Breaking News on Food Processing & Packaging

Supply chain efficiencies in a global food industry

02-Sep-2009 - The globalisation of the supply chain means transporting food across the world to be processed and back again to the country of origin to be sold can make environmental and commercial sense.

News in brief

EU companies face discrimination in China

02-Sep-2009 - European companies are finding it harder to do business in China, according to a new report from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

Climate change could devastate US crop yields: Study

01-Sep-2009 - Climate change could result in severe shortages of two of America’s most important grains, according to the authors of a new study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Weekly comment

Sugar and strife – not so nice if the price is not right

01-Sep-2009 - Sugar politics means high prices are a bitter pill for US and Indian sweet food and beverage makers; while the European industry is sitting pretty on the back of the recent sugar reforms.

FAO's concern for Asia after H1N1 virus hits Chilean turkeys

28-Aug-2009 - The detection of a H1N1 virus in turkeys in Chile poses no threat to the food supply chain but does raise concerns that poultry farms elsewhere in the world could become infected with the pandemic, said the FAO.

Food sector should prepare now for cap-and-trade, says report

21-Aug-2009 - Cap-and-trade carbon pricing could be particularly damaging to the food industry unless manufacturers start developing more efficient supply chains now, according to new analysis.

Food industry execs optimistic about business in 2010, says KPMG

21-Aug-2009 - Employment prospects and revenues in the US food and beverage industry are likely to improve next year, predict most executives in the sector, according to a national survey from tax advisory firm KPMG.

News in brief

FSA warns manufacturers against fraud emails

20-Aug-2009 - The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) is warning food business operators about a potential financial scam to extort money from potential rice exporters to the UK.

Weekly comment

Free farmers to farm and bank UK food security

17-Aug-2009 - How best should Britain plan to secure reliable supplies of reasonably-priced food? Should the nation put its trust in home production or food imports from the world market?

More difficulty ahead for food sector as European recession eases

14-Aug-2009 - France and Germany have emerged from recession but the global nature of the food industry may mean it takes longer to recover than other sectors, according to a senior economist at Wageningen University.

Martek teams with BP to develop fermented biofuels

14-Aug-2009 - Martek Biosciences is joining forces with petrochemicals giant BP to develop microbial biofuels derived from sugar feedstocks, and employing Martek’s lipid-based technologies.

News in brief

Monsanto CFO to retire after 32 years

14-Aug-2009 - Monsanto’s executive vice president and chief financial officer Terry Crews has announced his retirement at the age of 53, after 32 years with what is now the world’s largest seed company.

News in brief

Food marketing deals threatened by waste reduction efforts

13-Aug-2009 - Supermarkets in the UK could be offering half-price deals on perishable food items instead of buy one, get one free offers in an effort to reduce food waste, according to a report in Advertising Age.

Government urges radical rethink to ensure stable food supply

10-Aug-2009 - The UK government has called for a radical rethink of food production to secure sustainable food supplies at reasonable prices.

UK’s £2.3m carrot to boost biogas and mixed plastic recycling

10-Aug-2009 - Recycling companies in one part of the UK have been urged to bid for a share of grants totalling £2.3m to fund any initiative to divert mixed plastic and food waste away from landfill.

Calls for supplier relations watchdog; retailers disagree

06-Aug-2009 - The UK’s Competition Commission is asking government to establish an ombudsman to arbitrate in disputes between retailers and suppliers, as retailers have declined to act and the Commission does not have the power to do so itself.

Food gas sensor could show when fruit is ripe and meat fresh

05-Aug-2009 - A new sensor that analyses gases given off by foods could be used to check their safety, quality and reliability quickly and economically, said the German research team behind the device.

EFSA to meet stakeholders following GM corn decision

03-Aug-2009 - The European Food Safety Authority will meet with stakeholders in September to discuss its recent opinion on Monsanto’s GM corn, MON810.

SIG relishes aseptic supply chain challenges

31-Jul-2009 - SIG Combibloc has outlined the challenges in attaining full supply chain sustainability of the major raw material for its Europe-made aseptic cartons and hailed the environmental and commercial benefits secured.

UK’s largest food waste processing plant given green light

27-Jul-2009 - Proposals to build the UK’s largest food waste processing plant have been given the go-ahead.

Commission raises alarm over dairy supply chain imbalances

24-Jul-2009 - The EU Commission has raised the alarm over the failure of dairy prices at the check-out to follow commodity prices downwards as competition authorities in the UK extend a dairy price-fixing probe.

Meat Institute urges court to dismiss ‘nuisance’ hotdog lawsuit

23-Jul-2009 - The American Meat Institute has urged a New Jersey court to dismiss a lawsuit from vegan advocacy group Cancer Project that claims hotdogs should carry a cancer warning label.

Huge differences in salt levels found in global food brands

23-Jul-2009 - New research on salt levels in global products from some of the biggest food manufacturers has revealed wide and random variations.

News in brief

GM maize decision bounced to Council

23-Jul-2009 - The decision on whether to authorise three genetically modified maize in Europe will now pass to the Council of Ministers, as member states have failed to reach a qualified majority.