News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is facing court over allegations that it manipulated trading in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Cheese Spot and Milk Futures markets to drive up the price of dairy products across the US.
Industry Voices – Functional Gum Formulator
A high-dose satiety gum containing a potato extract and African mango has launched in the US that takes four pieces to achieve clinically-backed results.
The horsemeat scandal has continued to gain momentum across the Baltics, with Russia, Latvia and Lithuania discovering contaminated meat products.
Eurofins has targeted doubling the size of the business to €2bn in revenues by 2017, adding that it is sufficiently diversified in business and geographic exposure to achieve the aim.
Bringing together teams to spark innovation and ideas is the driver behind Puratos’ €15m ($19.5m) investment in a new global research and development center, its R&D head says.
A fall in the price of corn and continuing high prices for red meat could boost the prospects of the global poultry sector in 2013, a new report from Rabobank has found.
Ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereal made using African yam bean, maize and coconut extract holds promise for diabetics, researchers say.
China has confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among pigs in the southern province of Guangdong.
Australia trade
Australia’s trade department has announced that the country will begin to export lamb to India free of quotas, based on Australia’s compliance with India's food safety requirements.
The shape of a new Scottish food body is set to be sketched out following a consultation period opened last week on the responsibilities and functions of an authority separate from the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA).
EHL Ingredients has introduced dried Mexican oregano to the UK food market on the back of customer demand for an authentic Mexican variety of the herb.
Health Canada has approved Ingredion’s NUTRAFLORA prebiotic fiber as a source of dietary fiber under its revised Fiber Policy for Labeling and Advertising of Dietary Fiber-Containing Food Products, introduced in February 2012.
Australian crops
Nufarm’s rocky start to 2013 continues with the Australian manufacturer and distributor of crop protection products announcing the end of its second long-term deal with a global agricultural company in three months.
Carlsberg says it is taking an ‘important step forward’ in China with a $466m offer for a controlling stake in Chongqing Brewery Company (CBC), in a move to double the number of native breweries it directly controls.
A major new player in the flour milling industry will emerge later this year following the merger of ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling (a joint venture between Cargill and CHS) to create a new company called Ardent Mills.
Up to $14m could be shaved off the cost of major outbreaks of illness caused by foodborne pathogens, according to a report just issued by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
Global report on food colours
Natural colours have overtaken their synthetic counterparts for the first time ever, and the trend towards clean label products is one of the key drivers according to new data from Mintel and Leatherhead Food Research.
British consumers continue to believe that private label products are the same as those from national brands –but in different packaging, according to new research from Canadean.
The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a food flavouring company and a processing plant for safety violations.
As contamination scandals continue to rage through Europe, French supermarket giant Carrefour has announced a number of initiatives to improve the traceability and quality of its supply chains.
Big interview: Ingrid Hirstin Lazcano, CEO, Andean Dream
A technical paper produced by NASA in 1993 observes: "While no single food can supply all the essential life sustaining nutrients, quinoa comes as close as any other in the plant or animal kingdom.”
Food for thought
If you are a regular reader of this news service, you would be hard-pressed to find just one month in the last two years when we have NOT reported on a food safety issue in China.
New Zealand’s government has been criticised for having “inadequate” plans to deal with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, leaving farmers at risk.
China's growth
China has the potential to replace South America as the dominant exporter of soymeal to Southeast Asia, according to a report from Rabobank.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Choice Organic Teas has joined forces with Bastyr Univesity to formulate and launch a co-branded line of functional teas.
The confectionery industry is not immune to economic recession and must exploit opportunities in emerging economies to grow, according to an analyst from Goldman Sachs.