US Agro-food giant Cargill has confirmed that a $24 million
class-action lawsuit accusing the US food giant of price-fixing
will be settled following federal court approval. The end is now in
sight for a law suit that dates back nine...
Netherlands-based Pharming has increased its stake in Australian
company ProBio and is now hoping to accelerate the
commercialisation of recombinant human lactoferrin in Asia,
writes Phil Taylor.
A new study conducted by the FDA says that acrylamide found in
fried and baked goods is unlikely to cause reproduction problems if
the general public consume it as part of the average daily diet -
but research is ongoing for its carcinogenic...
At the beginning of the year Israel-based soy proteins specialist
Solbar, announced its move into the soy proteins in China. Simon
Pitman spoke to the company about the project and discovered
that soy protein demand is a major driving...
Even children who eat two or fewer servings of fruit each week are
less likely to experience recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), a common
condition in children and adolescents that can interfere with
school activities, said researchers...
A new process to kill bacteria spores in the manufacture of formula
milk and milk concentrates has been launched. Developer Invensys
claims that the process destroys a substantially greater number of
bacteria spores than traditional...
The alleged link between the advertising of junk food and rising
levels of childhood obesity in the UK has never been completely
proven, but the growing body of evidence to support claims of a
direct correlation appears to have been...
Israeli flavours and ingredients group Frutarom benefited from the
recent merger with Swiss counterpart Flachsmann to post a 55 per
cent increase in first quarter sales. Growth in the functional
foods sector also contributed to the...
A plant-wide control system has been installed at an industrial
bakery in the UK. The firm, BakeMark, wanted to replace its
existing system and to expand production of its bread improver
ingredients - predominantly cake mixes - from...
Chemi Nutra has gained exclusive rights to a new patent on its
soy-derived phosphatidylserine product relating to its ability to
suppress cortisol, a catabolic stress hormone that can inhibit the
use of protein by muscles and impair...
A number of new ingredients targeting the bakery and beverage
markets in particular have been launched this month, helping bakers
improve volumes, reduce costs and lift product safety or improving
both the look and mouthfeel of juice...
Folic acid - the B vitamin found commonly in supplements and
increasingly in a wide range of bread products - is already known
to prevent severe birth defects and to lower risk of death from
heart disease. But it could also help to...
At least 155 million school-age children worldwide are overweight
or obese, a growing problem which needs to be tackled now if more
serious ailments such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease are to be
avoided, according to the International...
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...
Fall out from the BSE crisis that hit the UK meat industry in the
1990s could be nearly over as the EU's food safety body paves the
way for British beef to move down from its 'high risk'
classification.
After months of political wranglings GM sweetcorn could be on the
supermarket shelves by the end of the year with the European
Commission poised to end the five year unofficial ban on
genetically modified foods, writes Lindsey Partos.
A substance found in soybeans may reduce the risk of colon cancer,
the third most common form of cancer in the world. Soy
glucosylceramide has been found to be effective in reducing the
formation and growth of tumour cells in the...
A food product on the shelf must satisfy a range of senses to earn
consumer appeal. But US scientists claim that little understood
contextual cues - food display, colours - can lead to people eating
much more than they need.
US biotech crop pioneer Monsanto is to suspend the introduction of
the world's first biotech wheat, amid public outcry at the possible
risks of genetically modified crops and at Monsanto's aggressive
marketing tactics, writes...
Top ingredients supplier Danisco will phase out its activities in
oil and protein crops in order to focus on sugar beet seed, said
the Danish firm this week, in a move reflecting changes to the
European sugar regime in 2006 that will...
With shortfalls in grain harvests progressively worsening over the
past four years, closing the gap will not be easy, says Lester
Brown at the Earth Policy Institute. He predicts this year may
witness another shortfall, bad news for...
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...
People who shift their caffeine 'buzz' from a morning dose to small
amounts consumed throughout the day could avoid falling asleep, may
perform well on cognitive tests, and sleep soundly at night.
The benefits of including fruit in a daily dietary regime have been
given greater support with US researchers suggesting that natural
compounds found in fresh Bing cherries could help people who suffer
from gout or other forms of...
