Europe's food watchdog comes up with benchmark consumer consumption
doses for antimicrobial agents used sparingly by food manufacturers
as a preservative in meat products and potato snacks, reports
Lindsey Partos.
Engineers from the US have demonstrated that stirring a mix of
granular ingredients faster or longer in food manufacturing won't
always give you a smooth blend, writes Anthony Fletcher.
The use of natural colours in food formulations continues to grow
on the back of the soaring functional food trend but food makers
looking to swap artificial for natural are stumbling on development
issues. UK firm TasteTech's...
Pushed by a UK minister, food makers handed in plans at the weekend
to slash the salt content in processed foods but the industry has
criticised the government move, suspecting political
spin,reports Lindsey Partos.
An oregano and cranberry concoction could be a potent
anti-microbial agent for food processors under constant pressure to
reduce the risk of foodborne diseases in the ever-expanding food
production chain.
The recent bolt on acquisition of Rhodia Food Ingredients lifted
sales for Danisco in an otherwise challenging first quarter for
2004/2005 but efforts to improve margins appear to be paying off,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Hoping to beat the chemical forces that make tortillas brittle, a
US chemist is taking a close look at the causes of staling in aging
tortillas to ultimately stop all foods from going stale.
The UK food industry has backed a new campaign launched today by
the country's food agency to slash salt levels in food products and
reduce overall salt consumption in the consumer diet.
Europe's food watchdog calls on the €600 billion food and drink
industry to find out more about the presence of a potentially
harmful carcinogen - furan - in foods after scientists in the US
identify low levels in cooked foods.
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.
The effect of trans fatty acids (TFAs) on heart health may be
greater than that of saturated fatty acids, according to scientists
from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), but only when
consumed at equivalent levels. Further...
Natural alternatives to commonly used food preservatives in
processed foods are growing in demand as consumers shy away from
synthetic food additives in favour of a natural equivalent. An
anti-microbial agent sourced from grapes will...
Food makers may eventually benefit from imminent food technologies
designed to prolong space travel as NASA calls on food scientists
to provide food solutions that will enable humans to travel far
from Earth - to the Moon or Mars...
Pricing pressure on the global market for citric acid has forced
DSM of the Netherlands to lay off staff at its Citrique Belge unit.
And there's no sign of a recovery in the market, says an
independent ingredients consultant,reports...
The less than sparkling, but stable, full year results for Danish
ingredients giant Danisco mirror the current state of play for
ingredients companies in today's market marked by squeezed margins,
higher raw material prices and...
In response to market demand natural lactic acid, lactate and
gluconate supplier Purac wlll ramp up production of its sodium
lactate powder, unveiling a new production facility in Spain.
Findings from a new report from the Geneva-based World Trade
Organisation suggest today's highly processed food industry will
continue its thirst for ingredients, writes Lindsey Partos.
In the past two decades international trade...
Food makers are criticised again for the high salt content in food
products as campaign group CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and
Health) publishes new survey saying sandwiches on sale at retail
outlets are so salty they should carry...
Last year Denmark became the first country in the world to ban
trans fats from food products over fears these hydrogenated fats
could contribute to heart disease. While the EU has yet to reach a
position on the labelling of these...
Tapping into the €83 million market for cellulose gum use in food
applications, UK-based ingredient firm Fiske has signed a new
agreement with CMC leader Noviant to distribute the firm's range of
cellulose gums.
On 1 May an historic moment marked the entry of ten countries and
75 million consumers into the European Union. Churchill's 'Iron
Curtain' has been consigned to the history books, heralding
democracy, stability and...
Mirroring the state of play for ingredients companies operating
into today's climate, price pressures put the squeeze on third
quarter margins for ingredients giant Danisco.
Millions of euros will be poured into three major
'farm-to-fork?research projects, the Commission said yesterday, to
reinforce R&D co-operation at a European level and bring a
monetary boost to the increasingly complex food...
The movement of foodstuffs within the European boundaries will be
changed forever once the next step towards an enlarged Europe takes
place. Food and Life Sciences lawyer Raymond O’Rourke takes us
through a detailed look at some of...
Set against the backdrop of difficult trading conditions for
branded food manufacturers, raw material prices and a negative
currency impact played down first half figures for ingredients
giant Danisco.
Speaking in Brussels earlier this week, European Commissioner for
Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne announced the latest
development on issues relating to food safety within an enlarged
EU.
Early depletion of African gum stocks have driven up global prices
of gum acacia. US company TIC gums this week passed the price rise
of gum arabic on to the market.
New rules that harmonise EU legislation on additives necessary for
the storage and use of flavourings were welcomed by industry last
week. Proposed by the Commission in 2002, amendments to Directive
95/2/EC on food additives other...
Labelling issues on the cards again for manufacturers as the UK's
food safety agency this week launches a consultation on the use of
alternative phrases to 'may contain' on food labels.
With serendipitous coincidence, in the same week that the European
Food Safety Authority delivers its hotly awaited first opinion on a
GMO, bureaucrats and stakeholders have gathered in Brussels under
the aegis of the Commission to...
In a move to beat unfair competition, the European Council has
adopted an amendment of its directive on food additives other than
colours and sweeteners. The changes set out to harmonise the use of
food additives in flavourings at...
If traceability is at the heart of new food labelling rules in
Europe then the life blood keeping it beating must be risk
management. On the eve of the first ever risk assessment on
genetically modified organisms delivered by Europe's...
In the wake of terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001
Europe's manufacturing industries have taken a knock but figures
released this week reveal that the food industry is managing the
course, registering a 'light...
Balchem Encapsulates used the FiE exhibition in Frankfurt last week
as a platform to launch three microencapsulated forms of potassium
for the food and supplement markets to combat processing
challenges, the company claimed.
California’s adoption of AB 418 to prohibit Brominated Vegetable Oil, Potassium Bromate, Propylparaben and Red Dye 3 has led other U.S. states to follow...
Mitigating residual moisture is an ever-present food safety and quality goal in any food processing environment. Yet there’s a Catch-22: Most conventional...
Sugar does more than provide sweetness. It is a foundational ingredient, contributing to texture, color, and mouthfeel while also providing the necessary...
