Weekly comment

The food industry after Lisbon

In the face of another rejection of a European Union treaty, the bloc's food industry has one glaring path ahead: business as normal.

Automated dosing simplifies recipe formulation, says Mettler Toledo

Mettler Toledo says that it has combined its existing recipe formulation technology, FormWeigh.Net with its IND560 weighing terminal to enable automatic dosing for food processors, in a bid to increase...

EC heads to court to end 'pure' choco claims

The use of the word 'pure' by Italian manufacturers to label wholly cocoa butter-derived chocolate products has not left a sweet taste with the European Commission, which is now taking...

News briefs: CVC, sweetener concerns and Cadbury

CVC's confectionery operations fails to hold back the private equity firms expansion into the Dutch retail market, US consumer remain undecided over sweetener use and Cadbury eyes profit ahead.

First fruits born out of Blue Pacific-HortResearch collaboration

Blue Pacific and HortResearch have finalised their license agreement for the development and commercialization of natural fruit flavors, and the first two products under their new hortRealfruit brand are being...

Natural sweetener race hots up with Nutrinova break-through

Nutrinova has announced progress in its mission to identify compounds that could yield new natural sweeteners for the food and beverage industry, in collaboration with BRAIN.

Unlocking cocoa genome to relieve supply threats for chocolate makers?

Quality and supplies for the key ingredient in chocolate - cocoa - may gain from a new project that sees Mars link up with the US goverment and IBM to...

Value of sustainability to be studied as emissions cuts rewarded

As the UK's Carbon Trust initiates a scheme to reward companies for genuine carbon emission reduction, a new study will determine how influential a company's sustainability image is in terms...

Danisco ingredients suffer from low demand and high prices

Danisco's emulsifiers sector is getting back on track after being affected by rising cost prices, but global supply issues have impacted heavily on its sweeteners division.

Cargill launches xanthan gum made in China

Cargill has started production of two new xanthan gum products out of its facility in China, after implementing technology transfer from France and ensuring quality and safety standards meet requirements.

New sweetener to hit market hungry for alternatives

An ingredients company has developed a new natural sweetener that it claims tastes like cane sugar and is expected to rival products such as stevia.

Weekly comment

GM: Breaking the stalemate

Food industry voices are joining those of politicians in the GM debate, hailing the controversial technology as the answer to the food supply crisis. But the hearts and minds of...

Danisco close to concluding sugar negotiations

Danisco has said it is close to concluding negotiations with potential buyers of its sugar business, but is still working towards spinning it off into a separate business by the...

Wild gives an exotic twist to citrus flavours

Wild is broadening its offering of citrus flavours with the addition of three exotic fruits to its range: dalandan, kalmansi and yuzu.

New group to boost Welsh food sector skills

The Welsh food sector received a boost last week with the launch of the Food Industry Skills Strategy Group dedicated to strengthening workforce skills and experience.

Tea to flavor food products

A flavor company has launched a new range of tea-inspired products which it hopes will be used in foods, not just beverages.

Ingredient group chews on sugar free gum potential

Beneo-Palatinit says that the European market for sugar-free gum continues to prosper amidst a general innovation focus on embracing consumer health concerns.

'Greener' sucralose processing could enter market

Lexington Pharmaceutical is seeking global manufacturing partners for its innovative sucralose process, which it claims is greener than methods used by leading competitors.

Organic combination could build fairtrade awareness

Organic certification in tandem with fairtrade can help raise awareness for ethical sourcing amongst consumers, says Organic Monitor, but the two systems are unlikely to merge entirely into one.

DSM gains Preventase go-ahead from Swiss

The acrylamide-reducing enzyme Preventase has been granted approval for use in Switzerland, marking a new step down the road towards industry-wide adoption for biscuits and other baked goods.

Costs for liquorice extracts continue to rise on global shortages

Confectionery makers can expect price pressures to continue in 2008 for liquorice extracts as demand on global stocks impacts the supply line.

Weekly comment

The value of hyperactive curiosity

For a little yellow flower, it's ignited a huge debate. Believe the headlines and St John's wort won't help hyperactive kids, but last week's study asks more questions than it...

