Bird spit coffee? Asia firms seek global appetite for China delicacy

A worker uses tweezers to remove feathers from a bird's nest at a processing plant in Kuala Lumpur, Feb 17. [Photo / Agencies]

Lee Kong Heng, president of the Malaysian Federation of Bird's Nest Traders Association, says marketing bird's nest as a supplement would attract younger, wealthier and more health-conscious consumers worldwide.

Vietnam's largest birds' nest producer Yen Viet Joint Stock Co. is also keen to play up the benefits of the delicacy. The company makes cereals and porridge and is investing into scientific research in a bid to increase global sales, said Chief Executive Dang Pham Minh Loan.

Malaysian bird's nest producers are well placed to market to the majority Muslim Middle East because the nests are halal, or a food permissible under Islam, Swiftlet Eco Park's Loke said.

With more research, he hopes birds nest will become a global phenomenon. "We can conduct research and prove the benefit of consuming bird's nest scientifically," he said.