Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have
created a fat replacement additive rich in soluble fiber,
beta-glucan, to tap into the low-fat food market.
Codex has launched a searchable web-based version of its standard
General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) to inform food firms
about the latest developments.
Intake of omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish and fish oil
supplements has no effect on mortality, heart disease or cancer,
concludes a new review, but guidelines should continue for
consumption.
Wrangling between the UK dairy industry and the country's food
watchdog is set to continue over salt slashing targets, after both
failed to reach an agreement to cut salt in blue cheese.
American consumers are eating safer, according to new findings that
reveal the number of 'risky foods' consumed has declined
significantly in recent years.
A UN report on the dramatic drop in cases of Bovine Spongiform
Encepalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease" worldwide, could help food
companies win back former beef eaters.
A new report rating the nation's organic dairy brands according to
ethical farming practices has sparked fierce debate in the industry
as it accuses a number of market leaders of "shortchanging
organic consumers."
A survey of dried noodles on the market by Ireland's regulator
highlights the problems food companies face in meeting regulations
on irradiation in the EU and worldwide.
The EC has approved measures designed to promote food products in
countries outside the EU in order to counter growing concern over
global competition.
A report on avian influenza from the EU's food safety watchdog
could help to calm consumer fears about eating poultry and eggs,
even though the regulator's scientists have also sounded a note of
caution.
Six months after its launch, a new sweetener that claims to be
all-natural, low calorie, low glycemic, nutritionally fortified and
fully functional has attracted "staggering" interest.
FoodNavigator-USA talks to manufacturer...
The increasing availability of locally ingredients and food is
driving sales of products with a clear provenance, according to a
new report commissioned by Food from Britain (FFB).
Eating a diet with omega-3-rich oily fish could stop the spread of
prostate cancer, but omega-6 fatty acids appear to promote the
spread, says new research.
Newly published salt reduction targets have been cautiously
welcomed by the UK food industry as being 'more realistic than the
2005 proposals', though health campaigners are furious.
The UK free-from food market, including dairy-, gluten- and
wheat-free products, is set to double on the back of growing
consumer concern over health and well-being.
A full-page ad in the New York Times encourages consumers to steer
clear of palm oil, claiming increased demand for the ingredient is
driving the orangutan towards extinction.
A range of trays and depanning suction cups are the latest products
to be made out of metal-detectable plastic produced for the food
industry by a UK company.
Masquelier's grapevine seed extract could reduce free radical
damage of blood vessel cells by 85 per cent and protect against
heart disease, says new research.
The adoption of detailed documentation requirements for genetically
modified (GM) food in the international trade of agricultural
commodities has been met with caution by grain and cereal
importers.
Last week Morrison's supermarket chain opened the UK's first
ethanol pump at a forecourt in Norwich - becoming the latest firm
to embrace the burgeoning 'right-on' retail movement.
Danisco's consolidated profit plummeted 25 per cent as expected to
DKK 726 million for the nine months to 31 January, due largely to
costs associated with integrating enzyme business Genencor.
The success of soy drinks shows that the UK functional drinks
market is highly lucrative something that the dairy industry must
take full advantage of, says Organic Monitor.
American consumers are aware of the levels of harmful contaminants
in seafood, but this has not prevented them from omitting fish from
their diets, says a new report.
Scientific evidence says that consumption of soy from the diet or
as supplements should not cause alarm despite negative reports
about risks, a view that has been supported by a major US industry
group.
Owen Warnock, partner and food law expert at law firm Eversheds,
believes that UK plans to simplify the regulation and legislation
of the food industry are to be welcomed.
Dynamic Food Ingredients (DFI) has licensed technology designed to
make the production of xylitol, a natural sweetener that is claimed
to have health benefits, more affordable.
Greencore, the ingredients and food service group, said EU sugar
reform would force it to pull out of the sugar sector this year,
effectively spelling the end of sugar processing in Ireland.
Avian influenza was found in a wild bird in Denmark this week,
making it the eleventh EU member to report a suspected or confirmed
case of the Asian strain of the H5N1 virus in the bloc.
European consumers are increasingly skipping meals at home and
instead opting to snack or eat in restaurants, a trend that is set
to continue on the back of hectic lifestyles, says a new report by
Datamonitor.
The standards for infant formulations, a topic of continued
discussion with the Codex Committee, is being driven by commercial
interests and not science say two paediatricians, claims that have
been refuted by the industry.
The EU's food safety authority has found that allergens in molluscs
are not reliably reduced by processing techniques, paving the way
for the bloc to impose labelling requirements on a variety of
foods.
Rhubarb, the favourite of granddads and school dinners across the
country, has seen sales more than double after recent endorsements
from celebrity chefs in the UK.
Europe has no time for national champions if it is to compete in
the world, warned the European Commission president Wednesday, as
French president Jacques Chirac dismissed claims that France was
protectionist.