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Innovation: the fast before the feast

12-May-2008 - Last week's Vitafoods trade show highlighted a drop in ingredient innovation with many companies placing the blame at the door of Europe's evolving health claims legislation.

Adjusting to Mars' centre stage ambitions

05-May-2008 - While in the Hollywood stratosphere, it seems that you are not anyone these days unless you're a duo, in the glamorous world of food manufacture, the team-up route to success may not be quite as simple.

No quick fix to the food price crisis

28-Apr-2008 - The food crisis is neither new nor sudden. The several underlying causes have been independently, steadily gathering speed and have collided in a perfect storm not seen for generations. It is going to take a coordinated, long-term effort to untangle them.

The dangers of selective science

21-Apr-2008 - Antioxidants are back under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. But the use of meta-analyses to pool data is controversial, and scientists need to keep perspective before publishing conclusions.

HFCS and the battle for natural

07-Apr-2008 - It is hard for food companies not to get drawn into the temptation of using attractive label claims that may be shrouded by a veil of doubt. But the real risk comes when the 'if you don't know, don't ask' question is finally answered.

Temporary workers and corporate responsibility

31-Mar-2008 - As ever more food companies find themselves in the position of having employed migrants who were mistreated by illegal labour providers, it may be time for firms to start taking more responsibility for the temporary workers many of them rely on.

Calm crucial for energy products

25-Mar-2008 - Energy drinks are a runaway success but extreme marketing and product formulation has the potential to cast a shadow over the multi-billion dollar global industry.

Allergen-free: time for clarity

17-Mar-2008 - Claiming 'free from' is not a light statement to make. Lives depend on it. As scientific progress questions the validity of such claims, it is time to establish exact guidelines and communicate these to people for whom ingredients are a matter of life and death.

Warning signs: reconsidering shock tactics

10-Mar-2008 - Here's a possible new marketing angle for food and beverage manufacturers: "Food can kill".

The great food price smash-and-grab

03-Mar-2008 - While the world's media is bemoaning rising food prices, the French government is sniffing around the food industry for signs of gleeful profiteering. If it is right, the long-term losses of the nouveau cher will be far greater than the handful of centimes gained.

Supplements - do we ask too much?

25-Feb-2008 - Taking a range of supplements from vitamin A to zinc is becoming part of everyday life. But as the latest study is published questioning their efficacy, people could be left wondering do they work?

Making a meal out of saturated fat

18-Feb-2008 - The food industry across Europe needs to make a big effort to reduce saturated fat in food regardless of whether national agencies set targets - and it should not wait around for governments to do all the awareness-raising with its consumers.

The ethical cocoa confusion

11-Feb-2008 - While most consumers agree that ethically-sourced cocoa is no bad thing, an ever increasing number of different schemes risks muddying the issue and puzzling chocolate fans.

Branding Vs label info: who's the enemy?

04-Feb-2008 - Product branding and information provided to consumers on food labels are again at loggerheads, and industry doesn't seem likely to accept new EU labelling proposals without a fight.

Probiotics, friend or foe?

28-Jan-2008 - The headlines are sensationalist: twenty-four people have died in a probiotic trial. Therefore, probiotics may be fatal. Throw those yoghurt shots away!

Exotic fruits or local berries? You choose

21-Jan-2008 - As consumer demand for exotic superfruits increases, so will the impact of transport on the environment. But as policy makers and green campaigners devise more ways of monitoring greenhouse gases, who will win the environmental tug of war?

How natural is 'natural'?

14-Jan-2008 - The refusal by regulators to provide a formal definition of the term 'natural' will ultimately lead to confusion for consumers and a legal headache for manufacturers.

Back to tap: bottled water's enviro-woes

07-Jan-2008 - It looks set to be a vintage year ahead for Chateau Eau De Source Public - or as it is more humbly known, tap water - as consumers find themselves encouraged to shun the mineral variety of the product to reduce packaging waste.

Time for antioxidants v2.0

17-Dec-2007 - 'Antioxidants' crop up every where, from beverage cans to cereal packets. But industry must wake up to over use of the antioxidant tag before the term loses meaning for consumers.

Infant nutrition: Too close for comfort?

10-Dec-2007 - Industry has to walk a tightrope between lending a benevolent hand to support infant nutrition for the good of public health, and cynical marketing that seems to cash in on sensitivities.

Industry's role against HIV/AIDS

03-Dec-2007 - Following World AIDS Day, the food industry should reflect on its own potential to advance the fight against a disease that continues to sweep a devastating toll.

Why all the fuss about stevia?

26-Nov-2007 - Over the past half year, stevia has been the focus of attention as the search for a perfect natural sweetener continues. But why are the birds circling when the ingredient has not been approved in the two major Western markets - the United States and Europe?

Are trade shows relevant?

19-Nov-2007 - The new crop of business cards yielded by another trade show season have been duly filed away. But the big question remains. Were the three days at FIE followed, for many, by another three at SupplySide West, really worth the blisters, the jet lag, and the not inconsiderable expense?

Meat, cancer and credibility

05-Nov-2007 - The big 'Cs' got the meat industry in trouble last week - cancer and credibility.

The weather excuse

22-Oct-2007 - With all the threats facing food and beverage production -- from contamination in the food chain, to rising input prices -- there appears to be one menace that towers above the rest, namely 'The Weather'.

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