Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

New blend makes antioxidant rich chocolate easier to create, says Wild

Wild has launched a blend of plant extracts to help chocolate manufacturers create antioxidant rich products without needing to buy special quality cocoa beans.

Lecithin additive may find health niche

A component of the common food additive lecithin my help the liver process fat and glucose, opening up lecithin to a potential role in the growing health ingredients category.

Gum poised to return to form for Cadbury, says analyst

Chewing gum used to be the hot performer for Cadbury but sales have dropped well below chocolate. Bernstein Research now expects the downward trend to be reversed.

Self cleaning barcode system cuts costs and downtime, says company

A unique self-cleaning method that ensures low cost of ownership, minimal downtime and high quality printing of barcodes onto outer case packaging are the benefits claimed by the manufacturers of the system.

Chocolate boom helps Cadbury beat market expectations

Buoyed by strong second quarter chocolate sales, Cadbury has beaten market expectations for the first half of the year.

Trade liberalization linked to Central American obesity: Study

Trade liberalization in Central America has led to increased imports and availability of processed food, contributing to nutrition and obesity problems in the region, according to a new study.

News in brief

Cargill plans three-day chocolate workshop

To help new entrants to the confectionery business be more effective and successful, Cargill is holding a three-day instructional seminar.

Spend more to market healthy foods, says FSA

The UK’s Food Standards Agency has published tough draft recommendations for reducing saturated fat content and portion sizes in sweet baked goods, chocolate and beverages – as well as an increase in marketing spend on healthier products.

Snack Size Science: Unwrapping chocolate's heart benefits

NutraIngredient’s Snack Size Science brings you the top nutrition research news every two weeks. This week we spill the beans on the potential of chocolate to lower blood pressure.

Chocolate cake: Leavening agent key to healthy profile

Maintaining cocoa’s heart healthy compounds in a finished product depends on the presence of other ingredients, particularly leavening agents, says new research from the Hershey Company.

Weekly comment

Imagining a world where we eat less meat

Cutting back meat consumption is the new darling cause of pop stars. But if necessary environmental and health goals are to be achieved, the whole supply chain needs to be strumming along in tune.

Pump maintenance firm builds clean room for food clients

Working with a leading chocolate and confectionery manufacturer, AxFlow has built a clean room for the service and repair of pumps used in the food industry.

Cadbury settles out of court with Amcor over price fixing allegations

Cadbury has settled out of court with Amcor on the eve of a AUS$236m (€135m) lawsuit in which the packaging supplier stood accused of price fixing.

Deal promises to bring intelligent barcodes to snacks

Scanbuy has signed a deal with Du Pont and Printpack that could see people using their mobile phones to scan their snacks in order to learn about new offers and obtain product information.

Organics not embraced by Canadian processed food makers: Report

Food manufacturers are resistant to using organic ingredients because they perceive investment to be high and returns to be low, says a new report from the USDA on the state of the Canadian organics market.

News in brief

Volunteers wanted for dark choc health trial

A study with dark chocolate is recruiting 40 post-menopausal women with type-2 diabetes to test the heart health potential of a super-strength specially formulated chocolate.

Ingredients demand is stable, says Tate & Lyle

Food and beverage ingredient demand has been ‘stable’ in Tate & Lyle’s Q1, says the company in its interim statement, and the year so far has exceeded expectations.

Barry Callebaut develops low calorie, heat resistant chocolate

Food engineers at Barry Callebaut have developed a chocolate that has both a high melting point and a low calorie count.

Rock maker fined for too much colouring

A UK manufacturer of traditional seaside rock has been fined for using too high levels of Ponceau 4R, one of the ‘Southampton Six’ colours implicated a study of hyperactivity in children.

Overweight kids more responsive to branded foods: Study

Overweight children are more easily led by food advertising and branding than non-overweight children, according to a new study published in the journal Appetite.

Mars taps into nostalgia trend with Treets return

Mars is bringing back the Treets chocolate snack in the UK to capitalise on the growing popularity of old classics.

News in brief

Cadbury's Fairtrade Dairy Milk hits the shelves

Cadbury launched its Fairtrade-certified Dairy Milk chocolate bars yesterday, making it the first mass market chocolate to gain certification from the Fairtrade Foundation.

Cranberries offer promise for diabetics: Study

Sweetened dried cranberries with a reduced sugar and increased fibre content may benefit type-2 diabetics by delivering healthier glycemic and insulin responses, suggests a small study.

Weekly comment

Mainstream press ‘exposed’ for health claim sensationalism

Not again! As if industry is not struggling enough with the severity of the European Food Safety Authority’s nutrition and health claims rulings so far, the situation has not been helped by the kind of articles that appeared in the UK press today and yesterday.

New confectionery factory opened at Nestle site

Nestle marked the consolidation of its packaging supply chain in the UK last week with the official opening of a new co-packing factory at its distribution centre in York.

News in brief

Cadbury recalls chocolate bar in Australia

Cadbury is conducting a voluntary recall in Australia for one of its products in the Old Gold Dark Chocolate range due to the possible presence of milk protein, which is not labelled on the packaging.

Walmart sustainability index to put suppliers under spotlight

More than 100,000 suppliers to Walmart will be asked to prove their green credentials after the company unveiled plans yesterday to develop a world-wide sustainable product index.

