Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

Novozymes centralises procurement to free R&D funds

Novozymes is centralising its procurement facility in a bid to ensure transparency and consistency, and make savings that it plans to plough into more research and development.

Premium cocoa gets supply chain boost

Agricultural group Bioversity International has begun a new project on sustainable and organic farming - designed to benefit both producers of gourmet single-origin chocolate and cocoa farmers in Nicaragua.

Market proves sweet for Eastern European chocolate maker

Eastern European confectionery company Roshen has produced more than 80,000 tonnes of confectionery in the year's first quarter, taking $140 million (€104m) in sales and confirming its position as a market leader in Ukraine's sweet sector.

Depositing system helps candy-makers tap into sugar-free market

Processing manufacturer Baker Perkins has developed a new depositing system specifically for sweet-makers targeting the healthier end of the market.

Weekly Comment

Press releases for the press?

In a world where getting your name out there is called branding, and branding in turn equals better market share, some companies will go to great lengths to draw attention to their name. With information sources driven by open-access Internet, companies can tailor press releases not always intended for the press.

Tereos and La Societe des Sucreries du Marquenterre announce alliance

French sugar giant Tereos is entering into agreements with La Societe des Sucreries du Marquenterre to counter the effects of sugar reform on its operations, including taking over the latter's sugar plant in Marconelle.

Cadbury sets out to sweeten UK market sales

Confectionery giant Cadbury Schweppes is set to refocus its UK operations and increase marketing spend over the coming year in a bid to overcome negative publicity and the split between the business' beverages and confectionery groups.

Haribo targets sweet-toothed dieters

German jelly firm Haribo has launched a new UK range targeting sweet-toothed dieters with reduced sugar, calories and fat.

Scientists look to cocoa husk fibre for low calorie foods

Cocoa husks, a waste product from the chocolate industry, could offer a valuable source of dietary fibre for the low-calorie food segment, Spanish researchers report.

Exclusive interview

Full speed ahead for Frutarom

As growing companies go, Frutarom has its foot firmly on the accelerator. Jess Halliday talks to president and CEO Ori Yehudai about the secrets of completing fifteen successful acquisitions in twelve years and the challenges facing food ingredient suppliers today.

Barry Callebaut goes green with new biofuel energy source

Swiss chocolate firm Barry Callebaut is joining the ranks of environmentally-friendly businesses as it looks to 'greener' ways of powering its processing facilities in Wieze, Belgium.

Food and industrial ingredients drive Tate & Lyle growth

Tate & Lyle has reported a strong full year 2007, the third consecutive year of sales growth and a key one for repositioning towards value added ingredients. But despite this, EU sugar reform continues to prove a drag.

British Sugar rolls out clean-label syrup

UK ingredients manufacturer British Sugar has developed a new liquid sugar product, suitable for both bakers and confectioners and designed to re-introduce traditional golden syrup to a modern, more health-conscious, market.

Rumours abound as Cadbury looks to chocolate market

News that Cadbury may be on the verge of selling off its beverages arm has prompted rumours of multiple acquisitions for its chocolate half - in what would be a huge shake-up of the global confectionery landscape.

Soybean waste to offer cost-effective natural antioxidants

Antioxidant waste from the soy industry could offer a cheap and healthy alternative to synthetic antioxidants that prolong the shelf life of food, suggests a study from India.

EU approves packaging size liberalisation

Companies will have the freedom to choose the size of packaging they use for most of their products under a new directive passed yesterday by EU member states.

Weekly comment

Masterfoods and the vegetarianisation of food

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.

Barry Callebaut unlocks the secrets to cocoa flavour

Leading cocoa producer Barry Callebaut has discovered the specific bacteria responsible for flavour creation during extensive research into cocoa bean fermentation - enabling the company to produce better quality chocolate in the future.

Cocoa extract more effective than fluoride, research

A bar of chocolate a day might keep the dentist away, according to new research into the cavity-fighting properties of cocoa.

Buhler develops flexible chocolate technology

Switzerland-based machinery manufacturer Buhler has developed a new cold stamping process to help chocolatiers increase production times, efficiency and flexibility without compromising on chocolate shell quality.

Tate & Lyle rebalances private label dairy desserts

Tate & Lyle is introducing two new ingredient systems under its Rebalance range for desserts and sauces with reduced sugar or no-added sugar.

