Markos Kyprianou, the new Commissioner for Health and Consumer
Protection in Brussels, will continue in his predecessor David
Byrne's foodsteps, pushing to maintain high levels of food safety
in the EU.
Brussels addresses the issue of consumer cynicism and fear of
agricultural biotechnology in European citizens, setting up a
thematic network on the safety risk assessment of genetically
modified food crops, the Entransfood project,...
Stopping the distribution of contaminated foods from the farm to
the fork is a ceaseless challenge for the food industry that relies
heavily on technology to identify any anomalies.
Food technology company Senomyx has recently taken a step closer to
commercializing several of its savory enhancers after submitting
them to be registered as GRAS, reports Philippa Nuttall.
Biotech giant Monsanto announced a smaller net loss for the first
quarter of 2005 than the same period last year thanks mainly to
increasing seed sales, but legal problems are still proving
expensive for the company.
Despite an upturn in global wheat, corn and soy production in 2004,
prices for food ingredients sourced from cereal raw materials are
likely to remain under pressure, writes Lindsey Partos.
Colour does not appear to dictate lycopene content as green, purple
and red tomato ketchups boast similar levels of health promoting
antioxidant lycopene, claim researchers, who also identified dark
red ketchup as boasting the strongest...
Vietnamese rice exports have earned the country nearly $10 billion
in the past sixteen years, but despite this, the Vietnamese
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development says that there is
still plenty of room to further enhance...
The boss of UK starch and sugar group Tate & Lyle, currently
enjoying booming sales for its sweetener 600 times sweeter than
sugar, has hooked the European Businessman of the Year award from
leading US business magazine Forbes.
A French supplier of konjac gum, most commonly known for its use as
a texturant in food products, is hoping to move into the health
ingredients sector, after preliminary research found that konjac
derivatives may have benefits for...
SEAFOODplus, the largest research project ever sponsored by the EU
in the seafood sector, is now underway and will aim to satisfy
consumer demand for healthy, safe seafood.
Smell recognition in human beings is more likely to depend on
nurture rather than nature, suggesting that we can learn to like an
aroma, claims fundamental research published this week.
Food scientists continue the challenge to come up with food
ingredients suitable for consumers unable to eat wheat, rye or
barley-based foods because of a reaction to the gluten protein
found in these grains.
Danisco has launched a series of products aimed at helping the
baking industry cope with the move towards whole grain products
that is expected in the US in 2005.
Health remains one of the top 10 consumer 'mega-trends' dictating
the success of new product launches this year, say market analysts
Datamonitor, which claims that almost three-quarters of Europeans
are now more concerned...
Genomic tools help scientists gain an insight into the roots of
foodborne disease and to identify clues about why some strains of
the bacterium campylobacter - which each year cause more than 400
million cases of gastrointestinal...
Opportunities for suppliers and users of low-calorie bulk sweetener
erythritol open up as Canada clears approval for inclusion of this
natural sweetener in a range of food formulations from cream
fillings to chewing gum.
An improvement in the quality of flour ingredients is the focus of
new research by US government scientists who are taking a closer
look at hundreds of different proteins in the wheat kernels.
Further evidence to support evidence of the harmful impact of heavy
drinking on health as researchers find three or more alcoholic
drinks a day considerably ramps up stroke risk in men.
US scientists confirm that food products contaminated with the
serious foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli were responsible
for a multi-state outbreak of urinary tract infections.
Genomic tools help scientists gain an insight into the roots of
foodborne disease and to identify clues about why some strains of
the bacterium campylobacter - which each year cause more than 400
million cases of gastrointestinal...
Number one dextrose producer Corn Products International will drive
operations forward in Korea, buying up the remaining slice of its
Korean business from Doosan corporation.
Curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice, is to be investigated
for its potential in prevention of Alzheimer's disease after tests
on mice found it to be more effective than drugs currently being
investigated for treatment.
The UK's medicines regulator is setting up a new herbal medicines
advisory committee to provide it with expert advice on herbal
medicines in anticipation of the forthcomin European traditional
medicinal herbal products directive.
Opportunities for suppliers and users of low-calorie bulk sweetener
erythritol open up as Canada clears approval for inclusion of this
natural sweetener in a range of food formulations from cream
fillings to chewing gum.
Competition continues to bite for Swedish speciality fats and oils
business Karlshamns with the firm announcing it will pour Euros
6.68 million (SEK60m) into cost-cutting measures.
Australia and New Zealand consider changes to their food code,
inviting stakeholders to pass comment on a raft of propositions
from food additive approvals to labelling requirements.
The bolt-on acquisition of Rhodia Food Ingredients earlier this
year helps boost sales for Danish ingredients and sugar group
Danisco in an otherwise challenging 2004/05 first half.
Consumers should forget about taking medication to help them stay
healthy longer and change their diet instead, suggest scientists
writing in this week's British Medical Journal.
Widespread procurement and more than 100 years in business help
French hydrocolloid producer Colloides Naturels International (CNI)
assure supplies for gum arabic amid global shortfalls in stock,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Against the backdrop of soaring prices for locust bean gum, getting
the best price for the customer is a challenge hydrocolloid
producers must meet if they want to ensure ongoing contracts,
reports Lindsey Partos.
The number of food-linked alerts in the European Union leapt by
over 40 per cent in 2003 on the previous year, with the majority
sourced in the 'old' member states.
Prices for cocoa remain relatively volatile as political unrest in
Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global cocoa crops,
keeps the market nervous.
Iron supplements may be useful for children with attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), say researchers that have found a
small group of these children to be deficient in the mineral.
New findings from Japanese researchers could help society
understand the mechanistic role of obesity in the metabolic
syndrome and could eventually help stem the obesity epidemic.
Biopharmaceutical company Bionutrics has said it will carry out
clinical trials for its newly formulated dietary supplements
designed to address lipid metabolism and help maintain a normal
level of cholesterol.
Moves in the food industry this week include Monica Gonzalez
joining the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) as director of
scientific and regulatory policy and Mike Leavitt being picked to
head the Health and Human Services department..
Several major beverage companies plan to begin selling flavored
water early next year, a move that could bost their sales in the
rapidly growing bottled water market, according to a report by the
Associated Press (AP) this week.
SlimFast owner Unilever has gained the exclusive global rights to
an appetite-suppressing compound extracted from the hoodia gordonii
plant by UK-based Phytopharm, reports Dominique Patton.