Barry Callebaut chocolate could be good for the brain

The world's leading cocoa processor Barry Callebaut said yesterday that it had new evidence to support the anti-cancer and anti-ageing benefits of its healthy chocolate Acticoa.

EU strengthens allergen labelling

From 25 November, the new rules, introduced by EC Directive 89/2003, will require pre-packed foods sold in the European Union to show clearly on the label if they contain any...

Cadbury's unwelcome Christmas surprise

Cadbury Schweppes has been forced to recall its Dairy Milk Miniatures advent calendars, in the UK, due to incorrect labelling.

KitKat promotion withdrawn from Tesco

Nestle has reason to believe that small metal particles may be present in two batches of it's Kit Kash promotional KitKats, sold in UK retailer Tesco, resulting in a product...

Cocoa prices expected to climb

Cocoa prices will continue to climb next year as a steady growth in consumer demand is met with somewhat erratic production levels.

Weekly comment

Death by food support

If the EU keeps hiding its agriculture sector behind huge pay cheques instead of devoting more time to food research funding, the bloc's whimpering and wailing will only get worse.

APV Baker to aid product line diversification

APV Baker has developed a new co-extrusion technology that will enable food makers in the cereal and snack market to add value to their products in a number of ways...

EU sugar reform: producers cautious, users frustrated

The EU is confident that the sugar reforms announced last week give producers a long-term competitive future, though firms such as Tate & Lyle remain cautious.

Coty targets teens with new Chupa Chups fragrance line

US fragrance company Coty has again teamed up with Spanish confectionery group Chupa Chups for the creation of a new perfume line that targets teens with its metallic colours and...

Irish campaign to curb excessive snacking

Safefood, the food safety promotion board of Ireland, has launched a campaign aimed at encouraging parents to allow their children to eat snack foods as treats only, and not as...

Inulin lowers GI of chocolate

The soluble fibre inulin, best known for its beneficial effects on the gut, also lowers the glycaemic index of dark chocolate, according to a new study, suggesting the ingredient could...

Snacks for occasions could help tap into market growth

Snack companies that market the indulgent aspects of their products and relate them to particular occasions, such as relaxing after a stressful day, will cash in on an expanding premium...

Software provides means of tracking food safety procedures

Two companies have teamed up to develop software for tracking food safety procedures in plants, giving processors another option on the market.

Nutritional demand drives whey and lactose sales

Innovative dairy ingredients are increasingly being used in nutritional-focused applications and are showing significant growth rates according to a new study.

Hershey unveils latest plans to accelerate global growth

Hershey, one of the world's largest confectioners, has announced plans to accelerate global growth by re-organising its entire structure.

EU sugar reform balanced between success and failure

Four key factors will determine whether this week's EU discussions regarding the sugar regime have been a success or a failure, says a key industry body.

ADM recognises the growing need for premium cocoa ingredients

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has committed itself to providing its customers with the premium cocoa ingredients they require by announcing plans for a new production facility.

Totally Chocolate sees rise in custom and promotional confectionery

Growing demand for custom chocolate bars has forced US confectioner Totally Chocolate to double its existing manufacturing capacity by opening a new factory.

Weekly Comment

Time for Japan to act on agriculture

Strong rhetoric at last weekend's Apec summit on the abolition of agricultural subsidies could not drown out the scraping sound of Japanese heels.

Comfort food consumption varies with gender emotions, says study

Gender, age and culture are decisive factors when it comes to the consumption of comfort foods, according to a new study.

Organic market growing, headed by fruit and veg

Demand for organic foods has increased by almost 17 percent over the past year, according to a new report that reveals how Americans are increasingly turning to organic alternatives in...

Wild targets natural colours market with kiwi green

Wild has developed a revolutionary new technique to capture a natural brilliant green kiwi colour for the food and drink industry.

Cadbury Schweppes sells European soft drinks arm

Cadbury Schweppes has announced it plans to sell its European beverages arm for £1.2bn to a private equity consortium led by Lion Capital and Blackstone.

Cargill shortlisted for patented starch innovation

Cargill's patented starch, designed to deliver higher food quality and cost savings for manufacturers, has been shortlisted in the Most Innovative Ingredient category at the forthcoming FiE show.

Novozymes recognised for trans fat innovation

Novozymes' enzymatic interesterification process has been recognised as one of six Technologies of the Year for 2005.

Industry relieved as chemicals law excludes food, ingredients

The European Commission has backed the exclusion of food and food ingredients from the reach of groundbreaking EU chemical legislation passed by parliament yesterday, providing a huge dollop of relief...

FSA traffic lights system signals labelling dispute

The FSA's backing of a 'multiple traffic light' (MTL) labelling initiative comes a day after the UK food industry promised a voluntary guideline on daily amounts (GDA).

