Leading industrial chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut reported buoyant third quarter sales volume gains of 11.3 per cent, based it said upon growth in Asia-Pacific and the luxury chocolate category.
UK-based Oxford Nutrascience has teamed up with Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC) to develop omega-3 chews, which it plans to supply to dietary supplement firms around Europe for their own-label lines.
Blends of stevia rebaudiana extract with inulin and polydextrose as bulking agents can produce sucrose free chocolate with little differential noted between it and sucrose sweetened milk chocolate in terms of sensory attributes, finds an Australian study.
A new meta-analysis of studies investigating the effect of dark chocolate and flavanols on hypertension has drawn mixed conclusion and suggest more studies be done on dietary habits and genetic factors.
Magnolia bark extract could be used in chewing gum and mint confectionery and is unlikely to pose any risk to consumers at the use level specified by the manufacturer, according to the draft opinion of the UK Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes...
‘Billion dollar deal’ was not a phrase bandied about the food ingredients industry much last year. With BASF buying Cognis for €3.1bn and Corn Products International paying $1.3bn for National Starch, M&A looks to be thawing – but best not get over-excited...
Ending months of speculation, Asian confectionery giant Lotte Group will acquire the Wedel business in Poland from Kraft Foods, subject to regulatory approval.
French scientists continue to expand the potential of carrageenan films to encapsulate and control the release of flavors, with new data showing superiority over established options.
The European Food Safety Authority has published its final guidance for data required to assess new food flavourings, and is looking to build on experience gained during evaluations to establish a positive list.
Chocolate that suppresses appetite and delivers oral health benefits has been highlighted in a new survey of confectionery product launches in the Asia-Pacific region conducted by Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics.
Observer status for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on a new cocoa industry consultative board is proving a sticking point at the UN Cocoa Conference in Geneva this week, which aims to finalise the details of a new deal related to trade in the commodity.
A combination of pectin and fibrils of ovalbumin may offer interesting and innovative encapsulation materials for formulators as protection for sensitive ingredients like flavours, says a new study.
Blue California, manufacturer of the Good & Sweet-brand Reb A stevia extract, has developed a natural fermentation process that it will be using to extract the sweetener by next March, the company has said.
Danisco achieved 6 per cent in revenue for its full year 2009/10 and strong profit growth; all divisions with the exception of sweeteners contributed to its margin expansion.
Always read the small print. Good advice and nowhere more so than in food labelling with today’s increasingly savvy consumers demanding to know what’s in their food, where it came from and what it’s going to do to them.
‘No-additives’, and ‘no-preservatives’ are the most popular clean label claims with consumers, while ‘natural’ struggles because of over-use and lack of definition, according to research.
Healthy hydrogenated trans-free and short chained fatty acid-free solid alternatives to cocoa butter for chocolate production can be produced from sunflower oils enriched in stearic and oleic acids by means of a solvent fractionation method, claims a...
Oil and fats supplier IOI-Loders Croklaan has opened a creative studio in the Netherlands for confectioners to develop and market new concepts and formulations.
Representatives of Europe wide confectionery, biscuit and chocolate makers have given a cautious backing to the much-anticipated EU parliament vote on amendments to the proposed food information regulation, which has come out in favour of industry supported...
‘Natural’ has become a word consumers like to see on food product packages, while ‘clean label’ is an industry term to describe an E-number-free ingredients list. But exact definitions depend on who you are talking to, and what additive you are taking...
Confectionery wrapping machine supplier Theegarten Pactec claims Russia and the Ukraine have been the fundamental growth drivers for the firm over the past three years, citing greater affluence and increasing demand for Western style products in the region.
Sugar consumption is an escalating concern among Australian and UK consumers, and sweeteners with natural credentials are benefiting from this trend, according to a new report from independent business analyst Datamonitor.
Hershey is modernising its production facilities in a $250 to $300m investment plan that will see the company move out of a century-old chocolate factory and cut 500 to 600 jobs.
While shoppers’ enthusiasm for low-fat, low-sugar or low-calorie claims (‘minus’ claims) or added functional ingredients claims (‘plus’ claims) has waned; their interest in natural claims has continued to grow, according to Mintel.
As demand continues to outstrip supply, the world price of cocoa was more than 12 per cent higher at the end of last week compared with a year ago, according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).
Sorry guys, the World Cup is not all about football. It’s about food too, and this year’s tournament should kick off a whole new debate about our sporting food culture.
Consumers, observed Mintel’s David Jago at a Leatherhead Food Research conference on natural trends last week, want foods that are ‘wholesome’, ‘authentic’, and above all ‘natural’, although few of them can articulate what this actually means.
FDA officials have seized 64 drums of honey imported to the US from China, because it is adulterated with an antibiotic that could cause serious illness or death.
Scottish sweet maker, Tilly Confectionery, plans to build a new £1.1m confectionery factory in the Stirlingshire town of Alva in response to rising demand for its brands of fudge, macaroon and tablet; a medium-hard sugary confection local to Scotland.
Peppersmith - the premium gum firm created by former Innocent Drinks executives Mike Stevens and Dan Shrimpton – has secured its first supermarket listing.
Indian joint venture Godrej Hershey is reported to be introducing chocolate products into amdist strong competition from dominant players such as Cadbury and Nestlé.
UK cellulose acetate film supplier Clarifoil has produced a new ultra-gloss white film for luxury confectionery packaging to meet the demand for differentiation in this category.
Symrise is planning a major increase in its capacity of synthetic menthol as demand from confectionery and oral care sectors is surging, especially in emerging markets.
Small and medium-sized food manufacturers have made significant savings on indirect expenditure areas such as telecoms and stationery by collaborating to secure preferential buying terms.
America’s 3m peanut allergy sufferers could benefit from low-allergy peanuts developed by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists using conventional breeding and nut mixing techniques.
Perfetti van Melle, the Dutch-Italian confectioner, has announced plans to relocate a Chupa Chups production factory in Spain in order to adapt production capacity to global market demand, with recent gains reported in the Asia-Pacific region.
A single point of transfer from loading to discharge is claimed to make the new multi-axis, overhead Gough Elecon bucket conveyor and elevator system suitable for applications requiring gentle handling in bakery and confectionery manufacturing.
New research does not contradict or change the conclusions drawn in the European Food Safety Authority’s opinion on ochratoxin A (OTA) in foods such as cocoa products and liquorice, claims the Parma-based agency.
The acquisition of National Starch appears to be off the agenda at Tate & Lyle, with the firm now "set to fall into enemy hands", according to analysts at Investec Securities.
A hike in sales volumes of Fairtrade chocolate in the UK are expected following a retailer’s decision to extend its own brand range of the ethically sourced chocolate.
Short-term cocoa consumption can significantly lower blood cholesterol, but only in modest quantities and only in those with risk factors for heart diseases, according to a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials by Chinese researchers.
The legal dispute between Ajinomoto and Asda over the right to call aspartame 'nasty' has taken a radical new turn following a Court of Appeal judgment effectively overturning last year's High Court ruling.
The risk assessment framework for nanotechnology in Europe – like so much else connected to the technology – appears to be in its infancy but developing at a rapid pace.
BASF is constructing what it calls the world’s largest plant for the mint aroma L-Menthol, which it will start to supply as a flavouring agent to the global food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical markets.
