Mars has announced that Maltesers will be its first brand to carry the Fairtrade mark from June 2012, the commitment follows similar moves from Cadbury and Nestle.
Last week, hundreds of confectioners and bakers gathered on Capitol Hill, the meeting place of the US congress, to call for an end to the sugar price support programme, which they claim is keeping sugar prices artificially high and forcing food companies...
New research is hoping to determine whether the rising demand for ‘free from’ foods is driven by a real need or a fad, while also identifying the potential opportunities for food and drink makers.
The EU is set to abolish the system of sugar production quotas for the bloc as well as guaranteed minimum prices from 2016, according to a Brussels source.
A decision is awaited from the Commission on the use of Sunset Yellow FCF (E 110) in non-alcoholic flavoured drinks following a revised exposure assessment from EFSA showing some children in the UK could still be over the ADI levels for the additive.
Allergen labelling comes under the spotlight in the UK, with a new Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey aiming to get insight into the relevance of current approaches.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hungary will introduce a fat tax as of September 1 this year -a move the food industry says is unnecessary and ineffective in achieving widespread dietary shifts.
European food makers are beginning to utilise positive article 13, general function health claim opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), precipitating a flood of potentially meaningless claims, according to one industry observer.
Prospects look brighter for the “Toothfriendly” logo in Europe following positive opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for Toothfriendly International’s claims under article 13.1 of European health claims legislation.
UK retailer Sainsbury’s is putting the emphasis on allergens in the production of own-brand foods supplied to its stores, as part of its academy training.
The long journey to European Union acceptance for the natural, intense sweetener, steviol glycoside, shortened significantly yesterday when the EU’s 27 member states backed its safety at a European Commission (EC) committee meeting.
The European Food Safety Authority last week delivered the fifth batch of article 13, general function health claim opinions bringing the total issued to 2723. There are just 35 to go – to be published next month in a final mini-batch that will conclude...
A health claim for sugar-free chewing gum sweetened with xylitol and defence against pathogens in the middle ear and another claim for gum and dental health were rejected by EU risk assessor in its fifth batch of general function claims, released last...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed it has access to 112 studies about aspartame, most of which were conducted in the 1980s, which had been feared lost.
November 2011 should see steviol glycosides get regulatory backing for use in food in drink products in the European market, according to a European Commission (EC) representative.
Consumer advocates Foodwatch say a chocolate product from Ferrero has the ‘most misleading advertising’ by any food manufacturer this year; the chocolate maker has rejected the claim.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published new research showing that most participants with 'life threatening' nut allergies believed that products without allergen advice boxes posed no danger.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a claim by supermodel Naomi Campbell that a Cadbury advert comparing her to a chocolate bar was racially offensive.
The European Commission has defended its decision to release thousands of tonnes of sugar on to the market after accusations that the move would have a detrimental impact on the yeast industry.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has denied a suggestion by two MEPs that it may have lost data relating to a previous safety evaluation of the high intensity sweetener aspartame (E951) and that it failed to examine it properly in the first place.
Confectionery manufacturers in Germany are faced with sugar supply gaps and dramatic price rises despite EU regulatory intervention on the crucial food ingredient, argues the German chocolate and confectionery industry association.
Hershey’s has dropped a trademark infringement case against Mars, in which it had accused the rival candy maker of using packaging for Dove peanut butter Promises similar to that of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
European Commission measures to open a further 200,000 tonne import quota for raw or refined sugar at zero import duty and the possibility for further imports at reduced import duty via a tendering system have been backed by member states.
Food and drink manufacturers are ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ by continually advertising products with ‘no artificial’ labels, says Hans Heezen, chairman of the International Sweetener Association.
A host of major food companies will be among those eagerly watching developments after antitrust officials from the European Commission raided a number of container liner shipping firms over suspicions that competition rules had been breached.
The United States lists sodium on nutrition labels while salt is more common in the European Union. Salt and sodium are not the same, and a standardized term would only cause confusion.
French supplier Roquette says recent positive health claim opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) linking sugar replacers with dental health, are applicable to soluble fibres.
Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) discussions exposed ignorance among Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) about the food manufacturing and supply chain, said Nick Stuart, Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery (BCCC) sector group chairman.
Industry has time, and must be given the chance, to find solutions to safety concerns posed by the leaching of toxic mineral oils from recycled board and paper packaging into foods, said Pira International.
Nestlé UK is recalling some of its Milkybar Buttons due to a possible rubber contamination risk, but the company said the action is just a precautionary measure.
‘I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter!’ When it comes to transparency you can’t get much clearer than Unilever’s famous exclamation-turned-margarine-brand. But new labelling rules to prevent one food masquerading as another should distinguish between intent...
The positive EFSA opinions for gum claims under Article 13.1 will compel the sector to further innovate along functional lines, says an expert who argues that gum is the confectionery category 'most likely' to get such regulatory backing.
A pioneering new multi-screening allergen method is more effective, accurate, quicker and cheaper than existing methods used in the food industry, said Eurofins.
Consumers are less likely to check labels of biscuit, cake, chocolate and confectionery compared to other food categories, according to Harris Interactive, due to the perception that they are indulgence opportunities.
Positive opinions issued by EFSA for sugar-free chewing gum and the claim that it helps to strengthen teeth and neutralise plaque acid will, no doubt, leave R&D teams in the leading gum brand owners smiling.
Sugar policy reform is back on the US legislative agenda, as two new bills that aim to end the sugar price support program have attracted broad food industry support.
French authorities have backed the safety of aspartame after scrutinising two recent studies that linked the intense sweetener with increased rates of cancer and pre-term births.
Austrian confectionery firm Hauswirth is said to be appealing a ruling of a Vienna court this week that it refrain from selling its chocolate bunny figurines as they infringe Swiss confectioner Lindt’s trademark.
All is not well down on the novel foods farm. If food innovation in Europe is to thrive anew, MEPs and the Council need to get past the recriminations over the failed talks and remove the troublesome question of cloned foods from the negotiating table.
Findings by the US authorities indicating elevated levels of lead in a chewing gum product has led to a recall of the gum by US confectionery firm Candy Dynamics.
The increasing number of SALSA approved businesses over the past 24 months and greater retailer recognition are indicators of both the scheme's growth potential and its suitability for the SME sector, claims one of the trade groups behind the scheme.
Last ditch efforts to salvage the novel foods regulation were derailed yesterday after the European Parliament and Council failed to reach agreement over the issue of cloned animals – with each side blaming the other for the impasse.
