Markets

08-Mar-2010 - As Cargill expands its cocoa farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast this month, we caught up with managing director of Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, Harold Poelma, to hear about developments in the sourcing of sustainably derived cocoa and his call for audit convergence among schemes.

Food marketers could read minds, say researchers

05-Mar-2010 - Brain scans could allow food marketers to learn about a product’s appeal – or lack thereof – while it is still at the design stage, according to analysis published in Nature Review Neuroscience.

New global monitoring tool identifies food safety offenders

05-Mar-2010 - A new monitoring tool presented at a recent EFSA conference has named China, Iran, Turkey, the United Sates and Spain as the top five offenders in food contamination between 2003 and 2008.

Cocoa prices dip on reports of buoyant supply

04-Mar-2010 - Cocoa futures in New York hit their lowest price since September yesterday on signs of increased production in Ivory Coast, which is the leading global supplier.

Divine buys up first Sierra Leone Fairtrade cocoa shipment

03-Mar-2010 - The first shipment of Fairtrade certified cocoa by farmers based in Sierra Leone has been bought by Divine Chocolate, a company co-owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana.

News in brief

Candy makers respond to call for choking hazard labels

03-Mar-2010 - The National Confectioners Association has responded to a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics last week suggesting warning labels and even redesign for foods that pose a high choking hazard.

Snacking study shows kids eat nearly constantly

03-Mar-2010 - American children are moving toward ‘constant eating’ with three snacks a day as well as three regular meals, according to a paper published in the journal Health Affairs.

Symrise celebrates recession resilience

03-Mar-2010 - Germany’s Symrise has reported a year of above-market growth, buoyed by especially good sales in South America and acquisitions in the US.

Comment

What's the colour of money? Bonuses should be green

01-Mar-2010 - Never before has the dangling of golden carrots in the boardroom been so closely scrutinised. DSM and others’ decisions to ensure those carrots have green shoots of sustainability attached to them is a wise and forward thinking move.

News in brief

M&S strives for ‘most sustainable’ title

01-Mar-2010 - UK grocer Marks and Spencer has announced a new raft of eco and ethical commitments, in a bid to become the most sustainable retailer by 2015.

New test improves control of chocolate origins

26-Feb-2010 - A simple test of volatile compounds in chocolate may serve as chemical tracers to enable better traceability of cocoa and inform consumers of the countries of origin, say French researchers.

Cocoa power project gets green light

25-Feb-2010 - A trial by chocolate maker Lindt USA to supply cocoa bean shells to a fuel burning facility to produce ‘green’ power is now being implemented officially following approval by the state environmental authorities.

Sugar and stevia join forces to cut calories

23-Feb-2010 - PureCircle and Imperial Sugar have launched a joint venture to offer sugar and stevia combinations to the food and beverage industry as it looks to meet consumer demand for natural lower calorie products.

Comment

Banning energy drinks is a doomed shot in the dark

22-Feb-2010 - Energy shot drinks have come under fire from German authorities which are employing an old-school prohibition logic that history has repeatedly dunce-hatted.

Health Canada proposes stricter color labeling

19-Feb-2010 - Health Canada is seeking comments on a proposal to change Canadian regulations on how food colorings are listed on ingredient labels, the agency said on Thursday.

Training scheme aiding sustainable choc supply, Cargill

19-Feb-2010 - Cocoa bean crop quality and yield is benefiting from a farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast, which is set to be extended to a wider number of farmer cooperatives this month, said Cargill.

Kraft silent on pension freeze impact for Cadbury

18-Feb-2010 - Kraft has announced that it will begin to end pension increases for current and non-union hourly employees from year end 2019 but the US food group did not provide any clues in regulatory filings as to the future of the 100-year-old Cadbury pension fund.

Sugar Policy Alliance renews call for increased imports

18-Feb-2010 - The Sugar Policy Alliance has renewed its call for Congress to revise sugar policy as strict import quotas have reduced the availability of refined sugar, thereby inflating prices, the organization says.

News in brief

Cargill to reveal know-how to budding choc entrepreneurs

18-Feb-2010 - Cargill is offering further sessions of its chocolatier’s workshop in March and May this year in the company’s Cocoa & Chocolate facility in the US.

Kraft's Milka set to go head to head with Dairy Milk in UK

16-Feb-2010 - The Kraft owned chocolate brand Milka is to be launched across the entire UK market from April, just weeks after the US food giant purchased Dairy Milk maker Cadbury.

Comment

Do drink makers have stomach for anti-obesity fight?

15-Feb-2010 - Bravo! The beverage industry has responded enthusiastically to Mrs. Obama’s campaign to tackle childhood obesity - but there’d better be more than froth behind that sparkling rhetoric.

Slump in sales for Swiss chocolatiers in 2009

15-Feb-2010 - 2009 proved a challenging year for the Swiss chocolate industry with manufacturers recording losses for the first time in six years, reports industry body Chocosuisse.

Name-brands should prepare now for customer comeback

12-Feb-2010 - Branded food manufacturers should start preparing now to win back customers from store brands when the economy improves, advises a new report from market researchers The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research.

Raisio sees huge growth in healthy snacking

11-Feb-2010 - The growth potential in the premium functional snack category on the heels of increased consumer and regulatory demand for healthy snacking is the driver behind Finnish company Raisio’s bid to acquire a UK cereal and fruit bar manufacturer.

Sweet trade fair sees greater complexity in control technology

11-Feb-2010 - Machinery trends in evidence at last week’s confectionery industry trade show in Cologne, Pro Sweets, showed a move towards more complex control technology, claim the show’s organisers who added that the event had a six per cent growth in exhibitor turnout on 2009.