The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) this week
announced potential changes to the Food Standards Code involving
the approval of oil and linters from a genetically modified,
insect-protected cotton variety as a food and...
A federal government bail-out of the Australian sugar industry was
under threat on Tuesday after business and opposition groups, in
particular food manufacturers, objected to a three cent a kilogram
levy to fund the $120 million plan...
Too much legislation can be a bad thing, at least when it comes to
restricting the free growth of the Spanish retail sector, according
to speakers at a conference held in Madrid last week.
The UK's Food Standards Agency has reported "growing evidence" that
links the recent outbreak of salmonella, which has so far caused
two deaths and 350 people to become ill, to originate in Spain.
When David Byrne, European Commissioner responsible for Health and
Consumer Protection, issued a message of support this week to the
Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) ahead of its 5th annual
meeting, it is unlikely that he anticipated...
It is an undeniable truth of the western world that the days of
'going to work on an egg' are fast disappearing into the
advertisement archives of the 1970s. Busier working lives, eating
for energy rather than pleasure and...
The UK's number one supermarket group Tesco currently has around
100 convenience stores operating under the Tesco Express format,
but will lift this to more than 550 within three years following
the acquisition of the T&S...
More evidence to suggest that fortified drinks could contribute to
aiding dietary deficiencies in developing countries emerged this
week when a US scientist reported that a cheap, fortified,
orange-flavoured drink could reduce deficiencies...
The Dutch Institute for Agrotechnological Research (ATO) claims to
have formulated an alternative to sourcing gelatine from animal
bones and hair. How? From a yeast that produces gelatine on
request.
For small and medium-sized food producers, getting their products
listed with the retail chains is a constant struggle, but as
visitors to last week's SIAL exhibition heard, the supermarket
groups are ready to listen, provided...
Japanese seasoning maker Ajinomoto lifts targets for pharmaceutical
division with the aquisition of Shimizu Pharmaceutical, an unlisted
drugmaker based in central Japan.
Scientists use oat, soybean or rice hulls to produce new high-fibre
fat replacer. Company behind the research is looking for food
processors to help market Z-trim - for use in dairy products, baked
goods, ground meats, pasta, snack...
Mergers and acquisitions in the food industry continue this week
with acquisitive Canadian company Stake technology taking over US
ingredients company Opta Food Ingredients at the price of €28m. The
move marks a bid by Stake to build...
The effects of a downturn in German imports and the events of 11
September took their toll on Bordeaux wine exports in 2001/02,
according to the latest CIVB data.
Since the recent trial launch of its square soup cans in two of its
UK stores, the packaging industry has been keenly observing
proceedings at supermarket group J. Sainsbury's. The retailer made
the bold move to trial the new...
A recent study from Japan, published in Experimental Eye
Research and reported in the latest issue of the New
Scientist, suggested that diets high in the flavour enhancer
monosodium glutamate could lead to vision loss. The glutamate...
Elderly people who eat fish or seafood at least once a week are at
lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease,
finds a study in this week's British Medical Journal.
Dutch retail group Ahold is to combine its businesses in Poland,
Slovakia and the Czech Republic into one unit, Ahold Central
Europe, in a bid to improve economies of scale.
Lengthy negotiations with minority shareholders have finally been
completed, leaving the path clear for the merger of Spanish food
groups Sos Cuetara and Koipe to form the country's third-largest
food group.
Positive links between oats and heart health figure highly in the
mind of the consumer, according to a recent survey conducted by the
US Natural Marketing Institute.
Newly formed food body Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
this week warned that there are only two months left for food
businesses that have not changed their food labels to be ready for
the 20 December 2002 deadline. The...
As the food industry pulls together over the acrylamide question,
today we report that a week long workshop in Chicago will be
dedicated to the presence of this potential carcinogen in foods.
European Union leaders claimed a breakthrough on Thursday on the
path to expanding the bloc into eastern Europe after France and
Germany reached a landmark deal to control farm spending after
2007.
Things are not looking good for Ahold, the Dutch retail group which
for many years has been the darling of the stock market.
Substantial write downs from its South American business announced
earlier in the year have now been followed...
