Industry has become accustomed to feeling annoyed and hamstrung by the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation, but UK consumer watchdog Which? told a conference today that the rules should be even more closely enforced to help baffled consumers.
Cash-strapped consumers demanding value mean that cheese producers need to reinvent themselves in order to 'produce more for less', according to Chr. Hansen's managing director of cheese cultures, Søren Herskind, while private label growth...
By Nathan Gray at Nutraformulate in Birmingham, England
The UK Institute of Food Research (IFR) has launched a new special expertise cluster for industry members wishing to focus on structuring food for health.
Irish MEP Marian Harkin has become one of the most vocal European parliamentary opponents of the interpretation and application of the EU nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR), and she was not appeased by EC and EFSA statements at a specially...
Mark Neville, head of lifestyle ingredients at Volac, told BeverageDaily.com that the UK market for whey protein was hitting “critical mass”, since everyone knew someone who used such ingredients, with word spreading as to their benefits.
Dispatches from Feeding the World conference in Geneva
How to tackle obesity and hunger remains a two-pronged challenge for the agri-food industry, but increasing crop yield is not the answer - instead the focus should be on boosting the nutritional value of crops, claims a sustainable food systems activist.
Ten years ago the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) was established to fight rampant malnutrition in the developing world via micronutrient fortification programmes. But for a long time, it struggled to effect change in the face of logistical,...
Mint confectionery products containing the sweetener stevia could appeal to EU consumers, but each country has its own preference, according to a consultant to Cargill
From nature to the laboratory to supermarket shelves, FoodNavigator-USA takes a journey behind the scenes of flavor development. IFF flavorist Rich Dandrea tells us about his 20-year career in the industry.
Leading confectionery and ice-cream brand owners are switching to colouring foodstuffs over natural colours, as consumer demand for clean label products continues unabated, and retailers acknowledge the potential they hold in terms of brand value, claims...
Taura Natural Ingredients, which was launching is URC Inclusions range at FIE in Paris last week, is aiming to enter both the US and Asian confectionery, snack, breakfast cereal and bakery markets with fruit and vegetable pieces produced by rapid concentration.
European producers of speciality yeast products are defending the use of yeast extracts in food following claims from consumer advocates such as FoodWatch in Germany that the food industry’s use of such ingredients and labelling around them is deceptive.
National Starch continues to innovate along clean label lines, with the launch of new pulping agents at FIE for cost savings in pasta sauces or fillings.
New flavouring legislation was the spur for DSM’s new yeast extract range, which it claims delivers salt reduction as well as clean label advantages for meat and other savoury products.
Cargill is looking beyond beverage to dairy as it flags up pending product launches for Truvia in both table-top and as an ingredient on the EU market next year.
Jeroen van Roon, global marketing manager for beer for DSM Food Specialties told BeverageDaily.com that barley brewing enzymes could help brewers cut down on more costly malt-based products, and develop new portfolio innovations.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DISPATCHES FROM BRAU BEVIALE 2011
Ulf Brøchner Sørensen, global product manager, brewing and distilling enzymes at Danisco, told BeverageDaily.com at Brau Beviale that there was trend globally towards less expensive, more sustainable production.
Just before the adoption of a regulation by European Commission (EC) on November 11 to approve the sale and use of steviol glycosides, Wild's senior vice president of business development, Fabiana Matucci, told BeverageDaily.com how she thought stevia...
A new two tier system for the regulation of nano-materials in foods could help to alleviate the strain that suggested new regulations may put on industry, whilst ensuring the safety and control of ingredients and materials that need it, according to one...
When it comes to developing and launching stevia products, European manufacturers can learn a lot from the successes achieved by their US and global counterparts, according to one industry expert.
Prerequisite safety programmes for packaging operations have developed hugely over the past five years but still rely on the commitment of plant managers to make them work, Graham Packaging’s Suzanne Matuszewski told FoodProductionDaily.com.
Ultra-violet and electron beam-cured inks are not only safe but present clear performance advantages when used in printing on food packaging. So what are the reasons behind their image problem in some quarters?
