Breakfast cereal in China: Snap, crackle… and flop
Western breakfast brands don’t often work in China. They need manipulating to appeal to very different tastes, packaging and format preferences and, of course, another language.
Archives for October 3, 2012
What's the next stevia? Senomyx evaluates novel natural sweeteners
San-Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx is screening a series of novel plant-based high-potency natural sweetening compounds in a bid to find the next stevia, monk-fruit or monatin.
Smart Balance changes name and HQ as part of mission to build health & wellness empire
Heart-health spreads maker Smart Balance has unveiled plans to split into two business segments, move its HQ to Boulder, CO, and change its name to Boulder Brands as it moves “from a single‐brand, single‐category model to a comprehensive, natural...
How can we ensure a sustainable and competitive food and beverage industry?
FoodDrinkEurope and trade union organisation EFFAT are calling for a project leader to conduct research into how to ensure sustainable employment and competitiveness in the European food industry.
Lawsuit battle over resin used in plastic packaging
A chemical company is locked in a battle over whether a resin used in its plastic packaging is free of chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA).
Eurofins unveils lean thinking lab
Eurofins Scientific has opened the doors of a food testing laboratory designed using lean thinking at Wolverhampton in the UK.
Manufacturer price pressures continue as FAO food price index rises
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index rose in September, up 1.4% from its August level, putting further pressure on manufacturers to pass on increased costs.
US-Indonesia pact aims to improve food knowhow
The US Agency for International Development has entered into a partnership with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to help address food security and conservation.
Ecolab targets fast-growing Latin America
Ecolab has acquired a Mexico-based manufacturer and provider of cleaning, sanitizing and water treatment products and services to strengthen its position in Latin America.
CFIA continues to investigate XL Foods E.coli outbreak
Canadian Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has said the XL Foods plant at the centre of an E.coli outbreak will only re-open when there is written proof that there is no health risk from its products.
Hostess gets green light to impose pay-cutting deal on union; insists 'there are no viable bidders'
Twinkies maker Hostess Brands has got the green light from the bankruptcy court to force members of the union representing a big chunk of its staff to accept a deal they have overwhelmingly rejected.
The state of the US food retail market: Slower and negative growth… and rediscovering Walmart
Does size matter? The answer is yes, if you’re supplying the US food retail market, with new data revealing that food and beverage manufacturers turning over less than $1bn have grown volumes by an average of 3.6% in the year to date, while those turning...
NZ funds research for improved seeds and plants
A new research programme being co-funded by the New Zealand government and a Chinese-owned seed company sets out to improve seed and plant species for farmers, improve animal productivity and minimise environmental impacts.
Six-Second Project outlines first goal
A children’s charity supported by the global meat industry has announced its first field project for combating poverty and hunger.
Israel dairy import increase unlikely despite duties cut - Rabobank
The influx of Western brands into the Israeli dairy market is unlikely, despite government plans to reduce long-standing import duties on milk-based products, Rabobank has claimed.
Sabinsa widening horizons for probiotic ingredient
Sabinsa, a New Jersey-based supplier of botanical and other functional food ingredients, is breaking new ground with an older ingredient by placing its LactoSpore probiotic into a bread brand in Colombia.
Antimicrobial packaging targets listeria
Researchers have found packaging with an oxygen scavenger or carbon dioxide generator can inhibit the growth of listeria on ready-to-eat (RTE) meat.
Skippy on the block? Unilever explores options for peanut butter brand
Unilever has confirmed it is exploring a possible sale of its Skippy peanut butter business in the US and Canada.
Salt laden meals have immediate impact on circulation, researchers confirm
High salt foods could have immediate effects on cardiovascular functioning, but the mechanisms behind such an effect are still a mystery, says the researcher behind the study.
EFSA slams GM cancer study as not ‘scientifically sound’
The European Food Safety Authority says recent research linking Monsanto’s herbicide and genetically modified maize to an increased risk of cancer and premature death is of ‘insufficient scientific quality to be considered valid.’
NZ researchers breed first hypo-allergenic milk producing cow
Researchers in New Zealand have genetically engineered a dairy cow that produces hypo-allergenic high-protein milk.
China food safety firm secures millions of dollars in sales
China Health Labs & Diagnostics has secured $11.6m of orders for food safety products and its Type B BK Food Safety Rapid Test System (BK-iRT) from theBeijingmunicipal government.
China lays out plan for global action on food security
A Chinese delegation today stressed the importance of co-ordinated global action to uphold food security and challenged economies with a five-point action plan to work to this goal.
Child labor pledge
Hershey stuns critics with commitment to source 100% certified cocoa by 2020
The Hershey Company has surprised its critics after announcing plans to source 100% certified cocoa by 2020.