Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

News briefs: Nestle, Cadbury and anthrax

A dose of this week's confectionery stories; Manufacturers get a sweet tooth for Eastern Europe plus Malaysia gets into a pickle over anthrax.

Barry Callebaut doubles Japan chocolate volumes

Barry Callebaut is moving in on the expanding chocolate market in Japan through a new alliance with confectionery company Morinaga.

Wrigley gets a crown for its dental benefits

Three of Wrigley's sugar-free chewing gums have become the first in the US to earn the American Dental Association's seal of approval.

Palsgaard receives US approval for chocolate emulsifier

A chocolate emulsifier ingredient from Palsgaard can now be used by US manufacturers to replace the commonly-used soy lecithin, following its recent approval by the nation's regulator.

Nestle points towards future of cocoa research

The future of research into the potential health benefits of cocoa should focus on the mechanisms and active compounds, with well defined clinical trials key to this burgeoning segment, says a new review by Nestlé.

Ministers debate milk, wine and sugar reforms

Food safety and animal health top the agenda at today's meeting of EU's agricultural ministers, with the future of milk, wine and sugar production also up for discussion.

Cadbury highlighted for its green fingers

The Climate Disclosure Project yesterday highlighted Cadbury Schweppes as the best in its class for the actions it has taken against climate change.

A happy world for Haribo following sweet victory over 'kinder'

A four-year battle between Haribo and Ferrero came to an end this week following a decision by the German court declaring there was no copyright infringement in using the word 'kinder'.

Consumer group complains about Nutella ad

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has received a complaint from the UK's consumer association over the way Nutella chocolate spread is being marketed to children.

Sugar reform and biofuel take toll on yeast extract prices

Rising costs and shrinking supply of sugar molasses are driving up the cost of yeast extract production, says Bio Springer, which is today announcing a double digit price increase for its extracts as of next year.

Weekly comment

Consumers and the confidence crisis

Consumer demand - the holy grail of any industry - is a fragile and easily manipulated treasure. But influencing consumers for anything other than their own benefit will, more often than not, carry unintended consequences.

New chocolate bar healthy for your heart, claims manufacturer

In a bid to take advantage of the boom in demand for fortified chocolates, a manufacturer claims to have developed a product that benefits those with Type-2 diabetes or high cholesterol.

News briefs: Nestle, squeezy chocolate and Cadbury

This week's news briefs include Nestle's new CEO, squeezy chocolate in a bottle, and Cadbury closing factories.

New bags can ease pipeting for chocolate industry, claims manufacturer

A new filter bag can make pipeting quicker and easier when testing thick, pasty foods such as chocolate in the lab, claims its manufacturer.

Stainless steel forklift raises the food hygiene bar

A stainless steel forklift truck is designed for moving and weighing products at manufacturing sites such as food processing plants that need to be as hygienic as possible.

Danisco bolstered by costs discipline, price increases

Controlling costs with an iron hand and upping sales prices has helped Danisco's ingredients division towards Q1 growth, against an overall profit dip as a result of ongoing sugar reform.

Russia becomes a key market for Barry Callebaut

Barry Callebaut has highlighted Russia as a key target market in Eastern Europe following the opening yesterday of its new chocolate factory near Moscow.

Mars hits out at US chocolate redefinition proposal

US moves to redefine chocolate have come under further criticism by some of the leading players in the industry.

Barry Callebaut sells Brach's to focus on chocolate business

Barry Callebaut has sold its Brach's confectionery business to Farley's & Sathers following the slow growth of the US private label market, the company announced yesterday.

Vietnam pushes for cocoa market growth

Vietnam looks set to become one of Asia's primary cocoa producers, with the government pledging to invest 40 billion dong (€1.8m) in the country's burgeoning cocoa trade, according to local news reports.

No let-up expected in ingredients price rises

Food ingredients prices rose at the fastest rate since 1998 in August, says a new report released just as ministers warn that the worst of the hikes is yet to come - a particularly for meat.

Weekly Comment

Arnie and the clones

Cloned foods have not yet made it to our grocery aisles, but in the advent of such a rollout consumers must have a defined right to decide if they want to swallow the technology or not.

News brief: Confectionery roundup from around the world

This week's confectionery round up with a Thornton's sales recovery, vodka chocolates and an internet-storming gorilla…

New ingredient takes the stick out of gum

A UK company claims to have developed a polymer that can remove the stickiness of chewing gum, while still maintaining its taste.

Confectionery giants cut use of artificial additives

In the wake of a damning scientific report on the health effects of artificial additives, Cadbury Trebor Bassett and Mars UK today said they are cutting the chemicals from their products.