Kraft feels the pressure of rising energy and packaging costs

Kraft Foods has confirmed that it is increasing prices of many of its products in the United States by an average of 3.9 per cent because of rising energy and...

Getting the seal right on food packaging

A new tester from Ircon is designed to rapidly and automatically inspect thermal seal quality during production and packaging processes.

Selako salt replacer targets health-conscious consumers

Salt reduction in finished products can be achieved without affecting shelf life or the manufacturing process, according to a Finnish firm.

UK draft code of practice to usher in EU-wide hygiene laws

The UK's food regulator has issued another draft of its code of practice under the country's food laws to take account of the EU's hygiene regulations due to come into...

Sweets could be the solution to stress

A recent animal study has shown that eating sweets could help beat stress and obesity, and if the same effect is true in humans it could lead to the development...

New flavours to widen categories for Wrigley

American confectioner Wrigley is aiming to continue its aggressive growth strategy by broadening its product ranges through brand extensions and is taking successful flavours cross-brand.

Weekly Comment

Food safety for all

After all the increased safety procedures put in place over the past decade, one might have been lulled into thinking that poisonings and deaths from food contamination would be rarer...

Broad support for sugar reform, claims Defra

The UK department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) claims that there is strong support for EU sugar reform, though opinion across Europe remains divided.

ISO food safety certification underway in EU

SGS says it has issued the first ISO 22000 certification to a food processor in Spain, marking one of the first general uses of the supply chain standard in the EU.

Nut allergies may not last, says study

As Europe prepares for tougher rules on allergen labeling, a new study has found that allergies to almonds, pecans, cashews and other tree nuts may not be lifelong.

Ferro develops high-purity parenteral sugars

Ferro introduced its new high-purity, low-endotoxin sucrose, maltose and trehalose sugars at the recent CPhI in Madrid, designed to improve product quality and broaden the market for injectable protein-based APIs.

Sweet taste study promises perfect sugar replacement

A low-calorie sweetener that tastes exactly like sugar and could help control diseases like diabetes and obesity could be just round the corner, according to a new study.

Orgasmic chocolate innovation

A new confectioner is trying to break into the premium chocolate market with an innovative new product that the company claim to be an industry first.

UK kids nutritionally clueless, warns survey

A worrying 36 per cent of 8 to 14 year-olds could not correctly identify the main ingredient in chips as potato, underlining again the gap between need and reality in nutritional awareness.

Weekly comment

No avoiding sustainable sourcing

Food companies do not yet face the ethical sourcing equation of the clothing industry, where brands from Nike to Marks & Spencer cannot afford a single claim of sweat-shop production....

UK vegetarians call for Jelly Babies to be reformulated

The Vegetarian Society in the UK has publicly requested that Cadbury Trebor Bassett's reformulate it Jelly Babies product to use vegetarian, rather than animal-derived gelatine.

Cargill refinery plans underline bright future

Cargill's plan to construct a million-ton-per-year sugar refinery on the Mexican Gulf would represent an enormous boon to the regions' hurricane-hit food industry.

How disaster planning saves the candy

The responses by a food conveyor manufacturer and a chocolate maker to the recent hurricane that hit New Orleans provide examples of how a mix of disaster planning and staff...

Tate & Lyle profits driven by sweetener success

Increased demand for Tate & Lyle's calorie-free sweetener has helped the company to record a first-half profit increase of 59 per cent and successfully fend off spiralling raw material costs.

Vietnamese confectionery leader buys stake in beverages firm

Leading Vietnamese confectionery company Kinh Do has bought a 35.4 stake in Saigon Beverage Joint Stock (Tribeco), according to local media reports.

Sealed Air adds resealable applicator to line up

The European launch of an adhesive-based resealable packaging system will help food processors make the add on to their production lines without slowing down operations, its manufacturer claims.

Chocolate-scented packaging concept hits the market

A new concept in scented packaging has been jointly developed by European, American and Asian companies to give cosmetic and personal care a new kind of sensory packaging and another...

UK tops Europe, US, in food, drink workforce productivity

The UK ranks second behind Canada in the level of productivity of its food, drink and tobacco products work force, but Austria, Finland and the Netherlands are on the way...

Nutrinova to showcase sugar replacement innovation

Nutrinova plans to use this year's FI Europe show to highlight how new sweetener technology can make finished products healthier.

New technology to exploit the benefits of xylitol

APV Baker, one of the world's leading suppliers of machinery to the confectionery industry, has developed a new depositing technology to create hard candies with crystallised xylitol

Supermarket chain turns to confectionery for foray into soft discount

Italian confectioner Ferrero has become the first company to persuade Aldi to abandon its hard discount strategy, signing a deal to supply the world's biggest discount supermarket chain with seven...