Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

Peppadew: The next big flavor, says Bell

Bell Flavors & Fragrances claims to have developed ‘the next big flavor’ with an exclusive license agreement for Peppadew, the sweet and spicy South African pepper.

Kraft given November deadline for Cadbury bid

The UK’s Takeover Panel has announced a deadline of November 9 for Kraft to make a bid for Cadbury or to say that it does not intend to make an offer.

Quotas ignore industry's sugar price plea

The USDA has set sugar import quotas at the minimum level required under World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, despite pleas from industry to increase quotas in an effort to pull down prices.

Chocolate passes clinical trial test for artery and heart health

Daily supplements of a flavonoid-rich chocolate may reduce biochemical markers of arterial hardening and boost heart health, say results of a randomized controlled trial.

Tray-Pak acquisition points the way to growth

Tray-Pak, the US-based custom thermoformed plastic packaging manufacturer has been acquired by TPC Partners.

Comment

The benefits of a probiotic witch hunt

Get your pitchforks ready! There are evil-doers out there! We’ve been conned: Probiotics don’t work. Dannon’s settling out of court, EFSA’s rejecting health claims, and the media is starting a witch hunt.

Cocoa price spike may favor Kraft over Cadbury

World cocoa prices have just hit record highs sparking suggestions that the resulting cost changes could aid the Kraft bid for Cadbury.

Kraft reportedly prepares hostile bid for Cadbury

Kraft Foods is reportedly preparing a hostile bid for Cadbury three weeks after the confectionery company rejected a £10.2bn ($16.7bn) offering.

Taste tipped to top the agenda at Stevia World Europe

Ahead of the Stevia World Europe conference in Frankfurt in November, business research firm KnowGenix has compiled a report detailing the quality, sustainability and taste issues that stevia still faces.

Kraft explores boosting chocolate health benefits

Drinks or high sugar-containing chocolate may be the best formulations for boosting antioxidant levels in the blood, suggests a new study from Kraft Foods.

News in brief

Cadbury boss makes veiled attack on Kraft’s brand of capitalism

Cadbury CEO Todd Stitzer told a fair trade conference in London on Thursday that taking away its “principled capitalism” would destroy Cadbury’s appeal, according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

Explosion at Imperial Sugar refinery “entirely preventable”

Last year’s deadly explosion at the Imperial Sugar Port Wentworth refinery fuelled by a build up of sugar dust in the packing plant was “entirely preventable” said the US Chemical Safety Board.

Here’s the scoop: Ice cream is next for stevia

Stevia could soon be adopted by ice cream manufacturers, claims a partnership of ingredient developers which believes it has overcome the technical challenges of producing frozen desserts using the natural sweetener.

Cadbury tells Kraft to bid or back off

Cadbury has approached the UK’s Takeover Panel, asking it to impose a deadline for Kraft to make an offer.

Global food use of bulk and high intensity sweeteners

Some 70.4 million tonnes of sweeteners were used by the global food and beverage industry in 2008, including sugars. But which sweeteners are most used, in volume terms?

PepsiCo imports fail Chinese quality control

Global drinks giant PepsiCo is one of a number of western companies whose imported food and beverage products have failed Chinese quality inspection tests, reports Shanghai Daily, one of the country’s two leading English language newspapers.

The science of sweetener blends

Achieving the ideal sweetener blend is a scientific undertaking, making or breaking a product’s acceptance. In the second part of our special series on sweetener blends, FoodNavigator look at what makes a blend a success.

News in brief

McNeil launches tabletop sugar and stevia blend

McNeil Nutritionals has launched a new all-natural, low-calorie tabletop sweetener containing a blend of sugar and stevia.

Finding the perfect stevia blend – natural or not

The first stevia-sweetened products have begun to emerge, but until the sweetener blend is perfected, they could potentially harm consumers’ interest in stevia, said a senior analyst at Mintel.

Comment

Are health claims curbing freedom of speech?

The US FDA is being sued over its health claims regime – actions that are unlikely to succeed according to most pundits – but they raise serious questions about healthy food messaging and free speech that are being felt globally.

Italian association to boost stevia awareness in Europe

A new association is aiming to promote knowledge and research into stevia sweeteners in Italy and abroad, and is seeking active members and funding.

Flexible packing boost following mLLDPE resin launch

The North American launch of a new range of mLLDPE resins will result in greater lightweighting, cost savings and sustainability for flexible packaging in the region, said manufacturers LyondellBasell.

Sweetening the perception of HFCS

The Corn Refiners Association has said it is very pleased that Dr Barry Popkin has revoked an earlier theory about high fructose corn syrup’s link to obesity – but how much can industry do to mend its reputation?

No sign of a baobab boom - yet

Baobab was hailed as this year’s 'hot new superfruit'. So why have no new products containing the fruit have been launched in Europe so far?

Red wine powder gives the benefits without the booze

The health benefits of wine could be available to those who prefer not to drink alcohol, says a German team who are adapting the by-products of red wine production to make a powder for use in yoghurts and chocolates.

News in brief

Imperial Sugar fits packing equipment at rebuilt plant

Imperial Sugar has confirmed that all its packaging equipment is now on site at its Port Wentworth site in Georgia as rebuilding nears completion.

Cadbury confident despite Kraft bid

Cadbury has given a confident presentation of its stand-alone strategy in the midst of speculation that the company is unlikely to hold onto its independence following Kraft’s failed take-over bid.

News in brief

Men like meat-flavoured chocolate

A meat flavoured chocolate developed is popular with men in New Zealand, according to its creator, a food chemist-turned-chocolatier.

