The world's second largest supermarket has announced disappointing
year-end results amid restructuring and an ambitious growth
strategy - causing the firm's retail ratings to tumble.
The European Commission has reopened debate on harmonising and
increasing legislation on food labelling across the bloc, a move
that could potentially lead to greater costs for businesses.
Adjusting the diet of a mother during pregnancy could reduce a
child's later risk of developing obesity, diabetes and heart
disease, according to University of Nottingham scientists working
on a five-year early nutrition programme.
An independent panel of scientists is to meet this week to review
recent scientific data on the soy compound genistein. The
scientists expect to reach conclusions as to whether or not the
consumption of genistein could have a negative...
National Starch Food Innovation has introduced a range of natural,
grain-based ingredients, which it claims maintain the positive
attributes of traditional flours while expanding and improving the
ways they can be used in packaged...
Like its counterparts across the EU, the UK's food regulator has
started inspecting meat plants, threatening to close those that do
not comply with the bloc's new hygiene laws.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that
would standardize food safety labeling requirements throughout the
US, a move that would bring significant benefits to the food
industry.
Marks & Spencer has announced it is converting all its coffee
and tea to Fairtrade, a decision that again underlines the growing
significance of the ethical consumer.
Greenpeace has called for the urgent adoption of international
biosafety standards after the publication of a report that claims
to reveal the extent of GM contamination.
Trade negotiators from the EU, the US, Brazil, India, Japan and
Australia are meeting in London this week for talks intended to
move forward the stalling WTO Doha negotiations on agricultural
tariffs.
A combination of foods like soy, plant sterols, almonds and viscous
fibres, could reduce LDL-cholesterol levels by 20 per cent, and
work better together than independently, says a new study.
Olive oil prices in Spain rose by 6.8 per cent between January and
February 2006 and increased by 37.2 per cent during the last 12
months, as a result of the shortfall in the country's production.
The European Commission has issued a series of comments on proposed
changes to the UN's international food safety standards on such
issues as labelling and microbiological risk.
Tate & Lyle has formed a joint venture to build and operate a
sugar plant in Israel, a move that will partially replace
traditional sugar imports from the European Union.
Brain-power foods, portion control and products targeting the
senior population are likely to be the food sectors to look out for
in 2006, according to Mintel.
A diet rich in sources of vitamin C could cut the level of markers
for inflammation by 45 per cent, a result that needs verifying by
supplementation studies, says a new study.
A new soybean variety claims to allow food manufacturers to develop
products that have all the health benefits of soybeans but less of
the beany taste.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA)'s proposed Multiple Traffic
Light system is 'too simplistic, twenty years out of date, dreamt
up by administrators rather than nutritionists and likely to
confuse consumers', according...
Danisco says that the finalisation of the new EU sugar regime and
the recently announced transitional measures will not affect the
firm's planned efficiency drive.
Coating fish with alginate, pectin, gellan gum or even water
markedly reduces fat absorbtion in the final production of
par-fried fish fillets, researchers have discovered.
Children kept off sugary drinks lost weight after a period of six
months, according to a new study, findings that add to the mounting
body of evidence linking childhood obesity with soda consumption.
The gamble by US authorities 15 years ago to let the industry deal
with benzene residues in soft drinks has failed, and instead only
kept those who needed to know in the dark.
Avian influenza continues to spread in the EU's largest poultry
producer, with the country's agriculture ministry reporting over
the weekend that the highly pathogenic type H5N1 had been detected
in a dead wild swan in the...
Fears for Western Europe's food processing industry have been
raised following revelations that firms are cutting back on jobs
and R&D spending in the face of cheap foreign competitors.
The Sugar Association has filed a petition with the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) requesting the establishment of a clear
definition for the use of the term 'natural' on food and beverage
product labels.
More soft drinks will be tested for cancer-causing chemical benzene
in the UK after it was revealed some drinks contain up to eight
times the legal limit for drinking water.
The House of Representatives yesterday lunched a debate on a bill
that proposes to create a uniform system for all food safety
standards and warning labels on food products regulated by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Scientists have developed a chip that can improve the flavour of
citrus varieties, which could have consequences for the growing
natural flavours sector.
A recent study has found that the controversial sweetener aspartame
does not increase the incidence of tumors in mice, but the
scientists point out that this does not necessarily mean it is not
a carcinogen.
Europe should follow Denmark's example and force food makers to
clearly label the presence of trans fats, a move that would bring
huge health benefits and bring European labelling into line with
the US.