Recession could put brakes on beauty foods: Datamonitor

The US market for beauty foods has grown significantly over the past five years, but the higher price demanded by products in this category could be putting the brakes on future growth, says market researcher Datamonitor.

Asda claims victory in aspartame ‘nasty’ case

A High Court judge has found in favour of Asda in its court battle with Ajinomoto over food and beverage ‘no nasties’ labelling, which listed aspartame as an ingredient not used. Ajinomoto plans to appeal.

RPC develops packaging for Sherbet Fountain revamp

RPC Containers Market Rasen has created a plastic tube and lid for the re-launch of the Sherbet Fountain brand from Tangerine Confectionery.

News in brief

Thorntons chocolate sales melt in the heat

The recession and the hot weather have conspired against chocolate sales as UK-based Thorntons reports dip in quarterly revenue.

Traditional French foods falling out of favour: Study

A new study of French eating habits has shown consumption changes over the last decade – especially among young adults who are hungry for packaged and convenient foods.

Health and wellness top date food list: Survey

Anything that makes you look healthy, doesn’t stick in your teeth, and doesn’t give you bad breath is on the menu as a date food, says a new survey from Cornell University.

Cadbury workers threaten strike action over pay dispute

Workers at Cadbury are preparing to ballot on industrial action following a pay dispute that sparked protests last week.

Calls for supermarkets to publish packing stats rubbished as publicity stunt

Calls by town hall chiefs to force UK supermarkets to publish packaging statistics have been dismissed as a publicity stunt by an industry body, which said retailers already use the minimum of packing material.

Food and drink companies clean up from saving water

A raft of UK-based companies have made a total cost saving running into hundreds of thousands of pounds during the first year of an initiative to boost water efficiency.

Weekly comment

Safety is no accident in food factories

Industrial accidents are not funny. Does anyone need a reminder? Apparently yes; judging by how some headline writers and bloggers made light of the plight of Vincent Smith who died last week after falling into a vat of liquid chocolate at a New Jersey processing plant.

Deals woo shoppers back to ethical, premium products

UK supermarket Tesco says it has seen sales of its premium, organic and fair-trade products return to growth this year, as special offers on top notch goods convince shoppers that they are good value for money.

Temporary worker dies in US chocolate factory

A man died at a New Jersey chocolate processing plant on Wednesday after falling into a vat of liquid chocolate.

Recession drives low-cost food packaging: New report

The trend towards low-cost food packaging over the past two years, driven by global recession and volatile energy prices, is the main finding of a new study conducted by UK-based analysts Canadean.

Organic sector to coordinate on key messages

The UK’s organic sector is waking up to the need to market its key messages and is planning a conference to examine consumer attitudes and share experiences.

Mars loses Bounty Bar trademark case

Mars has lost its battle to regain trademark rights for the shape of its Bounty Bar at the European Court of First Instance on Wednesday.

News in brief

PureCircle expects 420 per cent profit growth

Pure Circle, supplier of stevia-derived Reb A, is expecting to report a 420 per cent increase in profit in its full year results due to good reception for the first products launched in the US.

Weekly comment

Defining nano: Size does matter

The Atlantic Ocean separates continents; it also separates schools of thought on the definition of nanotechnology. In order to educate manufacturers and consumers on nanotechnology a definition is critical.

Science grows for xylitol’s tooth health benefits

Formulating products with xylitol may reduce the development of tooth decay, according to a new study from the US.

Cargill’s NatureWorks take sugar-derived plastics to Brazil

Cargill is to introduce its Ingeo bioplastics to Brazil, offering the food, cosmetics and other industries a new packaging material derived from sugar instead of petroleum.

New cleaner for flexographic printer promises cost cuts

The new CI Drum Cleaner from RG Egan Equipment delivers less down time, improved operator safety and uses fewer cleaning solvents, according to its manufacturer.

NZ company eyes European markets for venom-spiked honey

A New Zealand company has applied to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) for novel foods approval to market its honeybee venom to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis.

Dispatches from EUSTAS stevia symposium

Early harmonisation urged for stevia standards, methods

As the stevia industry is poised for wide take-up, harmonisation and recognition of the need for standards is crucial to securing a good reputation from the outset, according to ChromaDex CEO.

Honey flavors to cut reliance on uncertain honey market

Bell Flavors and Fragrances has developed a range of honey replacers to respond to uncertainties on the global honey market as colony collapse disorder (CCD) has diminished bee colonies around the world.

European stevia players discuss strategy and priorities

Stevia standards, impending regulatory approval in Europe and corporate social responsibility are high on the agenda at the EUSTAS Stevia Symposium.

US obesity rates ballooning, says report

American obesity rates have increased in 23 states over the past year and decreased in none, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Cerilliant releases new Reb A reference standards

Cerilliant has introduced two new certified reference standards for assessing the purity of Reb A, the high intensity all-natural sweetener from the leaves of the stevia plant.

Cadbury relaunches Trebor Mints

Confectionery giant Cadbury is to relaunch its Trebor Extra Strong Mints and Softmints brands with new packaging designed by London-based design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR).

Focus on sweeteners among Mintel taste test winners

Sweeteners old and new were in the spotlight as Mintel announced the products that won its taste test from last month’s IFT trade show in Anaheim.