CME Group expands into health food business

Group partnersBioalpha Holdings to develop, make and supply supplements for markets in Southeast Asia

PETALING JAYA: CME Group Bhd is expanding into the distribution of health food products via wholly owned subsidiary CME Health Sdn Bhd.

For CME Health’s maiden venture, it had recently tied up with integrated health supplement company Bioalpha Holdings Bhd’s wholly owned subsidiary, Bioalpha International Sdn Bhd (BISB) to develop, manufacture and supply health food supplements that aim to improve overall immunity as well as strengthen respiratory systems.

BISB shall act as the product development partner and manufacturer, while CME Health becomes the exclusive sole distributor in

Southeast Asia.

Via BISB, Bioalpha has a long-term partnership with Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine (“Guangxi University”) to collaborate in areas of R&D of traditional chinese medicine (TCM)-based immunity products. It is also one of the collaborators in the China-Asean Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Traditional Medicine Research.

At its collaboration kick off ceremony yesterday, CME Health introduced its first health food product in collaboration with Bioalpha, a TCM supplement for immunity.

“[It] can be beneficial for body heat clearing, phlegm elimination and detoxification, among others. This makes it suitable for individuals in contact with infectious sources and those susceptible to body weaknesses, among others,” it said.

CME Group executive director Azlan Omry Omar said following the pandemic outbreak, it has seen rising health awareness and increasing interest in health products, especially for immunity-related offerings.

“Keeping this in mind, we believe there is great potential to be reaped and are positioning ourselves to capture arising opportunities in this growing market. This will also provide CME with an additional revenue stream, further accelerating our growth,” he said.

Bioalpha chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat added that the collaboration is a strategic one for them as it is in line with its aim to expand its range of products and client base.