New research from the US backs growing evidence that food makers
wanting to slice acrylamide from their fried food products should
opt for lower cooking temperatures.
Ingredients companies including Cargill and Chr Hansen are
expanding facilities and picking up acquisitions in order to meet
growing global demand, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Spanish researchers show for the first time that bacteria, in
addition to yeast, are involved in the secondary fermentation of
the sparkling wine Cava.
Makers of snacks and crisps need new ways to tempt consumers as
competition from alternative healthier snack products start to
erode sales in Europe's biggest market, the UK.
In a new extensive study set to fuel the ongoing debate about the
health benefits of milk, researchers find dietary calcium and
skimmed milk are linked to weight gain, while dairy fat is not.
The UK will ask the European Commission to extend a concession on
the implementation next year of a directive banning manufacturers
and retailers from disposing food of animal origin in thecountry's
landfills, reports Ahmed ElAmin.
Spanish biotech firm Natraceutical will seek approval from
shareholders for a capital extension of €40 million to help finance
the acquisition of UK food ingredients business Braes Group.
Australia, the world's second largest wheat exporter, may be facing
up to a 30 per cent fall in its grain production this year, says a
report released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural
and Resource Economies...
Asda, the UK subsidiary of Wal-Mart, said yesterday it will buy 12
Safeway stores in Northern Ireland from Wm Morrison for £73.6m
(€109m), giving it a foothold on the island.
Acquisitive US ingredients firm Cargill builds up edible oil stocks
in Eastern Europe, announcing plans to buy a sunflower seed
crushing facility in Ukraine from Ukrainian consumer food company
Chumak, writes Lindsey Partos.
Warehouses supplying supermarkets across the UK must change the way
they use electronic tags to track their employees' movements so as
not to create "battery farm" style workplaces, the GMB workers'
union said...
As Europe prepares for tougher rules on allergen labelling, a new
study could help food makers by slicing away the allergenicity of
peanut products, reports Lindsey Partos.
Arla UK has been criticised for setting up a new wave of
instability through Britain's milk supply chain after it cut the
price it pays to farmers for milk, citing cost pressures,
reports Chris Mercer.
Nestle, the world's biggest foodmaker, has apologised to Chinese
consumers after the country's safety authorities detected too much
iodine in one of its milk-power brands.
The EU's farmers will have to take better care of their broiler
chickens under a proposed directive the European Commission has
adopted for submission to the bloc's Parliament.
It is a perversion of the 21st century that while affluent
societies continue the quest to slice the fat from their
increasingly obese populations, five million children die from
hunger each year, and more than 850m people go chronically...
In response to regulatory raids last week on fruit suppliers across
Europe, Chiquita has blamed some of its employees for sharing
pricing and volume information with its competitors on the
continent and in North America.
A panel of scientific experts at Europe's food agency concludes an
enzyme preparation used as a food additive for binding
reconstituted food is safe, and 'not likely' to raise the risk of
allergic or intolerance response.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has responded to
mounting criticism that a recent report may have minimized the
dangers of obesity, writes Anthony Fletcher.
The carotenoid market will break the billion dollar barrier by
2009, carried by a rise in demand for natural colourings and their
purported health properties.
The minimum age when the EU's butchers must remove the brain and
spinal cord from cattle could be raised to 21 months from the
current 12 months if the European Commission accepts a
recommendation from the bloc's food safety...
Russian cocktail maker Happyland has turned one brand into three to
try and take advantage of rapidly growing demand for low-alcoholic
cocktails containing fruit juices, reports Angela Drujinina.
Demand for ecologically clean food products has risen by a fifth in
Russia over the last five years despite consumer distrust of food
labels and the lack of legislative controls on ecological
production, reports Angela Drujinina.
The EU's Sugar Management Committee has backed a new regulation
demanding that five of the new member states destroy their surplus
sugar stocks or face fines, reports Chris Mercer.
Diversifying supplies and managing risk for the world's most
expensive, and popular, natural flavour, for the first time
ingredients giant Danisco receives a batch of sustainable organic
vanilla from an Indian monk, reports Lindsey...
Number one culture maker Chr Hansen launches new product based on
lactic acid to help salami and fermented sausage makers fight the
common food pathogen listeria, reports Lindsey Partos.
Major lactic acid supplier Purac to pass price rises onto the
market, as the Dutch firm announces increases between five and ten
per cent across a range of lactic acid and lactate products.
US ingredients player reaches deeper into Europe, clearing a deal
this week to buy industrial chocolate facility Schierstedter
Schokoladefabrik from existing customer, Ludwig Schokolade,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Annual pre-tax profit falls for UK sweetener and starch group Tate
& Lyle as higher costs and a one off lawsuit charge eat into
turnover for the year, reports Lindsey Partos.
As the milk industry feels the impact of a supposed rise in lactose
intolerance, a new study from the US confirms Europeans can drink
milk because their ancestors flourished in dairy pastures, passing
on gene mutations that maintain...
Nestle has launched an investigation into its milk products, after
a type of baby powder sold in Chinese supermarkets failed to meet
national standards over iodine content, reports Claire
Johnston.
Soy proteins, traditionally formulated in rival products to
dairy-based foods, are being added to regular yoghurts to reach
mainstream consumers in France, writes Dominique Patton.
Helping the food industry to manage the risk of unsafe chemicals in
food, a UN-backed initiative focuses on pinpointing the presence of
a wide range of contaminants in retail foods.
More transparency in the supply chain is required to satisfy
consumer curiosity about organic food and maintain demand, say
researchers, who claim shoppers are calling for more information
about quality, origins and authenticity,...
It is not how much you eat, but what you eat that could influence
life span, say UK researchers, investigating how calorie quality,
not quantity, may dictate longevity, writes Lindsey Partos.
Low doses of Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical widely used in plastic
food containers, baby bottles, cans, toys and dental sealants could
be a contributing factor to the development of breast cancer
inwomen, scientists say in a new study.
A meeting of agricultural seed industry experts this week is
focusing on some countries' quarantine regulations, which they say
are being used to hinder world trade.
Drinks makers looking for gains in the vibrant flavoured water
market could opt for new additions to WILD's exotic natural fruit
range, says the German flavour firm.
Encouraging signs for chocolate makers in Western Europe as a new
report suggests sales of chocolate tablets could be picking up
after a dip in recent years.
Tyson Foods has launched an investigation into whether some of its
workers are regularly slaughtering chickens inhumanely, after
claims by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about
practices at the company's Heflin,...
Normal exposure to phthalates, a chemical group used in plastics
packaging to make products flexible and pliable, may harm the
genital development of unborn baby boys, according to a study by
US-based scientists.