The first wrangling over EU sugar reform proposals by agriculture
ministers saw protests and a passionate debate in Brussels
yesterday, but the opposition looks increasingly isolated,
reports Chris Mercer.
Irritable bowel syndrome consumers are significantly more likely to
have elevated food-specific serum IgG4 antibodies to wheat, beef,
pork and lamb than healthy volunteers, researchers report.
The success of the GI diet in the UK has triggered soaring demand
for oats, pushing the country's leading oatcake maker to add new
production capacity, writes Lorraine Heller.
Cargill's pioneering Life Stage approach to developing and
marketing ingredients shows how the industry can better tune into
consumer demand, writes Anthony Fletcher from New Orleans.
As Chinese producers move in on western markets, the first response
by many established players is to protect and defend their previous
market positions. It's a doomed strategy.
While cereal production in the EU will be 10 per cent below last
year's record harvests, food processors will not have to look to
imports to make up their requirements.
Reports from a fresh Italian study alleging aspartame could pose a
cancer risk are not in harmony with the extensive research that
exist on aspartame, say suppliers of this popular sweetener.
Two major US bakeries are today adding white wholegrain bread to
their product ranges, targeting consumers who want the taste they
like while receiving the nutrition they need, reports Lorraine
Heller.
Private equity moves deeper into food ingredients industry, with
European equity provider ABN AMRO Capital buying up ingredients
distributor IMCD from AlpInvest Partners, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Acquisitive US ingredients firm Cargill leapfrogs into a leading
pectin position as the Citrico acquisition clears allowing pectin
products to fall into Cargill's portfolio, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Squeezed by rising meat prices and a falling appetite for its
products UK burger supremo Canterbury Foods said its revenues for
the full year will be "substantially below market
expectations".
BakeMark UK, subsidiary of Dutch ingredients firm CSM, is hoping to
cash in on the rapidly growing UK market for Indian foods,
announcing yesterday the launch of a new Indian snack product.
There's more movement in the UK's supermarket battle for supremacy,
as Asda announced yesterday it is cutting 200 management jobs and
adding about 1,200 store positions as part of a reorganisation.
A new all wholegrain cereal range was launched in the UK last week
by cereal giant Kellogg, targeting the increasing number of
consumers turning towards healthier wholegrain products. Yet a
Mintel analyst says it is unlikely to be...
CSM Bakery Supplies North America plans to close three production
sites and to restructure a further two facilities, the Dutch
ingredients firm announced today.
With its eye on a market where shelf life and food safety is
becoming a major selling point, the National Food Laboratory (NFL)
said yesterday it has received regulatory approval for a rotary
filler that aseptically packages low-acid...
Food makers opt for the latest darling of the sweetener industry,
sucralose, for their new products with fresh data showing this
sweetener gained ground over aspartame and Acesulfame K in new
launches using sweeteners, for the...
Dutch food and pharma group DSM completes the last step in shedding
its bakery portfolio, selling its stake in the South African yeast
products manufacturer Rymco,writes Lindsey Partos.
Meat from the lab directly to the table is still in an experimental
stage right now, but a team of scientists have jumped ahead of the
crowd by indicating how it might be done on an industrial scale.
A society that views food as taste-bud entertainment rather than a
basic of well-being was always bound to run into health problems.
But with obesity now afflicting 300m people, and diabetes set to
reach similar numbers within two...
A new laboratory designed to improve the quality of barley and oats
could have major implications for makers of breakfast cereals,
beverages and bakery goods.
Axon has extended its tamper proof system to the fresh produce
market, saying its seal will help keep prying hands out of packaged
fruits and vegetables.
Signing yet another deal to feed its seemingly insatiable appetite
for acquisitions, US ingredients firm Cargill makes a drive into
the whey derivatives market, reports Lindsey Partos.
India will receive the full production transfer of GM Golden Rice
from Switzerland, five years after the strain was engineered to
help combat blindness and disease in Asia, writes Hyridyesh
Pandey.
Another UK bakery faced a heavy fine this week after neglecting to
ensure a safe working environment, leading to a worker losing his
arm in an accident with a dough milling machine, wrties Lorraine
Heller.
The area sown to wheat and barley over the last season in the UK
has decreased, said the HGCA last week, yet there is no apparent
cause for concern as good yields may still produce a strong crop,
reports Lorraine Heller.
Catalyst International says its supply chain management software
coupled with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can
help companies increase productivity and decrease costs.
Weight and health concerns continue to propel the market for
low-calorie sweeteners, with a host of recent global product
launches showing the popularity of sugar replacer aspartame in new
sugar and sweetener formulations, reports...
Oral contraceptives may prevent young women from attaining optimal
bone mass and increase their chances of developing osteoporosis in
later life. But a new study from Purdue University indicates that
upping dietary calcium may offset...
Squeezed by tight margins owing to high raw material costs and a
powerful retail sector reluctant to pass on price increases,
players across the bakery sector are striving to find different
solutions in order to sustain, rebuild and...
As part of the forthcoming implementation of new EU regulations,
the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published a plan to
increase its oversight of imported food and feed arriving at
Heathrow Airport.
The planned floatation of the UK's RHM on the London Stock Exchange
later this month is part of a cluster of current deals underway in
the food sector involving investment firms.
Food makers and ingredients firms will benefit from a new European
platform that will prioritise research and development initiatives
to keep the €800 billion food and drink industry
competitive,reports Lindsey Partos.
While food scientists are keen to promote the gluten-free benefits
of sorghum in food formulations, African scientists are set to
design a genetically engineered 'super sorghum' packed with
vitamins and minerals
In the wake of poor profits and declining sales, ConAgra will close
some of its 150 manufacturing and food processing plants to improve
efficiency, the company said in its latest earnings report.
It is time to draw on science to establish once and for all whether
food intolerance is just a source of succour for hypochondriacs, or
whether it is genuinely a modern scourge.
Russian packaging supplier Atlantis-Pak has presented a range of
new meat processing equipment to industry employees as it increases
capacity to expand at home and abroad, reports Angela
Drujinina.
While Finland's costly paper mill lockout ended on Friday, some of
the country's larger manufacturers have been busy moving their
operations to lower cost countries.
Danish Crown, Europe's largest meat processor has approved the sale
of another slaughterhouse in its domestic market, as it attempts to
expand internationally and lower costs.
Dutch bakery ingredients giant has reduced its long-term debt by
€145m, the company announced today, as part of its strategy to
improve its balance sheet.
A recent proposal to broaden the definition of Class 1 fluid milk
has divided industry opinion between those who see potential in
improved prices and those who see a loss of consumer trust,
writes Anthony Fletcher.