Breaking News on Food Processing & Packaging

Boost to Defra bee plan but no pesticide ban

23-Apr-2009 - The Soil Association has criticised Hilary Benn’s decision not to ban pesticides believed to damage honey bees’ neurological and immune systems while millions are invested in trying to halt honey bee decline.

News in brief

Wrigley SWOT analysis gives info for friends and foes

22-Apr-2009 - A new SWOT analysis of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company from companiesandmarkets will give insights for potential partners and competitors, said the research company.

SAP upgrade for UK baker slashes response times for customers

22-Apr-2009 - Matching IT infrastructure needs with rapid expansion in the business, UK baker Warburtons teamed up with data management firm NetApp to develop storage and backup for SAP implementation.

News in brief

Bakery ingredients supplier BakeMark USA launches tri-lingual website

21-Apr-2009 - Shortening and glazes supplier BakeMark USA targets its polyglot bakery customers with the launch of a new tri-lingual website.

Weekly comment

Who’s hoodwinked by a healthy halo?

20-Apr-2009 - What does health taste like? As a kid, I was encouraged to hold my nose and swallow down broad beans and cod-liver oil. If they tasted bad, it was only ‘cos they were good for me.

Food waste recycling for UK snack maker UB hits 99.5 per cent

20-Apr-2009 - Efforts by snack manufacturers to improve their sustainability credentials continue with UK firm United Biscuits reporting "great progress" in its six-pronged sustainability blueprint launched last year.

Ecolab links greenhouse gas cuts to sales

20-Apr-2009 - A pledge to cut its US greenhouse gas emissions 20 per cent per dollar sales between 2006 and 2012 has been made by Ecolab, a provider of cleaning, food safety and health protection products.

UK food sector seeks eco incentives and skills push

17-Apr-2009 - Fiscal measures to support the UK food and drink manufacturing industry through the economic downturn as well as stimulus package to help the sector continue to reduce its environmental impact are top of the FDF’s wish list for the impending UK budget.

Kellogg makes think-tank’s top ethical list

17-Apr-2009 - Countering the image of a corporate world knocked by the financial crisis, a US think-tank names the 'world's most ethical companies', among them breakfast cereal firm Kellogg.

News in brief

IFT to host IP swap shop

16-Apr-2009 - The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has announced a new event at its annual meet next month to stimulate the purchase or license of intellectual property rights.

Weekly comment

Food supplements proving recession-proof

14-Apr-2009 - The ongoing slide of global capitalism is decimating industries, but the food supplements industry is not one of them as fraught consumers turn to its potential low-cost, anti-medical, wellness promise.

Labour watchdog calls for Fairtrade commitment from Mars

14-Apr-2009 - Labour watchdog International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) recognises Mars' recent road map for sustainability as “an important step forward” but claims the chocolate behemoth needs to push further into Fairtrade certification.

News in brief

FDF adds environmental category to CPA awards

14-Apr-2009 - The UK’s Food and Drink Federation has launched its 2009 Community Partnership Awards, including a category to recognise environmental projects for the first time.

Green supply chain stance required by retailers - INCPEN

10-Apr-2009 - With recent research suggesting retailers like Wal-Mart are actively driving US manufacturers to adapt ‘greener’ packaging, one organisation says European counterparts need a more holistic supply chain approach to bolster their eco-goals.

Pava looks to Asia-Africa for export expansion

08-Apr-2009 - Russian grain processor Pava is looking for partnerships in Asia and Africa in order to diversify its export activities in response to what it describes as global economic turmoil.

Weekly comment

Could clones be hiding out in ice-cream?

06-Apr-2009 - Ben & Jerry’s campaign to ensure produce from clones is detectable in the food chain shows that bundling biotech in with conventional produce remains unacceptable – but lessons from GM do not seem to have been learned.

Cocoa stakeholders agree sustainability action plan

03-Apr-2009 - Representatives of the cocoa industry from across the world have agreed on a framework to achieve a sustainable cocoa economy and plan to set up a sustainability fund to help benefit producers.

Further delay to freight toll directive

02-Apr-2009 - Disagreement among members states means a decision to impose a new toll of a few cents per kilometre on freight haulage companies based on the polluter pays principle has been delayed.

News in brief

Ghana boosts cocoa processing output

02-Apr-2009 - Ghana's Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) has more than doubled its cocoa bean processing capacity to 64,500 tonnes a year, after completing a five-year rehabilitation and expansion programme.

Ben & Jerry's stunt highlights concern over clones in food chain

01-Apr-2009 - Ben & Jerry’s has fessed up to creating an online presence for a fictitious company selling cloned milk as a publicity stunt, as campaigners believe that the offspring of cloned animals have already entered the food chain.

Cost savings identified in carbon label move for shortbread

01-Apr-2009 - Mindful of its carbon footprint, Mey Selections is the first consumer goods company in Scotland to gain a carbon reduction label following data-mining efforts to pinpoint carbon emissions along the supply chain for its Scottish shortbread product.

New training facility aims to drive food sector innovation

31-Mar-2009 - A recently opened UK university based food packaging and processing training factory, supported by equipment manufacturers and organisations, is aimed at food sector employees.

New research shows how Salmonella survive

30-Mar-2009 - Scientists at the University of Liverpool have demonstrated how Salmonella’s ability to survive in amoeba is a huge advantage to its continued development as it may be more resistant to disinfectants and water treatment.

Bakery solutions urgent as UK consumers bin 7m bread slices a day

30-Mar-2009 - Pressure continues on the bakery industry to design solutions to combat food waste as figures reveal that UK consumers bin seven million slices of bread every day.