A new report presented to the US Congress has claimed that the EU
and other countries which have imposed bans on GM products because
of public health concerns are acting irrationally.
Soybean seeds will be joining US astronauts on today's space
shuttle flight as part of an experiment to see whether a crop plant
and grown entirely in zero gravity can provide improved oils and
proteins.
Philip Morris, the tobacco-to-food group, has agreed to sell its
Miller brewing unit to the London-listed South African Breweries, a
move which will turn SABMiller into the world's second largest
brewer.
The European Union's Council of Ministers has agreed to sign the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture, which is designed to help protect the world's most
important agricultural plant species...
A new brand of organic bread has been launched in Belgium which
will also help protect the environment via a link up with the
Belgium arm of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Switzerland's Lonza group has confirmed its commitment to the
construction of a major new production facility in the town of Visp
with the announcement of a SFr100 million (€68.4m) investment in a
biopharmaceuticals manufacturing...
The future of the vitamins unit of Swiss drug group Roche could be
decided soon, with German press reports suggesting that DSM is the
leading candidate to buy the business.
As the science behind the food additives industry continues to
develop, so will the size of the market, according to a new report
from US market research company Business Communications Company
(BCC).
Sir Peter Davis, chief executive of Sainsbury's, the UK's second
largest supermarket group, said he was pleased with the group's
performance in the year to 30 March 2002, the first full year of
Sainsbury's recovery...
The acquisition of French food group Lustucru by pasta maker
Panzani has been given the green light by the French competition
authorities, on the condition that the deal does not include
Lustucru's dry pasta arm.
A third of Welsh consumers question the accuracy of food labels,
and more than a quarter find labels difficult to understand,
according to a survey by the UK Food Standards Agency.
Australian food watchdog clamps down on soy sauce products
containing cancer-causing chemical in concentrations 200 times
greater than the acceptable limit.
Eggs from chickens which have been fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty
acids have been found to be an excellent source of DHA for babies -
offering a 'natural' alternative to infant formulas.
Canadian independent maple syrup manufacturer Siropac, has chosen
Tetra Pak Canada's 250ml Tetra Brik Aseptic carton for packaging
its new maple syrup.
Robertet, the French flavours and fragrances group, has seen a
sharp rise in its share price this year helped by renewed interest
in the sector due to a number of high profile transactions. The
company's chairman Philippe Maubert...
Benecol, the range of cholesterol-lowering products created by the
Finnish group Raisio, will be made available in a number of new
markets following key distribution agreements.
Apples have long been seen as a healthy food, but that same
reputation has rarely been attributed to apple products. Now one
such product - cider - has been shown to be packed with
antioxidants, in amounts to rival even red wine.
In its 100-plus years in business, US-based packaging supplier
Crown Cork and Seal has built up a reputation to become one of the
world's leading names for innovation in food and beverage
packaging. These days it is responsible...
Consumers need clear information about genetically modified (GM)
food, but tough European Commission proposals planning compulsory
labels for all food products made from gene crops are unworkable, a
UK parliamentary report said.
US spirits group Brown-Forman has decided to end its distribution
deal with Diageo which in the UK from 1 August and link up instead
with the privately owned Bacardi group.
Spherix has begun legal proceedings against its licensee MD Foods
claiming that the Danish company has taken an unreasonably long
time to bring foods containing its sweetener tagatose to market.
Thousands of obese Americans know firsthand that gastric bypass
surgery can achieve long-term weight loss when dieting, exercise
and medications have failed. The reason for the difference may
hinge on a recently discovered appetite-stimulating...
Bayer AG is to shortlist two or three buyers for its Haarmann &
Reimer fragrances and flavours unit within two weeks and is on
course to earn more than it first expected from the disposal due to
aggressive bidding, sources said...
The UK Food Standards Agency is advising consumers not to eat or
use certain tins of Dragon Boat Shiitake Mushrooms. Tests have
revealed defects in the can seams that could lead to food poisoning
bacteria being present in some of...
Food ingredients company DSM claims this week that food
manufacturers seeking an alternative approach to mechanical and
heat treatment of fruit pieces could benefit from recent research
carried out on tomatoes by the company.
Advances in genetic engineering and the success of 'functional
foods', suchas calcium-fortified juice, are, according to this
story, spawning a new,exotic generation of agricultural products:
bananas that produce a choleravaccine,...
Genetically modified foods pose no greater health risk than
conventional foods, but the US government should scrutinise more
closely the safety of new biotech products, the investigative arm
of Congress has said.
UK manufacturer and supplier of flavour and fragrance ingredients,
Treatt, this week announced that group turnover had increased by 7
per cent to £14,454,000 (€21,250) for the six months ended 31 March
2002.
The Salt Sub-group of Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition
(SACN) met in January 2002 to begin a review of COMA's 1994
recommendation that salt intake should not exceed 6 g/day, reports
Reading Scientific Services.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to amend the food
additive regulations regarding the pre-market notification process
for food contact substances (FCSs) established by the Food and Drug
Administration Modernisation Act...
US nutritional marine oil company Neptune Technologies &
Bioressources has formed a partnership with NASA as part of a
project to develop food products and food processing technologies
for space and commercial applications.
The trend away from traditional eating patterns and towards
undisciplined dietary chaos continues to gain pace in the Western
world. According to new study from market analysts Datamonitor,
breakfast, lunch and dinner are no longer...
Nestle FoodServices, a division of Nestle USA, has invested in, and
will become a member of, the EFS electronic supply chain network.
In addition, Allan Lutz, president, Nestle USA FoodServices
Division, will occupy an observer seat...
Shares in Japan's scandal-ridden Snow Brand Milk Products Co soared
more than 11 per cent on Tuesday after investors saw signs of a
practical revival plan
Australian scientists are claiming a world first with the creation
of a biologically engineered 'no-milling-required' wheat that can
be used in instant dishes after adding boiling water, Reuters
reports
Workers in the food-flavouring manufacturing industry may be at
risk of developing an irreversible type of damage to the lungs,
according to a study presented the American Thoracic Society
International Conference in Atlanta
The nutritional ingredients business unit of Dutch ingredients
company DSM has recently launched a non-gelatine,
vegetarian-approved beta-carotene beadlets.
French starch company Cerestar, recently purchased by US
agribusiness Cargill, reported a drop in sales but increase in
operating income for the period of three months ending 31 March
2002.
Croda Healthcare, the pharma and nutritional division of UK company
Croda Oleochemicals, has introduced a new "smart ingredients"
package of lipid concentrates for the growing nutraceuticals
market.
With 25 years of engineering and development work under his belt
Jim Schak has become such an authority on food drying technology
that he lectures on the subject at university. Here he discusses
the latest trend towards two-stage...
French oilseed and protein producers have condemned the new US farm
bill that boosts crop and dairy subsidies and urged the European
Commission to fight back.
