Dutch infant food and nutrition company Royal Numico has achieved
full-year double-digit growth for the first time, as strong sales
in Eastern European and Asian markets deflect rising costs.
As the bird flu grip on Europe increases by the day, scientists
have begun to publicly debate the role of nutraceuticals as
possible preventatives in the wake of news that availability of
anti-viral drugs may be "too little,...
The leading global soup firm this week announced that it is to
slash salt content in its products by up to 45 percent, a move that
underlines continued industry efforts to attract consumers with a
wider variety of 'healthy'...
Most Americans are unaware of the nation's new dietary guidelines,
but a strong majority of consumers say they would like to see
companies offering more health tips on their product labels,
according to a new study.
Chiquita has said that 2005 was a "terrific" year for the
company, despite a $19m net loss in its fourth quarter resulting
largely from the flooding of 1,600 hectares of the company's banana
farms in Honduras.
EFSA's acting director claims that this weeks meeting with
environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) was a success,
despite a huge gulf in opinion.
Drinking Concord grape juice appears to reverse the course of
neuronal and behavioural aging in rats, an effect that is proposed
to be due to the complex mix of polyphenols.
A study on maternal exposure to chemicals found in foods, could
potentially do damage to manufacturers' attempts to assure the
public that processed products are safe to eat.
The announcement that Mauricio Graber will take over as head of
Givaudan's flavours division comes after the firm reported modest
flavour results for 2005.
The EU's controversal approval of decisions by France and the
Netherlands' to start vaccinating their poultry highlights the
fault lines in the bloc's response to avian influenza.
The addition of protein to a carbohydrate-containing beverage
provides benefits superior to traditional carbohydrate based
beverages, claims the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) on sports
nutrition and performance.
Finnish dairy company Valio, and Germany's biggest dairy company
Nordmilch eG have announced an alliance that will enable them to
concentrate capacity for 'special products' like functional milks
and probiotics.
Europes biotech industry has criticised Romania's proposed ban on
transgenic soybeans, claiming that the decision will negatively
impact both the European food industry and consumers.
Britain's Competition Commission (CC) has granted provisional
clearance for Heinz' acquisition of HP's leading sauce and canned
goods brands - and looks set to give full consent in April.
US manufacturer Kraft Foods has announced a "fewer, bigger, better"
policy, concentrating on crucial brands in key areas as the firm
suffers from lagging performance.
Consumers are demanding more fair trade food products than ever
before, but can the food industry adapt its free market sourcing
policies in time to maintain brand respect?
Consumer acceptance of genetically engineered (GE) food has slipped
in recent years, according to a new study that brings together
results from a number of national surveys.
Inconsistencies in information provided by McDonald's over the
allergen content of its French fries have resulted in the fast food
giant facing a public relations nightmare together with possibly
unfounded lawsuits.
Natural oils maker Martek Biosciences yesterday announced that its
key product, the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, is to be used in a new
soymilk product, which could allow the manufacturers to stress the
product's eye and brain health...
Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel explains why the formal adoption
this week of the EU sugar reforms was vital, and why it doesn't
mean the end for Europe's sugar industry.
Philippe Brunet, the European Commission's deputy head of cabinet,
has been unveiled as the keynote speaker at a pivotal conference on
the future of vending in Europe.
Revision of the EU Council regulation governing organic food would
allow GM contamination and obscure the local origins of organic
food, according to the Soil Associations Peter Melchett.
Food firms are increasingly targeting the UKs value-added milk
sector as they re-align their businesses and move away from
commodity products, says a new report.
With the licensing of three equipment manufacturers in the US and
Europe, a company's quick sterilization technology for canned foods
has gone from prototype to market launch.
New methods need to be develop to prevent Campylobacter in
transport coopsand during carcass defeathering, critical points at
which contamination ofbroilers and broiler carcasses occurs,
according to new research.
A lack of convincing evidence means that firm conclusions on the
role of artificial sweeteners in weight loss cannot yet be made,
according to a scientist.
Joint health from sheeps' wool, kiwi fruit crossed with berries and
calcium-boosting bone extract… innovative ingredients from a small
Pacific archipelago are starting to make a disproportionately big
impact in the world of nutrition.
Aided by a common protozoa, Salmonella cells are three times likely
to survive the treatments used by food processors to clean
equipment, according to a scientific study.
Advertisements for Kellogg's Coco Pops Straws have been referred to
the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a consumer
watchdog claimed they were misleading to children and adults.
Britain's number two supermarket chain has announced plans to spend
£400m on a series of store extensions and new openings, in keeping
with parent company Wal-Mart's vision of continuing global
supremacy.
US agribusiness firm Cargill on Friday filed an appeal of a judge's
ruling in December that prevents the company from enforcing patents
for high oleic oils.
The deadly form of avian influenza has hit Europe's largest poultry
producer, with France's government confirming over the weekend that
the H5N1 form of the virus was found in a dead duck and possibly
some swans.
Europe's food safety authority is holding a high level meeting with
scientists this Wednesday to discuss the future development of
Genetically Modified (GM) food within the bloc.
Little has been done over the past decade to reduce the risk of
children's exposure to pesticides through the foods they consume,
according to an Organic Center symposium held yesterday.
As Tesco prepares to take its lucrative convenience store blueprint
to the American west coast, it may find stiff competition waiting
from a Japanese retailer busy establishing a similar niche empire.
Food safety authorities in Britain and Germany are checking soft
drinks for benzene after tests suggest a private deal with soft
drinks firms in the US, 15 years ago, failed to fix the problem.
McCormick has announced that it is to acquire the remaining 49
percent of Dessert Products International (DPI) as the company
continues its efforts to simplify its business and focus on areas
with strong growth potential.