Costs to food business to rise if GM zero-tolerance prevails, warns CIAA

Europe's vast food industry calls for an end to 'uncertainty' over non EU-approved GM traces in foodstuffs, warning that new risks on the horizon could bring massive costs to the...

Cadbury targets indulgence with UK's first chocolate-flavoured gum

The world's number one confectionery group ups the stakes in the gum war with the launch of Trident Sweet Kicks, a mint-flavoured gum with a chocolate-flavoured liquid centre.

ICCO clarifies EC pesticide residues regulations

The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) is reminding those in the cocoa and related industries that the EU Legislation on Pesticide Residues will apply to all beans entering the European Union...

Sugar beet pectin outperforms gum arabic: study

The potential rise of sugar beet pectin use in the food industry could see it substitute for gum arabic in emulsions, according to new results from Wales.

Cadbury's sweet brand success despite apology

Cadbury is Britain's most trusted chocolate and confectionery brand, according to a 2008 Reader's Digest survey, despite Cadbury-Schweppes being fined £1m last year for allowing the sale of salmonella-contaminated chocolates.

Organic market should remain resilient amid spiralling costs

The growing success of the organic market will be only slightly marred by soaring food prices, which are tightening consumers' purse strings across Europe, say industry experts.

Danisco's new juice kit targets healthy confectionery market

Danisco is promoting the health-benefits of its ingredients with a new juice confectionery demonstration kit.

Traditional snacks still top of kids' wish-list, survey

Children's favourite snacks are crisps, biscuits, cakes and confectionery but the healthy eating message is filtering through, according to a new survey.

Wild launches new Fruit Up with a confectionery spin

Wild is introducing a new version of its Fruit Up sweetener, specially designed for use in fruit jelly confectionery products and angled towards helping manufacturers tap the healthy confectionery market.

High costs for cocoa to prevail on stock shortfall

High prices for cocoa manufacturers will prevail as an investment bank predicts a third successive global cocoa deficit in 2008/09.

Weekly comment

Food crisis: Time to stop the squabbling

Bickering gets you nowhere. It's a lesson to be learned early in life, but which seems easily forgotten when it comes to tough political issues like measures to curb the...

Confectionery machine roll-out boasts 400 products per minute

As ever shorter product life cycles continue to dominate the packaging landscape for confectioners, two Bosch Packaging Technology firms have extended their range of horizontal pillow-pack machines.

Rare sugar may replace sucrose for bakery and beyond

The rare sugar D-psicose may be an ideal substitute for sucrose, and have the added benefits of boosting antioxidant activity and boosting shelf-life, say Japanese researchers.

Increased demand and a healthy future for Latin American cocoa

There is a growing demand for cocoa from Latin America to meet the increasing popularity of premium chocolates in Europe and the US, according to a speaker at the recent...

Microbubbles could extend shelf-life on food foams

Microscale bubbles could whip up a range of long-lived, stable foam products whilst giving formulations interesting sensory properties, according to research published in Science.

Borregaard raises vanillin prices, will work on efficiencies

Borregaard is increasing prices for its vanillin products across the board due to the drastic oil price increases and is looking at ways to improve efficiency at its plants.

Confectioners worry about EU biofuel targets

Talks on the European Union's draft Renewable Energy Directive should be postponed until after independent research into the effects of biofuels production, argues the confectionery and biscuit industry.

Has stevia broken US dietary supplement shackles?

The hype surrounding stevia has been ratcheted up another notch after the US's largest supplier announced it is launching the natural sweetener beyond the dietary supplements aisle for the first...

EU slaps anti-dumping duties on Chinese citric acid

The European Union has slapped anti-dumping duties on Chinese imports of citric acid after an investigation concluded two European producers have been injured by unfair competition.

Mars highlights cocoa biodiversity at UN conference

Protecting cocoa's biodiversity and sustainability are critical, said Mars at the recent United Nations Biodiversity conference held in Bonn, Germany.

Weekly comment

Yesterday's food complacency proves hard to swallow

For too long, the developed world has taken food for granted. For years, ample food stocks, a well-supplied export trade and rapidly rising agricultural productivity have confined food fears, in...

News briefs: Fairtrade, sugar surplus and Mars community plan

Fairtrade is working to improve UK market share for its accredited chocolate makers, the forecast for global sugar surplus is revised upwards, and Mars unwraps its social responsibility credentials.