A new system designed to monitor product consistency and
potentially provide significant cost savings for cereal, snack and
pet food manufacturers has just been launched in Europe by British
group APV Baker.
Shell Lubricants has introduced Shell Grease FM 2, a lubricant
which aims at improving efficiencies and economies of scale for the
food and beverage processing industry.
Campbell Soup is the latest US group planning to cut trans fatty
acids from its products following last July's decision by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) requiring that trans fats be labelled
from 2006.
The growing of cereal crops without recourse to chemical additives
and herbicides increases the production yield two-fold with respect
to the conventional mode of growing crops, says a university
research project.
Sony Corp has announced the development of a flame-resistant
plastic made mainly of corn-based polylactide which it has jointly
developed with Mitsubishi Plastics in Japan.
The global threat posed by bird flu is still very much in evidence,
a point the FAO is emphasising as it urges countries to remain
vigilant in light of fresh outbreaks.
The National Food Agency of Finland has combined with provincial
governments to start a programme to assess the conformity of
municipal food controlthrough more regulation.
A new weighing and recording system designed specifically to track
bulk materials such as food ingredients has been launched by
international weighing and bagging specialist Chronos Richardson.
A strain of swine flu containing gene segments from birds and
humans as well as from pigs is sweeping across North America. Now
scientists in the US have developed a process called reverse
genetics to try and combat the spread of...
A small Canadian milling company has found a novel way of creating
more value from its by-products - by tapping into the growing craze
for low carbohydrate products made popular by the Atkins Diet.
Crown Holdings has developed a new heat-sealed peelable lid for
mackerel fillets. Once the preserve of beverage manufacturers, the
ring pull is increasingly being used in food applications to meet
consumer demands for convenience.
Supply chain management is becoming increasingly important in
efficient food production. A pilot project developed by Microsoft
Business Solutions and KiMs, a Danish snack manufacturer, is a good
example of how technology, especially...
German technology group Azo has developed a new automated system called
Dosibox which it claims allows for the cost-effective dosing of
additives and other minor ingredients.
A real cross-section of product launches reflects the growing
importance of healthier processed foods which have just arrived on
Polish and Czech shop shelves, as we look at the most significant
offerings from the Mintel GNPD this...
The packaging sector is becoming increasingly important in the
accession countries, according to a new report from MINEFI - DREE
elargissement. And leading the way is the agrofood and mass
retailing industry - the mainstay of the...
A deadly strain of bird flu has been detected in several Vietnamese
pigs, heightening concern that the aggressive virus could decimate
pork production in Asia. However, the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has...
Expro, one of the biggest producers of crackers and sweet biscuits
in the Guatemalan market, has installed two additional production
lines from the UK's APV Baker group to help it double its capacity
and pursue aggressive growth...
Equipment specialist Carlisle Process Systems islaunching a new
range of Fischer heat exchangers, designed specifically for the
brewing profession. The Combi-flow system means that changing the
plate configuration can provide different...
Trade in food and drink has been a traditional mainstay between
Poland and Russia, but as accession looms ever closer Poland's
position on future trade outside of the European Union has still
not been made clear, authorities...
With Polish meat processers struggling to comply with rigorous EU
safety regulations, it seems that major consolidation by western
giants looks likelier as domestic players' budgets struggle to keep
pace with big budgets.
Raisio has opened up its first production facility in Russia.
Located just outside Moscow, the Finland-based company says it is
hoping that the move will help it to expand its margarine portfolio
in Russia and neighbouring states.
Braby, the
UK-based designer and manufacturer of silos, has recently supplied
Village Bakery, a Welsh bread and pastry maker, with a silo package
for the storage of savoury flour.
The control system of a feed production plant in Austria has been
converted from a traditional relay-based control system to a
state-of-the-art PLC (programmable logic controller) system -
another example of how traceability within...
US ingredients companies continue to make moves into the European
marketplace with FiberGel Technologies, a supplier of the fat
replacer Z-Trim, announcing it has linked up with Swiss company
DKSH to target European consumers with...
The European Commission has set up a new online help desk for the
development of trade from developing countries. The Commission says
the tool aims to assist the likes of food and drink manufacturers
in Central and Eastern Europe...