Legume ‘milk’ may cut costs and dairy from chocolate

Vegetable milk made from a blend of peanuts and cowpea may offer an alternative to dairy for milk chocolate formulations, suggests a new study from Ghana.

Certified sustainable cocoa source from Ivory Coast opens up

Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate is aiming to have 10,000 tonnes of UTZ-certified cocoa available for the market in 2010, as the first two Ivory Coast cooperatives achieve certification and others are expected to get there soon.

Confectionery ingredients company bought by private equity

German confectionery agents maker Kaul has been snapped up by private equity fund Riverside, which plans to speed international growth for its new ‘hidden champion’.

Chr Hansen makes natural white for confectionery

Chr Hansen has developed a new natural white colour from calcium carbonate, which it claims is the first non-chemical alternative to titanium dioxide available to coated confectionery and chewing gum manufacturers.

Comment

Bisphenol A: Hearts versus minds

Forget GMO and nanotechnology - the biggest food safety issue of our times is bisphenol A (BPA).

Cadbury slams Kraft bid and business model

Cadbury has labelled Kraft “a low growth conglomerate” in a letter restating its rejection of the food giant’s £10.2bn ($16.7bn) takeover bid.

Revealed: The secrets of successful food packaging

Successful food packaging should be attractive, transparent, safe, functional and environmentally friendly, according to German engineering company Kautex Maschinenbau.

Packaging firms threatened by Kraft cutbacks

Packaging firms across Europe would be “dramatically affected” by Kraft Foods’ decision to slash supplier numbers, with the move causing potential casualties in the sector, according to Leatherhead Food International.

Baobab fruit approved as food ingredient in US

Baobab fruit pulp has been given the green light of approval for use in some food and drink applications, with the US FDA signing off GRAS status for the vitamin C-rich ingredient.

Thousands of suppliers threatened by $300m Kraft cutbacks

Kraft Foods is slashing its supply chain costs by $300m - a decision that Leatherhead Food International predicts will dramatically affect suppliers and could result in casualties.

News in brief

DuPont test system receives approval for E.coli and Salmonella

DuPont Qualicon has said the approval of a system to detect both E.coli and Salmonella will save food companies time, as well as cutting inventory and storage costs.

Callebaut-Natra chocolate plan turns sour

Barry Callebaut has confirmed it has ended negotiations with Spanish chocolate producer Natra over the integration of its European consumer chocolate business, citing differences over valuation.

Mettler-Toledo's gravity flow metal detector slashes downtime

Mettler-Toledo Safeline has forged a metal detector with a gravity flow function, which also reduces downtime for processors such as bakers or confectionery manufacturers handling dry materials including powders and granular products.

Chocolate cravings: Not due to hormones, says study

A woman’s craving for chocolate as she approaches the menopause is not down to hormones, but more a reaction to the stress and discomfort of the menopause, suggests new research.

Kraft defiant over Cadbury valuation

Kraft Foods has defended its valuation of the Cadbury business and insisted that it remains the most logical buyer for the UK confectionery manufacturer.

News in brief

Danisco backs low-carbon future

Danish supplier, Danisco, has signed the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change, an international measure to coordinate green measures such as carbon cutting.

Rivals set to go to war over Cadbury

Kraft Foods' rejected bid for Cadbury is likely to trigger a bidding war among the world’s leading confectionery producers, analysts are predicting.

Kraft Foods launches Cadbury takeover bid

Kraft Foods has confirmed it has had an initial takeover bid for Cadbury rejected but said it intends to work towards a deal that would create a $50bn food industry powerhouse.

Nestle opens luxury chocolate research centre

Nestle has opened a chocolate research centre in Switzerland to inspire new formulations, product concepts and packaging designs in the luxury segment.

Low-fat chocolate breakthrough could replace fat with water

Innovative emulsions containing up to 60 per cent water may reduce the fat content of chocolate and offer low-fat formulations, suggests new research from the UK.

News in brief

Foods for kids: Read more, weigh less

Teaching children to read food labels and choose healthier options contributed to “significant” weight loss during a two-year government-funded study.

High flavanol chocolate can protect skin from UV damage

High flavanol chocolate can help protect the skin against UV damage although marketing on this claim may be challenging.

Chocolate sales follow suppliers to Eastern Europe, says report

Supported by supplier migration, Eastern Europe has gained ground in the global chocolate market as health concerns eat into the Western European share, according to new research.

Cadbury plays down chocolate supply fears

Cadbury has insisted that potential strike action by its workforce will not affect chocolate supply, despite claims made by union officials.

Barry Callebaut builds on Acticoa success

Barry Callebaut’s Acticoa blend of high-antioxidant cocoa and chocolate ingredients is being expanded across a range of products under Prestat’s Choxi+ brand in the UK.

Erythritol’s antioxidant activity may add to diabetes benefits

The zero-calorie sweetener erythritol may exert a strong antioxidant activity which may protect vascular health of diabetics, says a new study from The Netherlands.

News in brief

Cadbury goes Fair Trade in Canada

Cadbury has pledged to achieve Fair Trade certification for its Dairy Milk bars in Canada after successfully making the Fair Trade transition in Britain and Ireland.

Tax soft drinks and snacks to fight childhood obesity, says IOM

The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council have recommended taxing high-calorie, low-nutrient food and drink in order to combat childhood obesity, in a new report released on Tuesday.

Comment

Sugar and strife – not so nice if the price is not right

Sugar politics means high prices are a bitter pill for US and Indian sweet food and beverage makers; while the European industry is sitting pretty on the back of the recent sugar reforms.

Illinois raises taxes on candy and soft drinks

Illinois consumers will start paying higher taxes on some soft drinks and candy today under new rules from the Illinois Department of Revenue.