A new product will be launched later today in the US which could
revamp the flagging gin market there. Wet by Beefeater is a
pear-infused premium gin which Allied Domecq hopes will give it a
major boost in the one area of the market...
It's official - despite massive efforts to promote the 5-a-day
message - the average UK consumer is still not eating enough fruit
and veg. According to a national survey, less than one in seven
people eat the recommended five...
Eating food cooked with oil need not be as unhealthy as it was
before, claims US agribusiness giant ADM. The company has just
launched a new cooking oil which it claims can help combat obesity,
a growing problem in the US and elswhere.
The pressure on margins caused by the demands of the retail sector
is nothing new, but a recent survey of prices charged by four
supermarket chains in Spain has prompted one producers' association
to warn of economic meltdown.
As the European Commission proposes a more sustainable form of
agriculture with severe changes to the current Common Agricultural
Policy, a national study in the UK is echoing the sentiment and is
set to investigate ways of shortening...
Research into frozen foods that took place more than 40 years ago
will be recognised this week in a special ceremony to take place at
the US Department of Agriculture's Western Regional Research
Center. The research - known as...
Eating a diet with less fat and more carbohydrates could lead to a
modest but significant reduction in body weight - whatever the US
fad no-carbo Atkins diet claims. The question is, does the type of
carbohydrate, simple or complex,...
Is the phrase 'Have a Break' inextricably linked to the KitKat
confectionery brand? Well, no, at least according to the UK High
Court and US confectionery group Mars. But Nestle, the Swiss maker
of KitKat, is set to continue...
A new centre for Australian research into food technologies which
will aim to produce safer, more nutritious foods, was launched this
morning at Food Science Australia's facility in Werribee, Victoria.
Recruitment is over for the executive director of the new European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with the announcement yesterday that
Geoffrey Podger has had the all clear from the European
Parliament's Environment Committee -...
Soy proteins, nuts and oat-based fibres when consumed in
combination could dramatically reduce LDL , or 'bad' , cholesterol,
suggest new study from Canada.
Expanding the European Union to 25 members will undoubtedly improve
the lot of the consumers in the 10 new countries, providing the
legislative framework is in place to encourage investment, claimed
Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy yesterday....
Just 83 bottles of The Balvenie Cask 191 single malt have been
produced, making this the smallest ever release under the brand. A
bottle of the whisky, which was laid down in 1952, will set you
back more than €9,000.
In the same week that the agriculture Council cleared the way for
tougher GM legislation in Europe, the European Commission has
announced a new proposal that seeks to harmonise the use of food
additives in flavourings in order to...
UK flavour and fragrance company Treatt saw turnover increase 11
per cent for the year with a slight dip in pre-tax profit from
£2.83m in 2001, to £2.77m for 2002, the company reports today.
Investment in the USA is paying off.
Hectic lifestyles and increased snacking are reducing the average
office worker to ‘desk-dining’, reveals a new report from Reuters
Business Insight that examines our current lunchtime eating habits.
While the French like a tipple...
Health concerns are leading to increasing consumption of bottled
and bulk water, so much so in fact that water is set to overtake
carbonates as the leading soft drink within just three years,
according to a new report by Canadean.
Novartis is delaying the planned sale of its health food and
slimming and sports nutrition businesses due to a lack of
attractive offers in the current weak economy, the company said
last week.
European ministers have reached a political agreement on
genetically modified foods and feed, paving the way towards some of
the toughest legislation on GMOs in the world. Although a supporter
of GM labelling, the European food industry...
The premium private label products - both food and non-food - of
the leading UK retailers Tesco and Sainsbury are now worth more
than some of the brands they were originally created to emulate,
according to new data from Euromonitor.
UK whey processor Volac International intends to remove its investment in Pritchitt Foods, the Northern Ireland dairy-based food manufacturer, in a bid to focus on the agri-food sector and to expand its international business, the company announced this...
Barely two months after acquiring a majority stake in French oil
processor Cereol, US company Bunge said this week that its new unit
has sold French cooking oil company Lesieur in a bid to reduce its
debt load.
With the rising tide of food intolerance in consumers, today's
society is increasingly turning to science to come up with new
tools to tackle the problems. New ambitious research underway in
Europe could see consumers with celiac...
Polish soft drinks and mineral water producer Hoop has acquired its
counterpart Woda Grodziska, a move which it says will enable it to
step up its plans for expanding to the German market for the first
time.
