Swiss marketing group DKSH introduced a new fibre to the European
market last week, which could steal sales of the increasingly
popular ingredient inulin.
A highly flexible automatic measuring device capable of detecting
the tiniest leaks of CO2 from protective gas atmosphere packaging
has been developed.
A plant-wide control system has been installed at an industrial
bakery in the UK. The firm, BakeMark, wanted to replace its
existing system and to expand production of its bread improver
ingredients - predominantly cake mixes - from...
Recent reports that Nestlé, the world's biggest food company, is
considering a move into the fair trade market have been met with
scepticism and disbelief by market observers and rival coffee
makers alike, but as analysts Datamonitor...
Retalix has launched CS Direct, a supply chain initiative for
operators interested in self-distribution. The new initiative is
specifically tailored to the requirements of the convenience store
sector and is based around the supply...
A number of new ingredients targeting the bakery and beverage
markets in particular have been launched this month, helping bakers
improve volumes, reduce costs and lift product safety or improving
both the look and mouthfeel of juice...
Syscan International and Sensor Wireless are set to combine their
separate technologies to jointly develop new RFID applications for
the food production industry.
Krones has unveiled what it claims is a complete package of
after-sale customer care for bottlers and plant managers. The
service covers everything from installation and commissioning
through to training, parts, preventive maintenance...
Danish Crown's UK subsidiary Tulip Limited has combined with
Flagship Foods to create the UK's second largest pork meat
supplier. The new group will be called Tulip.
Sun Microsystems and Capgemini have launched a jointly-developed
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) solution to enable packaged
goods companies to comply with RFID mandates issued by a growing
number of leading retailers.
Zimmer, a subsidiary of mg technologies, claims to have developed a
new process that manufactures blanks for PET bottles 10 per cent
more efficiently than at present. This, it says, amounts to a cost
saving of €100 per tonne of bottle...
Food makers are criticised again for the high salt content in food
products as campaign group CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and
Health) publishes new survey saying sandwiches on sale at retail
outlets are so salty they should carry...
After months of political wranglings GM sweetcorn could be on the
supermarket shelves by the end of the year with the European
Commission poised to end the five year unofficial ban on
genetically modified foods, writes Lindsey Partos.
Comprehensive RFID-enabling software is now available to help
manufacturers achieve RFID compliance, from printing and reading
tag-embedded labels to filtering and aggregating data.
A major Chinese brewer is adopting hi-tech methods and promoting
the growth of new varieties of hops from the USA, UK and Germany to
boost brewing production. Domestic producers in China, which
recently became the world's biggest...
The National Toxicology Program in the US is to launch a probe into
the health risks posed by commercial deep-frying of crisps, chips
and carbohydrate-rich foods.
Irish wholesaler BWG has installed a high-tech distribution system
at its cash & carry depots and distribution centres. The Accord
software package is designed to minimise supply chain costs through
complete process integration.
A conference to address the future of central & eastern
Europe's packaging markets is to be held in Bologna, Italy next
month. The event will attempt to evaluate the investment potential
for packagers in emerging markets...
Over 500 food processing plants were shut down in the Czech
Republic at the end of 2003, according to Radio Praha. The closures
of the plants were due to food safety and hygiene standards failing
to meet European Union regulations.
UK snack company Sundora Foods has relaunched its range of dried
fruit in innovative new packaging. The company chose Amcor
Flexible's patented new FlexCan as the concept offers consumers an
easy open and re-closable, stand-up...
A new means of on-site fuel generation for potato processing
facilities using recovered potato waste solids has been discovered.
The breakthrough could help companies achieve energy savings while
at the same time operate in a more...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
