In a bid to reduce mercury poisoning pregnant women in the UK could
shortly be advised to reduce their tuna intake. The food
agency,FSA, recommends this week that pregnant women should eat no
more than one fresh tuna steak, or two...
A plant pathologist with the American Phytopathological Society has
largely dismissed rumours that bananas could face extinction within
the next decade.
Ireland's Glanbia and Uruguay's Conaprole have joined forces to
help develop the market for dairy ingredients in Latin America. A
new joint venture company, Conabia, based in Mexico, will develop
sales throughout Central...
The Office of Fair Trading has begun an annual review of the Code
of Practice governing supermarket chains and their suppliers. But
with the balance of the UK retail market set to shift once again
following the Safeway deal, some...
Despite numerous high profile cases of concerning BSE,
foot-and-mouth and other food-related diseases, consumers in the UK
are now worrying less about these problems than in previous years,
according to the latest UK Consumer Attitudes...
Aquentium, has filed a trademark application for #1 Patriot Food
Safe Fruits and Vegetables, its food safety process for the
protection of fresh food products, with the United States Patent
Trademark Office and is planning to license...
Speciality chemicals company Cognis announced today that its
agreement with Norwegian firm Natural for the licence to its
Tonalin brand conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) went into effect this
weekend.
Dutch nutrition company Numico is struggling to stay afloat at the
moment, but rumours in the Dutch press suggest French dairy giant
Danone could be interested in a bid. An odd choice for the French
company which has been streamlining...
Swiss chocolate group Barry Callebaut has extended its already
substantial presence in the gourmet and speciality product market
with the acquisition of Luijckx, which makes ready-to-use products
for the catering sector.
Nutritional lipids company Loders Croklaan USA is set to hit the
courts with the news this week that it has filed a patent
infringement lawsuit against US company Natural.
French ingredients company Rhodia Food is to reorganise activities
"in line with the requirements and trends of the food industry",
the company said this week.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that a
petition has been filed by food ingredients company Kerry to amend
current food regulations.
Dutch life science company DSM saw net profit for the fourth
quarter of 2001 rise to €1,031 million from €119 million in the
fourth quarter of 2000, largely due to the sale of the depositary
receipts. Profit on 4Q ordinary activities...
The number of deaths from foodborne diseases is likely to be
underestimated, finds a study in this week's British Medical
Journal - a fact that could force many food manufacturers to
re-evaluate present labelling and food safety...
The UK division of Cintex, a leader in the design, production and
manufacturing of food contaminant detection equipment, is to
preview its latest low-cost X-ray technology offerings at the CIFA
2003, to be held in Rennes, France,...
The Fruja liqueur brand is to be rolled out across the US after
successful trials in selected markets there. Produced by Allied
Domecq unit Hiram Walker, the brand is designed to meet demand for
fruity new flavours in the fast-growing...
The first stores to be sold under the restructuring plan of Spanish
food retailer El Arbol have been acquired by Extremadura-based
Lider Aliment. The company has bought seven wholly-owned stores and
a network of 70 Spar franchises...
Degussa Texturant Systems, a unit of German speciality chemicals
company, Degussa announced this week that its plant in Decatur,
USA, has been awarded Cert-ID non-GMO system certification for its
lecithin production system.
The latest visit to Mintel's Global New Products Database shows
that there is no risk of any slowdown in the number of innovative
and unusual food products being launched across the world, with
cheesy ice cream just one of the...
French sugar company Beghin Say reported yesterday that sales for
2002 had edged back by just 1.8 per cent, amid the constant scope
of consolidation and exchange rates.
As Valentine's Day approaches, a new report from Datamonitor looks
at how sales of chocolate - the favoured gift of lovers everywhere
- differ from market to market, and how manufacturers have cashed
in - or not - on love.
The UK National Farmers Union yesterday voiced its support for a
new initiative - Organic Grain Link- aimed at promoting closer
co-operation between all levels of the organic grain supply chain.
Two of the leading Nordic food retail groups, Finland's Kesko and
Sweden's Axfood, announced good results last week, helped by growth
both at home and abroad.