Expanding its Plus discount supermarket fascia in Spain and
Portugal, and good performances from non-food subsidiaries KiK and
OBI, helped Germany's Tengelmann group to a solid increase in sales
for 2002, despite difficult economic...
Obesity - a growing problem, not just in the West, and not just in
adults. Governments around the world are increasingly concerned
about the rise of obesity in childhood. But how are we tackling the
problem? Perhaps not very well....
The decision by the Navarra regional authorities to allow the term
'bio' to be used to describe non-organic dairy products has been
upheld by the local courts, the latest twist in the ongoing battle
between Spain and the...
Greencore Group, the Irish food ingredients and convenience food
company, this week reported a leap in operating profit together
with strong sales growth and a reduction in net debt for the year
ended 27 September 2002. Strong growth...
Starch ingredients company National Starch and Chemical, a
subsidiary of the chemical giant ICI Group, has moved further into
human nutrition with the announcement yesterday that it has
acquired the resistant starch business from...
New report confirms the growth of the non-dairy drinks sector as
the health and nutrition trend gains pace growth. Competition in
the burgeoning sector is set to increase, with the big players
turning to new product development as...
Pop a supplement of sip a juice - where are the benefits? New
research suggest that the juice of the concord grape has powerful
antioxidant effects that may offer extra benefits that supplements
do not.
Europe may remain reticent over the use of irradiation by food
manufacturers but other countries across the world are making steps
towards increasing the use of this controversial food preservation
technology. Canada made moves this...
The average food ingredients company in the UK over the past three
years has seen sales decrease, a fall in profits, and contractions
rather than growth marking many areas of business. On a positive
note, the food ingredients industry...
Smooth or crunchy? Which ever way you prefer your peanut butter,
the ingredients contained within could well keep diabetes at bay.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in the US report
this week that consuming a daily...
Is our future a lonely one? According to market analysts
Datamonitor - yes. The company has just released a report that
predicts by 2005 Europe will have five million more single people,
eleven million fewer people living as part...
Danish vegetable oils and speciality fats company Aarhus Oliefabrik
this week reports a drop in consolidated operating income for the
third quarter as intense price competition and the impact of global
recession takes its toll.
Cognac Godet is pushing ahead with its exports to the potentially
huge Russian market following an agreement with its new distributor
there, Ladoga. The St Petersburg-based firm will now market three
Godet brands in major Russian...
Food preservation is a key issue for every food processor today. As
such, demand for isoascorbic acid, ascorbic acid and citric acid is
expected to reach €1.7bn by 2007. But with the market entry of
Chinese producers offering these...
SureBeam, the US-based food irradiation provider, has been awarded
a patent that increases the processing efficiency of its technology
and provides the ability to simultaneously process products in a
variety of package configurations.
A prepared curry, presented in minimal packaging, washed down by a
cup of white tea, followed by a citrus sorbet anyone? According to
the Global New Products Database of market analysts Mintel, these
are some of the trends we could...
The European food and drink industry this week gave a vote of
confidence to the radical revamp of the 41 year old Common
Agricultural Policy proposed by European Agriculture Commissioner
Franz Fischler - but gave a clear warning about...
Berries of all shapes and forms are making the news on a regular
basis as scientists tap into the potential health benefits held
therewithin. Can blueberries boost our brain power? New findings
released this week.
Next January will see the launch of Fruity Smarties, a new
variation on the popular Nestle chocolate confectionery brand which
contains a fruity jelly produced by Haribo. Is this the start of a
beautiful relationship between the two...
Last week we reported on a study that suggested the buzz we get
from coffee may not, unlike the widely held belief, actually be
from caffeine. This week, new reaseach finds that brewed coffee
raises homocysteine levels and risk factors...
We reported yesterday on recent research carried out by scientists
in Australia on genetically modified sheep capable of producing
more milk than their non-GM sisters. Today the link between genetic
modification and milking continues...
The first research of its type in Australia has concluded that
genetically modified sheep grow bigger and faster, produce double
the amount of milk, can grow more wool, but require more care,
reports the Commonwealth Scientific and...
Surebeam, the leading US food irradiation provider, has lambasted
allegations made by Public Citizen that its directors have received
excessive pay-outs.
Since a Swedish study send a shudder of fear throughout the food
industry earlier this year, scientists have been fervently
investigating the presence of the potential carcinogen, acrylamide
in starchy, fried foods.
Migros, the Swiss co-operative retailer, has refuted claims that it
is secretly preparing massive lay-offs, but confirms that not all
staff who leave the company will be replaced.
