The world's number one caramel colour supplier DD Williamson drives
further into the profitable natural colours market, acquiring the
natural colours business of Artemis International.
US starch product supplier Penford Food Ingredients targets growing
demand for rice starch, for the first time adding a variety of rice
starches to its current portfolio of potato, tapioca, and corn
starch products,reports Lindsey...
Alginate specialist International Specialty Products (ISP) expands
and consolidates its food stabiliser portfolio, acquiring the
technology and customers of UK business Creative Food Systems
(CFS), reports Lindsey Partos.
Cranberry supplier Northland Cranberries gains from agreement with
rival Ocean Spray plus sale of branded juice business, reporting a
lift in income for the third quarter this year.
Cargill's pioneering Life Stage approach to developing and
marketing ingredients shows how the industry can better tune into
consumer demand, writes Anthony Fletcher from New Orleans.
As Chinese producers move in on western markets, the first response
by many established players is to protect and defend their previous
market positions. It's a doomed strategy.
Laughing gas - or nitrous oxide - produces chocolate with better
bubbles and a more intense melt-in-the-mouth flavour, claim UK
researchers,writes Lindsey Partos.
Two major US bakeries are today adding white wholegrain bread to
their product ranges, targeting consumers who want the taste they
like while receiving the nutrition they need, reports Lorraine
Heller.
Acquisitive US ingredients firm Cargill leapfrogs into a leading
pectin position as the Citrico acquisition clears allowing pectin
products to fall into Cargill's portfolio, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Senator Tom Harkin claimed yesterday that if stringent
self-regulation in the marketing of children's food products is not
put into place soon, a backlash against the food industry is
inevitable writes Anthony Fletcher.
Grasping the booming opportunities in the Chinese food and beverage
market, Japanese food conglomerate Kagome has linked up with
Chinese firm to bring vegetable and fruit juices to the market.
Organic production produces the same corn and soybean yields as
conventional farming, but consumes 30 percent less energy and uses
no pesticides, according to a revealing new study.
Proposals to put cigarette-style health warnings on soft drinks to
highlight the harmful effects of too many sugary beverages has been
called patronizing by the American Beverage Association, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
Biodar's new line of microencapsulated vitamins and minerals for
kids' chewable applications could help improve diets and even save
food makers money, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Food makers turn to wood-sourced vanillin as high oil prices
continue to put pressure on the price of petrochemical-based
vanilla alternatives, and natural vanilla stocks remain
vulnerable,writes Lindsey Partos.
With potential impact on food makers, scientists in the US have
uncovered new details of how smelly things create signals in the
nose that eventually go to the brain.
The delicious smell of traditional baseball food - hotdogs, beer
and onions - is usually enough to quell any worries about
nutrition, but a new study suggests that these snacks are not
necessarily as bad as commonly thought.
A society that views food as taste-bud entertainment rather than a
basic of well-being was always bound to run into health problems.
But with obesity now afflicting 300m people, and diabetes set to
reach similar numbers within two...
The FDA has urged the soft drink industry to review the ingredient
statements on their soft drink labels following the withdrawal of a
proposed "and/or" ruling on sweeteners.
A new laboratory designed to improve the quality of barley and oats
could have major implications for makers of breakfast cereals,
beverages and bakery goods.
Signing yet another deal to feed its seemingly insatiable appetite
for acquisitions, US ingredients firm Cargill makes a drive into
the whey derivatives market, reports Lindsey Partos.
Galaxy Nutritional Foods has entered into two definitive agreements
with Schreiber Foods for the sale of its plant assets and the
outsourcing of its manufacturing operations.
MGP Ingredients, Manildra Milling and the Kansas State University
Research Foundation (KSURF) have reached a settlement over an
alleged patent infringement involving food-grade starches,writes
Anthony Fletcher.
Food makers looking to slice potential allergens from their food
formulations will benefit from a new allergen-free apple designed
by researchers in The Netherlands, reports Lindsey Partos.
The National Food Laboratory has developed a new test method for
the detection of Sudan Red food dye, a potential carcinogen that
has been the focus of numerous product recalls.
Balchem's acquisition of the encapsulation and agglomeration
business of Loders Croklaan shows that the company believes there
is a strong future in encapsulation technology.
This week's roundup of ingredients business news includes the
announcement of Chr Hansen's new owner and the establishment of an
innovative new organic ingredients business.
Mars Inc is sending out a clear signal that functional foods are
moving mainstream, with the creation of a new Nutrition for Health
& Well-Being business unit to capitalize on research into the
health benefits of cocoa, reports...
NASA satellite technology could soon be used to help food producers
distinguish between GM (genetically modified) crops and non-GM
crops, opening the door to greater acceptance of GM food, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
There are worries that a district court ruling in Maine banning all
synthetic ingredients in products labeled organic could
significantly slow the sector's growth, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
Drinking green tea is highly unlikely to help prevent breast,
prostate or any other type of cancer, the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) said last week, after reviewing the evidence
to support a health claim, reports Dominique...
It is time to draw on science to establish once and for all whether
food intolerance is just a source of succour for hypochondriacs, or
whether it is genuinely a modern scourge.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has welcomed the
introduction of legislation that would establish a voluntary
country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program in place of a mandated
program.
The US milk supply chain is still too vulnerable to a terrorist
attack, says new research, warning that stricter security could
save billions of dollars and thousands of lives, reports Chris
Mercer.
National Starch believes that enabling food companies to label
their products as containing no or minimal additives or ingredients
is set to be a highly lucrative practice in the future, write
Anthony Fletcher.
The recent evolution of supply and demand issues for non-GM
lecithin is pushing ingredients manufacturers such as Danisco to
promote their alternatives on the market, reports Lindsey
Partos.
While some food companies remain petrified that they will not be
ready for new trans fat and food allergen labeling requirements,
others have recognised the January 1 deadline as an opportunity,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
A recent proposal to broaden the definition of Class 1 fluid milk
has divided industry opinion between those who see potential in
improved prices and those who see a loss of consumer trust,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Ambitious ingredients firm Cargill reaches into its deep pockets,
strengthening its portfolio to food makers in China through the
acquisition of an academia supported food ingredients firm based in
Peking, reports Lindsey Partos.
Tighter supplies will lead to rises in prices for maize and coffee,
while the cost for rice, wheat, milk, oilcrops and milk will remain
stable or fall, according to the latest forecasts from the UN's
Food and Agriculture Organisation...
A roundup of recalled products in June shows the importance of
careful labeling, with the majority taken off the shelves because
of various undeclared ingredients.
The US District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday
resolved the final outstanding point in Roche's appeal over the
Empagran price-fixing case, ruling that the US courts have no
jurisdiction in the United States to...
A lawsuit targeting Kraft, General Mills and Dannon for dishonest
advertising over weight-loss claims has been attacked as a front
for animal rights extremists, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Sales of diet candy more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2004,
fueled by better-tasting products, improved formulations and
heightened concern over weight gain in adults and children,
writes Anthony Fletcher.