Earlier this month CAOBISCO, the body which represents European
manufacturers of sugar-based foods, came racing to side of the
businesses it represents in the accession countries. Once installed
in an enlarged Europe, the new Member...
For many food companies in the accession countries 1 May will be
the culmination of a great deal of hard work. However in Romania
and Bulgaria, currently mooted for entry in 2007, most of that work
still lies ahead. Simon Pitman spoke...
Diets rich in lean beef can help teenagers maintain their levels of
useable iron and contribute to balanced eating habits, say
researchers at the University of Iowa College of Public Health.
As accession lifts the EU's population by 20 per cent at a stroke,
the European Commission reports that every food processor in all 10
new member states has been brought into the net of EU regulations.
But for one in 12, granted...
Ongoing growth in cultures sales to the dairy industry and health
markets helped the Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen post a modest
rise in revenue for the food ingredients division in the first six
months. Organic growth for the...
As with many other food sectors, the meat processing industry loses
a considerable amount of money from wastage throughout the supply
chain. Danish firm Scanvaegt has come with a solution to help
manufacturers cut costs by limiting...
The UK government looks set to miss one of its key recyclingtargets
after new government figures published today reveal thatonly 14.5
per cent of household waste in England was recycled in2002/3. Food
and beverage packaging makes...
Most British mothers say they know enough about nutrition to give
their children a balanced diet, but most of them are unable to
identify what foods make up such a diet, claims British baker
Warburtons, making a stand for starchy...
A web-based application that enables companies to design cartons,
pallets, trailers and ocean containers as part of their
distribution process has been launched. Developer HighJump believes
that the software, called Container Advantage,...
Cafédirect, the UK's largest supplier of ethical tea and coffee
under the Fairtrade mark, has reported record sales for the year to
end March - a performance which confirms the growing importance of
ethical food and drink products...
A joint venture project to build a 500,000-tone soybean vegetable
protein has got under way in Xinxiang City, Henan province. The
venture includes three Chinese companies and is thought to be one
of the largest of its kind in the...
UK-based sausage manufacturer J&J Tranfield has installed an
ERP system in order to streamline its business operations and
improve quality control. Meat processors are under increasing
pressure to ensure complete control of the...
Print specialist Sherwood Technology is pioneering the development
of contact-free printing for packaging. The company claims that the
new technology is particularly useful in helping firms fulfill
traceability requirements.
Spearing growth in the speciality starch and health ingredients
domain MGP Ingredients links up with Penford Corporation to market
a new potato-based resistant starch for increasing fibre and
reducing carbohydrate levels in food products....
DSM Engineering Plastics is set to expand capacity at its polyamide
plant in the Netherlands. The move underlines the growing
importance of the material, which is used in flexible food
packaging.
A new automated solution that uses fieldbus network technology
gives manufacturers the opportunity to better control the food
process, claims developer Profibus. Fieldbus networks are already
used by many processors, and this trend...
The UK Food Standards Agency has published a consultation paper
seeking views on the EC's proposals to regulate the use of recycled
plastic materials intended to come into contact with food. The new
regulations would harmonise...
Manufacturing equipment provider DeltaTRAK has launched a number of
software versions to be used in conjunction with its line of
temperature and temperature/humidity data loggers. Ensuring the
correct humidity levels for food production...
Two newly-launched conveyor belt concepts demonstrate how
efficiency and ease of maintenance are key drivers in food
production. Intralox has resorted to using one belt instead of
rollers, while CSi has adopted ultrasound technology.
Swiss baked goods group Hiestand has reported strong increases in
both pre-tax and net profits for 2003 on the back of a double-digit
increase in sales, the first results from a new restructuring
programme designed to make the company...
Vilniaus Duona Plius, the leading bakery group in Lithuania, has
been cleared to buy compatriot Panevezio Duona by the country's
competition authorities, giving the Finnish-owned group complete
control of the company. Meanwhile,...
The countdown begins to new food allergen labelling rules in Europe
that herald an end to the 20 year old '25 per cent' rule. Taken
together with escalating incidences of food allergies, new
opportunities have arisen in...
UK retailer Sainsbury is to launch a range of wines that feature
specially treated corks. The new technology, which is said to
protect the product from cork taint, is being touted as the
possible saviour of the wine cork industry...
An additional €25 million funding for recycling and a national
biodegradable waste strategy were among the new initiatives
announced in Ireland's first 5-year report on the country's waste
management progress. A report on...