Acquisitive ingredients firm Kerry will spend €170 million on four
bolt-on flavour acquisitions announced yesterday as the €3.7
billion Irish company continues to consolidate its position in the
highly competitive flavours market....
Breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid and other B vitamins
could help consumers protect against heart disease by lowering
levels of homocysteine, suggests new research. The amino acid
homocysteine is increasingly accepted as...
Glanbia Nutritional Products is hoping to build on growing consumer
awareness of the link between dairy foods and weight loss, with a
new ingredient specifically designed to add the beneficial
components of milk products to other...
Specific functional and nutritional benefits have boosted sales in
recent years for the fast growing, EU-subsidised milk protein
concentrate market. With export markets continuing to grow French
ingredients group Ingredia has linked...
An industry drive to push the nutritional benefits of flour could
lead to increased sales for the £3 billion UK bread market.
Farmer's in the UK last week met with the National Association of
British and Irish Millers (NABIM)...
The US food watchdog had made steps to find out more about the
potential carcinogen furan after a new technology detected very low
levels of furan in a wider range of foods larger than previously
thought.
Opportunities for food manufacturers and ingredients firms are set
to burgeon in the UK functional food marketplace with new Mintel
research forecasting that the £835 million market will double in
the next five years to £1.7 billion....
French dairy ingredients firm Ingredia is targeting the growing
market for stress management products with a rebranded milk-derived
ingredient, said to be more effective than herbals and other
supplements currently available.
With global corn stocks at 20 year lows and prices slated to
continue their upward rise in 2004 the prospect of a new technology
that doubles the protein and oil content of corn while cutting the
carbohydrate levels should be well...
Food makers and ingredients firm across the world are currently
affected by the rising world price for basic food commodities. In
each of the last four years world grain production has fallen short
of consumption, forcing a drawdown...
Burcon NutraScience, the Canada-based producer of rapeseed protein
products, has contracted Germany's Fraunhofer Institute to carry
out tests on its Supertein and Puratein products with a view to
finding new added-value opportunities...
US-based Dow Agro Science has confirmed that its grain corn
containing an insect resistant trait has received regulatory
approval for import into China, reports Simon Pitman.
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.
The use of hydrocolloids, in particular carrageenans, to provide
texture and viscosity to meat products has grown over decades in
parallel to the needs of food makers. While supply shortages are
currently impacting the price of a...
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) - the US' leading food processor - has
reported record third quarter results across all its segment
operations. The company's processing segments benefited from
rallies in corn and soybean futures...
Human milk has long been thought to have an effect on reducing the
likelihood of obesity among adults, but scientists have struggled
to say exactly why this is the case - until now.
Sending a ripple of fear through the food industry, in 2002 the
Swedish Food Administration found high levels of the cancer-causing
compound acrylamide in carbohydrate-rich foods heated to high
temperatures. As global efforts in food...
Taking supplements of soy isoflavones, thought to help women fight
menopause symptoms and offer other health benefits, may not be
equally beneficial for men, suggests new animal research, writes
Dominique Patton.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with numerous health
benefits, from brain development and preventing memory loss to
suppressing tumours and cutting heart disease. But according to new
findings in the US, one particular fatty...
Stable Micro Systems has developed a probe that it claims can
accurately determine the firmness and texture of a number of foods.
The analyser works by penetrating the food in several places to
give an average reading.
Pressure on food manufacturers to remove artery-clogging trans fats
linked to heart disease from foods continues in the US and Europe.
In response to increasing demand and imminent labelling rules in
the US, food ingredients players...
A soy ingredient used extensively in supplements could hold the
power to inhibit the growth of tumor cells, says Chinese biotech
firm American Oriental Bioengineering, announcing new findings for
soybean protein peptides.
Taking supplements of soy isoflavones, thought to help women fight
menopause symptoms and offer other health benefits, may not be
equally beneficial for men, suggests new animal research.
Danish ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients has moved into
another new market with its low-calorie bulk sweetener, tagatose,
as the food watchdog for Australia and New Zealand gives the green
light for its use in foods that span...
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...
As society ponders the reasons for the rising tide of obesity in
children, researchers in the US suggest that the 'striking
alterations' in children's meal patterns over the past 20 years may
not be related to the current...