News in brief

Green future for packaging in Asia-Pacific, says report

Bioplastics are likely to replace common plastics in various packaging applications in the Asia-Pacific, according to Frost & Sullivan.

Mondelez now uses cage free eggs in Toblerone

Mondelez now uses eggs laid by cage free hens in its Toblerone bars; a move welcomed by animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS.

Texture analysis spots candy cane flaws, says equipment firm

Confectionery manufacturers can reduce the breakage of candy canes and compare products to rivals with texture analyzers, according to eqipment supplier Texture Technologies.

Acquisition takes us closer to production goal, says Dunapack

Dunapack Packaging has acquired a Turkish paper and packaging company in its bid to double production to 2bn m2 (1m tonnes) by 2020.

Crown offers Europe seated end tin opportunities

Crown Speciality Packaging is offering premium food and beverage brands in Europe easier access to a form of tin design intended to make their products stand out more.

Picked by you: M&M’s launch new color mix selected by Facebook fans

Mars has announced the launch of a limited edition M&M’s mix containing new colors picked exclusively by fans on Facebook; including purple, aqua and dark pink.  ...

‘Packaging design gives personality, which is essentially what a brand should be’: Graphic designer

Packaging design is a crucial investment for premium chocolate firms in an overcrowded marketplace as it gives a product personality, which is essentially what a brand should be, says a...

Key Technology upgrades sorting technology to target smaller products

Key Technology is introducing three-way sorting on its Optyx machine to target the removal of potential contaminants in smaller products.

News in brief

Chocolate firm announces factory closure

Chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut is to close its Chester plant in a move that could lead to 25 job losses.

Biosensors a key area for nanotechnology

Nanobiosensors hold considerable potential as future areas of development for nanotechnology, according to a recent study.

News in brief

Packaging Dynamics acquires Groupe De Luxe

Packaging Dynamics Corporation has acquired Groupe De Luxe to expand into new geographies and end markets.

Graphic Packaging pushes into Europe with second acquisition in a month

Graphic Packaging has announced its second deal in the space of a couple of weeks as it looks to build on its European packaging business.

News in brief

Operational Efficiency 2012: Free Access To Today's First Ever Dedicated Online Event!

Register now for free access to today's first ever online event devoted to Operational Efficiency in food and beverage processing, organized by FoodProductionDaily.com and William Reed Business Media.

News in brief

Printpack launches HRG tech for sharper printing quality

Printpack has claimed its new printing technology offers sharper print quality than other flexible packaging printing processes.

Rising incomes in developing countries driving processing machinery growth, says report

The demand for bakery and confectionery food processing machinery is to increase over the next few years as employment and incomes rise in developing countries, according to Freedonia.

Improved allergen detection in chocolate with extra step, say researchers

Nut traces can be better detected in dark chocolate and biscuits by adding a clean-up step, say Italian researchers.

Cadbury develops temperature tolerant chocolate

Mondelez International-owned Cadbury has filed a patent for a chocolate that can tolerate hot climates by re-refining the chocolate after the conching step.

News in brief

OFT investigating Graphic Packaging deal

The UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is reviewing Graphic Packaging’s £71m anticipated takeover of Contego announced last week.

Graphic Packaging CEO: “Deal takes us into new end markets”

Graphic Packaging has agreed to acquire the European Food Carton Business of Contego for £71m to expand into new end markets.

Rapidly measure cholesterol in confectionery with new method, say researchers

Researchers have developed a method to quickly determine cholesterol levels in chocolate and sandwich-type biscuits that was not previously possible, they claim.

News in brief

POEX claims upped packaging capacity with shift to Ishida weighers

Czech confectioner POEX has increased its pack capacity by 88% by shifting from linear weighers and volumetric fillers to an x-ray and check weigher combination from Ishida, it claims.

Dispatches from Pack Expo 2012

TNA bagger takes firm into new markets

TNA Solutions has launched a groundbreaking bagger, delivering speedy bagging to markets the company was previously unable to reach.

Aluminium foil growth driven by flexible packaging demand, says EAFA

The first nine months of this year showed a positive development for the European manufacturers of aluminium foil, according to the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA).

AptarGroup to close two sites in European shake-up

AptarGroup is to restructure 12 facilities in Europe, including the closure of two sites, in a bid to boost future growth in the region.