The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating whether the
use of dietary supplements containing kava (also known as kava kava
or Piper methysticum) is associated with liver toxicity.
Nestlé sweetened its position as one of the world's largest
ice-cream makers on Thursday by agreeing to pay General Mills $641m
for the 50 per cent stake of Ice Cream Partners USA it did not
already own.
BASF is to lodge an appeal against the fine imposed by the European
Commission on November 21, 2001 with the responsible European Court
of First Instance in Luxembourg.
Britain's trade ministry asked the European Commission last week to
allow it to study the impact of Cargill Inc's proposed acquisition
of French starch maker Cerestar , because of UK competition
worries.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organisation (WHO) are to convene a Global Forum of Food Safety
Regulators in Marrakech, Morocco on 28-30 January 2002, the two
agencies announced on Thursday.
European Union agriculture ministers adopted regulations for a new
banana-import system Wednesday, formally marking an end to a
long-running dispute with the United States and Ecuador.
A battle between the Italian city of Parma and Finland's capital
Helsinki over who should host a prestigious European food safety
agency is rapidly turning into an undignified food fight.
French food group Danone on Thursday made a final extension to its
bid for New Zealand drinks maker Frucor Beverages Group Ltd but
left the bid price unchanged at NZ$2.35 a share.
Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. said it had no plans
to rehire former Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman Michael
Andreas, who was released from a federal prison early on Wednesday
after serving time on price-fixing...
A component of tomato sauce may help reduce DNA damage in the
prostate, a new study suggests. This may have implications for the
prevention or treatment of prostate cancer. The active ingredient
appears to be lycopene, an antioxidant...
ConAgra Foods, Inc. announced this week that it has purchased the
David & Sons sunflower seeds and snack business from Nestle
USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle S.A. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed.
Dutch ingredients company DSM this week announced the completion of
important research to determine the complete DNA sequence of a key
production organism, the fungus Aspergillus niger.
The British organic dairy products market is to show healthy growth
in the coming years however oversupplies are set to continue,
market analysts Organic Monitor report this week.
Leptin, a protein secreted by fat cells, may be an independent risk
factor for heart disease in humans, according to an article
published this week in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart
Association.
European Union governments agreed to hefty cuts to next year's
fishing quotas on Tuesday after all-night talks that pitted
national interests against arguments that stocks were in grave
danger.
The Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada (FCPMC)
announced this week that it is appalled at the Canadian Dairy
Commission's (CDC) decision to ignore consumer and industry
concerns by announcing an exorbitant and...
US food and drink company Kraft Foods announced on Wednesday that
FS Acquisition Corp., a subsidiary of Catterton Partners, is to
acquire the U.S.-based Farley and Sathers confectionery businesses
from Kraft.
"Prosciutto is ham" a full-page ad read in Finland's largest daily
on Wednesday, a response to Italy's Prime Minister who reportedly
said Helsinki should not get the new EU food agency because Finns
knew nothing...
US foods and beverages company Kraft Foods announced this week an
agreement whereby pasta giant Barilla Alimentare S.p.A will acquire
Kraft's Mexican pasta business, including the Yemina and Vesta
brands.
French group Groupe Danone has signed a partnership agreement with
the Egyptian Rachid group for the Egypt, Near and Middle East
region, in respect of its three core businesses, Fresh Dairy
Products, Biscuits and Beverages.
The incapacity of European leaders at the Laeken summit this
weekend to make a decision on the location of the new European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) means that the new food safety edifice
will, for the moment, be based in Brussels.
The US Justice Department on Tuesday approved plans by the largest
U.S. dairy, Suiza Foods Corp. to acquire rival Dean Foods Co. after
the companies agreed to sell 11 of their U.S. dairy plants.
Companies worldwide could save on aggregate $2.3 trillion (€2.6
trillion) a year by using the Internet to purchase resources
ranging from office supplies to plane tickets, a study released on
Monday said.
Danish ingredients company Danisco this week reported a five per
cent increase in net sales in the company's main business areas -
Ingredients, Sweeteners and Sugar.
EU leaders, after hours of wrangling, were cited as failing to take
a decision on Saturday at their year-end summit on where to locate
a host of new EU agencies, including the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA).
Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged his French counterpart, Lionel
Jospin, to allow British farmers to resume exports of beef to
France, officials at a two-day European Union summit said on
Saturday.
A plan for the Agriculture Ministry to be the focal point of a new
Food Authority of Thailand has been approved in principle by Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai newspaper the Bangkok Post
reports this week.
Tortillas made with minced mealworm larvae, which plague stored
wheat products, are excellent sources of protein and essential
fatty acids, a new study finds, reports Nature this week.
Slovakia's fifth case of mad cow disease surfaced on Friday, three
months after the country became the second central European state
to discover the brain-wasting affliction, a state veterinarian
said.
The UK Food Standards Agency advised recently that children should
not eat certain mini cup fruit jelly products that contain Konjac
because of the risk of choking on the sweets.
Austria has announced its first case of BSE.Discovered within the
country's routine testing programme, the case was found in a
middle-sized farm in Gmuend in Lower Austria. The 70-month-old cow
involved was immediately destroyed,...
The Spanish may not have managed to persuade the British to leave
Gibraltar but UK retailer Marks & Spencer Plc finally pulled
out of Madrid on Saturday.
Effective control of the global threat of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
(FMD) requires a concerted international strategy to combat and
control it at the source, including in particular more assistance
to the developing countries where the...
France will make sure that it protects consumers as it decides how
to respond to a ruling by the EU's top court that it is breaking EU
law by banning British beef, farm minister Jean Glavany said on
Friday.
A medical food product containing uncooked cornstarch could help
type 2 diabetics manage their blood glucose levels and decrease the
incidence of nighttime and morning hyperglycemia, new research
suggests.
Neither a price hike nor the added strain of life in the United
States since the terror attacks of Sept 11 have deterred some
chocolate buyers from getting their dose of sweets, say industry
watchers.
Being too fat has become almost as big a health problem as smoking
in the United States, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said
on Thursday, and urged Americans to lose weight.
All commonly used processes in the bovine bone gelatin
manufacturing process that have the potential to remove and/or
inactivate BSE pathogens, are totally effective, according to the
results of a recent TSE validation study.
A natural food additive with 35 times the cooling power of menthol
- but no minty flavour - could be soon bringing a cool tang to a
wide range of products.
Consumer food group H.J. Heinz Co.'s reported this week a rise in
second-quarter earnings of 9.6 per cent on the back of strong sales
of ketchup and frozen foods.
Milk provides more calcium and protein per penny compared to any
other foods served on school lunch menus, according to a new study
published in the Journal of The American Dietetic Association
(JADA), the US National Dairy Council...
A senior U.S. official said on Wednesday it was "urgent" for the
European Union to find a way to end a three-year-old ban on
approvals of new genetically modified crops.
The International Lecithin and Phospholipid Society (ILPS)
announced this week the 8th International Congress on
Phospholipids, to be held in Vienna, Austria on 7-10 September 2002
Italian food group Parmalat said on Tuesday it would spend a
maximum of 100 million euros ($89.13 million) if it bought Danone's
Galbani unit while a financial partner would take a majority stake
in the firm.
Dutch ingredients company DSM embraced new technology this week
when it announced the completion of the first transactions through
its new online store, part of an e-business development plan
launched by the company in August this...
People in Finland hoping to quench their thirst by downing a drink
full of assorted vitamins could get more than they bargained for, a
study published by the country's National Food Agency found on
Wednesday.
In a bid to provide a wide range of dairy products at competitive
prices, food manufacturers in Canada are demanding a freeze on the
price for industrial milk.