Dessert giant Müller is looking into reports that a batch of its
apple Müllerice creamy dairy rice with apple pieces in syrup may
have been spoiled, and may pose a health risk. Around 220,000 pots
of the rice pudding dessert have...
The price paid to British farmers for chicken needs to increase by
8p a kilogramme if the industry is to survive, the National Farmers
Union said yesterday. Poultry producers are getting an average of
2p less than the cost of production...
A previously unidentified protein on the surface of intestinal
cells has given researchers in the US clues on how to prevent
disease. The scientists believe their results could eventually lead
the way to preventing food-borne Listeria...
Danish packaging firm Lachenmeier has launched a new stretch hood
machine that can be used by the food packaging industry. "A wide
range of products will benefit from this technology, such food and
beverages, which in the past...
The European Commission has warned that it might challenge
member-state bans on biotech crops in the European Court of
Justice. Bans have been imposed by Austria, France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and the UK.
UK-based testing and inspection systems provider Dimaco is to
unveil a number of line inspection systems at the forthcoming Total
Processing & Packaging exhibition.
An extensive analysis of foodstuffs carried out in association with
the National Food Agency of Finland reveals that there are still
high levels of pesticide residue in plant origin foodstuffs and
that a significant number exceed...
Wagner, a Germany-based producer of frozen foods, has seen
demand for its pizza snack brand Piccolinis rocket over the last
few years, a welcome development but one which has left it with a
major problem: how to step up its packaging...
Leading UK ready meals manufacturer, Kwoks, has opened a vastly
extended and modernised facility in Grimsby, Yorkshire, which it
says will help meet increasing demand from supermarket chain Asda.
Global packaging supplier Ball has reported a strong fourth quarter
and full year 2003, pushing the company's profits significantly
higher than the previous year, on the back of a strong performance
from its European operations.
Once the preserve of technology-driven corporate executives,
wireless technology is increasingly making its mark in the food
processing sector. One of the leading exponents of the technology
has been APV's, which has developed...
The steel packaging industry in Central Europe is set to prosper,
as long as outmoded means of production can be upgraded. The
consumption of steel packaging in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic
and Slovakia is projected to grow at...
The World Health Organisation (WHO) held talks yesterday with drugs
firms and international laboratories on developing a vaccine to
fight the bird 'flu virus that is ravaging parts of East Asia.
There are now fears that the crisis...
Technological advances have revolutionised the industrial bakery
sector over the last few years, and plants are now much safer
places than they were even just a decade ago.
A new metal detector capable of picking up ferrous and
stainless-steel contamination within aluminium foil-wrapped
products has been developed. Manufactured by German technology firm
Sartorius, the product, called the Observer, could...
The latest food and drink product launches from Mintel reveal a
broad spectrum of innovative product launches for the Central and
Eastern European region, which all carry a seasonally wintry
association.
Many food producers believe that phosphorus fertiliser is necessary
to increase yields of wheat, barley, corn and other crops - the
problem is that it is expensive. But new research in the US
suggests that applying phosphorus every...
The European pig meat sector faces a major crisis. The Euro is
currently very strong against the dollar, feed prices are very high
due to last summer's drought and consumer demand for pork is low.
These factors come on top of...
Crackers have traditionally had a loyal following in the UK, mainly
as an accompaniment to cheese. But producers are now trying to
attract new consumers, not only through diversifying their product
offering but also through raising...
Slovenian meat and poultry processor Perutnina Ptuj has announced a
20 per cent increase in its revenues for 2003 on the back of strong
domestic demand - results that are expected to fuel further
expansion outside the domestic market.
The Latvian Minister of Agriculture has proposed that the Latvian
government acts as a medium between the EU and Russia in an effort
to promote greater trade between the two for food products.
Organic farming was recognised as a viable means of achieving
sustainable development at the European Hearing on Organic Food and
Farming yesterday. Franz Fischler, member of the European
Commission responsible for agriculture, rural...
The Russian Agricultural Ministry is already estimating the impact
of EU enlargement on its exports of grains, claiming that
soon-to-be implemented quotas could cost it more than €300 million
year.
In a speech given yesterday in Brussels, Dr Franz Fischler, EU
Commissioner for Agricultural, Rural Development and Fisheries,
outlined a number of pressing areas relating to enlargement, with
quality and administrative issues being...
