Leading industry bodies have endorsed a proposal by European safety chiefs to evaluate the safety of non-plastic food contact materials such as inks, coatings and adhesives.
As food and beverage products have taken Guidance Daily Amount (GDA) labelling around Europe, awareness and understanding has been increasing, according to Coca-Cola. But debate over the best format for EU-wide labelling continues.
Now a decade old, the UK’s Food Standards Agency is counting its achievements and scoping out new challenges ahead. It has set out a new strategy for science and evidence, which will underscore its methodologies for the next five years.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will host a May summit at its Italian headquarters that will provide a rare opportunity for direct dialogue between stakeholders and the agency’s health claims panel.
High intakes of trans-fatty acids, an enfant terrible of the food industry, may increase the risk of stroke in post-menopausal women by 30 per cent, says a new study.
After a period of de-stocking in the first half of 2009, DSM’s nutrition business has weathered the economic slump well; pharma, too, picked up speed towards the end of the year.
Dutch bakery ingredients supplier CSM, in releasing its 2009 full year results, said it saw more consolidation in the industry with the expected narrower supplier base leading to synergy savings and thus lower costs for the industrial, artisan and in-store...
A new country of origin labelling (COOL) code of practice for pork introduced in the UK yesterday will benefit meat processors, producers and consumers, said one industry body.
From Disney to Tony the Tiger, consumer groups have been campaigning hard to break the links between childhood icons and unhealthy foods. But furry friends and super-heroes are now putting in more of an appearance on healthy products.
The Romanian food industry association Romalimenta Federation believes the proposed junk food tax will boost the black market and stimulate fiscal fraud, and in the worst case could harm food safety.
A revolutionary microwave sterilisation processing technique that dramatically extends food shelf life while preserving its nutrients, taste and texture has been approved by US regulators.
With childhood obesity rates apparently sky rocketing around the world, celebrity chefs redesigning school meals, and international initiatives to influence what our children eat, now is an interesting time for child nutrition.
The Scottish government is proposing a series of actions to reduce consumption of energy-dense foods as part of a bid to curb obesity in the country, and has not ruled out regulations.
The Romanian initiative to levy a tax on unhealthy food and beverage products has garnered new support in Brussels, with public health activitists and politicians hailing it as a model for other member states.
New opportunities for food scientists are expected to open up in 2010, according to a recruitment specialist, as the sector has weathered the recession relatively well and is taken advantage of the pool of job-seeking talent.
A game changing high pressure processing (HPP) system makes improved food safety technology more affordable and responds to the growing trend for preservative-free products, said manufacturer Avure Technologies.
Controlling the release of salt in foods may be one avenue to reduce salt but maintain flavour, and British researchers report that fat micro-crystals may just do what is necessary.
Kerry Ingredients and Flavours’ new unified strategy to doing business across all its divisions can help manufacturers rise market challenges and tough competition, says its strategic marketing chief.
A European plastics industry body has welcomed new research which found no evidence that bisphenol A (BPA) damages the nervous system of female rats and their offspring.
Energy shot drinks have come under fire from German authorities which are employing an old-school prohibition logic that history has repeatedly dunce-hatted.
Recession-hit 2009 wrecked havoc for multinationals in many sectors, but Nestle’s full year results show a company relatively unscathed and still reporting good growth rates.
As Gulfood opens its doors in Dubai the global food industry is turning its attention to the rich opportunities presented by the Middle Eastern market, and consumer tastes and preferences there.
Salt levels similar to those currently consumed in the Western diet may lead to hardening of arteries, independent of blood pressure effects, say new results that “confirm the potentially detrimental effects of a high dietary salt intake”.
Experts from Unilever, the Food Standards Authority (FSA), National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) have mapped out future threats to food safety and strategies to tackle them in a new study.
Kraft has announced that it will begin to end pension increases for current and non-union hourly employees from year end 2019 but the US food group did not provide any clues in regulatory filings as to the future of the 100-year-old Cadbury pension fund.
The Naturex Foundation, an initiative of French ingredients firm Naturex, has reported good progress on its three ongoing community projects in places from where it sources raw materials.
Nanotechnology holds great potential and is being used increasingly in food and consumer products. So far, the connotations have mostly been positive. However this promising start is now at risk of being reversed. There is a very real danger that a scare...
Demand for corrugated paper and board food packaging in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is set to be hit by the recession with either minimal or negative growth forecast over the next five years.
Cognis is launching a new whipping agent based on soy protein, which is suitable for desserts for the lactose- and milk-free markets, and for vegetarians and vegans.
Kellogg said it has fully addressed all the “significant deviations” from food production good practice at its Listeria-hit waffle plant, as catalogued by US safety regulators in a letter published Tuesday.
Cost savings and a strategy that fits with chocolate eating habits in the recession have meant for an acceptable full year for AAK, topped off with an especially good Q4.
Trans-fat containing margarine and other shortenings used in cakes may be substituted by olive oil without affecting textural properties or flavour and aroma, says a new study from Greece.
Beverage formulators looking at next generation products could harness the sweetening and prebiotic effects of tagatose in acidic drinks, says a new study supporting the stability of the ingredient.
Firmenich has announced the opening of a new affiliate in Dubai, in a bid to deepen its understanding of Middle Eastern consumers’ flavour and fragrance preferences.
Reduction of meat and dairy intake on climate change grounds would pose nutritional concerns for some nutrients but better public health advice on alternative sources and fortification could bridge the gap, write nutritional and climate experts from the...
British Airways (BA) has announced plans to establish a biomass plant in the UK that will use biomass – including food waste - to eventually produce millions of tonnes green jet fuel a year.
Developed countries can help improve global food security by earmarking aid to set up sustainable fisheries in developing countries, reports a team of experts in Science.
A Yerba Maté beverage is set to be one of the first products on French shelves sweetened with stevia-derived rebaudioside-A (Reb-A), recalling a traditional use of the plant by Guarani Indians in Paraguay.
Adding the pulp of acai to probiotic yoghurt may boost the shelf-life of probiotic yoghurt, as well as improving the fat profile of the functional food, says a new study.
Latin America and Asia led the way with strong sales for Givaudan’s flavour division in 2009, prodding it towards 1.9 per cent sales growth in local currencies in a tough year for industry.
A standard for measuring the antioxidant-rich cocoa flavanols in chocolate products, a broadening of the market for functional chocolate as well as boosting consumer awareness are the objectives of a new alliance between Mars Inc and Barry Callebaut.
DSM and Anchor BioTechnologies have agreed to set up a joint venture bringing their bio-tech wine ingredients together under one roof in the south of France.
Bravo! The beverage industry has responded enthusiastically to Mrs. Obama’s campaign to tackle childhood obesity - but there’d better be more than froth behind that sparkling rhetoric.
EU food safety bodies have signed up to a plan to develop common methodologies for collecting food consumption data across the bloc, which will allow for more accurate exposure assessment and could reduce compliance cost for industry.
A survey by a protein ingredient supplier indicates that 12 per cent of Brits have reduced their meat consumption in the last five years, for weight management, cost or environmental and ethical reasons.
A combination of grape seed oil and rice bran fibre may allow fat reduction of 10 per cent, and 50 per cent replacement of pork back fat in meat emulsions, says a new study.
A new international standard on radio frequency (RF) tags has been issued to improve the tracking and traceability of products in the global supply chain.