Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

News in brief

Barry Callebaut opens Ivory Coast healthcare centre

Cocoa and chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut has inaugurated a healthcare centre in Goh, near San Pedro, in the west of Ivory Coast, in a drive to provide basic healthcare to local cocoa growers and their families.

Luxury abounds at the Salon du Chocolat

Consumers’ wallets in Europe may be taking a hit, but investment in premium chocolate ploughs on with luxury products taking centre stage at this week's Salon du Chocolat in Paris.

News in brief

Hershey appoints new strategy and business SVP

US confectionery manufacturer Hershey has named Javier Idrovo as its new senior vice president of strategy and business development.

Barry Callebaut builds options for sustainable cocoa

Efforts this month under the sustainability mantle by leading pod-to-pallet cocoa player Barry Callebaut include a 250,000 tree-planting project in Tanzania, and a tripling of grindings in Ivory Coast.

News in brief

ADM Cocoa announces management appointments

The cocoa division of US-based agricultural manufacturer Archer Daniels Midland Company has made two new appointments to its international senior management group.

Cocoa supply chain and sustainability headline African symposium

With sustainability a buzz word for today's confectionery makers, a symposium that kicked off in Ghana today will attempt to get to grips with current issues impacting sustainability in Africa's cocoa supply chain.

News in brief

Melamine found in Welsh sex shops

Novelty chocolates containing melamine have been found for sale in Wales.

'No additive' claims drive Halloween product launches

Driven by consumer demand for clean labels the shift from artificial to natural additives is undoubtedly gaining pace in the realm of European confectionery, a fact mirrored by this year's selection of Halloween products that show a massive leap to 'no additive' claims.

News in brief

Nestlé launches luxury chocolates

Food and confectionery giant Nestlé is introducing a new range of luxury chocolates to complement its successful premium coffee business, Nespresso.

Confectioners tap into Middle East youth market

Opportunities for European confectioners to boost organic and internal growth will see firms digging deeper into emerging markets as domestic markets stare at tougher economic times. Next week's Sweets Middle East trade show to be held in Dubai aims to aid chocolate and confectionery makers to tap into growing interest in the region.

News in brief

Cadbury hopeful for Russian expansion

The Russian confectionery market, the second largest in the world, will see growth of 14-16 per cent next year, according to chocolate manufacturer Cadbury.

Price tumble for cocoa aids confectioners

Prices for cocoa continue to tumble compounded by the global financial crisis, offering further relief in costs for confectioners.

News in brief

Cadbury announces new non-executive director

Confectionery giant Cadbury has announced that Baroness Sarah Hogg will join the company as a non-executive director.

Dispatches from SIAL

Confectionery ideas flourish at food design event

Continuing our focus on innovative product ideas showcased at this year's SIAL event in Paris, we present a round-up of new food designs yet to hit the market.

News in brief

Wrigley CEO shown door

William Perez has been removed as president and CEO of Wrigley two weeks after the company was acquired by Mars in a $23b (€18b) deal.

News in brief

Hershey sues furniture firm over choc packaging

Hershey is suing a furniture company over a proposal to use a design featuring chocolate bar wrapping that looks similar to Hershey’s on its delivery trucks.

News in brief

FSA warns over melamine ‘willy paste’

The UK’s Food Standards Agency has taken the unusual step of warning about chocolate ‘willy spread’ and other novelty products from China, containing melamine.

Dispatches from SIAL

PCB Creation plugs firmly into chocolate design innovation

When the going gets tough, the tough innovate. So is the message underpinning this year's food trade exhibition SIAL, with swathes of new product designs potentially injecting innovative ideas into the portfolio of confectionery firms operating in today's testing economic climate.

Comment

Banks’ rescue package points the way for food crisis remedies

Question: When is a crisis not a crisis? Answer: When it’s a food crisis. Compare the two responses to failures in the food system and financial markets.

Dispatches from SIAL

New product design for confectionery targets the pleasure axis

Innovations in pleasure and sophistication gained pace from 2006 to 2007, mirrored by the innovative new confectionery product designs highlighted at this year's SIAL food exhibition that opened its doors yesterday in Paris.

Dispatches from SIAL

Innovation in food products essential to weather economic storm

Food makers confronted by today's challenging economic times must continue to invest hard in innovation to beat the downturn. This year's SIAL, which opened yesterday in Paris, is a showcase of new ideas that could help to boost margins and weather the economic storm.

New ADM cocoa plant to meet growing demand

ADM has this week opened its new cocoa processing plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, a project it began in 2006 in a bid to expand and cater to growing demand for cocoa and chocolate materials from manufacturers.

Imperial Sugar enters Cargill cooperation talks

The Imperial Sugar Company says it has entered discussions with joint venture group the Louisiana Sugar Refinery (LSR) over joining forces to construct and operate a new refinery in the US.

News in brief

Hershey doubles profits in 3Q

American chocolate manufacturer Hershey has announced a near doubling of profits for the third quarter ending 28th September.

Maltesers “less than 11 calories” ad misleading, says watchdog

Raising the benchmark for the confectionery sector regarding nutrition claims, a UK watchdog has concluded a Maltesers advert from confectionery giant Mars misled the public by implying they were a low calorie snack.

Robotic case packer takes on flexible sweet bags

Flexible confectionery bags with uneven features are a challenge for automatic case packing. Meeting this growing demand, US firm Fallas Automation recently launched its robotic case packer Adabot R700, a case-packing system that tracks and picks products 'on the fly' at high speed.

Symrise invests to understand Russian tastes

Flavour firm Symrise has added new development labs and a sensory and consumer research centre to its site in Moscow, as it aims to increase understanding of Russian tastes.