CP Kelco to close UK xanthan gum plant

Hydrocolloid supplier CP Kelco has announced it is to shutter its xanthan gum plant in the UK, which has been squeezed by cost pressures into an unprofitable market.

Vetch blend shows promise as low-fat pizza topping

Researchers have reported that a pizza cheese made from a blend of vetch and cow's milk could be used as a low-fat alternative to mozzarella as a pizza topping, a conclusion that may prove helpful in the quest to develop healthier food products.

Immigration proposals aimed at filling industry skills shortage

EU immigration ministers meeting in Lisbon this week are currently working on a unified immigration programme to fill gaps in the bloc's workforce, a decision that will be crucial for the food and drink industry.

Healthy eating boom sweetens Glisten's profits

Sales and profits for UK based confectionery and snacks manufacturer Glisten have benefited from its focus on the healthy options market.

Organisations accuse UK regulator of industry bias

Three consumer organisations have accused the UK regulator of having "misled" the public and of being in the pocket of manufacturers over its approach to a major study on food additives.

Could biofuels do more harm than good? OECD asks

European ministers will today discuss whether propounding use of biofuels is justified given their impact on food prices, and whether first generation technologies are causing more environmental harm than good.

Confectionery exhibition highlights premium trends

The growing demand for luxury, fortified, natural and organic confectionery is the focus of this year's All Candy Expo.

Sugar-free impacts overall confectionery markets, says Palatinit

Palatinit is taking heart from market data indicating strong potential for the sugar-free confectionery market in Europe, as it steps out of a diet and diabetic-only niche and into the mainstream.

Weekly comment

Hooked on Es

This comment was amended to correct a statement about bans of additives in other countries. Some of the chemicals were previously banned by Norway, Austria and Australia but those bans have since been removed. Allura red AC, tartrazine and sunset yellow are allowed in the US, while quinoline yellow, carmoisine and ponceau 4R are not. None of the colour additives are currently banned by Australia, which lifted a ban on quinoline yellow in 2003. The country does not permit tartrazine to be used in medicines.

News brief: Barry Callebaut, Ferrero and death by chocolate

A roundup of a few more confectionery stories from this week; Barry Callebaut, Ferrero, and potential death by chocolate.

Kraft resets its focus to drive down costs

Kraft Foods will drive down costs by $1bn (€732m), rejig its global portfolio, and exploit its sales capabilities, in a bid to make the company more profitable, the company's top executive stated at a conference this week.

Glisten moves into healthier confectionery market

UK-based Glisten has acquired 50 per cent of the Skinny Candy brand in a bid to expand its portfolio to meet the demand for healthier confectionery products, the company said today.

Eliminating colours, additives could help hyperactive kids, says FSA

The FSA has issued new advice on certain artificial additives following research into a link with children's behaviour: that eliminating them from the diet could have some benefits for hyperactive kids or those with ADHD.

Nestle goes all-natural over kids' chocolate

UK based Nestle Rowntree has re-launched its Milkybar brand with all-natural ingredients, taking advantage of current concern for food additives.

Weekly comment

Food prices and the death of the productionist model

Last week saw a string of communications about food price rises: first warnings were aired about wheat, then meat, then dairy. It's a vertiginous view from the heights of the commodity markets, and it's clearer than ever before that we need to re-jig our basic food supply systems if we are to feed the world in the future.

Mars follows dark chocolate trends

Mars has launched two new products in US under its M&M's brand in a bid to cater to consumers looking for "healthier" chocolates.

Nestle campaigns for benefits of dark chocolate

A new Nestle-backed campaign in Australia is promoting the health benefits of dark chocolate to doctors, dieticians and nutritionists.

New Zealand pushes for traffic light labelling

The New Zealand government should impose "traffic light" health labels on foods and beverages, recommends a parliamentary committee.

Lindt boss gets sweet tooth for Godiva

Lindt & Sprugli boss Ernst Tanner claimed the company is looking to buy Campbell's chocolate business Godiva, in an interview today.

Packagers team up to offer full line

Multivac and Ishida will market and distribute each other's products, a combination that will allow the companies to offer complete packaging lines to processors.

Timing wrong for Danisco sugar-ingredients split

Danisco's board yesterday rejected a proposal to cleave the company into two businesses, one for sugar and the other for ingredients, because of on-going EU sugar reform. But the plan remains on the table for the longer term.

News briefs: Wrigley, Hershey, China

More ConfectioneryNews.com stories, in a nutshell: Wrigley strengthens European focus; Hershey enters credit agreement; and further problems for Chinese products.