Flavour and fine ingredients manufacturer Frutarom has reported a drop in sales and profit for 2009 although the fourth quarter shows signs of recovery.
Careful control of protein levels in a food gel could allow for lower-sugar foods to be formulated without affecting the sweetness of the food, says new research from The Netherlands.
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Germany has suggested switching back to virgin cardboard as a way reducing food contamination risks linked to mineral oil.
The European organisation for specialty food ingredients has introduced a new structure, a new name, and new members, as the landscape of the sector is changing and new regulatory and technological challenges are coming into play.
Around 80 per cent of chicken carcasses on the European Union market are contaminated with Campylobacter, according to a region-wide baseline survey by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Danisco has reported the first quarter of year-on-year growth for its sweeteners division since xylitol problems struck two years, but staff reductions are on the cards to get a strong foothold on profitability.
Archer Daniel Midland is proposing to close its cocoa processing plant in Hull, UK, this summer because there is overcapacity in the market place and demand for semi-finished cocoa is shifting to Central and Eastern Europe.
The European Parliament has finally voted in rapporteur’s report on the proposed new nutritional labelling regulation, appearing to favour a loose set of general rules. The idea of making traffic light mandatory is out – as is a ban on co-existent national...
Partial substitution of cocoa butter in confectionery products may be achieved with tea seed oil, a by-product of tea processing, says new research with the potential to help chocolate makers cut costs.
A new ranking of major food and beverage companies by their corporate social responsibility is published today, with Unilever, Nestle and Danone occupying the top three spots.
The UK’s chief medical officer has joined calls to consider effects of modern diets on climate change, and suggests reducing consumption of animal products could have a beneficial effect on both public health and the planet.
A UK government committee looking into European Union baby milk marketing laws has raised issues with local enforcement procedures which it says need to be addressed.
The European Council has adopted a position on the proposed novel foods amendment that includes produce from clones as a stop-gap, but suggests specific legislation be put in place in the near future.
Not again! It emerged last week that Basic Food Flavors, the company behind the ongoing HVP recall, knew its products were tainted with salmonella but carried on shipping them anyway. Déjà vu anyone?
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board last week accepted a recommendation in a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report to compile a confidential database of food industry research into nanotechnology.
Researchers in Finland have discovered lactic bacteria that naturally produce hydrocolloids in wheat bread using sourdough, and could be used to make additive-free products that meet taste and texture requirements.
Dutch malt extract firm Diastatische Products is eyeing new opportunities for its malt extract ingredients in Belgium, Poland and the Middle East, and has a new distribution agreement with Univar to help it tap them.
The EU food industry considers that portion information on the front of packs is helpful to consumers in making food choices, supported by per 100g/ml information on the back of pack.
Palm and sunflower oil may allow formulation of non-dairy based ice cream with low rates of melting and good structural properties, says new research from Canada.
The perpetrator of a scam to sell some 36 million battery eggs as free range in the UK has been jailed for three years and ordered to pay hefty fines. The case has prompted the introduction of more stringent traceability measures.
French flavour firm Mane is launching a new line of natural seafood flavours, derived largely from-the-named-food and with a high levels of transparency.
An investigation into what the term ‘natural’ means for consumers has concluded that manufacturers wanting to position products as natural should use ingredients that have undergone physical rather than chemical processing, process less, and label chemical...
Using conjugates of caseinates from milk and maltodextrin may improve the stability of double emulsions, and lead to a wider acceptance of the technology in a range of food applications.
Danisco is introducing a new culture to make industrial production of ryazhenka easier and more consistent, and is expecting the traditional Russian milk drink to garner interest worldwide in the future.
The board of the UK’s Food Standards Agency has agreed to recommend a new approach to front-of-pack labelling to health ministers, which uses traffic lights and text and GDAs.
Carrageenan has good textural properties and is a more cost effective hydrocolloid than dextran for use in semi liquid syrups for production of a wide range of confectionery products, claims a new study from Mexico.
Frutarom has developed a new strawberry flavour that is said to be closer to the natural profile of the real fruit, by identifying a berry that has precisely the organoleptic properties required.
Danisco is starting a new four-year research project to investigate potential uses of enzymes produced by spiders, snakes and carnivorous plants as processing aids for food and other industrial uses.
An edible film composed of fat and iota- carrageenans may outperform traditional fat-based carriers for flavours, says fundamental new research from France.
A new touch screen control panel (HMI) ensures easy and hygienic operation of multihead weighers for the handling of wet food products including fresh, frozen and prepared meat products as well as ready meals, claims Bilwinco.
Purac is launching a new natural preservative for fruit and juice-based beverages, which is said to counter the spore-forming spoiler Alicyclobacillus.
The European Court of Justice has indicated that Monsanto’s patent on Roundup Ready soybean seeds does not also cover processed soybean meal in the EU, say reports.
Novel foods are high on the agenda in Europe, as amendments to the original 1997 law are in the works. The UK’s FSA is planning an open event to gauge views and present its panel’s work.
Soybean lecithin coated with a biopolymer may provide an encapsulation technique for a range of ingredients, according to a study from an international team of researchers.
Making a health claim on a product could lead consumers to think it is less natural and less tasty, according to a new study which also puts a dent in the so-called ‘healthy halo’.
Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) wheat supplies more carotenoids than durum and bread wheats in finished food products, according to research evaluating carotenoid degradation during bread, biscuit and pasta manufacturing.
Timber! The latest axe blow from EFSA has fallen, and this time it has taken one of the biggest trees in the nutrition forest: Antioxidants. But let’s not mourn the loss of the tree; let’s look forward to the new opportunities a clear view of the sky...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a consultation on its new guidance for assessing the environmental risk that genetically modified plants may pose.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency is changing tack over traffic light labels, its preferred scheme for much of the last decade, due to EU regulatory debates and new evidence on consumer preferences.
