What's new in China?
1. China’s Meituan-Dianping leads $87m in Series B funding in Wangjiahuan
Wangjiahuan, formally known as Guangdong Wangjiahuan Agricultural Products Group, was established in 1995 to provide agricultural products farming, processing & distribution, agricultural products logistics park development and construction, catering management, as well as other related services. The company claimed to have a combined 133.33 million sqm of agricultural production bases, serving more than 200 food brands and nearly 20,000 large-scale institutional clients nationwide, according to the statement. The firm now has over 130 subsidiaries, joint ventures and branch offices across China.
Users can now use third-party, Bytedance’s Jinri Toutiao services to order deliveries from restaurants, grocery stores and pharmacies or browse the latest job listings from within the app ostensibly meant for news consumption.
3. Delivery platforms like Meituan and Eleme provide ‘contactless delivery’ to prevent the spread of Covid-19
Customers and drivers can use the app to decide where to drop off the order. At the checkout page, customers can click on “contactless delivery” feature and then they set where the order should be dropped off.
What's new in Asia?
1. Gojek’s food delivery arm launches subscription service in Indonesia
Indonesian unicorn Gojek has launched new features for its food delivery arm, GoFood, including a subscription plan, a pickup option, and guaranteed food delivery time.
2. Uber sells its India food business for 9.99% stake in local rival Zomato
“Uber sold its food delivery business in India to the local rival Zomato for $206 million. The exit of Uber Eats from India has made the local food delivery market a duopoly between Zomato and Swiggy. According to industry estimates, Swiggy is the top food delivery business in India.”
3. Nepali food delivery startup Foodmandu secures series B money
“Founded in 2010, Foodmandu delivers food from over 500 restaurants across three cities in Kathmandu Valley through its pool of 200 riders. It also delivers fresh vegetables, beverages, and cakes to its patrons from farmers’ markets, wholesalers, and hotels. It recently added augmented reality features to its platform. According to the statement, Foodmandu’s business grew almost 10x over the last four years.”
4. Foodpanda launches 15-minute grocery-delivery service
“Singapore food-delivery service, Foodpanda, has officially rolled-out its instant grocery delivery service, Pandamart, in Hong Kong. Partnering with 1000 retailers and selling more than 14,000 items, Foodpanda has expanded its service from restaurant take-outs to the delivery of groceries and daily necessities such as beauty and baby-care products. Currently, Foodpanda has 4000 drivers and aims to double its fleet size and increase the number of partner restaurants from 7000 currently to 12,000 this year.”
What's new in the rest of the World ?
1.HungryPanda, a food delivery app for Chinese communities in cities around the world, raises $20 million
Founded in the United Kingdom, where its service first launched in Nottingham, HungryPanda is now available in 31 cities in the U.K., Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.
2. Plant-based foods' market value rises to $5B, report says
The 2019 plant-based sales statistics are likely to fuel more worries for producers of conventional dairy and meat products as they watch the plant-based segment continue to chip away at their market share. Some industry players such as Perdue and Tyson have gotten into plant-based meat alternatives, but those that don't could face more sales losses. Meat producers could potentially minimize that decline by focusing even more on their sustainability efforts to boost their image with consumers.
From seaweed snacks to ‘clean’ keto, Future Cubed food futurist Tony Hunter forecasts what consumer trends will shape food and beverage innovation by focusing on a ten-year timeframe.
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