Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - Europe

Solae raises soy ingredients prices across the globe

02-Dec-2008 - Soy ingredients supplier Solae is passing on its rising input costs by announcing a global price increases, effective immediately, for all of its ingredients.

CSM opens bakery fats innovation centre

02-Dec-2008 - Bakery ingredients company CSM has opened the third of its four planned innovation centres in Europe as part of the ongoing consolidation of its R&D facilities.

Additive-free leads beverage launches, says Mintel

01-Dec-2008 - The top claims used on beverages over the past four years reveal a distinct shift in focus towards drinks with no additives or preservatives, according to statistics provided by Mintel this morning.

News in brief

IFOAM gives growing info to organic sector

01-Dec-2008 - The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) has developed a dedicated area of its website containing practical information on growing organic produce.

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PureCircle taps Chiquita, Firmenich talent for top jobs

01-Dec-2008 - PureCircle has made two new appointments to bolster its management team, in advance of an anticipated boom for stevia-derived sweeteners.

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Prince to award top nosh schools

01-Dec-2008 - The Prince of Wales will today award six UK schools judge to have the ‘best food culture’ at the inaugural Food for Life Partnership Awards.

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More UK food in public sector meals, says Defra

01-Dec-2008 - The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has released new figures that show support for local food producers by buyers for the health service, ministry of Defence and prisons.

Technology and good policy will safeguard food supply

01-Dec-2008 - More investment in science and technology, good policy, and cooperation with other industries are crucial to securing sufficient food supply for all in the next 15 years, a panel of experts has concluded.

Nano group focuses on Wow emulsions

28-Nov-2008 - Leatherhead Food International (LFI) is investigating the potential of novel and emerging technologies for emulsions which could help food manufacturers reduce fat content of products without sacrificing mouth-feel.

Spotlight on UK food and drink firms' green initiatives

27-Nov-2008 - UK food and drink manufacturers have reduced their CO2 emissions by 17 per cent since 1990, which translates as an average of 58,000 tonnes less carbon dixoide (CO2) annually, claims the FDF.

Investigation finds oats illegally labelled organic

27-Nov-2008 - Batches of organic oats being sold in the UK could be flouting the law after an investigation found they contain the pesticides Chlormequat or Glyphosate, according to the Soil Association.

Rosehip extract developed for new product opportunities

27-Nov-2008 - Afriplex has launched a new rosehip extract which it hopes will take the ingredient beyond typical applications such as tea and tablets to products such as cereals, fruit bars and smoothies.

EU-wide labelling study launched

26-Nov-2008 - A new research project is aiming to be the first Europe-wide study of the various food labelling schemes and their effects on consumer dietary habits through a unique observation of consumers in ‘real life’ settings.

Australian dairy eyes functional focus funding

26-Nov-2008 - The Australian dairy industry continues to target product innovation with a new grant specifically designed to encourage innovative new ways of thermal and non-thermal processing and producing fermented foods and cultures.

News in brief

Unilever supports brands with dry foods centre

26-Nov-2008 - Unilever has opened a new Centre of Excellent Dry Foods in Germany, which will be the hub of R&D on bouillon, seasonings, soups, sauces and mealkits to support its brands.

Education builds taste for cranberries in the south

26-Nov-2008 - Introducing foods not previously well known in a market is no easy feat for a distributor, but the firm charged with building support for cranberries in southern Europe is putting its store in education.

Chocolate covered bacon or chicken skin? Sophisticated, says Mintel

26-Nov-2008 - Chocolate consumers are becoming more adventurous, enjoying darker, more unusual flavour combinations with higher cocoa percentages, according to Mintel.

Organic sales set to slip, says Mintel

25-Nov-2008 - A new survey from Mintel shows that seeking out organic food is slipping down consumers’ ethical agenda as the credit crunch begins to bite.

Skullduggery and currency take their toll at Greencore

25-Nov-2008 - Greencore’s ingredients division helped the Irish firm achieve reasonable results, as the convenience foods division was hit by a cost concealment issue in its mineral water accounting.

Low-protein wheat yield puts squeeze on UK bread flour supply

25-Nov-2008 - The price of bread flour looks set to soar after cereal quality survey results from the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) showed UK wheat quality to be lower than previously thought.

Baobab to hit the big time next year, predicts Mintel

24-Nov-2008 - Dried baobab pulp, which gained novel foods approval for the EU in June, could be the headline superfruit of 2009, according to Mintel.

Weekly comment

Conjuring with calories: Regulation and labeling changes

24-Nov-2008 - There was something magical about the recent news that the caloric value of both gum arabic and erythritol have been officially lowered, but whether it turns out to be a sleight of hand or a real change remains to be seen.

News in brief

Danisco spies opportunities in xylitol health claim

24-Nov-2008 - Danisco has welcomed the approval of a ‘very strong’ health claim that xylitol chewing gum reduces the risk of caries in children, saying it now puts its customers in a strong position.

Combining and explaining texture effects

24-Nov-2008 - Cargill Texturizing Solutions' regional director explains how combinations of texturisers can produce the required effect in foods, and how texture descriptions like 'velvety' and 'crunchy' now crop up in promotional materials.