Updated EU rules on aflatoxin contamination crack down on repeat
offenders such as Egypt, China, Iran and Turkey, and will affect
imports of supplies such as peanuts, pistachios, and dried fruit.
Soya beverage makers are using more subtle marketing of their key
ingredient and merging with more traditional segments like juice
and dairy in a bid to bring their products into the mainstream,
according to industry experts.
The burgeoning organic chocolate market is taking off thanks to an
increase in ethical consumerism and the willingness of
confectionery makers worldwide to exploit the trend.
The market for nut or wheat-free bakery products could see a slump
within the next decade if research into the eradication of food
allergies is successful.
Healthy ingredients, a must-have for any ingredient supplier these
days, are just as relevant in Asia as western markets, say
companies exhibiting at this week's Fi-Asia in Bangkok.
Another petition has been filed in recent weeks requesting
immediate action to protect popcorn factory workers from the
lung-disease causing butter flavour diacetyl.
Banana prices in the US have seen a significant increase in recent
months, as leading supplier Chiquita attempts to offset losses
after facing tough trading conditions in Europe.
The first product from the collaboration between Kirin Breweries
and Yakult Honsha to develop health and functional foods will hit
the market next month. Called BBcube, it brings together a fibre
from Kirin and a bacteria from Yakult...
Increasing consumption of omega-3 by eating adequate amount of oily
fish or taking fish oil supplements could save 58 Americans for
every 100,000, a recent study looking into preventing sudden
cardiac death concluded.
A small study into the effects of soluble and insoluble fibre on
blood pressure indicates that individuals with slightly high
cholesterol levels may benefit from including plenty of whole
grains in their diets.
Leading açai berry supplier Sambazon has completed the construction
of a new manufacturing facility in Brazil, a move that is set to
significantly increase the volumes of the berry brought into the
US.
Food allergies could be consigned to the history books within a
decade if the combination of biotechnology and vaccines work as
planned, Dutch researchers have told the BA Festival of Science in
England.
Another petition has been filed in recent weeks requesting
immediate action to protect popcorn factory workers from the
lung-disease causing butter flavor diacetyl.
The EC's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has
now discussed the possible illegal GM contamination of long grain
rice imports from the US.
A pilot program that distributed fresh fruits and vegetables to
children in Mississippi schools has resulted in increased
consumption of these goods, findings that provide guidance towards
a comprehensive approach for improving students'...
A new study proving the efficacy of using beet molasses as a
substratum to produce Xanthonomas and gelling polymers could be of
great interest to the food industry.
People who regularly eat cured meats are 71 per cent more likely to
have symptoms of lung disease than people who never eat this type
of meat, says a new study from the US.
Agro giant Bayer Crop Sciences has petitioned the US Department of
Agriculture to approve a genetically modified rice variety that has
been at the heart of a recent contamination scandal.
Researchers from the University of Ulster and University College
Cork are to embark on a three-year project to investigate what
level of dietary vitamin D is needed to maintain good vitamin D
status in winter.
Grape seed and pine bark extracts as additives in cooked meats
performed better than the synthetic preservatives in oxidation and
microbial effects, results that could be readily acceptable to
consumers seeking ready-to-eat meat products...
Rich Nature Nutraceutical Laboratories has launched proprietary
Bevesol, a low-heat, spray-dried powder from wolfberry juice
concentrate, for use in functional foods. Suitable for
reconstituting wolfberry juice, the powder could save...
Natural food group SunOpta is to quadruple its sales of the açai
berry in North America, revealing that the Brazilian berry is the
most popular fruit ingredient with its customers.
With obesity continuing to grab the headlines, a joint
US-Portuguese study of what affects the motivation to feed is said
to contribute to a better understanding of how the brain responds
to food stimuli.
Spices and seasonings are slowy gaining popularity in the US, as
once pernickety consumers are warming to the increased ethnic
diversity of foods and flavors, reveals a new report.
Europeans are more clued up than their American counterparts when
it comes to the benefits of dark chocolate, according to a US
company educating the market through their range of functional
health-boosting cocoa products.
Unilever has petitioned the FDA to amend its health claim for the
use of phytosterols in foods and allow full daily intake in one
serving rather than two - suggesting the consumer brand giant
foresees more explicit and simplified...
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) expects to increase its sales of high
fructose corn syrup to Mexico once the market opens up in 2008,
which will effectively tighten the supply and demand situation
further, a company executive has said.
Novozymes has taken the top position in Dow Jones Sustainability
Group Index's biotech category, while DSM tops the list for the
Chemical Industry sector.
Glanbia has today announced that it is acquiring Californian
nutritional business Seltzer Companies for $105m (€81.8m), enabling
it to establish an integrated nutritional formulation presence
across the US and Europe.
Yet another study has revealed the importance of good nutrition
from an early age, as researchers found that children who are
overweight as toddlers are more likely to become obese in early
adolescence.
US scientists have discovered heat tolerant barley enzymes, which
could make malting more efficient for beer, and also provide
benefits for the production of bakery goods and breakfast cereals.
Eskimo Pie Corporation, a subsidiary of CoolBrands International,
is to sell its dairy ingredients division to a leading manufacturer
of specialty flavors for the ice cream industry, it emerged last
week.
Adding carrageenans to egg white ovalbumin improves the gelling
ability of the egg protein and could spark a "great interest using
liquid egg as gelling agents", says research from Spain.
Most Americans are not consuming enough of the daily recommended
amounts of fruits and vegetables, according to research by the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Cancer Institute.
Products containing Forbes Medi-Tech's Reducol plant sterols have
proved popular in Finnish supermarket Kesko - so much so that it is
expanding its Pirkko range to include a non-dairy margarine.
Children with lactose intolerance are missing out on essential
nutrients by avoiding dairy, and could benefit from probiotics and
aged cheeses, say a review from the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP).
The world's major citric acid producers have warned that unless
reasonable price increases can be successfully implemented this
year, the market will face further consolidation and potential
supply shortages.
Slovenia's Vitiva has reported sales growth in excess of 200 per
cent for the first half the year, as it continues to implement its
rapid growth strategy and reach out into new business sectors.
Portion sizes have again been linked to rising obesity levels in
the US, with a new study indicating that people may be eating more
because they are unaware of the reference portion sizes encouraged
for a healthy diet.
The FSA is seeking comments on proposed European Commission
regulations that would establish a common authorisation procedure
for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings.