Breaking News on Food Processing & Packaging

Study plays up skimmed milk sports hydration boost

30-Jul-2008 - Skimmed milk may become an unlikely new secret weapon within an athlete's kit bag, with new research linking the product to a beneficial effect on preventing dehydration after a workout.

New taste technology to drive flavor innovation

28-Jul-2008 - Cargill has patented new taste technology which it claims will lead to flavor ingredient discoveries by allowing it to look at the interaction between different taste sensations.

Weekly comment

Can we believe the Danisco – Apax rumours?

28-Jul-2008 - Rumour, according to the Romans, is a feathered beast with a myriad eyes and tongues. Last week she went bristling through the Danish business pages, spreading the news that Danisco could be bought by a private equity firm.

UK cake-eaters prefer smaller treats

25-Jul-2008 - Good things come in small packages. That seems to be the belief of time-pressed consumers in the UK, who are buying more cakes that come in individual packages than five years ago.

Xylitol bears show dental health potential - study

25-Jul-2008 - Gummy bear candies, not traditionally seen as a first line of defence in battling tooth decay, may play some role in providing oral health care to children when containing some sugar alcohols, according to a new clinical trial in the US.

Dip in wheat prices offers brief relief for bakers

24-Jul-2008 - Bakers and snack makers can enjoy some relief in price for wheat as bearish fundamentals for this valuable commodity provide a rosier, albeit hesitant, outlook for supplies.

Guest article

Fresh, natural guidance gives clarity to industry

22-Jul-2008 - FSA guidance on terms like 'fresh', 'natural' and 'pure' helps protect responsible businesses against unscrupulous competition. But labelling that does not meet guidance in full would still be legal if it does not mislead consumers.

Wild taps potential for fruit and blossom combos

22-Jul-2008 - Wild is extending its use of blossoms in flavour blends for use in beverages and other products, and is working with more companies to use the likes of lavender, rose and elderberry in combination with fruit flavours.

Oyster-friendly microalgae may colour food blue-green

21-Jul-2008 - The blue-green pigment from microalgae responsible for the greening of oyster gills may also provide a natural blue-green colouring for food, says new research.

Weekly comment

Budweiser to be Belgian? Big deal

21-Jul-2008 - The news that all-American brewer Anheuser-Busch is to be sold to Belgium’s InBev for $52bn has made sports bar patrons across the US weep into their Budweisers. But the idea that an American firm must remain American for all time runs counter to the world of global commerce.

Postponed tax the right path for industry, says food group

21-Jul-2008 - The UK Food industry has welcomed a UK government decision not to implement an autumn hike in fuel duty as a vital measure to ensure financial stability for its members.

Coffee aroma may have stress-busting qualities

18-Jul-2008 - Just the smell of freshly brewed coffee can help relieve stress, say researchers who studied the effects of coffee aroma on sleep-deprived rats.

Food sector welcomes DEFRA biogas initiative

17-Jul-2008 - The food sector has welcomed the initiative by the UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to drive anaerobic digestion projects that reduce food or other organic waste from industrial, municipal or household sources.

DMV launches topping for cold milk applications

17-Jul-2008 - DMV has launched its new base for toppings, Aerion DP 59, billed it as a healthy alternative for dairy cream toppings that does not come with a compromise on taste and texture compromise.

Saturated fat solutions for bakers speared at new ADM baking facility

17-Jul-2008 - Fats and oils supplier ADM Pura steps up solutions for bakers, opening a new R&D test bakery at its production site in Purfleet, Essex to look into reformulation and novel fats.

Yeast the key for low-acrylamide bakery: study

17-Jul-2008 - The role of yeast in reducing acrylamide in bread, biscuit, and cracker doughs may be underappreciated, suggests a new study from the UK.

News briefs: Heinz Beanz, ABF acquisition and saturated fats

16-Jul-2008 - This week, Heinz renames its iconic baked beans brand, Associated British Foods meets another hurdle for its acquisition, and the UK Food Standards Agency updates its work on reducing consumption of saturated fats.

UK milk production slide expected to flow into 2009

16-Jul-2008 - Declining milk production in the UK will continue into next year, according to reports.

Weekly comment

Diet better than statins in kids' cholesterol control

15-Jul-2008 - The prescribing of statins for eight years-olds is tantamount to saying that food and diet have failed, and that children are incapable of changing their eating habits and lifestyle.

CSM signs agreement for gluconates plant sale

15-Jul-2008 - CSM has announced plans to sell its Purac gluconates production plant in The Netherlands to Avebe, as part of a broader restructuring of manufacturing and focus on core competencies.

Pressure for chocolate industry as cocoa breaks $3000 barrier

15-Jul-2008 - Strategies for confectionery makers to absorb rocketing price rises are essential as cocoa prices crash through the $3000 barrier, with demand outstripping supplies and pulling the stocks-to-grindings ratio to a 22-year low.

Resistant starch product gets second novel foods consultation, FSA

11-Jul-2008 - The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is to hold a second consultation on an application to approve National Starch Food Innovation's phosphated distarch phosphate as a novel food ingredient.

Mini snack portions make you munch more, study

11-Jul-2008 - Weight-conscious consumers often opt for mini-versions of snacks and treats to stay trim, but it might actually have the opposite effect, say scientists.

Best practice for chocolate industry urgent, voices child labour watchdog

10-Jul-2008 - Herculean efforts are required by the global chocolate industry to ensure that sourced cocoa supplies are not linked to exploited or trafficked child labour, underlines labour watchdog International Labor Rights Forum.