Welsh chewing gum tax doesn’t stick

The Welsh Assembly has rejected plans to introduce a 5p levy on chewing gum.

News in brief

Mondelez recalls Green & Blacks chocolate amid salmonella risk

Mondelez International has issued a US recall of a variety of its Green & Blacks chocolate brand over fears the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Ban candy at cash counters, say researchers

Putting candy near cash registers creates an obesity risk and should be banned, according to researchers.

Fire at Mondelez factory

Firefighters were called to tackle a blaze at Mondelez’s Toblerone factory in Brünnen, Berne, Switzerland on Friday afternoon.

‘We do not mislead consumers’ says Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance (RA) stands by its guidelines allowing manufacturers to carry its seal when sourcing just 30% certified cocoa for a product line.

Eating chocolate produces Nobel prize winners, says study

Brain power equals chocolate squared according to a study that says countries with high chocolate consumption produce more Nobel Laureates.

Nestlé UK design checks cut accidents by a third since 2009

Nestlé’s confectionery factory in York, UK, has bagged a safety award for a scheme assessing plant design risks that has reduced the frequency of accidents by a third.

EFSA reaffirms carnauba wax safety at current usage levels

EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) has re-evaluated carnauba wax as a food additive and found it to be safe at current usage levels....

News in brief

‘M&M's colored’ honey prompts Mars action

Mars France is working with beekeepers to determine whether blue and green honey produced by bees in Northeastern France is caused by its nearby M&M's processing plant.

News in brief

Salmonella scare sparks Xan Confectioners US recall

Xan Confections is voluntarily recalling 13 gourmet peanut butter chocolate products over fears of salmonella contamination.

Fraud in chocolate prizes curbed by Gunther Grant

Gunther Grant has developed a security feature for promotional prize tickets in chocolate bars used as giveaways in casinos to curb fraud among customers, it said.

Wrigley locked in 5 Gum ‘Swerve’ trademark row

Gum titan Wrigley is engaged in a legal dispute in the US over a flavor of its 5 Gum that uses the trademarked name ‘Swerve’ belonging to sweetener makers Swerve IP.

Cadbury claims purple reign in Nestlé color mark dispute

Kraft-owned Cadbury has obtained its UK trademark for a shade of the color purple following a UK High Court case, although for a narrower range of goods than for which...

Consumers overloaded with ‘confusing’ info on nutrition labels, says BDSI

The German confectionery association (BDSI) has argued that consumers are overloaded with confusing, contradictory nutrition information on product labels and further regulation is not the way forward.

Nuts sold in Australia safe from Salmonella and E.Coli

A survey authored in Australia has found that while the Salmonella and E.Coli contamination of nut products there is not common, an outbreak is a likely outcome if it were...

Wrigley struggles to backup sugar-free gum tooth remineralisation effect

Gum titan Wrigley has failed to establish a link between active agents in sugar-free gum and improved teeth remineralisation, which can prevent tooth decay.

Candy tax approved in US city as levy for other foods ditched

The city of Lakewood in Colorado has implemented state laws to tax candy and soft drinks at 3% while repealing earlier rules to tax a wider variety of foods.

Comment

‘Fat tax' – why is Denmark such a quitter?

‘Fat tax’ is a neat thought, but like all simplistic ideas it falls down at the execution, as the progress of the policy in Denmark shows – it simply doesn’t...

Indian schools to ban junk food in 2013

Junk food will be banned from sale in and around Indian schools after India’s food agency indicated it would follow guidance from a local court to restrict their availability.

Food industry advertising spat deepens

The Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) has stepped up its assault on food industry advertising, vowing to press on with complaints against Nestlé after winning a challenge against UK confectionery firm Swizzels Matlow....

Brazil orders Nestlé to label GM products

A court in Brazil has ordered Nestlé to impose mandatory labelling for all its products in the country highlighting more than 1% genetically modified (GM) ingredients.

Special edition: Oral health

Health claim wins drive oral health NPD

Functional gum is the obvious stand-out when it comes to nutrition-focused oral health solutions. Some of these products may be aimed at other health conditions like satiety, but the majority...

Comment

Move more…but please don’t eat less: Why industry should stress ‘calories in’ to fight obesity

The more we move, the slimmer we will become, right? However, with ballooning obesity rates over the past 30 years, research suggests that this is not the case. US adults...

Healthy food should be cheaper, argues Israeli lobbyist

Healthy food should be made cheaper and a ‘fat tax’ should not be treated simplistically in Israel, the head of the public health lobby in Israel’s parliament has told FoodNavigator....

Butter flavouring is respiratory hazard for industry workers, warns study

The artificial butter flavouring 2,3-pentanedione, used to provide butter taste and aroma in microwave popcorn is an ‘inhalation hazard’ that may cause severe lung disease in food industry workers, warns new research....