Shell Lubricants has developed a new food grade heat transfer fluid
- Shell FM Heat Transfer Fluid 32 - designed to help food companies
meet the extreme operating temperatures of heat transfer systems
and reduce the risk of oil contamination.
Honeywell is building a new facility in China to produce
'environmentally friendlier' HFC refrigerants, just as Europe
pledges to reduce these types of gases.
Czech shoppers are refusing to pay inflated prices for organic food
- something which may burst the bubble of the country's booming
organic farming industry, unless a sharp increase in government
subsidies can turn the situation...
Slovenia's wine makers, buoyed by the news of EU funding for their
vineyards, face a long struggle if they are to conquer foreign
markets and compete effectively against the titans of the world
wine business - but one man is...
Soy appears to deliver tangible health benefits for the heart,
brain and kidney health but more research is needed in many areas,
heard a large audience attending this year's Soy and Health
conference.
Bread has been highlighted as the biggest single source of excess
salt intake in Ireland, according to the country's Food Safety
Authority, which is now stepping up the pressure on Irish bakers to
act, reports Chris Mercer.
A plastic spiral belt designed specifically for the conveying of
small poultry products promises to increase productivity, extend
belt life and reduce maintenance and downtime costs.
Cadbury Schweppes is well on the way to delivering growth at its
European confectionery unit, despite an increasingly gloomy outlook
for the packaged food sector as a whole, according to investment
bank Goldman Sachs.
Food makers encouraged to position self-indulgent products as
rewards rather than functional as premium foods in UK top billon
euro mark showing hectic pace of life continues to drive growth in
the self-indulgent food sector.
Success is increasingly being dictated by how well a company can
control its supply base and mitigate supply bottlenecks and
liabilities, claims a new report.
One of the leading UK milk co-operatives, Dairy Farmers of Great
Britain, has announced it is to launch a new line of Cadog branded
Welsh cheddar cheese, supported by a line of bilingual packaging.
But will niche brand status alone...
Food makers alert to the levels of a potentially carcinogenic mould
commonly found on crops as scientists back an extension barrier
levels for ochratoxin A to grape juice, coffee and wine.
Chinese consumption is a major factor behind potential steel price
increases in Europe, something that could hit food and beverage
packagers globally, writes Anthony Fletcher.
EU fruit and vegetable canners are concerned that major European
steel producing companies such as Arcelor, Corus, Rasselsein and
US-steel could be about to increase steel prices by 20 to 30 per
cent. Anthony Fletcher reports.
Research published this month suggests that some cocoa and
chocolate products have a very high flavanol content, a factor
which makes them good at protecting the body against cardiovascular
disease. But all chocolate products do not...
Gel-forming additives used widely in jelly mini-cups have been
permanently banned within the European Union following a ruling in
the summer by the European Food Safety Agency that they constituted
a choking hazard.
France has become the world's fifth largest exporter of food
processing equipment according to ANVAR, the French agency for
innovation that operates under the aegis of the French Minister of
Finance, Trade and Industry.
French food group Danone has reported steady if unspectacular
growth for the third quarter of the year, with poor weather in much
of northern Europe impacting sales compared to last year's
heatwave-boosted performance.
The battle for market share in the growing zero trans fats oil
marketplace has gathered pace after a small US co-operative joined
the large commercial players by rolling out its first batch of
trans fat-free soybean oil.
In her introductory speech before the European Parliament last
week, farm chief designate Mariann Fischer Boel signalled that
sugar reform and defending EU products at WTO talks were among the
key challenges for EU agriculture over...
Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC) has acquired yet
another Polish alcohol distribution company, taking the number of
companies owned by the Florida-based holding to 13. But the company
is now keen to launch its own...
Breakthroughs in the lab provide food makers with a competitively
priced technology designed by Danish enzyme leader Novozymes to cut
the artery-clogging trans fats out of food products, writes
Lindsey Partos.
