New, and unusual, opportunities in biotech foods, as Japanese food
scientists claim eating genetically modified soybeans could promote
hair growth and prevent hair loss.
In the same week that the world's number one ice cream maker
announces the roll out of health and wellness ice cream to fuel
growth, Israeli flavours firm Frutarom launches its functional ice
cream product range.
The health benefits of differing low-fat diets are far from equal,
say researchers, suggesting that a low-fat diet rich in vegetables
and fruits has twice the cholesterol-lowering power of a
conventional low-fat diet.
Pushing the case for a moderate fat diet, researchers find that
eating too much fat could lead to a fatty liver, and possible
damage to this vital organ.
ASI Instruments has launched ShieldPoint, a series of radio
frequency capacitance switches designed for point level detection
in challenging food applications such as sticky slurries,reports
Anthony Fletcher.
Opportunities are flourishing for flavour suppliers targeting
health-positioned drinks as number one soft drinks firm Coca-Cola
says it will push R&D investment in health positioned products.
Ending months of speculation, the food ingredients arm of Chr
Hansen has a new owner: not a fellow industry player but food
acquisitive private equity firm PAI partners, reports Lindsey
Partos.
While acceptance of genetically modified ingredients remains
divided across the globe, recent field trials in China suggest GM
rice could reduce health problems and increase yields in the
burgeoning Chinese market.
Health benefits of the Mediterranean diet continue to gain credence
with yet another study showing a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and
olive oil could reduce the risk of heart disease.
A port operator and an RFID supplier are building an RFID-based
network to track and manage containerised ocean cargo, a move that
could save companies billions and guarantee supply chain safety,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Highly refined soybean oil does not cause reactions in people who
are allergic to soybeans, claim US food scientists at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
A mineral and vitamin mixture that cuts the browning and extends
the shelf-life of sliced apples could encourage consumers to eat
more fruit, say researchers, Lindsey Partos reports.
Russian meat firm Mikoyan has been named as the most popular meat
producer on the Russian market. Angela Drujinina talks to
Russian firm Mikoyan about the challenges and opportunities in
Russia's developing meat sector.
Young Russian snacks maker Sibirsky Bereg appears to have captured
consumers' imagination with an array of experimental flavours and
products, overtaking PepsiCo's Lay's brand in market share and
growing by up to 50...
Food enzymes contribute a quarter of sales revenue to the overall
enzyme business in the first quarter, says Danish firm Novozymes,
marking a one per cent rise in contribution on the previous year,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Moves to reform the European sugar regime will accelerate after the
EU loses its appeal against a World Trade Organisation decision
that its handouts to sugar farmers are illegal, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Bunge said last week that its first-quarter profit shot up 40
percent on the back of increased soybean yields, provoking the
company to raise its outlook for the year, writes Philippa
Nuttall.
The growing organic business is gaining more attention from food
manufacturers. In an effort to understand better the benefits of
such products, Dean Foods and its WhiteWave Foods division have
donated $100,000 to the Organic Center...
Dutch bakery ingredients firm CSM continues to focus on core
business, clearing the sale of its sugar confectionery unit Malaco
Leaf to investment companies Nordic Capital and CVC Capital
Partners.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US will host a
forum next month to examine the role that soy foods can play in
managing a person's weight.
A bid by Asda for retail rival Somerfield would mark an important
new strategy for Britain's number two supermarket, with competition
authorities by no means certain to stand in the way of a deal,
reports Chris Mercer.
European scientists agree that efforts to reduce the potential
carcinogen acrylamide from the European food chain must continue,
and that science must focus on long-term studies to build a
stronger picture of the impact this genotoxic...
Sales and operating profit improve "considerably" in the first
quarter for the food unit of Dutch chemicals and life sciences
group DSM, the firm reports.
Spearing the booming global €30 billion market for functional
foods, Australian food scientists will receive funding from their
government to develop and apply new technologies to protect the
health-promoting activity of ingredients.
The majority of British consumers are 'confused' by health messages
on food products: meanwhile chocolate and snacks are the last
products to be ditched in a diet regime, finds a new report.
Tate & Lyle was yesterday taken to task by environmental groups
and local residents over its plans to extend its Splenda factory in
McIntosh, Alabama, reports Philippa Nuttall.
Low growth and higher production costs in the US knock first half
profit for Chr Hansen's ingredients business, that posted a 9 per
cent fall in profit for the first six months of the year.
The battle for Allied Domecq looks set to begin with news that
Constellation Brands, the world's biggest wine company, is
considering launching a rival bid to the £7.4 billion offer tabled
by Pernod Ricard, reports Chris Mercer.
As the deadline for the food allergy bill approaches, new research
shows that the peanut testing kits used by the food industry are
around 95 percent accurate.
International Flavors & Fragrances saw a sharp fall in
first-quarter profit, blaming falling sales and the sale of a
business last year in its results published today.
Consumers are likely to react badly to a new UK survey of processed
meats, which found that trusted companies such as Bernard Matthews,
Mattessons and Ye Olde Oak sell meat products that contain an
estimated 10 to 20 per cent added...
Supplies of vegetable oils to European food makers will increase as
US ingredients behemoth Cargill expands palm and coconut oil
operations in Europe, reports Lindsey Partos.
A Chinese farm and chemical group is in the process of buying
Danish speciality fats business Aarhus United, and the deal could
close by the end of the month, according to reports in the Danish
press.
Brussels clears new lab technology that can detect illegal GM
sweetcorn Bt 10 following the discovery of this unapproved maize in
Europe's food chain, writes Lindsey Partos.
Nestlé, the world's biggest food and drink manufacturer, has
announced a modest increase in Q1 profits after successfully
offsetting rising raw material costs with price increases across
the UK and Continental Europe, Tom Armitage...
Efforts by food manufacturers to create 'user-friendly' food labels
that present clear nutrition profiles for the increasingly health
conscious consumer are the focus of a new initiative from the UK's
food industry...
A genomic milestone, researchers sequence the genome of the most
destructive enemy of the world's staple food crop rice, a fungus
called Magnaporthe grisea that causes rice blast disease.
Syngenta Crop Protection today launched an early warning web-based
system to help growers protect their crops against Asian soybean
rust, the disease which has persuaded some US farmers to reduce the
number of acres planted with soy...
Greater understanding of an internal clock that controls how much
we eat, could contribute to the fight against obesity, say
scientists, pinpointing "something deep within the brain."
UK's food watchdog issues new warning after illegal colour in food
chain, chemically similar to Sudan 1, detected in Mexican food kits
supplied by General Mills.
Pressure on soy prices likely to continue with a new report
revealing China is expected to reduce its principal soybean
planting area, while increasing corn and rice planting in 2005.
EFSA scientific experts tackle the presence of harmful foodborne
bacteria Clostridium perfringens and C. botulinum,
compiling an opinion on the risk these spore-forming bacteria pose.