Breaking News on Food Processing & Packaging

WTO to rule on origin labeling row

20-Nov-2009 - The World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed to rule on the ongoing dispute over whether US country of origin labeling (COOL) violates international trade agreements, as Canada and Mexico have alleged.

News in brief

FSA announces GM steering group members

18-Nov-2009 - The FSA has named the group members of a steering group that will shape and manage forthcoming consumer dialogue work on genetic modification (GM) in food.

Weekly comment

Alleviation of hunger should top CSR agenda

17-Nov-2009 - Climate change dominates the CSR agenda but new USDA figures on food insecurity are a sharp reminder that alleviating poverty and hunger should always be the top priority.

IFT reviews food traceability

16-Nov-2009 - The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has released a report examining food traceability, with the aim of reducing foodborne illness by making it easier to trace food along the entire supply chain.

Silver-coated poultry crates help cut bacteria contamination

13-Nov-2009 - Crates coated with a new silver antimicrobial protection system can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination of Campylobacter among poultry during transportation, said manufacturers BioCote Ltd.

Functional water sales grow strongly across Europe

10-Nov-2009 - Sales of functional waters are growing strongly in Europe aided by health concerns, clearer marketing, and advances in formulation, according to a new report from Zenith.

Kraft’s bid is ‘contemptuous’, says analyst

10-Nov-2009 - Even if Kraft intends to increase its bid for Cadbury, its latest offer has probably managed to upset both the board and shareholders, says Andrew Wood, senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.

Supply chain waste map for meat and fish

04-Nov-2009 - A resource map outlining where and how much meat and fish – as well as it associated packaging – is wasted in the supply chain is to be developed in a bid to cut all three and save cash for industry players.

Three speedy GM maize approvals ease soy imports

03-Nov-2009 - The European Commission last week approved three varieties of genetically modified maize for import and processing for food and feed uses, as soy imports into the EU were held up by the bloc’s zero tolerance policy.

Animal welfare labelling schemes up for discussion in Europe

30-Oct-2009 - The European Commission is mulling labelling to help consumers’ identify animal welfare-friendly products and incentivise producers to improve welfare. But campaigners say voluntary measures are not enough.

Climate change to strike UK food prices, claims report

29-Oct-2009 - The price of staple foods in the UK could soar to four and a half times above inflation by 2030 unless developed countries slash their greenhouse gas emissions, warns a new report from Friends of the Earth.

Food waste driving confidence in UK composting sector

27-Oct-2009 - Increased collection of food waste is underpinning confidence in the UK’s composting sector, the Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) and Association for Organic Recycling (AFOR) have said.

Weekly comment

Branded Corn Flakes are great for branding

19-Oct-2009 - Will we all be waking up bleary-eyed to bowls of tattooed Corn Flakes any time soon? Probably not, but by suggesting that we could, Kellogg’s has hit on a winning marketing ploy.

Indian PM calls for national food processing strategy

08-Oct-2009 - India urgently needs a national food processing policy which incorporates tax breaks for the sector, the nation’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a conference of state food processing ministers this week.

DeLaval admits selling equipment to Mugabe farm

07-Oct-2009 - Tetra Pak subsidiary DeLaval has admitted selling dairy equipment to a farm run by the wife of the Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe in a breach of European sanctions.

Government support for UK food sector is 'a strategic priority': FDF

06-Oct-2009 - The next UK government must recognize that the food sector is “a strategic priority” by delivering greater “cohesion, clarity and consistency,” in policy-making, said the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Weekly comment

Bad day at the EU health claims office

05-Oct-2009 - October 1 was not a good day for many in the functional foods and food supplements business in the European Union as the meaning of life under a highly restrictive health claims regime came more into focus.

Food waste processing plant wins government grant

21-Sep-2009 - “Absolutely essential,” is how Shaun Flynn, business development manager for the Selby Renewable Energy Park, describes government funding of £1.7m to the project.

Premier Foods forges cutting edge traceability deal

09-Sep-2009 - Premier Foods has devised a bespoke traceability system for its Hovis bread range in partnership with global supply chain firm Zetes.

Smart RFID sensors promise cheaper food and less waste

08-Sep-2009 - Lower food prices and less waste thanks to low-cost, smart sensors using Radio Frequency ID (RFID) technology could result from pioneering work at the University of Manchester, UK.

News in brief

Scotland bins food, packaging worth £1bn a year

07-Sep-2009 - Scottish households throw away more than 570,000 tonnes of food and drink each year worth over £1bn, a new report has said.

News in brief

New EU pesticide rules threaten food production

04-Sep-2009 - New EU legislation to authorise pesticides, based on hazard-based assessment rather than long-established scientific evaluation, threatens the future of European food production, warns Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the UK Crop Protection Agency.

Revolutionary RFID tag predicts product shelf-life

04-Sep-2009 - A “revolutionary” active RFID tag that supplies information on the remaining shelf-life of fresh produce will lead to significant reductions in food waste, the device’s manufacturers have claimed.

GS1 launches fruit, vegetable traceability guidelines

03-Sep-2009 - Efforts to improve fresh produce traceability have taken a leap forward with a joint initiative between global supply chain standards body GS1 and the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS).