegates can enjoy a wide range of seminars, innovation tours, dedicated zones and other onsite features that offer unrivalled opportunities to gain industry insights and knowledge, meet disruptive startups and stay current with new innovations. Particularly popular is the Startup competition, which gives founders or small enterprises the opportunity to reach a broad specialist audience and pitch their latest innovative products. With so much going on, it comes as no surprise that 97 % of the floorplan is already sold out with only a few exhibitor stands still available.
A booming business region, the plant-based food sector in Thailand is expected to reach a value of $1.5 million by 2024, with notable growth being seen in meat substitutes and the alternative milk market. Similarly, the cocoa, coffee, and spice sectors are all demonstrating upward trends in terms of both volume and revenue. To complement this multifaceted business growth, the Fi Asia Thailand conference programme has been compiled to reflect these key themes. Topics for discussion include local indigenous and insect-based ingredients, ASEAN F&B regulations, cocoa, coffee and spice market opportunities, and an update on the palm oil industry, to name a few.
Not to be missed is the expert-led content programme that tackles the sector’s hottest trends, and the Sensory Box experience that comprises technical product presentations and taste testing. Beyond the potential to network with industry leaders and experts, other show highlights include connecting with prospective business partners from ASEAN and around the world, the chance to gain rapid access to a burgeoning market and thought leadership about trending topics and market insights.
Julien Bonvallet, Group Brand Director, Food ingredients Global, commented: “We’re excited to be back in Bangkok and connecting with the industry in one of the largest F&B markets in the world. With lots of opportunities to network and build partnerships, this is going to be an invaluable in-person event for everyone involved.”
“At Fi Asia Thailand,” he continued, “we’re bringing the entire F&B supply chain together under one roof and providing access to local and global exhibitors from every segment of the industry. We also have specialised pavilions for beverage, health and natural ingredients, as well as for new exhibitors and startups.”
For more information on the show, please visit: www.figlobal.com/asia-thailand
QminC from Tera Food & Beverage Co., Ltd., Thailand’s leader in health beverages with revolutionary nano-liposome technology and zero preservatives, has unveiled 2 herbal-based health and functional drink flavours ‘QminC Ginger with Honey’ and ‘QminC Finger Root with Honey’.
Thanthit Yuenyongtechahiran, President of Tera Food & Beverage Co., Ltd., said, “The launch of concentrated ginger extract drink with honey under QminC brand is creating a phenomenon for the health and functional drink industry. It is the first time that a concentrated ginger drink is made available in a ready-to-drink bottle in Thailand. We are responding to the high demand of the health-conscious in the global market and to the trend of natural functional drinks, which is likely to have remarkable and rapid growth every year”.
QminC also plans to make a strong overseas presence in CLMV as well as the United States, China, Singapore, South Korea, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates and is ready to go fully online to give consumers extra convenience in response to the current trend of people boosting immunity and reducing inflammation while keeping a social distance.
The first flavour QminC Ginger with Honey contains 1,000 mg. of USDA-approved ginger extract imported from the United States. It also has 100 mg. of beta-glucan which provides immunity for the body and prevents infection from microbes making it widely recognised for being anti-inflammatory as well as vitamins C, D, E, and Zinc with the spicy flavour of ginger and natural sweetness of honey to give a perfectly great taste.
QminC Finger Root with Honey has 1,000 mg. of finger root extract, the famous herb in Thailand with pinostrobin, which has been recognised in studies by many institutions for its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. It also contains beta-glucan, vitamins C, D, A, and Zinc. With QminC’s manufacturing innovation (nano-liposome technology), it tastes great with an aroma and leaves no bitter taste or odour typical of finger-root beverages.
The two latest QminC’s drinks are now available in Thailand in a 150 ml bottle and retail for 25 Baht (0.7 USD). The drinks offer a low energy density of only 15 kilocalories.
Consumers’ health status, personal interests and life priorities continuously change with age. Demanding lifestyles of Thai consumer combined with early signs of ageing often trigger middle-aged consumers to become more concerned about their health, nutrition and resulting in increased interest in using functional food/drinks.
Latest research from Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency, highlights that for 84 % of Thai consumer health is a top priority, and even more so for consumers aged between 25-44. Among millennials aged between 25-34, over a quarter (28 %) of consumers rely on products with added nutritional benefits to balance out their indulgence intake and 34 % of consumers in the same cohort seek out the latest information on health and nutrition information.
Pimwadee Aguilar, Associate Director for Food & Drink, at Mintel said:
“The degree to which consumers choose to engage with functional food and drink products varies depending on life stage and lifestyles. The increase in health awareness often takes place after the first signs of health decline. As simple signs such as facial fine lines usually appear at around the age of 25, it is at this stage when consumers are really motivated to review their diet and attempt to improve it either through conventional foods, supplementation or medicine.”
“With consumers seeking convenient ways to make up for their imbalanced lifestyle, brands in the food and drink space have an opportunity to tap into this need state to help consumers feel at their best despite their busy schedule. To find success in functional food and drink business, brands need to develop products that provide customised benefits to fulfill the needs of different demographic groups.”
Performance enhancement is the key target benefit
Thai consumers are looking for ways to improve performance and delay the degeneration of health. Mintel research highlights that the top three benefits consumer look for in functional food and drink products include brain health (62 %), eye health (55 %) and skin health (53 %)and that boost energy. However, 53 % of consumers prefer getting nutrients through regular food and drink rather than through those with fortifications and this increases to 66 %, among consumers aged 45+.
“Despite the significant demands for functional food and drinks with benefits for brain/eye health and energy, within the last three years the Thai market has experienced very stable growth in product launches that cater to these needs. With new ingredients and product varieties that can deliver these benefits, there is still a large opportunity for business growth. In Thailand, ‘naturally functional’ ingredients or products are perceived to be better than ‘added nutrition’ among consumers. Brands can appeal to consumers, especially adults with food and drink products with functional benefits from natural sources as they convey ‘healthiness’ more strongly than those with synthetic ingredients. Product formats such as beverage powders and yogurts which can easily fit into many meal occasions, and presents an opportunity to penetrate exceptionally well with consumers as they contain ‘familiar, real-food’ qualities. Energy drinks and those with electrolytes, on the other hand, are consumed less, mostly due to their ‘overly processed’ image. To win consumer acceptance, manufacturers need to develop products which provide functional benefits, yet maintain ‘real food’ look and taste,” said Pimwadee.
Beauty inside out
Consumers want to look their best, even amidst busy lifestyles, as Mintel research reveals that over half of consumers look for skin health (51 %) and over a third of consumers seek products that aid weight loss (37 %). The interest is high, especially among female consumers, in functional food and drinks products that offer for skin health (63 %) and weight loss benefits (45 %). Finally, Thai consumers say they are aware and have consumed collagen (73 %) and antioxidants (72 %).
“Urbanisation has resulted in consumers leading hectic lifestyles which often increases their chances of physical and mental burnout and premature ageing. As a result, early signs of ageing on the face and body are triggering consumers, especially females, to seek solutions to delay the decline. Collagen and antioxidants are the most popular functional ingredients among consumers as they seek ‘quick fixes’ to improve physical appearance and delay ageing. Food and drink can play an important role in beauty as ingredients for healthy skin such as collagen are seeing high awareness and usage. It is essentials for brands to lead in educating consumers about ingredients and benefits the product delivers and offer convenient, effective and tasty beauty and weight management solutions to consumers,” concluded Pimwadee.