Lindt innovates with new mousse-filled dark chocolate

Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprungli is continuing its innovation in premium, dark chocolate with a new range boasting 70 per cent cacao content and a unique mousse-filled centre.

Flavours consolidation a spur to the industry

Consolidation is no bad thing for flavours, says analyst, since it allows large players to serve multinationals, spurs R&D, and makes regulation compliance easier.

Ghana addresses cocoa labour issues

The Ghanaian government is continuing its investigation into labour practices in the country's cocoa industry with the publication of a report into child labour.

New technologies on display at UK exhibition

Emerging technologies such as radio frequency identification and the latest food industry equipment will be on display at a four-day exhibition beginning tomorrow in Birmingham.

Tna offers snack makers user-friendly bagging line

Packaging and processing giant tna is set to unveil a fully integrated packaging line - allowing snack makers to concurrently monitor several aspects of the production process - at the upcoming trade show Snackex.

Mars maker angers vegetarians with product reformulation

Confectionery company Masterfoods has come under fire in the UK for altering the formulation of some of its best-known chocolate brands.

Danisco backs superfruits with acai flavour

Danisco is making the most of the superfruit trend - and may even help perpetuate it - by developing a new acai berry flavour for use in dairy, ice cream, beverage and confectionery products.

Splenda ad slogans banned in France

A European court has said that the marketing of the sweetener Splenda is misleading to consumers, and has ordered that its advertising slogans be ceased. The ruling comes as a similar court battle in the US goes to jury.

UK farmers bitter over altered sugar reform

Farmers in the UK have condemned the newly amended EU sugar restructuring scheme saying it will benefit processors rather than growers struggling to compete at the lower end of the supply chain.

Hershey hit by higher dairy costs

US chocolate giant Hershey has been forced to revise its full year trading expectations in the wake of higher dairy costs and greater investment for the global firm.

Chocolatier finds novel way to target gift consumers

A UK luxury chocolate company has hit upon a innovative way to capture the seasonal gift-buying market which is traditionally a boom time for confectioners.

Sugar processors offered restructuring sweeteners

The European Commission is stepping up efforts to force less competitive sugar processors from the market, with a series of changes to the EU sugar restructuring scheme.

Savvy confectioners should aim for Eastern expansion, report

UK confectioners are well-placed to take advantage of the potentially lucrative food market springing up in the Gulf States, according to a new report.

Food policy crucial to obesity fight

Obesity has become the scourge of modern living - and amending food policy is crucial to government efforts in tackling the problem, says a UK expert.

Weekly Comment

Ingredients for cheap?

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

Health concerns drive latest Danisco range

Danisco claims it latest pectin-based ingredient ranges will cater for the growing demand amongst sweet-toothed consumers for healthier and nutritious confectionery.

Tara gum may turn milk protein into locust bean gum alternative

Using the sugar tara gum to improve the gelling of the whey protein beta-lactoglobulin may offer industry with a more cost effective alternative to locust bean gum, suggests new research from Portugal.

Bourse may be best for confectioner, says report

Pobeda, a Bulgarian confectionery company, could be set to list on the country's stock exchange as it moves to take greater advantage of the growing trade opportunities offered by EU membership, according to local news reports.

Scientists propose new process for high-flavonoid cocoa

Scientists in Spain are reporting development of a new process to make cocoa powder with eight times the levels of some flavonoids linked to chocolate's beneficial effects.

Gas makes the difference in chocolate processing

The type of gas used in making chocolate can have a dramatic effect on taste and texture, say researchers from Nestlé.

Wrigley sales gains offset stagnant markets

Confectioner Wrigley posted a 17 per cent sales rise throughout its global operations during its first quarter 2007 to US$1.6bn (€1.1bn), with demand from emerging markets propping up sluggish growth in North America

Gadot forges Chinese joint venture for citric acid

Gadot is taking its first ever step outside Israel with a joint venture to build a new citric acid plant in China - a project that it expects to yield significant cost advantages thanks to the fermentation technology of partner Jiangsu Nuobei Biochemical, as well as doubling its existing capacity.

Norwegian obesity tax must be encouraged says expert

A Norwegian government proposal to tax products high in sugar and fats should be encouraged in the battle against obesity, says a nutritional expert.