National Starch believes that enabling food companies to label
their products as containing no or minimal additives or ingredients
is set to be a highly lucrative practice in the future, write
Anthony Fletcher.
The recent evolution of supply and demand issues for non-GM
lecithin is pushing ingredients manufacturers such as Danisco to
promote their alternatives on the market, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Milk prices paid to UK producers are notoriously low, yet tough
streamlining has positioned the dairy industry well to cope with
new EU CAP reforms and subsidy cuts that seem increasingly likely,
writes Chris Mercer.
Following up on the company's policy on further international
expansion, Wal-Mart's chief executive Lee Scott, indicated the
world's largest retailer was now ready to go after the market's
currenttop dogs.
The European Commission does not favour setting up a single system
for the eco-labelling of fish and fish products, according to a
consultation document issued yesterday.
Ambitious ingredients firm Cargill reaches into its deep pockets,
strengthening its portfolio to food makers in China through the
acquisition of an academia supported food ingredients firm based in
Peking, reports Lindsey Partos.
Number four flavour house Symrise builds a tool that brings new
opportunities in product development for food technologists through
a stronger understanding of the complex nature of foodstuffs,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Job losses at leading lactic acid supplier Purac are on the cards
as the firm's owner, bakery ingredients supplier CSM, continues its
restructuring programme to strengthen core activities.
As global food risks continue to threaten the food supply - from
ingredients to end products - the UN's risk assessor strengthens
its presence, writes Lindsey Partos.
ScoringSystem has launched an Internet-based record keeping system
and database to allow companies to track their food products
throughout the supply chain using radio frequency identification
(RFID) and a new way of determining the...
The use of desalted cod in the preparation of ready made meals
could lead to an increased incidences of food poisoning unless
measures are taken to limit its shelf life to a maximum of one
week,according to EU-funded research.
Diets high in saturated and trans fats could be a major risk factor
in the development of type 2 diabetes, say Canadian researchers,
reports Lindsey Partos.
A lawsuit targeting Kraft, General Mills and Dannon for dishonest
advertising over weight-loss claims has been attacked as a front
for animal rights extremists, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Despite soaring sales figures for health-positioned products, new
research suggests the health message has yet to reach children,
reports Lindsey Partos.
Sales of diet candy more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2004,
fueled by better-tasting products, improved formulations and
heightened concern over weight gain in adults and children,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
An industrial cleaning wash for fruits and vegetables uses a
chlorine dioxide solution to reduce harmful bacteria and extend
shelf life, according to the product's manufacturer.
Food pathogens and harmful toxins dominate the EU's food risk alert
system this week, detected in a range of products from fish and
cheese to pistachios and chilli powder, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Far from being an unhealthy treat, the scientific evidence is
support of the health benefits of eating dark chocolate are
stacking up. The latest research indicates that the flavonoid-rich
substance could have a protective effect...
Ingredients players and food makers could expect some relief in soy
ingredients prices as soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade
fell yesterday, reports Lindsey Partos.
Reflecting ongoing product development for low-fat lines targeting
the health conscious consumer Yoplait Dairy Crest launches a new
line of dessert recipe yoghurts that hinges on a range of fruit
flavours.
With the deadline approaching for a new global standard on managing
food safety in plants, the industry is gearing up to train
employees on how to keep contaminants out of the processing line.
Ongoing divisions over GM ingredients once again evident in Europe
as EU ministers throw out an attempt by the Commission to overturn
bans on growing legal GM crops currently in place in a handful of
member states, reports Lindsey...
Cost pressures on food producers and processors operating in Russia
look likely to increase as prices for sunflower seed oil rise ever
more rapidly, reports Angela Drujinina.
OST Group, one of Russia's biggest drinks producers, will spend ˆ6m
on bottled water production lines in the next six months as new
figures show the market is soaring, writes Angela Drujinina.
Nestlé has launched new sweets and biscuits in Russia as intense
competition has forced the firm to invest heavily in what is now
the world's fourth biggest confectionery market, reports Angela
Drujinina.
Our journalist Angela Drujinina brings you the latest
research on Russia¡¯s chocolate market, including producers¡¯
concerns, the market situation and market leaders.
Soy milk has been Western Europe's fastest growing 'dairy' sector
over the last six years, presenting new challenges to dairy firms
via consumer health trends and new fears over lactose intolerance,
reports Chris Mercer.
Number four flavours and fragrance group Symrise heads into the
second round of bidding for the food chemicals arm of German group
Degussa, reports Lindsey Partos.
Georgia Research Tech Institute is developing a new pathogen
biosensor for the poultry industry as part of its work to extend
the use of such devices to the food industry.
Underlining the massive potential that exists for food makers and
ingredients players in China, new data reveals only about 30 per
cent of food in China is processed, compared to 80 per cent in
western nations, reports Lindsey Partos.
Sweeping changes to EU sugar regime would put Europe's cereal
starch sweetener industry at risk, threatening job losses and even
possible business closures, warns the industry this week,
reports Lindsey Partos.
Food safety for Chinese milk powders hits the headlines again as
authorities detect excessive iodine content in another Nestle baby
milk powder, according to Chinese news reports.
Adding fuel to the already heated debate on GM foods and
ingredients, the UN's World Health Organisation claims genetically
modified foods can contribute to enhancing human health and
development.
A new molecular biology center could transform our understanding of
taste and smell perception and help the food industry tackle
pressing issues such as salt substitution, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
A call by the World Health Organisation for further safety
assessments on using genetically modified (GM) foods should give
governments pause for thought before giving their approval for
their wider use of the technology.
Food makers to gain from new data on presence of the potential
carcinogen acrylamide in a wide range of food products as US
authorities release fresh data.
Sweeping changes to Europe's subsidised sugar regime announced
yesterday will see sugar prices cut by 39 per cent paid to
companies that include sugar and sweetener suppliers Danisco and
Tate and Lyle, but will bring price relief...
Fat replacers, emulsifiers and antioxidants lead value growth in
the global €18 billion food additives market, while sweeteners and
acidulants are increasingly impacted by competition from Asia.
Joining the lively salt debate scientists at Europe's food watchdog
today issues an opinion concerning the upper limit for sodium
intake and confirm current consumption levels are a risk factor in
heart and renal diseases, reports...
The vitamin A in carrots has long been believed to aid night
vision, but new research from Harvard Medical Center indicates that
the whole spectrum of fruit and vegetables could help preserve
sight by reducing the risk of developing...
Mobile phones with cameras transformed into barcode readers could
give consumers better nutritional information about the food they
buy than that currently found on labels, reports Dominique
Patton.
Post sudan 1 debacle, a UK food manufacturer defends the safety of
food additives used in its curry formulations, but receives a
complaint through the UK's advertising watchdog.
Consolidation in the European fats business likely as Aarhus United
shareholders yesterday clear the way for the merger with number one
Scandinavian fats and oils firms Karlshamns, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Food and drink makers could soon expect cheaper sugar ingredients
with Brussels expected to publish its proposals on EU sugar reform
today, writes Lindsey Partos.
Weak figures from the flavour division and a testing European and
North American market knock end of year results for Danish
ingredients and sugar player Danisco, but Rhodia acquisition starts
to pay off, reports Lindsey Partos.
Irish dairy and food group Dairygold flags up high-margin
value-added food products, pouring €15.6 million into a new R&D
centre that will double its food scientists.
Electronic Sensor Technology's gas sniffer is undergoing trials in
the agricultural sector as a food quality tester, to see whether it
can detect the gasses of bug infestation in plants in one test and
in another, the vapors...