Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - North America EU edition

Consumer group targets Ocean Spray cranberry ingredient

20-Nov-2009 - The National Consumers League (NCL) has written to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), accusing Ocean Spray of falsely marketing its Choice sweetened dried cranberry ingredient.

Kraft’s Cadbury bid could foretell M&A boom

20-Nov-2009 - Kraft’s pursuit of Cadbury could mark the start of a surge in M&A activity for the sector as consumers’ focus on value supports a stable outlook for food manufacturers during 2010, Fitch Ratings has predicted.

News in brief

FDA extends acrylamide comment period

20-Nov-2009 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the period during which it will accept comments on acrylamide in food, as it considers issuing industry guidance.

Sodium reduction trend to gain momentum in 2010, says Mintel

19-Nov-2009 - Market research organization Mintel has predicted that sodium reduction in packaged foods will become a clear trend in 2010 as food manufacturers and health organizations take the lead.

GFF tackles soggy veggie dishes

19-Nov-2009 - Gilroy Foods and Flavors (GFF) has released a range of ready-to-use vegetables that have less water content than instant quick freeze (IQF) varieties thereby preventing sogginess, the company claims.

Hershey launches travel confectionary range

19-Nov-2009 - The Travel Retail group of confectionary giant Hershey has launched a new range of travel retail exclusive products including Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Nuggets chocolates and Reese’s and Hershey's Miniatures.

Hershey confirms interest in Cadbury

19-Nov-2009 - Hershey has confirmed that it is “reviewing its options” regarding a possible joint bid with Ferrero for British confectioner Cadbury, following media speculation about talks yesterday.

PureCircle raises $67.18m for stevia investment

18-Nov-2009 - Sweetener company PureCircle has raised $67.18m through share placing to invest in the development of its natural sweetener products made from stevia leaves.

Committee grills Nestle and Kellogg on salt reduction

18-Nov-2009 - Representatives of Nestle and Kellogg defended their actions on salt reduction this week in front of a skeptical committee of Canadian MPs.

Weekly comment

Alleviation of hunger should top CSR agenda

17-Nov-2009 - Climate change dominates the CSR agenda but new USDA figures on food insecurity are a sharp reminder that alleviating poverty and hunger should always be the top priority.

Coke reveals ambitious 2020 growth targets

17-Nov-2009 - Coca-Cola has outlined key business goals for 2020 including plans to more than double system revenue from $95bn to $200bn.

Europeans’ Christmas food spend to remain stagnant

17-Nov-2009 - Food and drink makers in Europe can expect little change from last year's fallen Christmas figures but food spending could suffer less than other consumer goods, predicts a report from Deloitte.

Prevention is the best medicine for health care reform: Survey

16-Nov-2009 - The majority of Americans consider disease prevention the most important element of health care reform, according to a new poll from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

News in brief

Indiana dry milk processor gets grade A certification

16-Nov-2009 - PacMoore, an Indiana-based manufacturer of dry milk products, has received grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) certification.

IFT reviews food traceability

16-Nov-2009 - The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has released a report examining food traceability, with the aim of reducing foodborne illness by making it easier to trace food along the entire supply chain.

Recession hasn’t increased home cooking, claims report

13-Nov-2009 - New market research from The NPD Group claims that Americans are not cooking at home any more than they did before the recession, but they are looking for prepared foods that they can simply heat and eat.

Monsanto asks regulators to approve trans-fat free soy

13-Nov-2009 - Monsanto has submitted evidence to the FDA and USDA backing the safety of its Vistive III soybean traits, intended to provide heat stable, trans-fat free cooking oils.

News in brief

Billionaire increases Cadbury stake

13-Nov-2009 - US hedge-fund manager, John Paulson, has doubled his stake in Cadbury on the same day the confectionary giant rejected a hostile takeover bid from Kraft, according to media reports.

News in brief

NSF calls for food safety award nominations

13-Nov-2009 - NSF International has called for nominations for its 2010 Food Safety Leadership Awards program (FSLA).

Recessionary dynamics boost private label soft drink sales

12-Nov-2009 - Sales of private label soft drinks are accelerating as consumers go out less and therefore drink more at home, according to a new report.

New salt balances sodium and potassium

12-Nov-2009 - A new sea salt with 66 percent less sodium than common table salt and high potassium content is being offered to food manufacturers, after six years of development work involving salts from the Mediterranean region.

News in brief

Seltzer changes name to Glanbia Nutritionals (NA)

12-Nov-2009 - Seltzer has been renamed Glanbia Nutritionals (NA) three years after joining the Glanbia Group.

NutraCea files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

12-Nov-2009 - Rice bran ingredient supplier NutraCea filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday, claiming that it will allow the company to restructure, reduce overheads and sell non-core assets.

EU competition watchdog to rule on Kraft bid next month

12-Nov-2009 - The European Commission has set a one-month deadline to rule on the possible hostile takeover of Cadbury by US food giant Kraft, the EU competition regulator said on Wednesday.