Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

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.

Weekly 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.

FSA issues allergy warning on Cadbury product

11-Feb-2010 - The UK Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has issued an allergy alert regarding Cadbury Chunks Bournville, due to the fact that it contains milk, which is not an intended ingredient.

Two-in-one bars don’t cut choc consumption, finds study

11-Feb-2010 - A new study has indicated that including two-in-one chocolate bar packs do not foster more responsible snacking, and more regular size products and healthier snacks should be available.

Fury over Kraft u-turn on Cadbury plant closure

10-Feb-2010 - Kraft Foods’s reneging on a decision to keep a Cadbury factory near Bristol in the UK open will result in the loss of 400 jobs and has drawn criticism from politicians and unions alike.

Unhealthy foods blocked from UK product placement plan

10-Feb-2010 - The UK government has confirmed plans to allow product placement in television programmes, but foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), and alcohol are excluded.

Insurance payout boosts profits for Imperial Sugar

08-Feb-2010 - Imperial Sugar has posted a leap in profits for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 on the back of a one-off insurance payout following the company’s deadly Port Wentworth refinery explosion.

Roquette gains further maltitol patent protection in the US

04-Feb-2010 - A US District Court has ruled that no dry form of maltitol from Yucheng Lujian Biological Co. or its associated companies may enter the US, in the latest chapter of a patent dispute filed by French firm Roquette.

News in brief

Top management at Cadbury resign

04-Feb-2010 - The top management at Cadbury have announced their resignation following the takeover of the UK confectionery giant by Kraft.

Kraft bid wins over 74% of Cadbury shareholders

03-Feb-2010 - Kraft’s takeover of UK chocolate firm Cadbury is now unconditional, as 74 per cent of Cadbury shareholders yesterday accepted the offer of 840p per share plus a 10p dividend.

Beyond guilt - Barry Callebaut predicts a healthy future for chocoholics

03-Feb-2010 - ConfectioneryNews.com caught up with Hans Vriens, chief innovation officer with global chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut at the industry trade show Pro Sweets, where he spilled the beans on the future for functional chocolate.

Green and Black's go 100 per cent Fairtrade

29-Jan-2010 - Organic chocolate maker Green & Black's said it is bolstering its commitment to sustainability by moving its entire global food and beverage range worldwide to Fairtrade.

News in brief

Nestle to move on Hershey, report

27-Jan-2010 - Swiss food giant Nestlé is understood to be looking at acquiring US confectioner Hershey, following on the heels of rival Kraft Foods takeover of Cadbury, reports Reuters.

Food nutrition labels fail to impress European consumers

27-Jan-2010 - Less than one-third of European consumers look for nutrition labels when shopping, according to a new study by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) published in the Journal of Public Health.

Allergen cross-contamination raises labeling concerns

26-Jan-2010 - Cross-contamination of allergens in food products may reach levels that are of public health relevance, says a new study from The Netherlands.