Last week FoodProductionDaily.com reported about some
interesting research work into packaging design at the Delft
University of Technology in the Netherlands. Roland ten
Klooster believes he has come up with solutions to make food...
Greencore, the Irish ingredients and food producer, is predicting a
decline in its net debt for 2002 as its core operations continue to
improve despite continued difficulties in its ambient grocery
division.
A team of US researchers have discovered the cause and a potential
treatment for celiac disease, the inability to digest gluten, a
major protein in wheat, rye and barley products.
The Catalan authorities claim that Spanish winery and cava producer
Miguel Torres is continuing to make wine from grapes grown on
illegally-planted vineyards - a claim denied by the producer.
Proposed new legislation which would tighten the rules governing
the labelling of foodstuffs in a bid to reduce the risk of
consumers suffering from allergic reactions to certain ingredients
has passed the latest stage of its journey...
Biacore International, the Swedish-based global Surface Plasmon
Resonance specialist, has launched a new rapid screening kit for
thedetection of ractopamine drug residues in food.
Both soy supplements and hormone replacement therapy appear to
improve risk factors for heart disease in women with diabetes,
according to a report on two new studies published this week. The
findings present conflicting evidence...
Starch and starch derivatives manufacturer Cerestar, recently taken
over by US agri-business Cargill, said this week that it has
developed a new gelatine replacement, targeting a market currently
undergoing growth due to consumer...
British starch and sugars group Tate & Lyle said on Thursday
that it expected strong results for the six months ended September,
but said growth in second half profits depended on higher sweetener
prices.
Archer Daniels Midland became the first US company on Thursday to
sign contracts with Cuban food importer Alimport as an
unprecedented US agricultural trade show got under way in Havana.
The acquisition by Carrefour of the outstanding shares in its
Spanish unit, Centros Commerciales Carrefour, will not include the
8 per cent held by Guyenne & Gascogne, long-time franchise
partner of the French retail giant.
Consumer preferences are currently moving towards easily prepared
food, less severely processed (vitamins and nutrients preserved),
natural (without preservatives and other artificial additives),
healthy (functional food, low fat,...
Solid evidence is mounting that drinking tea can prevent cell
damage that leads to cancer, heart disease and perhaps other ills,
scientists said on Tuesday.
France's Intermarche and Spain's Eroski have formed a new alliance
which will increase their European buying power and allow each
company to benefit from the other's expertise. Other companies
could join the union in...
More evidence to suggest the health benefits of cranberry juice
were revealed this week by researchers in Germany. Setting out to
evaluate the influence of plum, cranberry and blackcurrant juice on
urinary stone risk factors, the...
The European Food Safety Authority may not, as yet, have an
executice director, but let's hope the selection is speedier than
our American neighbours who, after nearly two years without, have
finally chosen a new commissioner...
News in Germany earlier this year that tainted organic wheat had
been fed to poultry at organic farms caused an immediate fall in
consumer demand for organic foods, with the organic meat sector
being particularly badly hit. The industry...
The weakness of the US economy has impacted the sales performance
of the Food Lion and Kash n' Karry chains run by Belgium's Delhaize
group, prompting the company to revise its full-year growth
forecasts.
Fees charged by European retailers such as Tesco and Carrefour have
been investigated by the Thai authorities, which claim that such
charges - levied on suppliers for the listing of their products -
are illegal.
South African wine sales in the UK have been growing rapidly in the
last few years, and four SA brands are now among the top 20
best-sellers there. But more can be done to promote Cape wines in
the UK, such as focusing on recognisable...
In the first look at the molecular diversity of the starch pathway
in maize, researchers at the North Carolina State University have
found that - in contrast to the high amount of diversity in many of
the maize genes previously studied...
Eating too much seafood, which can contain high levels of the toxic
substance mercury, could be linked to an increased risk of
infertility in men and women, researchers said on Tuesday.
Overweight children could be eating their way into health problems
- no news there. But new evidence suggests that normal-weight
children with abnormally high cholesterol could be predisposed to
obesity in later childhood.
The board of directors of Swiss flavour and fragrance manufacturer,
Givaudan at its 16 September meeting agreed the repurchase of up to
725,627 registered Givaudan shares.
