China focus: Danone’s sales growth, Fiji Kava’s new distribution strategy, expanded use of B vitamins, latest research findings and more
China expands use of B vitamins into sports drinks, raises maximum dosage of taurine
China’s food safety authorities have allowed the use of vitamins B1 and B2 in beverages for special purposes, such as sports and nutritive drinks.
At the moment, vitamins B1 and B2 are allowed to be incorporated as food additives into dairy powder for children and pregnant women, as well as soy powder, soymilk powder, soy milk, gum base candy, rice and products made from rice etc.
The approved dosage of these vitamins in the beverages is set at 2mg/kg to 5mg/kg.
On the other hand, taurine is currently approved for use in beverages for special purposes. Its maximum permitted dosage has been raised from 0.5g/kg to 0.6g/kg.
More firepower: Fiji Kava’s on its new China’s distribution strategy and name change to The Calmer Co
ASX-listed Fiji Kava first distributed on Alibaba’s Tmall platform via its distributor, PuMate (Shanghai) Limited, in January 2022.
In April this year, the firm handed the reigns over to RooLife, which specialises in cross-border e-commerce to handle its distribution in Australia and China.
CEO Anthony Noble explained that the distributor change was due to its strategy to move from purely online to a brick-and-mortar flagship store. While some sales have been generated on Tmall, it has not been significant, he added.
Review: Supplements boost lean leg muscle mass but show little benefit on strength
A new systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), including data from 339 subjects, found dietary supplements have protective effects on lean muscle mass but not on strength, amongst patients suffering from disuse muscular atrophy.
The authors from Jiangxi, China, concluded that while dietary supplements can improve lean leg mass, they are unlikely to affect muscle strength, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), muscle fibre type distribution, peak aerobic capacity or muscle volume during muscle disuse.
C-sec and probiotics: Intake benefits microbiome development in 6–12-month-old infants - China RCT
Lactobacillus paracasei N1115 (Lp N1115) supplementation for 12 weeks improved the gut immunity and helped maintain faecal pH levels in infants born via C-section, a new RCT by Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Shijiazhuang Junlebao Dairy Co., Ltd. reveals.
Lp N1115 is commonly found in fermented milk products.
The impact was also found to be greater in those aged between six and 12 months, which may be due to factors such as weaning during this period and supplementary food addition, accelerating the development of infant humoral immunity and making them more susceptible to probiotics.
Infant, adult nutrition-led: Danone's sales growth highest in China, North Asia, Oceania in first quarter 2023
China, North Asia, and Oceania contributed the highest sales growth for Danone at 16% in the first quarter of year 2023, led by increased purchases of its key products, including infant nutrition and adult specialties.
In total, the three regions delivered a like-for-like sales growth of 16% in the first quarter of this year.
A part of its specialised nutrition portfolio, Danone’s infant nutrition range reported “a strong start to the year fuelled by higher shipments” in China in the first quarter of this year.
