Carbohydrates and fibres (sugar, starches)

DSM Q2 nutrition profits slip 11% as key markets struggle

05-Aug-2014 By Shane STARLING

Sales slipped 6% and net profits 11% in Q2 for DSM’s human and animal nutrition arm as adverse currency movements, a slow US vitamins and omega-3 food supplements market and the Asian botulism infant formula scare affected earnings.

Cargill seals exclusive deal for TREHA distribution in Europe and US

05-Aug-2014 By Nathan Gray

Cargill has finalised an exclusive agreement for the distribution of the carbohydrate ingredient TREHA trehalose in the US and Europe, the firm has confirmed.

The bigger picture: Dietary fibre measurement method adopted globally

01-Aug-2014 By Lynda Searby

A test method pioneered by Irish diagnostic technology company Megazyme International has become the global method of choice for ensuring dietary fibre content is not 'double counted' on nutritional labels. 

'Sin taxes' on unhealthy foods will work, says EU report

29-Jul-2014 By Nathan Gray

Taxes imposed on sugary, salty or fatty foods do lead to reductions in consumption, says the European Commission in a new report. But higher taxes could also encourage consumers to simply go for cheaper products, it warns.

EDITOR'S COMMENT: JULY 2014

‘I ditched the Coca-Cola Life-style’: A millennial confession

28-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) boss John Brock insists people in the UK think Coca-Cola Life tastes just like standard Coke ahead of its September launch, but is this lack of differentiation necessarily good news?

From carbs to cancer: Gut bacteria linked to colorectal cancer mechanism

24-Jul-2014 By Nathan Gray

A carbohydrate-rich diet may be kick-starting certain gut microbes to produce chemical signalls that drive abnormal cell growth and increase the risk of cancer, according to new research in mice.

Additives and carb backlash stumps bread innovation, says Mintel

23-Jul-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Packaged bread innovation has been complicated by a consumer backlash on additives and carbohydrates, but manufacturers can still generate interest with healthy, artisan ingredients, says Mintel.

FULL-SUGAR LEMONADE DRINKERS FELT MORE GUILTY THAN STEVIA PLACEBO GROUP

Sugar-sweetened soda drinkers feel more guilty after inadvertent 'bad' deeds

17-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

An intriguing French study suggests that students who drank sugary lemonade before completing a ‘guilt inducing’ task felt more guilty than peers who consumed a stevia-sweetened zero-calorie alternative.

OBESITY WEBINAR

Experts call for sugar tax, but doubt official support

17-Jul-2014 By Rod Addy

Sugar tax is a good idea, but the government may be unwilling to implement it, according to expert panellists taking part in Food Manufacture’s webinar on obesity.

SACN REPORT

Drinks manufacturers must reduce sugars: PHE

17-Jul-2014 By Rod Addy

Drinks manufacturers must work to reduce the amount of sugars in their products to lower the nation’s calorie intake, according to Dr Alison Tedstone, Public Health England’s (PHE) chief nutritionist.

Obesity quotes chart wide ranging webinar

16-Jul-2014 By Michael Stones

Nearly 1,300 people registered for the Food Manufacture Group’s free, one-hour, independent webinar on the roots of Britain’s obesity crisis and its remedies. Here, we capture a flavour in quotes of the wide-ranging debate.

Action on Sugar removes bread from high-sugar hit list: 'We acknowledge it was not accurate'

15-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Anti-sugar lobby group Action on Sugar has removed bread from its initial list of products containing ‘large amounts of sugar’.

Does Unilever’s Slim-Fast fail signal the end of weight management as we know it?

11-Jul-2014 By Julian Mellentin

Fourteen years after Unilever spent $2.3bn (€1.7bn) to buy Slim-Fast, it has sold up for an undisclosed sum to a private equity player. Analyst and author Julian Mellentin tracks the decline of a mega-brand and considers what he sees as a category in...

Sugar prices to blame for ABF's poor sugar revenues

11-Jul-2014 By Nicholas Robinson

Associated British Foods (ABF) has blamed lower sugar prices and weak EU sales volumes for its poor sugar revenues in an interim management statement today (July 10).

