The latest round-up from Mintel's GNPD reveals that innovation in
the food and drink industry is still going strong. Evidence that
innovation remains a number one priority for food manufacturers is
all apparent in the latest...
Speaking at his company's AGM yesterday, Sir Ken Morrison said he
had been 'surprised and disappointed' by the decision to refer
Morrison's bid for Safeway to the Competition Commission. But he
did not rule out...
The confrontation between Europe and the United States over
genetically modified foods shifted up a gear this week when the US
President George. W. Bush accused Europe of impeding efforts to
fight world famine because of its trade...
Germany's biggest supermarket retailer, Edeka, is to tackle the
threat from discounters such as Aldi with a 500-strong line of
cut-price own label products.
Company results continue today with the Dutch Royal Schouten Group
(RSG) - comprised of the four divisions Acatris, Orffa, Schouten
Products and Nutrilab - reporting a strong financial performance
for 2002, benefiting from the completion...
Competition in the biogum sector is set to hot up with the news
today that US company CP Kelco is looking to boost production
capabilities to reinforce its position in the biogums marketplace.
Despite strong sales in confectionery speciality fats, Danish
Aarhus Oliefabrik on Wednesday reported a drop in post-tax profits
to DK 19.4 million (€2.61m) for the first quarter of 2003, compared
with DK 21.8 million for the same...
In the US, the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) is up
in arms this week claiming that new definitions for dietary fibre
compiled by Food Nutrition Board (FNB) are totally inadequate.
Are perceptions of whey products as more than a milk powder
substitute changing? According to a new report from market analysts
Zenith International, yes, as processors increasingly looking for
added value start turning towards...
Parma ham producers yesterday won the right to require that their
products be sliced and packaged, as well as produced, in the region
of origin, putting an end to a six-year legal dispute. But the
European Court of Justice did not...
Good news for manufacturers of meat-free food products with
findings from a recent Food and Drink Federation survey revealing that UK
meat eaters, looking for a meat-free option, are helping to drive
the £582 million (€814m) market.
Flachsmann, Swiss manufacturer of flavours and plant extracts,
presented its new Yuzu flavour at the Vitafoods show in Geneva last
week, following its worldwide launch a few weeks ago.
UK company Stable Micro Systems, a leading provider of texture
analysis equipment, has designed and launched its new Acoustic
Envelope Detector, the company confirmed this week.
US caramel colour company DD Williamson announced this week that it
has launched a new, oil-dispersible caramel colour blend to provide
sticking power for snack and confectionery applications.
Wal-Mart has consolidated its unassailable lead in the global
retail rankings, according to the latest report from M+M Planet
retail. But while there has been no change to the companies making
up the top 30 global players, several...
From yesterday, Professor Andreas Hensel, veterinarian and
hygienist, is the first head of the new German institution, the
Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).
After a series of food safety scares in Europe the issue of exactly
how to effectively deal with risk in the food chain is an ongoing
debate between politicians, industry and consumer alike. One widely
favoured opinion is that risk...
Dutch company Acatris, formed recently following a merger between
four Royal Schouten businesses, established its new name with the
launch of a lignan product at last week's VitaFoods trade fair in
Geneva, Switzerland.
Britain's number two grocery retailer J Sainsbury has reported
full-year figures which show that it is steadily gaining ground on
arch rival Tesco. Store expansion and cost cutting programmes
helped lift pre-tax profits by 16.8...
A new system for reporting deadweight pig prices is about to be launched in the UK which will bring benefits to the whole industry, according to the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC).
Following a proposal from the European Commission to allow the use
of two new intense sweeteners - sucralose and an
aspartame-acesulfame - the European Competitiveness Council gave
the all clear on Monday, reaching a political agreement...
Despite a year of protracted low prices together with high stocks
and poor demand the Irish Dairy Board (IDB) reported satisfactory
financial results for 2002 with a turnover from continuing
operations increasing by 1.4 per cent to...
Agilent Technologies has announced a new AgBiotech business
programme that incorporates elements of the gene expression,
agricultural and food safety industries.
