Marketing and sales strategy pays off for UK-based firm Muntons
Malted Ingredients (MMI) with turnover increasing more than three
times in as many years.
Prosecutors in the US have indicated that the Ahold insider trading
investigation, which has seen four former executives of the retail
group's North American subsidiary US Foodservice charged with
fraud, could eventually implicate...
UK businesses that attempt to increase profits at the expense of
the environment have been told that they face tougher fines. As in
previous years, a significant number of high street names were
taken to court last year, including...
Ending a long running lawsuit the US unit of UK starch and sugar
group Tate & Lyle will pay out £55 million (€89m) to settle an
anti-trust lawsuit on high fructose corn syrup, a popular sweetener
used by soft drinks giant Coca-Cola...
UK-based technology firm Flying Null says it can offer wine and
spirit manufacturers complete traceability with what it claims is
the world's thinnest chipless smart tag.
Supply chain solutions provider RedPrairie has announced sweeping
changes to its integrated supply chain execution and optimisation
suite in order to help customers comply with increasing trade,
security and retail regulations in...
Active packaging solutions specialist Multisorb Technologies has
launched the FreshMax, an oxygen absorber that reduces the need for
additives and preservatives in food products.
France's Danone Group continues to see lower returns from its
biscuit business, haunted by rising raw materials costs, changing
consumer appetites and increased competition. But will the sale of
the Jacob's British and Irish...
Increasingly health conscious US consumers chose to bypass the
snack packs of food giant Kraft in the second quarter, a trend
which weighed heavily on profits at the country's biggest food
maker. But a major marketing push highlighting...
Rockwood Pigments, the UK subsidiary of printing technology group
Rockwood, is set to acquire the pigments and dispersions business
of chemicals group Johnson Matthey.
US cranberry co-operative Ocean Spray will roll out a plumper
version of its health ingredient for use in bakery products onto
the European food market in the next few months, hoping to see
value-added ingredients boost a bottom line...
Sherwood Technology new DataLase has been voted as one of the best
products in the Technological Development of the Year category at
the Food Processing Awards 2004.
With Europe now enforcing some of the strictest rules in the world
on the traceability of genetically modified ingredients, companies
that can offer a tracked identity preservation system are likely to
gain from demand by food makers...
KFC has labelled the investigation by animal rights activists,
which revealed horrific cruelty at a major US chicken supplier
awarded 'Supplier of the Year' in 1997, as a "mischaracterisation"
of KFC.
A new wave guide probe that allows a guided wave radar transmitter
to measure levels in saturated steam appliances without concern for
fluctuations in specific gravity has been developed.
Dutch supplier of palm oil-sourced food products Loders Croklaan
has consolidated its position in the growing palm ingredients
market, agreeing this week to buy Malaysian palm oil specialities
company Soctek.
There could be growing opportunities for makers of chocolate milk
in health positionings, in particular in the Nordic countries.
Danes, for example, are consuming more of this product than ever
before, and new product introductions...
The Australian food watchdog has issued a warning over a low-cal
sweetener that could harm consumers who are intolerant to the fruit
sugar fructose, advising these people to avoid the novel food
ingredient tagatose, produced by Arla...
Integrated bottling and packaging systems manufacturer Krones is
launching a number of new products including a PET-Asept system
featuring Isolator technology and a new VO-DM-PET volumetric
filling system for water.
Fibre suppliers are hoping to benefit from sustained interest in
carbohydrate intake among European and US consumers, which is
currently driving leading food makers to reformulate a wide range
of their product lines.
US-based environmental packaging developer EarthShell has licensed
out its technology to Meridian Business Solutions (MBS), in a move
that further underlines the growing importance of green packaging.
With impending sugar reform set to slash the bottom line for the
owner of British Sugar, UK food and ingredient group Associated
British Foods, the company is driving further into the ingredients
business with the decision to buy...
A number of the leading players from the bakery sectors in the
Baltic States have announced strong first half results in the past
week. The results for Latvia's Hanzas Maisnica, together with
Lithuanian players Vilniaus Duona...
VBS International has developed a new means of pressure testing
non-carbonated liquid containers, which it claims is ideal for
processors who need to carry out high volumes of pressure testing.