UK political party rules out sugar or fat tax, but takes aim at advergames

10-Jul-2014 By Nathan Gray

The UK Labour party will has ruled out the possibility of taxes on sugar or fat, but will take aim at marketing to children and online advergames, says shadow Public Health Minister Luciana Berger.

EU pledge: Amica Chips and ICA Foods to stop ads to kids

07-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Amica Chips and ICA Foods have pledged to stop advertising to under 12s and communication with primary schools unless asked as part of a voluntary EU scheme.

Analyst Insight: The battle between fructose and glucose

03-Jul-2014 By Laura Jones

Manufacturers should look to reduce overall use and reliance on sugar and not focus on replacing fructose with glucose, while concerns over HFCS should start to disperse as newer research invalidates current thinking, says Laura Jones of Mintel.

Acrylamide may increase cancer risk, says EFSA opinion

01-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A draft EFSA opinion has “confirmed previous evaluations” that dietary intake of acrylamide may increase the risk of developing cancer for consumers. 

Experts take aim at SACN, sugar reduction and reformulation at summit

30-Jun-2014 By Nathan Gray

International experts and policy makers will debate the findings from the recent SACN report, and whether sugar should be a priority for public health, at the Sugar Reduction Summit next week.

SACN REPORT: REACTION

Carbohydrate report: reaction in quotes

27-Jun-2014 By Rod Addy

Public Health England will investigate taxing sugary drinks according to the paper it issued alongside the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN’s) draft report published today (June 26).

SACN report

Sugar intake should be halved, advises SACN report

27-Jun-2014 By Michael Stones

The intake of added sugar in people’s daily diet should be halved as part of a campaign to cut Britain’s soaring obesity levels, according to an influential report by government adviser the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

Sugar targets ‘counter productive’ in obesity battle

27-Jun-2014 By Michael Stones

Introducing sugar targets, in a bid to battle Britain’s obesity crisis, would be counter-productive, said Susan Jebb, ahead of a key report from Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

Kellogg, Nestlé, Mondelēz et al. promise to stop certain kids' ads by 2018

19-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Over 20 major food firms have signed up to health and wellness pledges on advertisement to children, consistent product information, open access to formulation policies and employee wellbeing as part of their commitment to Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) targets.

Sugar in teeth of fresh controversy

19-Jun-2014 By Rod Addy

Anti-sugar campaigners are targeting the damage it can do to teeth as well as tackling its contribution to obesity in the UK.

'Shocking' and 'unnecessary' levels of sugar in UK carbonated soft drinks

12-Jun-2014 By Nathan Gray

Four out of five fizzy drinks on the UK market contain the equivalent to, or more than, the WHO recommended daily maximum for sugar intake, according to new data.

Saturated fat intake may affect genetic obesity risk

06-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Reducing saturated fat intake may influence the expression of certain genetic ‘predispositions’ towards obesity, according to US research.

FAO: Food prices down as weather and Black Sea tensions improve

05-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Food prices were down for a second consecutive month in May following a ten-month high, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

Nestlé claims credit for ‘major advance’ in beverage powder solubility

05-Jun-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Nestlé says its scientists played a central role in developing a new physical mechanism that it is already using to improve the nutritional quality and pleasantness of powdered beverages.

Taking the biscuit: Consumers more sensitive to sugar reductions than fat

03-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Food manufacturers could reduce the fat content of biscuits by up to 50% without impacting overall product acceptability, according to new research.

Slashing global malnutrition hinges heavily on agri productivity

30-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Rising incomes in developing countries puts an 84% drop in global malnutrition by 2050 in sight – but it won’t happen unless agricultural productivity continues to increase and climate change is factored in, say researchers.

The price of sustainable labelling: Are consumers more interested in nutrition and cost

29-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

Despite widespread interest in sustainability issues, the labelling of products with information on environmental and ethical issues remains a low priority for consumers when compared to nutritional value and price.

Shocking levels of sugar in UK ready meals, says Which?

26-May-2014 By Nicola Cottam

UK ready meals contain up to double the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended daily intake for sugar, according to the latest research from Which?.