A safer way to heat food products that still manages to retain
nutritional quality is being developed by European scientists. The
researchers are eager to see if the new process can reduce the need
for additives and appeal to consumers...
Production inspections carried out on organic manufacturers in
Finland last year revealed that some were using conventionally
produced sugar in their products. More worryingly, many companies
have not installed adequate tracing systems.
Sabaté has this week unveiled the successful results of a trial of
a new natural closure which it claims should remove the risk of
wine taint caused by compounds in cork - good news for the vast
majority of wine drinkers who still...
A new report suggests that competition in the European organic meat
industry is increasing, as the market begins to suffer from
overcapacity. This follows another report that linked the
popularity of organic meat in North America...
A new concept, described by the manufacturer as the 'missing link'
between ERP systems and shop-floor data collection systems, is soon
to be launched. Will the technology be able to help the meat
industry achieve complete...
Wimm-Bill-Dann (WBD), the leading dairy and fruit juice producer in
Russia, has announced the completion of its latest stage of its
production and moderisation program at Baltic dairy factory OJSC.
The group, which has been investing...
Latvian fruit and vegetable processing company Pure Food says that
it has reached an agreement with a major Chinese shopping chain to
supply its products there.
Leading producers of baby food in China are continuing efforts to
reassure consumers as the scandal over fake baby food that is said
to have killed dozens of babies continues to unfold, reports
Simon Pitman and Danny Vincent.
Offices of bakery ingredients and sweeteners giant CSM were raided
yesterday by the Dutch competition watchdog NMa on suspicions of
price fixing in the firms sugar division CSM Suiker. In a parallel
raid, the NMa hit leading Dutch...
Food manufacturers are under pressure to be able to trace every
product at every stage of the supply chain. Equipment supplier
Mettler Toledo explains the role of weighing and measuring
technology in helping firms to meet stringent...
Flavours and extracts firm Frutarom has gained the worldwide
marketing rights to a range of natural antioxidants made by
Israel's RAD Natural Technologies, boosting its offering to health
and functional food makers.
Public concern over BSE outbreaks is set to boost sales of organic
meat products in North America, according to a new report. But
North Americans have not historically been as influenced by food
scares as their European counterparts.
Britain's supermarkets are not doing enough to support the
country's organic farming industry, buying in produce from abroad
despite sufficient supplies in the domestic market, claims the Soil
Association. But there are...
French closures company Sabaté has developed a new wine cork that
has been treated with a TCA-extraction process. The technology is
designed to solve the problem of corkage, while avoiding the need
to use unpopular closures such as...
A Californian consumer group in the US has called for beef sold in
the state to carry country-of-origin labels, and claims that
supermarket giant Safeway has been selling unlabelled beef from
Canada, where a feeding practice linked...
Valio is to launch its probiotic cheese in Belgium, the first
country outside its home market, where cheese is a fast-growing new
application area for the health-promoting bacteria, writes
Dominique Patton.
A US manufacturer of frozen and refrigerated products has installed
a software system designed to optimise its production processes.
Food manufacturers are increasingly looking to IT as a means of
getting their products out of the...
US colours and flavours group Sensient continues to feel the impact
of soft markets in North American food and beverage segments,
particularly synthetic colours, posting a further drop in income
for the first quarter of 2004. Pressure...
A new rectangular PET (polyethylene terephthalate) hot-fill bottle,
which allows for more efficient shipping, has been launched in the
US. This could prove to be a blessing for suppliers, as shipping
rates have risen 10 - 25 per cent...
Software provider Sensitech has acquired near all of the assets of
Cox Technologies. The development demonstrates further
consolidation within the food technology sector, and suggests that
food manufacturers are increasingly looking...
Companies must manage their inventory in a more innovative way,
according to a market analyst. One way of doing this would be to
think of inventories as a liability and manage it as a risk.
An electronic nose could sniff out considerable savings for food
manufacturers as researchers use the latest technology for the
early detection of 'undesirable off-odours and microbial
contaminants' in dairy and bakery products.
The European Commission says it is making efforts to debunk what it
terms 'myths and misunderstandings' about a range of food and drink
products with respects to EU enlargement.
The 10 new Member States due to join the EU are on course to meet
the EU's food safety standards, said EU Commissioner David Byrne,
who claims that significant progress has been made in recent
months.
Malvern Instruments in the UK has added a new range of particle
measurement systems to its portfolio of analysers for in-process
applications, allowing users to measure larger particles of up to
2.5 mm.
