Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - Europe US edition

BASF raises propionic acid prices again

09-Feb-2010 - BASF is bringing in another price increase for propionic acid, a food preservative, because increasing costs of raw materials mean the margins are unsatisfactory.

Symrise invests in Russia and Singapore

09-Feb-2010 - Symrise is extending its reach in two high potential developing markets, with the acquisition of a new facility in Russia and the opening of a new plant in Singapore.

News in brief

Soft Drinks Association slams pancreatic cancer study

09-Feb-2010 - Soft drinks are safe and not a risk factor for cancer, says the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) in response to yesterday’s study from an Asian population.

Weekly comment

US military may enlist Omega-3s to boost performance but why wait?

08-Feb-2010 - “An army marches on its stomach.” This advice, from French military adventurer Napoleon, seems to have impressed the US military which is considering fortifying troops’ rations with omega-3 fatty acids. What is it waiting for?

Ingredients and creativity plump sales for poultry firm

08-Feb-2010 - Rectory Foods is eyeing up another year of bumper sales, despite the recession taking its toll on many in the sector. Its secret? Branching out into ingredients and responding quickly to market changes.

Meat irradiation petition on hold as parties blame each other

05-Feb-2010 - Confusion continues to surround the lack of progress on a US meat industry appeal to allow electron beam irradiation as a meat processing aid – with each side blaming the other for the delay.

News in brief

Top management at Cadbury resign

04-Feb-2010 - The top management at Cadbury have announced their resignation following the takeover of the UK confectionery giant by Kraft.

Manufacturers lack sufficient product recall cover

04-Feb-2010 - Typically less than 10 per cent of food manufacturers have product recall insurance, with the majority relying on traditional product liability cover, according to insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT).

News in brief

Unilever boosts year with promos and ads

04-Feb-2010 - Unilever has reported strong end of year sales on the back of a Q4 advertising drive, with particularly good progress in reestablishing volume growth in Western Europe.

Thai supply problems prompt tip top tapioca prices

04-Feb-2010 - Tapioca ingredient suppliers are warning of price increases this year, due to extreme weather conditions and pests in Thailand, and growing demand for non-GM starch sources.

Kraft bid wins over 74% of Cadbury shareholders

03-Feb-2010 - Kraft’s takeover of UK chocolate firm Cadbury is now unconditional, as 74 per cent of Cadbury shareholders yesterday accepted the offer of 840p per share plus a 10p dividend.

Frutarom hires GM to hone health focus

03-Feb-2010 - Frutarom has been snapping up healthy ingredient firms for the last couple of years due to an ambitious strategy to build presence in the high potential healthy market, back up claims with science and speed product development.

How soy foods can help in Haiti

03-Feb-2010 - Soy products can be stored and transported at ambient temperatures, and are packed with protein. Ideal, then, for the Haiti earthquake relief effort, explains Gerard Klein Essink of Bridge2Food.

News in brief

Soy firms coordinate Haiti donations

02-Feb-2010 - A multinational alliance called SoyFoods Haiti Alliance Relief Effort, or SHARE is coordinating donation and delivery of protein-rich foods to the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

City leaders to target ‘junk food’ makers

02-Feb-2010 - Fast food companies are the new bugbear of London’s mayor, who used the launch of a new event comparing childhood obesity in New York and London to pledge action.

Local trend hitting home in last five years

02-Feb-2010 - Interest in locally-produced food has mushroomed in the last five years, indicates a new survey that considers manufactured food as well as locally grown and raised produce.

Australian food not quashed by recession

01-Feb-2010 - Australians have not been trading down to the same extent as Europeans, says a new report from Leatherhead on the effects of recession on food choices.

Weekly comment

No bitter battle over salt science

01-Feb-2010 - Excess salt can cause hypertension, heart disease, death. That’s the scientific consensus behind public health campaigns to reduce consumption of sodium chloride in the diet. But not everyone reads the science as conclusive, and when it comes to minerals that are essential to human life, the voice of caution must not be drowned out.

Kellogg calls for industry wide engagement on salt reduction

29-Jan-2010 - Pressure to ensure customer taste preferences are continually met for leading breakfast cereal brands is a hindrance to achieving minimal salt levels, and an sector wide push is required to achieve this objective, claims Kellogg.

Food sector can help pull economies from recession

29-Jan-2010 - The food industry’s relative immunity to the effects of recession, and the strong links throughout the supply chain, mean it can play a part in reinvigorating the whole economy, say agricultural economists from Greece.

News in brief

Nordenia sell-off rumours

29-Jan-2010 - Owners of flexible packaging company Nordenia International are trying to sell the company for around €600m ($844m), according to media reports.

Wild sells shares, plans global reach and IPO

28-Jan-2010 - Rudolf Wild GmbH has sold some shares to asset manager Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) in preparation for an eventual public listing, and plans to form a global flavour business with its US affiliate this year.

Food nutrition labels fail to impress European consumers

27-Jan-2010 - Less than one-third of European consumers look for nutrition labels when shopping, according to a new study by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) published in the Journal of Public Health.

Purac raises lactic acid prices as raw materials rocket

27-Jan-2010 - Lactic acid supplier Purac has announced a price increase of between 0.10 to 0.15 Euros per kilo, as the company seeks to pass of some of the expense from rising raw material costs.