"Maintaining unrestricted entry for imports of milk protein
concentrates (MPC) and casein," is a top priority for the
Consumers for World Trade (CWT), according to a letter sent to the
US Congress by the CWT, writes the...
Despite an increase in sales UK flavour and fragrance company
Treatt described trading for the six months to 31 March 2003 as
'challenging' this week, with profit before tax falling by
24 per cent to £955,000 (€1.3m) compared...
New proposals governing the humane slaughter of animals in the UK could have huge implications for Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as the British meat processing industry as a whole.
A new European project is set to explore how the nutrition and
health trend could shape the business and regulatory environment in
the next few decades.
Auchan, the French food retailer, has reported sales for 2002 only
marginally affected by exchange rate concerns due mainly to its
growing focus on core eurozone markets.
Irish consumers concerned about the presence of GM ingredients will
be assured by the results of a recent survey commissioned by Food
Safety Authority of Ireland that set out to identify foods
containing GM maize and/or soya ingredients...
News again today on inulin with Sensus America, a subsidiary of
Dutch company Sensus, announcing that the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has given inulin Generally Regarded As Safe
(GRAS) status. The move could provide inulin...
The Australian government is to provide a total of A$2.8 million
(€1.5m) over four years to strengthen food safety standards in
Australia, through the development of new Primary Production and
Processing (PPP) Standards and information...
In a market valued at €140 billion, the consumption of food and
drink in the European workplace provides manufacturers with the
potential to create products that meet three key criteria -
quality, convenience and health.
The latest research into the beneficial impact of peptides in
fermented milk might have on lowering consumer's blood pressure
brings good news for manufacturers of drinking yoghurts.
After years of restrictions related to BSE and FMD, as well as
unfavourable economic conditions caused by the strength of
sterling, British food and drink exports rose for the first time
since 1998 last year. A continued focus on...
The British Retail Consortium has reacted strongly to the latest
moves by food producers to reduce salt in food, calling for less
rhetoric and more action. The BRC has called on the UK government
to set achievable targets for sodium...
US-based bio protection firm EnviroSystems has received clearance
from the US Environmental Protection Agency for expanding its range
of EcoTru products.
Cognis Nutrition and Health used the Vitafoods exhibition taking
place in Geneva, Switzerland this week as the right platform to
launch its Tonalin CLA to the European market.
Ahold's troubles continued in the first quarter of the current year
with sales dropping 11 per cent compared to 2002, mainly due to
exchange rate declines. But organic growth at most units was solid,
a small ray of hope for the...
With impeccable timing in light of the US move earlier this week to
file a case with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over the EU ban
on biotech foods, a recent report from Washington, DC, based
International Food Information Council...
NSF International, a global not-for-profit NGO that provides public
health and safety risk solutions, has announced details of the
second global congress on hygienic coatings and surfaces.
Europe's sheep population fell by four per cent last year, according to figures released from the EU's December sheep census. Within the major sheep-rearing countries however, the rate of decline varied greatly.
Researchers in the US are claiming that that a combination of high
temperature and high pressure during the preparation of processed
meats may reduce the presence of infective prions.
In response to increasing demands from the consumer and health
bodies to reduce salt consumption in the diet, the UK Food and
Drink Federation (FDF), has launched an action plan to cut salt in
breakfast cereals, soups and sauces....
The humble, yet nutritious, raisin could well be the next rival to
sodium nitrite in the food preservative stakes, claim researchers
from the US this week who have just completed research on the
celebrated beef jerky.
There are numerous potential candidates to acquire the South
American operations of the troubled Ahold group, but as market
analysts Euromonitor point out, such an acquisition would not be
without considerable risks. The debate is...
A wide range of products are on display at this week's Vitafoods
exhibition in Geneva. One such product is edible film strips, a
novel delivery system from Watson Foods.
The latest full year results for Safeway - probably the last before
the company is bought out by one of its rivals - were solid if
hardly spectacular, as the uncertainty over the future ownership of
the group took its toll on store...
