Swiss chocolate company Barry Callebaut is to purchase a 60 per
cent share of Malaysia's KL Kepong Cocoa Products in a move
designed to increase its sourcing capacity in Asia.
US consumers are increasingly turning to the information on their
food labels amid the growing incidence of food safety scares,
according to the Hartman Group.
Murray's Chickens, one of the largest organic firms in the US,
claims to be the first poultry company in the country to switch to
environmentally-friendly packaging without polystyrene or foam
trays.
Cargill has developed a new functional system for the creation of
frozen desserts and lollies with a chewy-creamy texture, a concept
that could engender much innovation amongst manufacturers.
An industry sponsored, peer reviewed study has found consuming
chocolate containing plant sterols and cocoa flavanols can lower
cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Japan's leading chocolate maker Meiji Seika has recalled a range of
confectionery products, after it was discovered that they contained
a novel sweetener made with an unapproved genetically modified
enzyme.
Danisco is reorganising its ingredients business in a bid to target
market trends like health and wellness more closely, and deal with
issues that have been affecting parts of its portfolio.
Arena Products is responding to the increasing pressures for
manufacturers to ensure food safety by adding aseptic-filling
capabilities to its Air-Evac Bag-in-Box packaging.
The growing trend for healthy products meant a drop in the value of
the UK confectionery market but an increased popularity of dark
chocolate, says a new report.
Soft drinks group Hansa Heeman has extended a partnership with a
long-term processing and packaging supplier in constructing a new
bottling plant to meet its specific needs in the still and
carbonated water segment.
This week, Campari reportedly mulls expanding its global spirits
operations, Baltika pledges to step up exports to
Spain, and Ball Packaging adopts an innovative new printing
system for its beverage cans.
In financial news this week, cocoa prices go up yet again, Cadbury
reveals more de-merger plans, and Sweet China is allowed to return
to the London stock market.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is coordinating a
confectionery working group in order to reduce the packaging of
seasonal products such as Easter eggs.
Danisco has invested in pilot low temperature extrusion technology
to produce high-quality, low-fat ice-cream, to enable testing of
ingredients using the same systems as its customers use.
A new range of compostable bio plastics can be combined to grant
various benefits for the packaging of beverage and food products,
ranging from sealing and barrier forming to aesthetic and surface
qualities, their manufacturer claims.
Claiming 'free from' is not a light statement to make. Lives depend
on it. As scientific progress questions the validity of such
claims, it is time to establish exact guidelines and communicate
these to people for whom ingredients...
Four hybrid cocoa species developed in Ghana to have improved
resistance to pest damage during storage have similar nutritional
properties to conventional cocoa, says a study that topples a
barrier to commercial trade.
A new code that would restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods to
children has been proposed by two international lobby groups who
claim the food industry is failing to self-regulate, especially in
developing countries.
Two innovative new packaging machines from TNA are set to make
their debut at Interpack next month: a transfer and distribution
system and an automatic inserter.
French supermarket Leclerc has announced that it plans to withdraw
thirteen makes of confectionery from counters near the checkouts,
in a move aimed at tackling the growing problem of child obesity.
Researchers from Unilever have reported breakthrough results that
proteins from fungus could produce food foams with stability that
exceeds anything currently available.
Global confectionery firm Cadbury has created a new European
headquarters in Switzerland, as part of the company's attempts to
consolidate its operations within the bloc, local news reports have
stated.
Two new aseptic filling machines can reduce the processing time
required by dairy manufacturers for using multiple
small-volume carton packages, their manufacturer claims.
A coalition of ethical stock market investors have called on 63 US
food, beverage and restaurant companies to stop using genetically
modified (GM) sugar beet.
Nordic confectioner Cloetta Fazer has changed the wrapping on its
liquorice, following criticism that the caricature of a black
person perpetuates a negative racial stereotype.
While the world's media is bemoaning rising food prices, the French
government is sniffing around the food industry for signs of
gleeful profiteering. If it is right, the long-term losses of the
nouveau cher will be far greater...
A study by researchers at the Division of Urologic Surgery,
University of North Carolina, US, suggests that chewing gum may
speed the recovery of bowel function after gastrointestinal
surgery.