Low glycaemic carbohydrate enhances mood and memory in older adults: Study

26-May-2014 By Lynda Searby

Lower glycaemic load (GL) meals have been shown to benefit cognition and mood in young people, and now a new study has found that Beneo’s low glycaemic carbohydrate Palatinose (isomaltulose) can improve mood and memory in over-45s with good glucose tolerance.

EFSA invites comments on draft allergy evaluation

23-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is inviting comments on a draft scientific opinion for the evaluation of allergenic foods and food ingredients for labelling purposes.

Have you considered inulin in your chocolate?

19-May-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Leading Dutch supplier Sensus is pushing inulin as a sugar and sweetener replacer with minimal taste and texture tariffs.

'Complex carbohydrates' don't contribute to satiety, rules EFSA

19-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has dismissed a health claim application suggesting 'complex carbohydrates' have a beneficial effect on infants and young children by increasing satiety.

Unhealthy diets now rank above tobacco global as cause of preventable diseases

Battling unhealthy food requires tobacco-style response

16-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The international community must develop a global convention similar to the legal framework for tobacco control to fight diet-related ill health, warn Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation.

Sugar has a direct effect on heart disease risk and blood pressure: Meta-analysis

16-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

Sugar has a direct effect on risk factors for heart disease, and is likely to impact on blood pressure, independent of weight gain, according to new analysis of 39 clinical trials.

Maternal gluten-free linked to lower diabetes risk: Mouse study

16-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

Consumption of a gluten-free diet during pregnancy may be correlated to the health of offspring, and in particular their risk of developing type 1 diabetes, according to new research in mice.

UK data shows most people do not meet healthy eating targets

15-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The UK population is still consuming too much saturated fat, added sugars and salt and not enough fruit, vegetables, oily fish and fibre, says a new report.

Special edition: Closing the fiber gap

Bread still rules high-fiber realm; Latin America rising fast

15-May-2014 By Shane STARLING

When it comes to fiber, baked goods are king. That might sound obvious, but in a world where the nutrient, its source and end application are often separated, it is worth stating.

Special edition: Closing the fiber gap

Cereal gets to the heart of fiber deficiency, but is fortification the way to go?

14-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

High cereal fiber intake after a heart attack may improve long-term survival rates, research suggests, but these benefits could be achieved with a balanced, healthy diet, rather than through fortified goods, says British Heart Foundation senior dietician. 

Tasty waste: Seaweed by-product may offer industry flavour potential

13-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

Seaweed by-products may offer industry rich pickings for new vegetarian sources of seafood-like flavour compounds, say researchers.

Only those that produce food can significantly reduce food losses, says FAO

12-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

National governments and food producers right along the supply chain must step up collaboration on the issue of food waste, according to Ren Wang of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Fibre may increase post heart attack life expectancy by a quarter

05-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Recommending a higher intake of cereal fibre after a heart attack may improve long-term survival rates, according to a nine-year research project.

UK confectionery market poised for sugar free transition, predicts Sulá

28-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Sugar free candies only account for 5% of the UK sweets market but the dynamic could be changing, according to German confectioner Sulá.

We have to do more to reduce waste as an industry, warns Leatherhead expert

23-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

Food manufacturers should leave no stone unturned as they search for ways to decrease waste and increase the value of manufacturing waste streams, says Steve Osborn of Leatherhead Food Research.

Can industry-backed academic inventions spur increased innovation?

23-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

Industry-sponsored academic research leads to innovative patents and licenses, and may not skew science towards inventions that are less accessible and less useful to others, according to a new analysis.

When it comes to NPD, is consumer 'liking' an overrated idea?

22-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

Testing the consumer liking of a new product may be an overrated idea that ‘breeds mediocrity’ and means products fail to differentiate themselves against the competition, according to David Howlett of MMR Research.

Cutting carbs, gluten or fat? The 'utter nonsense' behind claims to be the best diet

17-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

From the benefits of gluten-free to those of Mediterranean and Palaeolithic diets, many claims that one dietary strategy are better than another for health and weight loss are simply 'unjustified' and 'sometimes utter nonsense', according...