Industry needs to be more careful in monitoring that they are using the right botanical ingredients, and not substitutes or adulterants, in foods and nutritional supplements, says Professor Monique Simmonds.
As demand for natural foods grows, industry has begun to look to exotic plants as a source of alternative, natural, ingredients. But how can we identify and source the right botanical compounds.
Vitafoods Asia trade expo will open its doors for the first time in Hong Kong to an expectant region in coming days – a culmination of more than two years work by the organisers of the show that has its foundation in Europe.
Asia Pacific markets are ripe for functional foods development as a response to the increasing prevalence of western diets, says Katrina Diamonon, consumer analyst at market researcher, Datamonitor.
Testing for marine biotoxins in shellfish has come into the 21st century after the European Commission decided to ditch the unreliable mouse bioassay in favour of a chemical method, said Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Researchers developing new meat products grown from stem cells say that the first products, which should be ready within the next year, could begin a movement to more sustainable meat production.
A year after natural ingredients supplier Wild announced plans to go public, CEO Michael Ponder explained what an IPO can do for the company and what will determine its timing.
Hans-Christian Ambjerg, president of DSM Food Specialties, goes head to head with FoodNavigator.com on commodity prices, emerging markets and acquisition strategy.
The modern consumer environment makes it too easy to consume too much, but by replacing calorie dense sugars with low calorie sweeteners, industry has a powerful tool in the fight against obesity, says Dr Tommy Visscher.
Building bridges between industry and universities to encourage ingredients research will prove beneficial for Europe in the long run, says V.Krishnakumar of ingredients consultancy Giract.
The takeover of CI-Vision was the final piece in the jigsaw that has given Mettler Toledo the ability to offer a fully rounded inspection and quality assurance portfolio, said the company from the Interpack show in Dusseldorf.
France’s Nutrionix as closed a €4m deal with investors Seventure Partners, SHAM and Business Angels, which will help it tap growth potential in salt reduction.
Use of high intensity sweeteners is growing around the globe, but different sweeteners are more popular in different markets. Mintel’s David Jago explains the subtleties of all things sweet.
Recent calls from Members of European Parliament (MEPs) for warning labels on products containing artificial sweeteners are 'totally unnecessary', according to Professor Andrew Renwick.
The use of low and no calorie sweeteners in the food industry is rising rapidly. However one product area that has always relied on the use of sweeteners is in the formulation of sports drinks, says Professor John Brewer.
A review of the scientific literature does support the potential of non-nutritive sweeteners to aid weight loss, says a consultant and author of a published meta-analysis.
UK organic fortunes are not all grim, says the trade director, who points out high-growth categories. But ushering in a new era of overall growth will require better communication, broad availability of organics in supermarkets, and supportive government...
Naturex will expand again in 2011 with several “€5-20m” targets, 1.5 years after completing the €110m integration of Spanish supplier Natraceutical that made the French botanical extracts supplier the biggest in the world.
As the market and industry weighs the impact of turmoil in Ivory Coast on cocoa supply and tightness in sugar trade continues, we talk to Rabobank analyst Keith Flury to see whether there will be any let up in commodity commotion in 2011.
DSM Nutritional Products' vice president, Nutrition Improvement Program Oswaldo da Costa e Silva explains that the initiative is an integral part of the company's sustainabiltiy vision. Providing products for malnourished people around the world...
Major food companies are paying more attention to the social impacts of their products, and that means developing new ways of meauring the impacts of sustainability programmes on people, says DSM’s director of sustainability.
Fonterra has opened up new European headquarters in Amsterdam. Koert Liekelema, general manager for Europe, explains how the move will help the New Zealand dairy grow its value-added ingredients business.
A campaign is in full flight to build public support for European curbs on excessive food commodity speculation and prevent US over-the-counter traders moving to ‘light touch Europe’.
The Food and Fairness Inquiry threw up much common ground between industry and other participants, says DG of the Food and Drink Federation – but an adjudicator over manufacturer-retailer relations is still needed as soon as possible.
