Huhtamaki has announced it is to close a flexible packaging plant in New Zealand over concerns around its operational efficiency and competition in the national market.
The entrepreneur behind Sheets Energy Strips – novel dissolvable strips delivering an instant hit of caffeine and B vitamins - says the category could be worth $1bn in the next three-to-five years.
Confectionery giants such as Nestlé, Haribo and Cadbury have been at the forefront of efforts to move away from artificial additives, as the general industry makes a shift to natural food products, according to Leatherhead Food Research.
Global confectionery supplier Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is injecting US$4.4m (€3m) into its Ivory Coast cocoa programme as the country tries to recover from its recent civil turmoil and an EU ban on one of the region’s most important exports.
A Cambridge University-led systematic review published today in the British Medical Journal has concluded that polyphenol-rich chocolate consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease by a third.
The first one million hectares of certified land for sustainable palm production marks ‘a turning point’ for industry, according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
The palm oil labelling bill in Australia is entering its next phase, with the House of Representatives set to vote on whether it becomes law – and the current government saying it intends to oppose it.
Despite volatile cocoa prices, fragile consumer confidence and retail price pressure, positive first-half results posted by Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli point to a high level of resilience at the premium end of the confectionery category.
Sugar stocks should rise significantly from their current low levels, with analysts forecasting a global sugar surplus of around 9.5m tonnes in the 2011/12 (October-September) crop year, on the back of increased production in Europe and Asia.
Nestlé’s plans to build an anaerobic digestion plant for treating waste at its Fawdon site in Newcastle, UK, have been given the green light by planners.
Cargill’s drive to secure a good quality and sustainable supply of cocoa beans is filtering down to famers in Cote d'Ivoire as it has just made premium payments totalling more than US $2.2m.
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Consuming polyphenol-rich dark chocolate or cocoa products may reduce total and LD cholesterol levels, but has no effect on HDL levels, according to a meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials.
Constantia has completed a deal to take over a Turkish flexible packaging outfit in a bid to boost growth in developing markets such as the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Eastern Europe.
Amcor said its profits almost doubled last year on rising demand for both its flexible and rigid packaging and sooner-than expected benefits from its acquisition of Alcan.
The leading source of news for the food and beverage industry in Europe and North America has now expanded to Asia, drawing on the knowledge and expertise of experienced local journalists.
Cadbury has become the latest food brand to dip a toe in the in the experimental waters of augmented reality as part of a growing trend in interactive packaging.
Innovia Films said extensive tests have demonstrated its cellulose-based compostable films provide an effective barrier against the migration of mineral oil residues from recycled cardboard packaging into food.
Fortress Technology Europe has designed a new ‘front end’ for its Phantom metal detectors, giving users a more robust control panel along with the option of plugging a USB stick directly into the machine for data capture purposes.
Irish dairy and ingredients group Kerry has turned in a”solid” first half of 2011 that saw it increase volumes, weather raw material price hikes, and see success in a “go-to-market” functional ingredient strategy as profits jumped 6.1% on 2010 figures.
The economic downturn has put the brakes on the development of the Russian confectionery market and led to subdued growth for Nestlé in Russia in the first half of 2011, according to the company.
The European Commission will consider boosting the availability of sugar at its next tonnage tender meeting on August 25 after sharp rises in prices and calls from food manufacturers for it to increase sugar quotas or abandon them.
Improved productivity, reduced cardboard consumption and the elimination of waste have followed the installation of Witness simulation software at Kraft’s Cadbury plant in Bournville, according to the company.
The potential health benefits of cocoa polyphenols may be linked to their anti-inflammatory potential, suggests data from a human study from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
Research conducted by stevia partners Cargill and Associated British Foods subsidiary Silver Spoon has found UK consumers are keen for natural alternatives to artificial low-calorie sweeteners.
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has announced that it will expand its cocoa processing capabilities at its facility in Singapore to enable it to keep pace with growing demand for cocoa and chocolate products from Asian markets.
Cocoa and chocolate products supplier Barry Callebaut has confirmed reports that it plans to upgrade grinding capacity at one of its cocoa processing plants in Ivory Coast from 105,000 to 175,000 tonnes a year.
While the boss of Kraft Foods believes the whole of the business is worth less than the sum of its parts, it is by no means obvious that cutting it up and rearranging it will transform its growth prospects, according to one analyst.
A novel sucrose enhancer that could help firms slash sugar in products by up to 50 percent has been moved into the development phase at San-Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx.
The number of TV advertisements US children see for high-fat, salty and sugary foods and beverages has declined in recent years – but the majority of kids’ TV food advertising is still for less healthy choices, according to new research.
Kraft, in its second quarter results, reports continuing challenges ahead for its gum and candy division in developed markets, and claims the Cadbury takeover is a fundamental earnings driver, with its global chocolate earnings up 9 per cent.
Union the Unite is seeking assurances about UK jobs and production at Kraft and Cadbury’s, following the announcement that Kraft is set to split its business into two independent companies.
There will be no dramatic drop in cocoa prices in the coming months as forecast by numerous speculators hoping to cash in on a downward trend, reports a cocoa market specialist.
Kraft Foods has said it intends to split into two companies, in a move that would create a global snacks powerhouse separate from its North American grocery business.
Specific taste preferences and lower volume needs are factors behind the hike in demand from small confectionery producers in developing countries, particularly in the African region, for mid-range versions of established machinery, notes GEA.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set the 2011-2012 sugar tariff rate quota and allowed extra specialty sugar to be made available from August 5, in response to increased demand for organic sugar.
Spanish researchers analysing a cake-manufacturing facility found that non-food contacts areas such as the floor are a breeding ground for Listeria monocytogenes (LM), and that the pathogen can remain in such areas post sanitation.
Indonesia is the focus of an extension of Nestlé’s sustainable Cocoa Plan initiative, with the Swiss food group aiming to pump $4m (€2.7m) into bean production in that country.
The 20-year-old non-profit group, Toothfriendly, says its efforts to promote dental health have been boosted by recent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) positive opinions – including non-European, developing world nations.
Japanese ingredients supplier Ajinomoto has seen Q1 sales drop 2.6% to ¥296.3bn, with slow global economies and the aftermath of the March natural disasters in Japan affecting the results.
