Special edition: R&D

Lack of R&D puts EU food sector at risk

Europe’s food and drink sector is lagging behind the competition because of investments in R&D have stagnated since 2006, warns the CIAA.

UK pumps £4.2m into food and drink training

A new £4.2m funding project will cover 50 per cent of employee training costs in the UK food and drink industry and aims to deliver flexible training courses in addition...

ADM Cocoa experts run chocolate formulation workshops

Crop processing giant ADM Cocoa is running a series of workshops to show chocolate makers how to get “optimal results” from their formulations, with health trumping new product development.

Cargill's reduced calorie chocolate set to hit shelves in 2011

Cargill’s sweetener experts have further enhanced its reduced calorie chocolate prototype that was shown at FIE in November 2009, with the commercial product set to hit the market at the...

Pilot phase testing can aid SME sugar-free gum market entry, Beneo

Beneo claims that new equipment at its laboratory in Germany will enable small and medium sized sweet manufacturers test its sugar replacer, Isomalt, in chewing gum.

Defatted cocoa powder ‘best compromise’ for low-fat choc: Nestle

Formulating reduced fat chocolate using defatted cocoa powder may indeed by the ‘best compromise’ for confectionery producers, says a new study from Nestlé Product Technology.

Retailer claims UK first for compostable chocolate box tray

UK supermarket chain, Marks & Spencer, said its entire Swiss chocolate range will now feature a corn starch-based Plantic tray to hold the chocolates, while the outer-box, it added, is...

News in brief

Kit Kat sales up in UK and Ireland

Flagship brand Kit Kat has increased market shares for Nestle in the UK and Ireland, according to last week’s third quarter results that reveal a 4.1 per cent sales increase...

Canadian private label consumers becoming older and wealthier, says Nielsen

The typical Canadian consumer of private label products is changing – becoming older and wealthier, according to a new study from The Nielsen Company.

Roshen posts 32 per cent hike in confectionery sales

Roshen increased its sales for the first three quarters of 2010 by 32 per cent at $675m. The confectioner also recorded an output of 285,000 tonnes in 2010, up 11...

News in brief

Mars restructures in UK in bid to outperform rivals

Mars’ UK confectionery business is to become independent from its European operation in a move that it said should bolster its performance against rivals within the UK market.

News in brief

UK regulator proposes changes in hostile takeover bids post Cadbury

The UK Takeover Panel, in a move that follows the controversial acquisition of Cadbury by US food group Kraft in February this year, has proposed changes to reduce the tactical...

Jungbunzlauer hikes citric acid, xanthan gum prices

Concern around stock levels of commodities such as sugar, wheat and corn, is claimed by ingredients group Jungbunzlauer as the rationale behind its 10 per cent hike in the price...

New approach allows rapid honey trace element analysis, says Thermo Fisher

A new quality control method for honey facilitates faster trace element analysis while reducing operational costs, claims its developer Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Dark chocolate may reduce cholesterol levels in diabetics

Dark chocolate could reduce cholesterol levels for people with diabetes, according to recent findings from a university study.

Fairtrade cocoa supply can support chocolate brand switch, FLO

There is enough volume of Fairtrade cocoa available to supply more large brands switching product lines to Fairtrade, according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO).

Arla takes the egg out of nougat for Chinese

Arla Foods Ingredients has developed a whey protein isolate to replace egg whites in nougat for a Chinese customer facing problems with inconsistent egg quality.

DISPATCHES FROM IPA 2010

Flexible snap-open pouch claimed to eliminate food waste

A new flexible single portion sachet made from high barrier laminates is said to adhere to consumer demand for easy opening packs and eliminate residual food from the packaging.

Cargill says stevia demand is driving erythritol sales

Stevia sales are raising independent consumer demand for bulk sweetener erythritol, according to ingredients leader Cargill.

Tangerine appoints advisors for sweet expansion plans

Tangerine Confectionery has appointed NM Rothschild & Sons to advise the company on future expansion options and opportunities.

News in brief

Kelloggs wins industry advertising award

A Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Squares advert won the 2010 gold award for Long Term Effectiveness at the bi-annual IAPI Advertising Effectiveness awards (ADFX) last week.

Comment

Regulatory clarity for nutricosmetics proves elusive

Somewhere, in some time, there exists a land of beauty and promise for nutricosmetics products, where beauty supplements, foods and drinks can frolic, happy in the knowledge of their justifiable...