Dutch speciality chemicals company DSM continues on its steady path
to growth with the announcement today that operating profit for
2002 reached €383 million, a 14 per cent rise on 2001, thanks in
part to 6 per cent autonomous volume...
When trawling around the supermarket aisles it would appear that
the average UK shopper is becoming increasingly patriotic. The
patriotic shopper is more likely to be aged 65 or over and slotting
into the financially better off AB...
The arbitration court in France has ruled that Casino did not act
illegally in buying a stake in one-time purchasing partner Cora,
and that it was in fact the latter chain which acted outside the
law by quitting the Opera buying group.
Decreasing meal frequency and caloric intake protects nerve cells
from genetically induced damage, delays the onset of Huntington's
disease-like symptoms in mice and prolongs the lives of affected
rodents, according to investigators...
EMP Industries, a leading designer and manufacturer of custom
machinery, has launched a Package Testing System (PTS) primarily
aimed at liquid packaging.
The European Parliament yesterday voted with an overwhelming
majority for a permanent ban on the use of the food additive E425,
otherwise known as konjac, in jelly confectionery.
Claims by Spanish hypermarket groups that new store restrictions
are benefiting only supermarkets and not traditional retailers have
been confirmed by the latest Nielsen data, which shows supermarkets
taking market share from both...
Results from research carried out at the University of California
reinforce the recent revelations concerning chocolate's potential
cardiovascular benefits.
A new report launched today by the British Heart Foundation warns
that the majority of women in the UK are dangerously unaware of the
deadly threat of coronary heart disease. It calls for immediate
action to tackle the number one...
Spanish supermarket chain El Arbol is expecting to complete the
disposal of nearly 200 stores by the end of March, and is confident
that its newly streamlined business will return to the black by
2004.
Food manufacturers in the UK were criticised again this week over
misleading food labels when the findings of a new report suggested
that labels "are more likely to confuse and mislead consumers
than inform them". The report...
Austrian mineral water consumption continued to rise last year,
topping 90 litres per capita. With 2003 designated 'Mineral Water
Year', the aim is to push consumption above 100 litres for the
first time.
The International Sweets and Biscuits Fair (ISM) held last month in
Cologne, Germany, clearly illustrated the key confectionery trends,
write market analysts Euromonitor. Particularly evident, the
dichotomy between fun sugar confectionery...
The Japanese cabinet endorsed a set of bills on Friday to ensure
the safety of food and protect consumer health in the wake of a
series of scandals and incidents to hit Japan in recent years.
A leading Japanese frozen food maker Nichirei said last week that
from March 2003 it will launch a series of frozen foods that do not
contain artificial preservatives.
While new product introductions launched on the back of key
nutritional claims continue to decline significantly in the US,
products with 'added value' could lead the way towards success,
writes market analyst Mintel this...
The terminal decline in sherry sales continued last year with just
one market - the UK - showing an increase compared to 2001. But
with the major players in the drinks market clearly not interested
in sherry, there seems little chance...
The European Commission confirmed its commitment to food safety and
the consumer this week when Commissioner David Byrne announced much
tougher measures - including criminal sanctions - to strengthen
food and feed safety controls.
Although sweet, bitter and umami tastes are different, researchers
are finding that information about each of these tastes is
transmitted from the various taste receptors via a common
intracellular signalling pathway.
Life for people allergic to peanuts might just have got easier with
scientists in the UK announcing this week that they have developed
a test to detect tiny amounts of peanut in processed food.
Following the declaration last week that it is to invest in the
food enzyme side to its business, Danish enzyme company Novozymes
yesterday reported 'the best year ever' for 2002 with sales rising
7 per cent from DKK 5,271...
Nestlé's proposed acquisition of the Dreyer's ice cream business in
the US looks to have hit a snag with the companies announcing this
week that talks with the competition authorities have been extended
and that the sale...
UB has announced plans to close its biscuit production site at
Ashby de la Zouch in the English Midlands at the end of next year
as part of its ongoing plan of restructuring its now profitable UK
biscuit operation.