After a difficult few years of restructuring and debt reduction,
Brau und Brunnen has decided to combine its beer and soft drink
sales units to offer a broader range of products and to allow it to
react more quickly to consumer demand...
A further sign that food ingredients companies are continuing to
move steadily into the Chinese market came recently with the
announcement from Belgian lactic acid manufacturer , Galactic, that
it has signed a joint venture agreement...
Food manufacturers are increasingly coming under pressure from
consumer groups for the use of trans fatty acids, a type of fat
linked to heart disease, in foods. Groups, both in Europe and in
the US, are committed to seeing manufacturers...
Despite new regulations limiting the price discounts retailers can
offer, E. Leclerc has maintained its position as the leading French
retailer in terms of market share, stealing sales from all its main
rivals, the company claims.
The days when the family unit gathered around the breakfast table
to share the first meal of the day are fast disappearing into the
history books. What is the impact of this movement in society on
the overall diet of family members?...
One more piece of evidence hailing the health benefits of soy
joined the already considerable volume this week when scientists
suggested that consuming tofu and other soy-based foods can
significantly lower levels of a class of oestrogens...
EU committee backs Commission proposals to reverse enforced testing
of fish products from China. In March this year Member States
blocked certain Chinese products over fears of banned antibiotic
chloramphenicol.
Kagome, a Japanese producer of tomato-based processed foods, said
on Friday that it will purchase a lactic beverage maker from Snow
Brand Milk Products while studying a plan to invest in the
struggling dairy product manufacturer,...
CEDC, the Florida-based company which is one of the leading
distributors of alcoholic drinks in Poland, has added another
distributor to its portfolio, plugging a gap where it had
previously been under-represented.
Sales and profits at Belgian retail group Colruyt showed double
digit growth in 2001/02, and the company is predicting more of the
same for the current financial year.
The mysteries of peculiar shaped fruits and vegetables appear to
have been revealed. Scientists in the US have found that disabling
one gene in a tomato can make it pear-shaped. Squash, aubergines
and pears, they claim, probably owe...
Credit card payments made using chip and PIN technology - a much
safer method than the usual signature - are to be introduced in the
UK by 2005, but supermarket group Safeway is to begin its scheme
later this year.
Bunge, set to become the world's top soybean processor with the
acquisition of French rival Cereol, said on Monday that it expected
third-quarter earnings to rise at least 40 per cent over a year
ago, fuelled by the currency...
The European Commission on Friday cleared the proposed acquisition
of French-based food company Cereol by US company Bunge. The move
shoots Bunge ahead of US agribusiness giant Cargill into the top
slot as the world's largest...
The world's largest and most expensive collection of old Scotch
whiskies is embarking on a worldwide tour in a bid to drum up
interest in an eventual auction. All the whisky aficionado needs to
walk away with a bottle of The...
After several months of testing US University of Georgia
researchers recently confirmed the effectiveness of a new product,
FreshTech, designed to control bacterial growth and extend shelf
life in food service coolers.
Who is stronger - the retailer or the supplier? When the two
parties in question are Ahold and Unilever, that is not an easy
question to answer, but a dispute between the two companies over
annual supply agreements may provide the...
Interactive, a US-based company that holds the rights to light
based scanners used to inspect meat for microbial contamination, is
increasing production of its small, hand-held version of the
scanners.
With the sale of the Agros Fortuna fruit juice and canned food
business, Pernod Ricard's Polish business is now 100 per cent
focused on drinks - which was the reason why Agros was acquired in
the first place.
Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University in the US
on Thursday announced the launch of a national study to investigate
the effect of high-dose vitamin D in combination with the
chemotherapy agent docetaxel (Taxotere),...
New research in the UK suggests that reducing the salt intake in
people's diets may only have a slight effect on reducing blood
pressure in the long term. Moves by food processors to reduce the
'hidden' salt in foods...
The UK Food Standards Agency has published a guide to the
provisions of the 1990 Food Safety Act and other UK legislation
covering the composition and labelling of foods, chemical safety,
food hygiene, control of foodstuffs and trading...
Biacore International has had its food analysis kit, used for the
rapid routine testing of the vitamin food supplement folic acid,
fully validated and certified as a Performance Tested Method by the
Association of Analytical Communities...
A massive investigation into the role of diet on bone health
suggests that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables could be the
key to slowing down the onset of osteoporosis in women.