Breaking News on Food Processing & Packaging

Health boom sets sales soaring for dark chocolate

09-Jul-2008 - The wave of health and wellness comes ashore for chocolate makers, with latest figures from Mintel showing the fresh healthier image for dark chocolate has brought a much-need, and strident, upward shift in sales for 2007.

CSM researches egg replacers amid rising costs for bakers

08-Jul-2008 - Amid rising prices for egg-based ingredients, Dutch bakery ingredients firm CSM examines opportunities for bakers to cut costs in their formulations.

Codex adopts 35 international food standards

08-Jul-2008 - Thirty-five new international food standards were adopted during last week's 31st session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, including guidelines on the use of flavourings and gluten-free products.

UK food and drink processors urged over water wastage

07-Jul-2008 - UK food and drink manufacturers are some of the worst industrial culprits when it comes to water wastage, according to a sector-by-sector survey undertaken by a government-funded environmental programme.

Soy products may raise dementia risk: study

07-Jul-2008 - Consumption of soy products like tofu may raise the risk of dementia, according to a new study from Britain and Indonesia.

Unicorn Ingredients: new seed supplier targets bakers

03-Jul-2008 - Bakers can access a new supply source for their seeds needs as UK ingredients firm Unicorn Ingredients hits the market.

CIAA questions need for labelling law

03-Jul-2008 - The need for new European legislation on nutrition labelling has been called into question by the CIAA (Confederation of Food and Drink Industries in Europe), as a survey indicates that uptake of its voluntary scheme has been significant.

Starbucks concerns not stimulating Euro coffee fears

03-Jul-2008 - With global café chain Starbucks this week announcing a major restructuring of it US operations to boost profitability, similar concerns are not being shared by European coffee manufacturers and retailers.

New crisp and crunch snack textures for value added products

02-Jul-2008 - National Starch has identified a range of different crispy and crunchy textures for crackers and snacks to help food manufacturers meet consumer demand for gourmet, indulgent and healthy products.

Fonterra eyeing further global growth

02-Jul-2008 - After a busy period of expansion for Fonterra, the New Zealand-based dairy cooperative says it remains far from finished with its global consolidation plans as it looks to key markets such as Asia to target growth.

Snacks players must embrace health and wellness to beat obesity

01-Jul-2008 - Only a true health and wellness vision can enable global snack players to tap into the booming market for obesity solutions, claim experts.

Weekly comment

The food industry after Lisbon

30-Jun-2008 - In the face of another rejection of a European Union treaty, the bloc's food industry has one glaring path ahead: business as normal.

Yeast suppliers to benefit bakers through 'application profiling'

30-Jun-2008 - The global shortage of molasses and competition from biofuels continue to put upward pressure on prices for yeast, but opportunities for yeast players lie squarely with the emerging market for speciality yeast products, and specifically clean label demands, predict market researchers Frost and Sullivan.

CSM opens the doors to its new innovation centre

27-Jun-2008 - Bakery ingredients company CSM opened a new innovation centre in Germany yesterday to focus on developing bakery ingredients for the international market.

Sustainable action greening supply chain

27-Jun-2008 - Sustainable growth is proving to be a key concern for all players in the food supply chain, with a report this week from Danisco on its waste and energy saving initiatives and a US dairy industry-wide action plan on carbon emissions.

Demand for food enzymes increases amid cost crisis

27-Jun-2008 - The enzymes market is experiencing some increased popularity among manufacturers because of their desired functionality and ability to help save costs, says a new report.

EU dairy outlook defies supply and nutrition challenges

27-Jun-2008 - Prices on the EU dairy market are expected to stabilise during the remainder of 2008 despite wider-global supply concerns, says the president of the European Dairy Association (EDA).

Green scheming offers profit sustainability - Tetra Pak

26-Jun-2008 - Manufacturers seeking long-term cost efficiency should consider forsaking immediate profitability by making wide reaching environmental commitments in their operations, says the vice president of development for Tetra Pak.

Cassava flour alternative relieves costs for bakers

26-Jun-2008 - Beating the high costs linked to the price of wheat flour on today's market, bakers in the African country of Ghana can now access a cheaper alternative produced with cassava and maize.

Dried plums offer natural antioxidant alternatives for sausages

26-Jun-2008 - Antioxidant-rich dried plums may be a natural alternative to synthetic preservatives for processed meats, suggests research from the Americas.

Value of sustainability to be studied as emissions cuts rewarded

25-Jun-2008 - As the UK's Carbon Trust initiates a scheme to reward companies for genuine carbon emission reduction, a new study will determine how influential a company's sustainability image is in terms of consumers' purchasing decisions.

Fortified cheese as good as supplements for vitamin D: study

25-Jun-2008 - Eating cheese fortified with vitamin D results in the same blood rises in the vitamin as from supplements, reports new research from Canada.

Kids more clued up on five-a-day than parents, survey

25-Jun-2008 - A new survey commissioned by the UK's Department of Health found that three in five parents believe their children know more about the need to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day than they do.

Solutions abound for polyphenol-fortified milk: study

25-Jun-2008 - Adding fruit flavours and cyclodextrin to milk may boost consumer acceptance of polyphenol-enriched dairy, without the need for added sugar, report New Zealand scientists.