News in brief

Cadbury to axe almost 600 jobs

Confectionery manufacturer Cadbury has announced that it is to cut 580 management and factory jobs worldwide in an attempt to cut costs.

Commission tightens rules on Chinese products further

The European Commission has adopted a new decision to prohibit the import of all composite infant formula products containing milk and milk from China, and to require testing of all other Chinese milk-containing products.

Rousselot to increase prices for gelatins and hydrolysed collagens

European gelatin company Rousselot has announced that it is increasing prices for all its gelatin and hydrolysed collagen products.

European shoppers do not steer clear of GM labels, says study

European consumers do buy GM foods when they are available in supermarkets, an EU survey has concluded – despite shoppers’ protestations that they would avoid products bearing a GM label.

Confectioners open to new PET sources as plastic firm switches from OPS

Responding to increasing calls from consumers and food processors alike for environmentally-friendly and sustainable packaging, US firm Inline Plastics announced this week that it will start replacing oriented polystyrene (OPS) with polyethylene terephtalate (PET) in its container production.

News in brief

Cadbury announces good 3Q performance

Chocolate manufacturer Cadbury reported a strong performance for the third quarter ending 30th September in its Interim Management Statement, released today.

Confectioners may benefit as speculators exit commodity markets

Turmoil in the global financial markets could, ironically, offer relief to prices in the commodity exchanges, where leading confectioners lock in key raw materials for their formulations, with evidence this week suggesting a wave of non-commercial speculators are selling their positions.

Children less exposed to junk food advertising on TV, says DoH

The UK Department of Health (DoH) says that measures taken to combat the promotion of junk food to children seem to be taking effect – at least in terms of television advertising.

Open innovation: Food industry needs better strategies, says review

The food industry should embrace the possibilities offered by open innovation if they are to succeed in an increasingly competitive market place, says a new review.

News in brief

Mars closes Wrigley deal

Confectionery giant Mars has announced its successful acquisition of chewing gum company Wrigley after Wrigley stockholders announced the sale on 23rd September.

Study expands additives' effects on gelling properties

Food additives in alginate-based gel will affect the characteristics of the resulting gel, with new information from the US sure to help food scientists optimise formulations.

Weekly comment

Waking up to smell the caffeine

Before reading this you’re probably going to need a coffee, in fact why not have a few? After all who’s to say when enough is enough in our hunt for a caffeine kick.

Melamine crisis makes manufacturers extra-cautious over safety

The fall-out from the melamine crisis in China is prompting manufacturers to be super careful about sourcing safe ingredients, say industry sources – not just dairy and not just those coming from China.

Colour trademarks: a powerful weapon in the war of food brands

Strong brands are a powerful weapon in a company's armoury, and when new rules emerged in the 1990s allowing colours to be registered as a trademark, the fight for brand recognition stepped up a gear, encapsulated in the ongoing case in Australia that sees confectionery giant Cadbury defending the colour purple.

Barry Callebaut opens new European Centre of Excellence

The international chocolate manufacturing company Barry Callebaut is continuing its push into the added-value sector of the confectionery market with the opening of the latest of its ‘Centres of Excellence’ in Dijon.

Flavonoids’ heart health benefits in the blood vessels: Study

Oral supplements of flavonoids commonly found in onions and tea may enhance the function of the lining of blood vessels, according to new research from Australia.

China announces new melamine guidelines

China is taking steps to reassure countries that are banning its imports following the melamine crisis with the introduction of new safety levels for food and drink.

UK detects banned additive from China in mini jelly cup

Mid-melamine scare, food safety issues are compounded for European confectioners as Europe's alert system flags up a confectionery product for children containing an additive from China that could constitute a choking risk.

Tear tape from Payne for Dutch confectioner’s flip-top box

Pressure-sensitive tear tape supplier Payne will provide European confectionery manufacturer Look-O-Look with gold tear tape for a new flip-top box format launched in France.

Stevia gets Australian approval for food and beverages

The Australian food authority FSANZ has approved the natural sweetener steviol glycosides (stevia), as an ingredient in foods and beverages in Australia and New Zealand.

Organic sweets: opportunities open up for confectioners

New product launches for organic sweets in Europe increased by a factor of six from 2006 to 2008 suggesting confectioners are starting to tap into new organic revenue streams as this burgeoning food trend spills over into confectionery.

Costs to ease for confectioners in 2009

After two years of spiralling upward costs, an easing in soft commodity prices across the board could reduce manufacturing input costs for confectioners.

Proposed new cacao classifications may boost disease resistance

Reclassification of cacao trees into ten distinct genetic sets may lead to enhanced cultivation and cross-breeding, according to research from confectionery giant Mars.

Comment

Bringing organic back down to earth

Organic has an image problem. As some consumers fear they are, quite literally, priced out of the farmers market, it’s time to stir up more debate about organic as a set of principals, not as a status symbol.

Melamine in confectionery detected on UK shelves

Confectioners and food firms in the UK are on the alert after the country's food watchdog announces the recall of certain batches of White Rabbit products from China containing up to 60 times the melamine limit.

Sweetness enhancers offer greater mouth feel

A new range of natural sweetness enhancers have been introduced to try and recreate the syrupy mouth feel that comes with sugar but tends to be lost in low-calorie products.

Caloric overload may disrupt brain functions: Study

Consuming too many calories may disturb the pathway in the brain that directly affects food intake and body weight, according to a new study.

Ivory Coast cocoa hit by disease, politics

Costs for cocoa have fallen from a peak of $3000 per tonne in July, to $2551.33 on Monday, but reports of the damaging black pod disease in Ivory Coast could drive prices upwards, compounded by political uncertainty that may see chocolate buyers eager to build stocks.

News briefs: Hershey’s and Mars

Hershey’s plays down allegations of inferior ingredients, while Mars continues to reformulate to enhance the health image of products.