Illegal production of refined sugar in Russia has had a devastating
impact on prices there, with 'underground' producers able to
undercut official processors by a substantial margin through the
use of much lower quality...
The UK's competition watchdog has moved to calm a potential storm
between the government and the food and drink industry after
warning an industry association that new goals for healthier
products could lead to a breach of competition...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a favourable
opinion concerning the use of a new antimicrobial agent in food
contact applications.
Ending months of speculation, the flavours and texturants units at
Degussa, Germany's third largest chemicals group, are up for sale
as the firm looks at selling the food ingredients arm or finding a
partner for its business.
Sharp increases in meat prices at the end of September have
prompted Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture to call for tighter
measures to prevent speculation and ensure more stable pricing. But
market observers claim that the increases...
This year's Czech harvest has been hailed as the best since 1993,
producing almost nine million tonnes of crops, showing that the
farming industry has recovered well from a poor 2003 and the
disastrous floods of 2002 - just in...
RosSpirtProm, Russia's state-owned alcohol producer, is to be
privatised next year in a two-phase operation expected to garner
interest from a wide range of drinks companies. But with many of
the distilleries within the group...
A rise in global stocks of wheat after a 30-year low will offer
continued relief to the tighter prices experienced by the food
industry in previous years, but the food chain still needs to stay
on the alert.
Despite the protestations of suppliers, the cost of passive tags
used for radio frequency identification (RFID) will not fall as low
as 5 cents per unit, and is more likely to be at the 16 cent level,
according to a recently published...
A change in attitudes to dairy products is helping to turn around
sales in Australia, according to a survey by the country's dairy
industry association.
Steel packaging recycling in Europe increased by 1.3 per cent last
year to reach just over 2.1 million tonnes, though the EU15
countries remain way ahead of new member states.
Natural Foods Group Hain Celestial has introduced two new
functional cereals designed to contribute to the development and
maintenance of a healthy body, namely bone health and the immune
system.
Confectionery manufacturers are increasingly turning to other food
categories to drive growth, building on the strong brand awareness
of their products to garner additional profits, suggest market
analysts Euromonitor.
Increased ozone concentrations at ground level may be causing
millions of pounds of damage to food crops, according to a
University of York researcher - and nowhere is more likely to be
affected than Asia. Anthony Fletcher reports.
Findings from a new study on trans fats in UK food products drives
consumer group to call on food makers to cut these artery-clogging
fats out of processed food formulations, while industry declares it
is 'fully committed'...
Another cooker-extruder line from UK-based APV Baker is on its way
to South America to help a long-established family cereal company
increase its production as it strives to stay ahead of the leading
multinationals.
The beef industry's ability to accurately breed cattle for specific
traits such as increased meat or milk yield has been significantly
improved with the release of the first draft of the bovine genome
sequence.
UK supplier Kettleby Foods has installed two Proseal F45 tray
sealers to increase efficiency in order to satisfy growing retailer
and consumer demand for ready meals.
A drop in the order book for low carb ingredients will impact sales
in the first quarter of 2005 for wheat protein and starch supplier
MGP Ingredients that has up to now enjoyed soaring revenues on the
back of the fad US diet, that...
Teenagers frequently opt for healthier drinks if given a choice,
claims the UK's food watchdog, after testing the response to
vending machines that offer fruit juices and milk in British
schools.
The Brewing Industry Association of the China National Food
Industry Association has announced its support and cooperation in
the organisation of BevTek & BrewTek China 2005, which will be
held in conjunction with ProPak China...
Cargill, the largest private firm in the US, will link up with
biotech giant Monsanto to bring food makers an alternative source
of soybean oil, used to reduce the artery-clogging trans fats in
food products.
KitKat may have lost its crown as the UK's biggest chocolate
countline brand to Cadbury's Dairy Milk last year, but brand owner
Nestlé Rowntree has wasted no time in its bid to regain the top
spot. Extensions of the core...
