Food & Beverage Asia December/January 2024

ON THE TABLE
27
Kerry’s customers are careful with
their product formulations and brands
as they, too, are consumers at heart
– hence, we have done a significant
amount of investigation through
different technologies to help them
achieve their goals. We are excited
about our advances in the space of
sugar and salt reduced taste solutions,
enabling innovations that are better for
people, better for the planet with no
compromise on taste,” said Moloney.
SUSTAINABLE AND
AFFORDABLE SOLUTIONS
Besides becoming increasingly
conscious of their diets, consumers
in South East Asia are also taking
note of sustainable action. As the
region is particularly vulnerable to the
effects of climate change, with rising
sea levels, heat waves, floods, and
droughts on the horizon, in addition
to poor labour condition in some parts
(including low wages, long working
hours, and unsanitary conditions),
consumers have begun to show their
support for brands who are clear
about their sustainability objectives.
Accordingly, food manufacturers
are feeling the pressure to deliver
their demands.
“There is governmental pressure
putting in rigorous regulations
around sustainable practices; there
is also financial investor pressure to
implement sustainable strategies
across organisations, particularly
for food and beverage
companies,” said Moloney.
“Kerry can help our customers
to meet these sustainable
needs – behind our smoke
and grill technology for
barbecued products,
for example, is an
energy-efficient smoking
condensing process
that reduces the amount
of carbon produced. We
also make use of upcycled
wood, therefore reducing
deforestation to zero, and
minimising pollutants and carbon
dioxide to the environment.”
In addition to sustainability,
affordability remains a key factor
for consumers who are feeling
the pinch of rising food prices
as a result of disrupted supply
chains, be it from climate change
or political events. Offering value
alongside great taste and on-trend
products thus forms yet another
consideration for food manufacturers.
“There are notable trends emerging
strongly across the region: an
increasing focus on health and selfcare,
signs of an evolution in the
interest in sustainability, a strong
and continued demand for novel,
‘Instagrammable’ and on-trend
traditional and fusion dishes,” Moloney
concurred. “But manufacturers
also need to balance these with the
inflation experience – the pressure
to reduce costs and offer value for
money to consumers is very real
and, of course, in such a foodie
region as Asia, there can never be
any compromise on great taste.”
Ronan Moloney, vice-president
of strategy and commercial
enablement, Kerry APMEA.
In all, the challenges for creating
great-tasting products in South
East Asia that leave a lasting
impression requires a delicate
understanding of the region’s
changing landscape and emerging
needs. Navigating other external
challenges such as price, supply
chain disruptions, and sustainability
targets will also be key. With that,
food manufacturers will require a
reliable helping hand to ensure that
all these factors are well covered.
Moloney concluded: “South East
Asia is ideally located and it’s an
exciting time for the region and we
can expect to see a lot of innovation
ahead. At Kerry, we are making
significant investments in South
East Asia, such as the opening
of our state-of-the-art taste
manufacturing facility in Indonesia
in Jun this year, and we continue
to invest in our technologies and
differentiating insights to help
customers bring great products
into their markets.” FBA
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA DECEMBER 2023 / JANUARY 2024