Europe and the US continue to dominate demand in the €4.5 billion
flavours market, but Asia Pacific region is quickly catching up
thanks to high single-digit growth, reveal figures from a new
report.
The US sugar association files a lawsuit against McNeil
Nutritionals, the supplier of successful sweetener Splenda,
following swiftly on from a complaint in November by US NutraSweet
supplier Merisant.
Several of the UK's leading multiple retailers are failing to help
consumers make healthy eating choices, despite increasing action
from the government to tackle the rising levels of obesity and
dietary-related health problems,...
The Spanish government is to provide funding for confectionery
producers wishing to promote their products this year. But the cash
is reserved for companies and organisations seeking to improve the
image of sugar confectionery products,...
Danish ingredients giant Chr Hansen is about to launch an intensive
research and marketing campaign across Eastern Europe to learn more
about local taste preferences and beat the opposition to one of the
world's most promising...
The European food industry could see a unified version of labels on
foodstuffs, and accompanying cost-savings, as Europe's executive
arm calls for standardised labels across the EU, writes Lindsey
Partos.
Pricing rounds in the tough sweeteners market draw to a close with
UK starch and sweetener supplier Tate & Lyle expecting a slight
fall in margins for Europe.
Tough European legislation on junk food advertising to children
could become a reality, if the food industry fails to produce an
effective self-regulatory framework to help society deal with
increasing obesity in children.
Growth in Asian and South American markets boost sales for colours
firm Chr Hansen, counterbalancing a fall in revenue in North
America for the first quarter of the year.
Toothfriendly Sweets International, a non-profit making association
which champions the health benefits of sugar-free confectionery,
has announced it has received charitable status for its work -
something which sugar-free confectioners...
Number one natural colours firm Chr Hansen makes inroads into the
lucrative Chinese market, this week unveiling a new food colour
factory to meet a rise in local demand, and marking the first step
in a raft of investments in the region.
As Europe's food agency finally makes the permanent move to Italy,
a framework plan for 2005 consolidates the key objectives for the
EU's major risk assessor.
Food companies are expecting a tough year in 2005 with competition
and price pressures in the food chain rising to the surface as the
key issues, reports Lindsey Partos.
Aluminium packaging giant Alcan is investing $55 million to build
and equip two new Russian plants - a clear indication that foreign
firms are beginning to take notice of the Russian packaging market,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
As food ingredients suppliers take a stake in the burgeoning
Chinese market new figures released by the United Nations confirm
foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Asia and the Pacific
rose by a massive 55 per cent in 2004 on...
Markos Kyprianou, the new Commissioner for Health and Consumer
Protection in Brussels, will continue in his predecessor David
Byrne's foodsteps, pushing to maintain high levels of food safety
in the EU.
The boss of UK starch and sugar group Tate & Lyle, currently
enjoying booming sales for its sweetener 600 times sweeter than
sugar, has hooked the European Businessman of the Year award from
leading US business magazine Forbes.
Chocolate consumption in the UK is slowing down as health and diet
concerns impact sales, a trend which has created opportunities for
major players to roll out sugar free and low carbohydrate products,
according to market analysts...
Prices for cocoa remain relatively volatile as political unrest in
Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global cocoa crops,
keeps the market nervous.
Prices for the popular hydrocolloid gum arabic used in a range of
food applications have doubled in 12 months as political turmoil
and poor stocks leave the market exposed, writes Lindsey
Partos.
Restricting the diets of mice reduces the build-up of plaques in
the brain that are linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a
new study that offers further evidence of the benefits of calorie
restriction.
Consumers' health could be at risk depending on where they shop and
how much money they earn, a bleak assessment by the National
Consumer Council of the current state of healthy eating promotions
in many of Britain's leading...
Nearly half of the world's vanillin supplies are sourced from China
but since tighter production rules arrived there a few years ago
there are now only two major Chinese producers left in the country,
reports Lindsey Partos....
Booming sales for its popular sweetener give UK starch and sugar
business Tate & Lyle the necessary leverage for the firm to
re-enter the FTSE 100 index after a seven-year break.
