The growth in ageing populations across Europe is opening up potential for food and drink manufacturers, according to research from Datamonitor, and companies could end up reformulating products just to target the over 50s.
New consumer research indicates shoppers are falling back on frozen food to keep bellies full through the recession, according to the Food and Drink Federation – and that, in turn, can stimulate new product development geared to pressing needs.
Oilseed analysts are predicting a squeeze on supply of Malaysian palm oil for months to come, as prices are pushed up by farmers’ inability to invest in inputs and poor extraction rates – while demand for fried and oily food is not abating.
Mars has pledged that its entire cocoa supply will be certified as sustainably produced by 2020, through a multi-year, multi-country deal forged with the Rainforest Alliance.
The presence of banned colouring methyl yellow in food spices in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Germany has led to a slate of recalls; although not affecting finished foods for now, the issue is reminiscent of the Sudan Red recalls of 2005.
The UK’s Food Ethics Council has launched a new toolkit to help businesses prepare for future challenges to the food system, as it expects some major unpredictable changes are just around the corner.
FoodNavigator-USA.com asked readers for their views on a recent joint study from Yale University and the University of Michigan that compared the food industry’s marketing strategies to those of the tobacco industry.
Danisco says it will move ahead with research into more cost effective dehydration of cultures and probiotic products as part of a new collaboration to test if commercial development of such systems may be feasible.
The Soil Association has called for broader communication of organic issues, saying that consumers are bewildered by so many ethical options and many are unaware of its wider benefits.
Emmi has reached an agreement with Switzerland’s LRG Group to acquire a 60 per cent share of Nutrifrais, in a bid to build its market share in yoghurts and dairy desserts in French-speaking Switzerland.
Russian grain processor Pava is looking for partnerships in Asia and Africa in order to diversify its export activities in response to what it describes as global economic turmoil.
International Flavors and Fragrances has opened a new production line for its CapLock encapsulation system in Haverhill, UK, so it can shorten the supply time to its European customers.
The UK’s Department of Health is to raise awareness of the need for energy balance in diets, controlling overall calories as well as specific macronutrients such as saturated fat and added sugar.
The UK organic sector is cheered by a 1.7 per cent increase in the market in 2008 despite the gloom of recession, as a report from the Soil Association sees consumers buying cheaper organics instead of switching back to conventional foods.
Ben & Jerry’s campaign to ensure produce from clones is detectable in the food chain shows that bundling biotech in with conventional produce remains unacceptable – but lessons from GM do not seem to have been learned.
The FAO says the fast growth in sea cucumber fishing to meet global demand is putting pressure on stocks, and management plans are urgently needed to protect economies of coastal communities.
The flour specialist Mühlenchemie has teamed up with a manufacturer of dough testing equipment to help its customers improve the properties and consistency of flour and solve application problems quickly.
Organic Monitor is organising a Sustainable Foods Summit in June, which will give air the key debates on ethical and environment aspects of the food supply chain.
The supply chain for stevia is sound and sustainable, says PureCircle, which is communicating the ethical values behind its high purity Reb-A sweetener in keeping with the natural image.
Danisco has developed a new emulsifier and stabiliser system to help food manufacturers create artisan-style ice cream on an industrial level without compromising on texture.
Symrise has launched a new toolkit of flavour masking solutions to help food manufacturers to overcome the off-notes and aftertaste associated with stevia-derived sweeteners.
Tate & Lyle has indicated that some recovery of sucralose sales towards the end of its financial year, and says it is making progress in yield and process improvements.
Clear signs that falling consumer demand for chocolate is starting to impact the supply chain with Mars' chocolate business in France announcing contracted production in Alsace.
Ben & Jerry’s has fessed up to creating an online presence for a fictitious company selling cloned milk as a publicity stunt, as campaigners believe that the offspring of cloned animals have already entered the food chain.
A snack firm has become the first to use Vitiva’s Inolens 4 rosemary extract in a pork scratchings product to make frying oil last longer, and to enable longer shelf life.
Balancing saturated fat as a proportion of total calories, and the natural variation of fat levels in meat, are amongst the challenges faced by Waitrose suppliers in developing food products with lower saturated fat products.
Last week we published some musings from our editorial team on the gluten-free food market. We don’t pretend to hold all the answers, but we have been pleased that some of our readers have engaged in the debate. Below are the responses we have received...
Ocean Spray's Ingredient Technology Group has formulated a lower cost sweetened dried cranberry (SDC) product to meet demand for cost-effective and value-added ingredients in the face of rising commodity prices.
A new margarine can enable lower saturated fat in puff pastry and croissants, according to developer Romi Smilfood, helping to meet targets for healthier bakery products.
Dairy firm Müller Dairy UK must withdraw TV and print ads for a brand of its children’s yoghurt products after the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that they made misleading ‘natural’ claims.
The use of whey and lactose ingredients in finished products will not be significantly set back by a shifting retailer focus towards budget-priced private label goods, according to one global dairy analyst.
The Finnish food group Raisio said it will come to a decision within days on whether to dramatically cut its vegetable oil production because of a glut in the market.
The Chewing the Fat series has the FoodNavigator team getting its teeth into food issues. The gluten-free market is set to continue its expansion in the coming years, fuelled by better diagnosis and a fad for gluten-free foods. The FoodNavigator editorial...
The organic oil specialist, Earthoil, has achieved fair trade status for its Indian mint growing facility under an Institute for Marketecology (IMO) scheme in order to meet growing demand for ethical products.
Granular, a European stevia producer, has entered into a joint partnership to build a refinery for the natural sweetener in South America which it said will be environmentally neutral.
Acquisition hungry food firms with a strong capital structure can benefit from acquisition opportunities thrown up by the economic turmoil, says an analyst – a view shared by Israel’s Frutarom, which last week reported a record year of profits following...
Cadbury and Mars are attracting severe criticism from food campaigners, who say they have not fulfilled promises to remove certain artificial food colours from products by the end of 2008.
The political unrest in Madagascar, the world’s leading producer of vanilla, has highlighted the need for ingredients companies to diversify supply and eyes have turned to India as an alternative source.
A supply and demand imbalance within the global milk ingredient market is expected to stabilise in the next few years on the back of strengthening demand in Asia, suggests a new report.
A supplier of lignin-derived vanillin claims that its processes for sourcing and producing the ingredient can dramatically reduced the carbon footprint compared to sourcing from some mineral oils, according to recent testing.
National Starch Food Innovation (NSFI) has added another product to its Novation clean label starch line. Derived from tapioca, it is billed as an ingredient that can bestow indulgence on a product, with reduced oil, fat or cream.