A leading Wal-Mart supplier is installing RedPrairie RFID
transportation and warehouse management software in order to comply
with looming RFID shipping mandates. The retail giant expects that
by January 2005, its top 100 suppliers...
Accession has sparked significant growth for the accession states
of Central Europe, a fact that is reflected by a rash of product
launches for the sector highlighted by this week's look at the
Mintel database where cheese is...
The breakdown of the family unit and the increasingly hectic
lifestyles of today's consumers have had a major impact on sales of
one of the most traditional bakery products - cake. So could the
secret to revitalising the category...
The extended alliance between Alfa Laval and the Sartorius Group
underlines the growing popularity of the crossflow filtration
concept in brewing, with processors moving away from traditional
methods of filtration.
With food scares, health concerns and sustainability issues playing
heavily on consumers' minds - and influencing their shopping habits
- the humble food label has never played a more important role. But
how can consumers be...
Inter Link Foods has grown rapidly to become Britain's number three
cake maker, helped by canny acquisitions and lucrative licensing
deals. The challenge now is to push into new areas of growth, such
as healthy cakes, and mount...
Competition for European suppliers of honey has ramped up with
Brussels clearing the way to end a two year ban on food imports
from China which should pave the way for cheaper raw materials for
honey formulations.
Raw meat injected with water and additives to retain moisture is
being sold alongside ordinary fresh meat by leading UK
supermarkets, a disclosure that represents yet another blow to the
reputation of food production writes Anthony...
Faced with rising costs for starch ingredients sourced from
stock-squeezed wheat and corn the global food industry is on the
look out for better value alternatives. A recent report on the
modified starch market suggests that the tropical...
As food makers continue to roll out new low carb food products to
meet the rise in demand from consumers, starch supplier MGP
Ingredients has agreed to link up with agri-giant Cargill to push a
new resistant starch product aimed at...
Crown Holdings' shipment of the 25 billionth SuperEnd beverage end
in North America underlines the current key concerns of beverage
packagers and manufacturers - cost effectiveness, waste reduction
and processing efficiency.
Sun Microsystems has delayed the opening of a centre in Scotland
that will allow European companies interested in exploring the use
of radiofrequency identification technology a base for pilot
projects.
Could the popularity of the much-vaunted - and much-criticised -
low-carb diet fad already be on the wane? Manufacturers have
invested heavily in new low-carb products to tap into the trend,
and stand to lose a lot if, as one survey...
Long-awaited changes to Europe's heavily subsidised sugar regime
are on the way after the European Commission tabled a new set of
rules that could lead to cheaper sugar ingredients, writes
Lindsey Partos.
Strahman Valves of the US has expanded its product line and
increased its presence in Europe with the acquisition of MG Process
Valves. Both companies market a range of valves for the food and
beverage processing industries.
The drive towards achieving better energy efficiency in UK
manufacturing was given fresh impetus this week following the
latest government spending review, writes Anthony Fletcher.
ADT Security Services has developed an RFID concept aimed at
providing manufacturers with an upgradeable solution for meeting
the January 2005 implementation goals set by Wal-Mart and other
leading retailers.
Ministers in the EU recently blocked a move by biotech giant
Monsanto to launch a GM corn onto the market but finding a
favourable response in less cynical countries the firm said
yesterday that Argentina had given the green light.
Growing income levels and less time for eating are contributing to
the growth of the snacking industry in central and eastern Europe.
And savoury snacks have played a major part of this growth, as the
latest product launches from...
Nabisco, the US biscuit and snack maker, has launched a number of
its most popular product lines in handy 100-calorie packs in a bid
to make it easier for dieters to keep track of their intake.
The European Commission has agreed to a programme which will see a
total investment of €1.8 billion in Poland's food processing and
agricultural sectors over the next two years, in a move that is
likely to push the country towards...
A new vegetable-based drink, based on a traditional Spanish recipe,
is being introduced to the fast-growing dairy alternatives sector
in the UK but it may have a tough time competing with soy
beverages, increasingly dominating this...
An increasingly sophisticated food market in the Middle East will
open up opportunities for food makers and suppliers of third
generation, added-value whey products in Saudi Arabia and Egypt,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Tetra Pak has issued an update of its environmental performance, in
which it claims that the group has made good progress in several
areas. But there is still work to be done if the group is to
achieve its targets and meet stringent...