FLO raises Fairtrade cocoa premium

A hike in US$50 in the Fairtrade premium per metric tonne (MT) of cocoa should encourage investment in sustainable cocoa initiatives and better farming practices, claims the group behind the...

Perceptions of texture are shaped by variations in saliva enzyme: Study

Consumers’ perception of starch texture is shaped by individual variations in the amount and activity of salivary amylase, according to new research from the Monell Center.

EFSA agrees with JECFA on 10 out of 22 flavouring substances

EFSA has agreed with JECFA that 10 of the latest 22 flavouring substances to undergo re-evaluation pose no safety concern at estimated intake levels, but more info is required to...

New process method could boost Malaysian cocoa output

A scheme based on a computer-aided process simulation tool can optimise the cocoa manufacturing process in Malaysia and double output, claims new research.

News in brief

More Cadbury executives quit Kraft

Two more senior Cadbury executives have left Kraft Foods, joining the other senior management figures who have resigned since the confectioner's takeover by the US food group in February, claim...

Sugar confectionery booming in India

The Indian confectionery market witnessed the launch of over 200 products in various categories last year, thus ranked, according to Datamonitor, in the top 20 in terms of global new...

Lindt could aid Lotte Group's global expansion plans, analyst

Publically listed confectionery company Lindt & Sprüngli remains the most interesting acquisition target in terms of its premium portfolio and its post-recession weakened state, with Asian conglomerate Lotte a potential...

Mintel predicts 12.9% chocolate sales growth for 2015

Seasonal and chocolate box sales are projected to increase by 12.9 per cent between 2010 and 2015, growing to an estimated £4.1bn by 2015, according to a Mintel report.

Novel fibers may blunt blood sugar spikes

Formulating foods with a novel functional fibers may reduce blood sugar spikes after eating, according to a new study.

Tagging system said to boost cocoa traceability

A new tagging system is said to provide enhanced levels of quality control and transparency in a leading cocoa supplier’s production chain to provide assurance to chocolate product manufacturers about...

Dietary fibres key to stevia-based chocolate formulation, Barry Callebaut

A stevia-based chocolate incorporating a blend of dietary fibres has been developed by Barry Callebaut for Belgian confectioner Cavalier for a tablet product to be launched next month.

News in brief

Kraft boss visits Cadbury

Kraft’s chief executive Irene Rosenfeld is due to visit Cadbury's main UK factory in Bournville, Birmingham today, for the first time since the controversial takeover earlier this year.

Lack of obvious candidates drying up confectionery mergers, analyst

Convergence in the confectionery market has slowed since the acquisition of UK confectionery group Cadbury by Kraft Foods in February this year, according to a market analyst.

Comment

Bisphenol A on the brink?

To BPA or not to BPA? While the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) backed the continued use of bisphenol A last week, the real question is whether the verdict was...

Kraft opens Swiss R&D centre to ensure gum has regional flavour

Kraft said its new innovation centre in Switzerland, inaugurated today, will ensure innovations in chewing gum and sugar confectionery have regional appeal.

Bon Bon Buddies aims to expand further in Europe

UK based confectionery company Bon Bon Buddies (BBB) has announced its plans to expand further in Europe through the development of its production facilities and the current relaunch of its...

EFSA health claim opinion

Sugar-free chewing gum reduces tooth decay, finds EFSA

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved a health claim for xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol-based sugar-free chewing gum that it reduces the risk of tooth decay.

Support sought for carbon slashing sweet stoving methods

The Carbon Trust hopes industrial scale trials evaluating the drying of gums and jellies using technologies such as microwave based curing will help move the UK confectionery industry towards less...

Leaf Holland transfers production to Slovakian site

Dutch-Swedish confectioner Leaf Holland is to increase capacity by 13 per cent at its Slovakian plant with the transfer of its Malaco brand powder line from its facility in south Denmark.

News in brief

Up-to-date FAO reports may stop food price volatility

A system providing up-to-date information on global food stocks could prevent abrupt price hikes that could threaten food security.

Special edition: Robotics

Robots establish themselves in beverage and dairy industries

In the third part of our special edition on robotics in the food industry we explore how robots are becoming a more common sight in the dairy and beverage sectors.