Fundamental research from the US sheds light on how the memory of a
food can influence the eating habits of consumers, and how food
makers could ultimately tackle false beliefs about a food product.
The announcement yesterday that DMV International and Arla Food
Ingredients could merge is a further example of how the rising
power and ongoing growth of the multiple retailers is putting
constant pressure on ingredients companies...
Breakthrough science for the popular fruit ingredient, the
strawberry, as UK scientists construct the world's first molecular
map for the wild strawberry, opening up opportunities to create
market leading varieties with improved...
The controversial issue of nutritional profiles will remain one of
the biggest hurdles for EU legislation on health claims but recent
reports suggest that Germany may be ready to concede some elements
of profiling, reports Dominique...
Tate & Lyle, the world's only maker of the increasingly popular
sweetener sucralose, must prioritise needs of existing customers as
demand for the additive 'far exceeds our expectations.'
The UK confectionery market has seen a burgeoning trend for
sugar-free confectionery, bolstered by innovative product launches
and continuing consumer demand for healthy products, writes Tom
Armitage.
UK retailer Sainsbury will be the first of the country's four large
grocery chains to launch 'traffic light' healthy eating labelling
in January, according to reports.
Merisant, the US maker of tabletop sweetener Equal and NutraSweet,
takes the marketer of sugar subsitute Splenda McNeil Nutritionals
to court, alleging advertising for the product is misleading.
UK sweetener firm Tate & Lyle strengthens its position in the
South African ingredients market, buying up small ingredients
supplier Dolcre for €1.9 million.
Healthy foods targeted at children may be coming up against a
critical barrier to sales - most parents fail to recognise obesity
and overweight problems in their children, according to a study out
tomorrow.
Europe comes closer to rubber stamping harmonised controls for
controlling mycotoxins in the food chain and the Scottish food
agency offers stakeholders a snapshot of recent talks.
Low-glycaemic load diets may have a lesser effect on lowering
metabolism than low-fat diets, making dieters feel less tired, cold
and hungry and more likely to stick to the regime long-term,
suggests a new study.
Number one cultures supplier Chr. Hansen is up for sale as its
major stakeholder decides to pull away from the ingredients slice
of the company to focus on the pharmaceutical unit. The move will
make the company's still growing...
Health benefits of chocolate continue to grow with UK researchers
isolating an ingredient present in this popular foodstuff that
could help stop persistent coughs.
Food makers can expect to see the price of hydrocolloids continue
to move upwards as suppliers, knocked by squeezed commodity
supplies coupled with higher energy and transport costs, pass rises
onto the market.
The ingredients division of Danish cultures and colours firm Chr.
Hansen pulled in a DKK 369 million (€49m) profit for the year on
sales of DKK 3.4 billion (€460m), a slight dip on the previous year
on rising costs.
Consumers and producers are united in their desire for lighter,
functional packaging on the Russian food market, driving the
development of plastics and paper in the dairy, bakery and
confectionery sectors and sending traditional...
Cocoa prices have leapt in London, driven by fears that instability
in Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global crops,
could impact supplies.
Research into walnuts, a key ingredient used in a range of biscuit
and confectionery products will help lift stagnant sales for food
makers in the sector giving them an opportunity to cash in on the
growing functional food market,...
A new version of the globally recognised British Retail Consortium
(BRC) Food Standard is about to be published next month, with a
view to coming into force on 1 June 2005.
Staff at one of the UK's leading biscuit and snack manufacturers
have been challenged to walk 10,000 steps every day as the company
highlights a link between healthy bodies and healthy profits.
Technology group Linde is sponsoring a project at the
Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel that could produce a
renewable energy source with no emissions. Anthony Fletcher
reports.
Western Europe's frozen food packaging sector is predicted to grow
strongly, and there will be greater emphasis on both
environmentally-friendly and premium packaging in the future,
according to a new report.
Month-on-month growth for Tate & Lyle's zero calorie sweetener
combined with a faster than expected decline in European cereal
prices helped the UK firm post a high single-digit rise in profit
for the first half of the year,...