Probiotics in capsule form have been around for a few years, as
dietary supplement manufacturers seek to take advantage of the
growing awareness of their beneficial effect on gut health. But
some consumers do not like taking capsules,...
Last year Denmark became the first country in the world to ban
trans fats from food products over fears these hydrogenated fats
could contribute to heart disease. While the EU has yet to reach a
position on the labelling of these...
The Beverage Can Makers in Europe (BCME) has welcomed the advocate
general's conclusions in the EU Court cases regarding the German
packaging regime. He found that the discriminatory elements of the
German packaging order regarding...
Acquisitive ingredients firm Kerry will spend €170 million on four
bolt-on flavour acquisitions announced yesterday as the €3.7
billion Irish company continues to consolidate its position in the
highly competitive flavours market....
Real-time supply chain execution (SCE) software provider ClearOrbit
has launched Purchase Order Change Management, part of its Advanced
Collaborative Replenishment Suite. PO Change Management automates
the communication of order changes...
Breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid and other B vitamins
could help consumers protect against heart disease by lowering
levels of homocysteine, suggests new research. The amino acid
homocysteine is increasingly accepted as...
Lithuanian grain producer Malsena says that its move towards
multi-functional food manufacturing has meant challenges finding
skilled staff to operate its new pasta line. In its quest the
company says that it will have to turn towards...
Glanbia Nutritional Products is hoping to build on growing consumer
awareness of the link between dairy foods and weight loss, with a
new ingredient specifically designed to add the beneficial
components of milk products to other...
US-based Andover Controls has formed a partnership with UK-based
HVAC specialist AEC to offer plant managers greater potential for
energy saving. There is growing awareness that food processors need
to manage their energy consumption...
The global expansion of RFID technology can be seen in the orders
Canadian developer Advanced ID (AID) has received in recent months.
The company is involved in installing the technology in countries
as diverse as Thailand, Argentina,...
Gas giant Air Liquide's €2.7 billion acquisition of Messer
Griesheim's operations in Germany, the United Kingdom and the
United States has just been completed. The acquisition alters the
balance of power in Europe's...
A scientist at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden has
demonstrated how manufacturers can make environmentally-friendly
packing out of garbage.
An industry drive to push the nutritional benefits of flour could
lead to increased sales for the £3 billion UK bread market.
Farmer's in the UK last week met with the National Association of
British and Irish Millers (NABIM)...
Opportunities for food manufacturers and ingredients firms are set
to burgeon in the UK functional food marketplace with new Mintel
research forecasting that the £835 million market will double in
the next five years to £1.7 billion....
French dairy ingredients firm Ingredia is targeting the growing
market for stress management products with a rebranded milk-derived
ingredient, said to be more effective than herbals and other
supplements currently available.
RFID has arrived. Long hailed as the next IT revolution for
industry, communicating labels are being forced into place by
retailers and legislators alike, leaving manufacturers racing to
implement a newborn technology steeped in unknowns,...
Supply chain execution (SCE) solutions provider Manhattan
Associates has launched a new integrated approach to help
manufacturers manage every aspect of their operation. Everything
from warehouse management to global tracing have...
In the thriving world of snacks the key to success for food
developers will be in designing time-positioned, healthy and guilt
free indulgences as the consumer becomes more fussy, says a new
report from Datamonitor that shows UK snackaholics,...
Food manufacturers are increasingly turning to solutions that
combine multiple security elements to protect products against
counterfeiting, according to French foil manufacturer Kurz.
BioEnvelop Technologies has reported a massive 1,486 per cent
increase in sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 compared to
the same quarter ended 30 April 2003. This underlines the growing
importance of the biodegradable films...
Buhler has developed a comprehensive system to help manufacturers
manage the life cycle of their plant. The company argues that in
the long term, good planning and predictive maintenance is much
less expensive than poorly thought-out...
Pernod Ricard, the world's third largest wine and spirits group,
has reported a slight dip in sales for the first quarter of 2004.
The group's established brands performed well in the US and Asia
Pacific regions, but its...
A new report examining the latest developments in improving the
shelf-life of various food products has been launched. New
technology has opened the door to a number of innovations that
could save manufacturers money and maintain...
New pre-designed metal closures for European manufacturers of jams
and honey have been developed by Crown Holdings. The company claims
that the concept will help companies achieve greater
cost-effectiveness while ensuring complete...
Tapping into the €83 million market for cellulose gum use in food
applications, UK-based ingredient firm Fiske has signed a new
agreement with CMC leader Noviant to distribute the firm's range of
cellulose gums.