Siku, which means 'ice' in Greenlandic, is the brand name of a
range of drinks - a beer, a vodka and a bottled water - made using
water from the Qualerit glacial ice field in Greenland.
Controversy surrounding food additive E621, otherwise known as
monosodium glutamate - a common flavour enhancer - was re-ignited
this week when a Japanese researcher suggested that consuming too
much of the ingredient could make you...
The fact that the new owners of a 15 per cent stake in the Big Food
Group, owner of the Iceland supermarket chain, are from Iceland
themselves has nothing to do with the purchase. It is all about
investing in an undervalued company,...
Ocean Spray, the US co-operative group best known for its cranberry
juices, has launched a new grapefruit juice which it claims can
give drinkers an energy boost and meet all their vitamin C
requirements.
A study by two North Carolina State University geneticists is
tracing the origin and evolution of a genetic mutation that long
ago led to the creation of a type of rice known as glutinous, or
"sticky," rice.
In a bid to improve its focus and accelerate growth from January
2003 UK chemical compny Croda International will have a new name
and a new structure to its European chemicals operations.
Les Petits Voyageurs, a range of four lunchboxes designed to help
children get a balanced meal and parents to provide them with it
with the minimum of fuss, is one of the most innovative products
launched at this week's SIAL...
Today marks the final time the doors of global food exhibition SIAL
will open in 2002. As visitors continue to pour through the
entrance of six exhibition halls, the popularity of this vast food
show remains certain. On the final...
Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland said on Wednesday that
quarterly earnings fell almost 18 per cent because of high
commodity prices that cut into its corn and oilseed processing
margins, but the results beat analysts'...
Higher volume food and beverage flavour product sales to existing
customers contributed to a net increase for the third quarter for
flavours company Technology Flavors & Fragrances.
In May 2002 Swedish scientists released information that
acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, had been found in a range of
foods. Food agencies across the world are monitoring the situation
very closely. An upcoming conference in the...
According to a research study published today by Standard &
Poor's Rating Services, the credit quality of mainstream German
food retailers is coming under pressure.
US federal regulations on using the term "organic" only went into
full effect on Monday, but they are already rapidly transforming a
niche of the coffee industry and will cost consumers more, experts
say.
Swedish company Ceba Foods launched a non-dairy alternative to milk
and soya drinks on the Spanish market this week. Oatly Organic is
free from lactose, milk protein and soya, and the company claims, a
more wholesome accompaniment...
Food ingredients company Opta Food Ingredients this week boasted a
healthy 24 per cent increase in revenue for the third quarter with
the demand for fibre products largely fuelling the growth and
catapulting the company into the black.
New organic food labels regulated by the US Agriculture Department
which were launched this week have been welcomed by most US
producers as a useful marketing tool, but the move could shut out
many smaller European farmers from the...
The controversy surrounding genetically modified foods hotted up
this week as environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth (FOE)
on Tuesday launched its GM-free Britain campaign, calling on local
authorities to become GM-free zones.
US Department of Agriculture announces its flagship National
Nutrient Database, a listing of more than 6,000 food items, is
available for downloading free of charge onto handheld personal
digital assistants, or PDAs.
Analysts of the Japanese functional food market shed light on the
€8.4bn Japanese nutritional supplement market with the release of a
new report. Growth remains, strong despite general economic
downturn, with the forecast optimistic...
New report reveals that growth in value-added products designed for
specific applications is set to drive the food additives market in
the US. Flavours will gain nearly fifty per cent of the market,
with alternative sweetners revealing...
Over 5000 exhibitors from 98 countries are boasting their wares in
Paris this week as SIAL, a fantastic celebration of food and drink,
opened its doors on Sunday to an expected 130,000 visitors. One key
issue being discussed here...
Bunge, the world's largest oilseed processor, which recently
acquired a 55 per cent stake in rival French-based Cereol, said
yesterday that quarterly earnings rose sharply as a slump in the
Brazilian currency helped boost the...
The return of America's Space Shuttle Atlantis last Friday also
meant the return of soybeans grown and developed in space by
scientists, who will analyse the harvested seeds to determine if
they have improved oil or protein properties...