British retail giant Tesco has changed its chicken nuggets recipe
to placate health conscious parents, as a consumer watchdog reveals
the children's teatime favourite contains only 50 per cent meat.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will allow
extra sugar imports into the country in an effort to prevent market
shortages after hurricane damage to sugarcane crops, delayed sugar
beet harvests, disruptions...
US cranberry co-operative Ocean Spray is launching a low sugar,
high fiber sweetened dry cranberry product designed for use in a
variety of health positioned food applications including baked
goods and cereals.
Food makers have until 1 January to implement procedures for
testing their processing plants and products for dangerous bacteria
such as listeria and E. coli.
Netherlands based ingredient firm Exter claims to have discovered
an excellent source of vegetable protein, and plans to launch the
product in early 2006.
UK-based AMC Chemicals says a new rice protein concentrate can
offer food makers a non-allergenic alternative to soy and whey that
is better absorbed by the body than other vegetable-derived
proteins.
The oft-said adage that there are two things people don't want to
see being made - sausage and legislation - falls apart at the doors
of the EU's parliament.
French ingredient supplier Roquette believes that its new pea
protein product, Nutralys, can help manufacturers tap into current
health concerns and cut manufacturing costs.
Carbery believes that its new corporate structure will enable the
dairy ingredients giant to tap growing demand for added value
products and provide a one-stop-shop for manufacturers.
The EU's food regulator has chided Nestlé and Tetra Pak for what it
says are their misinterpretations of its preliminary advice about
the safety of using the chemical ITX (isopropylthioxanthone) in
food packaging.
Tate & Lyle believes that developing a better understanding of
food manufacturing concerns will enable the company to deliver
better ingredient solutions.
Unless the food industry accepts that emotional connections drive
consumer decisions about what is and what is not acceptable, full
public confidence will be hard to restore.
ConAgra Foods has recalled nearly 47,000 children's lunch kits that
may be contaminated with listeria, the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) announced yesterday.
Banana producer Chiquita has said that it expects fruit shortages
in the US after large areas of its banana farms were destroyed last
month by Tropical Storm Gamma.
The Slovak government has asked the European Commission to extend
its inquiry into Tesco and Carrefour's proposed supermarket swap,
fuelling speculation of a burgeoning reluctance to give global
retailers free rein in new markets.
The draft WTO Hong Kong ministerial declaration is considerably
less ambitious than the stated original objectives of the meeting,
according to the European food industry.
German discounter Lidl has become the second grocer this month to
bear the brunt of French legislation, in a move to protect
suppliers from the excessive demands of powerful retailers.
After an evaluation of a special class of polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCB),the EU's food safety regulator has issued a call for a
continued effort to lower their levels in foods.
Companies extracting sterols from pine trees are looking for a
greater share of Europe's cholesterol-lowering foods market,
exploiting the challenges faced by producers of vegetable
oil-derived sterols.
Statistics from Finland indicate that a high level of plant
pesticides in fruit, vegetables, cereals and processed foods
continues to pose a problem for the EU's importers.
The sky is the limit when it comes to beverage innovation, so long
as consumers continue to trust the claims made by manufacturers,
according to an interesting seminar at yesterday's FiE show in
Paris.
Health ingredients firm Cognis has introduced two African plant
extracts that it claims can offer real antioxidant benefits to iced
tea and other drinks looking for a healthy positioning.
Champagne market leader Moet-Chandon demonstrated at FiE in Paris
how an industry constrained by limted ingredient supplies and an
incredibly tough regulatory environment can successfully innovate
to increase both quality and efficiency.