The use of hydrocolloids, in particular carrageenans, to provide
texture and viscosity to meat products has grown over decades in
parallel to the needs of food makers. While supply shortages are
currently impacting the price of a...
Leading foreign supermarket chains in Eastern Europe claim they are
expecting to significantly increase their food exports to foreign
subsidiaries throughout Europe, giving a major boost to food
producers there, writes Simon Pitman.
A leading processor of carrots for the UK supermarket sector has
doubled its packaging speed by replacing traditional bagging with
drop and seal technology from Ulma Packaging.
US-based Dow Agro Science has confirmed that its grain corn
containing an insect resistant trait has received regulatory
approval for import into China.
Malaysian palm oil producers are anticipating a big step up in
demand after US food giant Kraft confirmed that it had plans to use
more palm oil in processed foods for the US market.
Grants have been made available in the US to enable small
businesses to invest in renewable energy systems. Food producers
could be in line to benefit most - the industry accounts for 10 per
cent of electrical load in many areas.
The British Poultry Council claims that less regulations on energy
consumption and pollution in the meat processing industry is vital
if the sector is to survive the onslaught of cheaper imports,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Intermec
Technologies has launched an RFID migration strategy to help
customers meet new RFID requirements. Under the scheme,
manufacturers and retailers will be able to begin pilots with
current Intermec tag and readers with...
Consumers with special dietary needs could benefit from a barcode
and mobile camera phone system that communicates product
information, according to researchers in Finland. Potential uses of
RFID technology are also being investigated.
Sending a ripple of fear through the food industry, in 2002 the
Swedish Food Administration found high levels of the cancer-causing
compound acrylamide in carbohydrate-rich foods heated to high
temperatures. As global efforts in food...
ICI flavour subsidiary Quest International, streamlined this week
through the spin off of its food ingredients arm to Irish
ingredients firm Kerry, is to target the confectionery industry
with the roll out of a new flavour encapsulation...
Industrial measurement equipment provider Endress+Hauser has
developed a comprehensive service to help production managers
handle the lifecycle of their plant equipment better. Predictive
maintenance is much less expensive than unplanned...
A new sachet that contains no air and flat cardboard on one side
has been developed in New Zealand. The new-style packaging, which
offers consumers easier opening and businesses the opportunity to
advertise on an everyday product,...
Packaging that reacts to its environment could help food
manufacturers preserve food for longer and help consumers to
recognise when a particular product has reached its sell-by date.
This, says one industry expert, is the future...
Stable Micro Systems has developed a probe that it claims can
accurately determine the firmness and texture of a number of foods.
The analyser works by penetrating the food in several places to
give an average reading.
Fonterra, New Zealand's leading dairy exporter, said on Monday that
it plans to axe hundreds of jobs in order to streamline its
business for future core efficiency. Over the next two years the
group plans to cut 700 administrative...
Pressure on food manufacturers to remove artery-clogging trans fats
linked to heart disease from foods continues in the US and Europe.
In response to increasing demand and imminent labelling rules in
the US, food ingredients players...
Migros, the Swiss food retailer, has launched a range of
gluten-free products aimed specifically at coeliacs, the first time
the co-operative group has catered for sufferers of the digestive
disease.
New technology in strawberry production has led to dramatic
improvements, a Teagasc conference in Ireland has been told.
Through the adoption of new production methods, the value of
strawberries has more than doubled during the last...
A return to growth in 2003 after a lacklustre performance in the US
market in 2001 and 2002 contributed to the 8.3 per cent increase in
global bakery product sales last year, according to a new report.
Artisanal products continue...
Danish ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients steps into new
markets with its low calorie bulk sweetener tagatose as the food
watchdog for Australia and New Zealand gives the green light for
use in foods that span from cereals to...
Danish ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients has moved into
another new market with its low-calorie bulk sweetener, tagatose,
as the food watchdog for Australia and New Zealand gives the green
light for its use in foods that span...
The ten new Member States of the EU have had to work flat out to
ensure that their legal systems are brought into line with the rest
of Europe's, and no sector has been busier than the food processing
and packaging sector. For...
On 1 May an historic moment marked the entry of ten countries and
75 million consumers into the European Union. Churchill's 'Iron
Curtain' has been consigned to the history books, heralding
democracy, stability and...
The dairy industry has been eagerly promoting trials showing that
the calcium in milk products can prevent obesity but, writes
Dominique Patton, several gaps in the evidence mean that
dietary guidelines based on this effect are a...
