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Could the E-number be up?

23-Jul-2007 - The European Food Safety Authority's review of additive safety could have a bigger effect on the ingredients industry than the ejection of certain colours and flavours with a suspect safety record. It could give the natural ingredients trend an extra push, and possibly prove the death-knell for the ne'er loved E number system.

The aspartame science kerfuffle

09-Jul-2007 - The publication of a new animal study on aspartame last month has - as expected -sparked yet another bout of head butting from the two opposing sides of the debate. But it also highlights a bigger issue: one of transparency.

M&A: Urge to merge

02-Jul-2007 - Mergers and acquisition activity is always ongoing in every segment of industry, but this summer looks to be a particularly hot one for food and beverage manufacturers.

Clinical trials - gold standard or white elephant?

25-Jun-2007 - Randomised clinical trials are the ultimate. Forget what the observational studies tell us, if the RCT gives us an answer it must be the final word, right? Wrong.

A sobering thought for the alcohol industry

18-Jun-2007 - Much against my own better judgement, there are some issues it seems, where corporate social responsibility must really live up to its name and truly look after its consumers.

Could organic eat itself?

04-Jun-2007 - Just when organic food has begun to make a noticeable dent in the overall food market, air freighting - a measure that solves the segment's biggest current problem - is facing potential prohibition.

Masterfoods and the vegetarianisation of food

21-May-2007 - Masterfoods' U-turn over its plan to reformulate its famous confectionery brands using animal-derived whey sets a precedent that will prevent any other food manufacturer from flying in the face of the global trend towards the vegetarianisation of our food.

Ingredients for cheap?

07-May-2007 - As recent incidents of food contamination demonstrate, the cheapest source for ingredients may not turn out to be so cheap after all.

Training the salt of the earth

30-Apr-2007 - On International Labour Day, workers across the world will be raising a glass in honour of the salt of the earth.

Ditch the marketing madness

23-Apr-2007 - Marketing strategies - two words that incorporate everything from pseudo scientific research to shock value advertising campaigns. But shouldn't honesty be the best policy?

Food contamination: time for action

16-Apr-2007 - At a time when so many resources are being pumped into improving consumer health through food, it is pitifully ironic that more and more people are getting sick or dying from what they eat because of safety slips.

You cannot judge a juice by its cover

10-Apr-2007 - Have you heard this one before? There are two blackcurrants, one has a high vitamin content and the other - well it doesn't.

Wanted: testing for supplements

02-Apr-2007 - The dietary supplement industry needs an independent testing program that is recognizable to consumers in order to enhance the credibility of its products as well as encourage solid science and sourcing.

Swallow your tongue

26-Mar-2007 - Fluffy language is increasingly clogging up the information air passages, and the food and drink industry must accept blame like everyone else.

Rise and shine: the GM wake-up call

19-Mar-2007 - News that a variety of GM corn produced signs of liver and kidney toxicity in rats should be a wake-up call for better testing and more transparency from biotechs, if GMOs are to be accepted by increasingly sceptical consumers.

GM: A healthy debate

12-Mar-2007 - The development of genetically modified crops to improve human health could be the golden ticket for advocates to persuade the wary public that GM is not a wholly nefarious idea after all. But will a new, healthy spin be enough to counter deep-rooted fears that genetic modification, by its very nature, poses an equal and opposite threat to human health?