Number one cultures supplier Chr. Hansen is up for sale as its
major stakeholder decides to pull away from the ingredients slice
of the company to focus on the pharmaceutical unit, reports
Lindsey Partos.
Danisco believes it has made ice crystals in ice cream a thing of
the past by creating a technology that will help manufacturers
control heat shock, reports Philippa Nuttall.
Food makers can expect to see the price of hydrocolloids continue
to move upwards as suppliers, knocked by squeezed commodity
supplies coupled with higher energy and transport costs, pass rises
onto the market.
The last two years have seen a significant increase in businesses
using fair trade coffee, but Philippa Nuttall asks whether
the US is really serious about ethical food ingredients.
CP Kelco, bought by JM Huber last month, has launched Kelogel HM-B
gellan gum, a hydrocolloid system designed to provide suspension of
cocoa and minerals in ready-to-drink dairy based beverages.
Danisco has taken up the low-carb, low-sugar baton and run with it,
developing a line of flavors aimed at food manufacturers developing
artificially sweetened and reduced sugar beverages and dairy
products.
Philadelphia based FMC BioPolymer the number one supplier of
food-grade carrageenan will raise prices for this gum by up to 8
percent as raw material costs cut into margins, suggesting that
cheaper alternatives, such as the semi-refined...
ADM, the giant processor of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa for use
in foods, saw profits in the first quarter soar by 77 percent,
fuelled by a drop in oilseed and grain prices.
Reorganization activities in Europe caused a dip in International
Flavors & Fragrances' earnings in the third quarter of 2004,
but North America continued to see strong growth, particularly in
its flavors division.
Improved margins and risk management tools help the world's biggest
oilseed processor Bunge more than double its profit for the third
quarter, despite a knock back from soybean trade in China.
Food manufacturers using pecan nuts in their food products can
expect a hike in price as recent hurricanes in the US destroyed
nearly half the crops in major producing states.
Kellogg reported a solid 7 percent increase in its earnings for the
third quarter with the North America region also putting up a
strong performance thanks to the successful introdution of new
product lines.
United International Enterprises Limited (UIE), the majority
stakeholder in vegetable oil firm Aarhus United, confirms it will
sell its considerable stake in the Danish firm, due to be divested
by January 2005.
In line with growing consumer demand for organic products, Butter
Buds Food Ingredients has introduced a certified organic line of
natural butter, cream and cheese concentrates.
After a slightly slow start to the year, the confectionery group
Hershey Foods, saw sales rise and the gross margin expand in the
third quarter, despite rising commodity costs.
Novis, now with almost half a million readers, yesterday earned
broad industry recognition with two further publishing awards,
following on from its best publication prize earlier this year.
Corn Products International has announced improved sales and
improved earning for the first nine months of 2004, though as the
company had previously forecast, the second half of the year is
proving more challenging.
Colors and flavors group Sensient Technologies this week reported
an increase in earnings for the third quarter of 2004, a welcome
result after a drop in profit in the first six months of this year.
Coca-Cola, which until now has struggled to make its mark in the
profitable energy-drink market, hopes to rectify the situation with
the launch of Full Throttle early next year in the US.
The battle for market share in the growing zero trans fats oil
marketplace has gathered pace after a small US co-operative joined
the large commercial players by rolling out its first batch of
trans fat-free soybean oil.
Despite acknowledging last week that considerable investments in
R&D and production facilities, designed to support the low carb
surge, would impact sales in the first quarter of 2005, wheat
protein and starch supplier MGP Ingredients,...
Soy products firm Solbar Industries is to set up a new company
specialized in sugar analysis, which will market its technology for
use by manufacturers of dairy products, protein-rich foods and
probiotic products.
Natural Foods Group Hain Celestial has confirmed it will purchase
the new natural vanilla flavor created by Technology Flavors &
Fragrances (TFF) for use in its products.
A rise in global stocks of wheat after a 30-year low will offer
continued relief to the tighter prices experienced by the food
industry in previous years, but the food chain still needs to stay
on the alert.
Food scientists continue to roll out tools in the fight against
foodborne pathogens as researchers in the US design a new biosensor
to detect the potentially deadly bacteria Listeria
monocytogenes.
Cargill, the largest private firm in the US, will link up with
biotech giant Monsanto to bring food makers an alternative source
of soybean oil, used to reduce the artery-clogging trans fats in
food products.
All Big G breakfast cereals produced by General Mills are to be
made with whole grains as the company strives to create a
responsible image in the face of increasing public health concerns.
But the company claims it has not sacrificed...
Competition in the sweeteners market could move up a gear in the
near future as Japanese scientists harness production capacity for
the taste-altering protein miraculin that makes sour foods taste
sweet,reports Lindsey Partos.
Number one natural colours firm Chr Hansen builds on ambitions to
penetrate deeper into this growing market with the launch of a new
range of natural reds that tackle stability for beverage
formulations, reports Lindsey Partos.
More science is needed to encourage food and drink makers to invest
in new formulations using third generation whey products, finds a
new report that suggests more clinical trials and documentation
could overcome this barrier to growth,...
Damage from Hurricane Ivan that struck the US last week could send
prices for peanuts, a common confectionery ingredient, rising as
reports suggest that virtually all of the nation's 2004 peanut crop
could be at risk.
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has been rewarded for its innovation
in the field of edible oils and fats for its development of the
NovaLipid line of zero and low trans fat oils.
Fiber-enriched products are the next big thing to hit the US health
food market after the low-carb fad, according to a survey carried
out by the Naples, New York database company Productscan Online.
Burcon NutraScience and the Fraunhofer Institute have concluded the
first phase of their investigations into the potential health
benefits of the canola proteins, Supertein and Puratein.
Ahead of new rules on the labelling of trans fatty acids in the US
due in 2006, biotech group Monsanto has designed low-linolenic
soybeans that can make a soybean oil for food firms looking to
eliminate trans fats in food formulations.
Huge swathes of products in the US have been deemed inappropriate
for consumers seeking to lose weight. But the processed cheese
brand The Laughing Cow, has benefited from one fad, with US sales
rising by more than 250 per cent after...
Natural foods group Hain Celestial Group has reported a mixed bag
of results for fiscal 2004, announcing a healthy 17 percent
increase in sales over the year, though net income was down on
2003.
Mitsubishi has strengthened its foothold in the North American food
market with its purchase of the ingestibles business of Dublin,
Ohio based Ashland Distribution.
The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has decided
to pursue its investigation into alleged dumping of the
hydrocolloid ingredient purified carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) after
an initial complaint by Aqualan, a division...
With the market for certified organic products continuing to grow,
demand for organic hydrocolloids has also expanded - prompting the
leading supplier of hydrocolloids to the US food industry to launch
an organic version of its guar...
Brazil, a leading exporter of soybeans and key competitor with the
US, is worried that rising production costs for soybeans could eat
into local farm profits next season, while global stocks rise,
according to fresh figures from the...
Increased harvests for key food commodities could suggest a
near-term easing up of price pressures for ingredients companies
and food manufacturers but an overall draw-down in global stocks
means prices are still extremely vulnerable,...
