All news articles for April 2016

Image © iStockPhoto / Lecic

Plant-derived bacteria shows anti-obesity effects: RCT

By Stephen Daniells

Heat-killed Pediococcus pentosaceus LP28 derived from the longan fruit may help trim waist lines and reduce body fat, say results from a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Monsanto hits back at MEP vote: 'We believe that African nations are beginning to ignore this European NGO noise and neocolonialism and decide for themselves whether GM technology offers them any benefits.' © iStock.com / Polhansen

Monsanto slams EU attempt to block GM crops in Africa as 'neo-colonialism'

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Parliament’s Committee on Development has urged G8 member states “not to support GMO [genetically modified] crops in Africa” as part of its critical resolution on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition - a decision agri giant Monsanto...

Kerry Group's Cheestrings sold well in the children's snack market, said the firm

Kerry Group reports growth in business volumes

By Gwen Ridler

Kerry Group has posted a 2.9% growth in business volumes, driven by its Taste & nutrition and Consumer food divisions in first quarter results, thanks partly to its children’s snack product Cheestrings.

PIP: the aim is to boost consumption of protein-rich pulses as way of tackling undernutrition

New forum showcases the benefits of pulses

By Noli Dinkovski

A networking forum to help manufacturers understand the nutritional value of pulses has been created by McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Cognitive decline as a feature of ageing has become an intense area of research in recent years.(© iStock.com/SI Photography).

Vitafoods Europe 2016 preview

Testing and tracking nutrition in mental health

By Will Chu

The quest to halt cognitive decline as a feature of ageing has become an intense area of research in recent years, and polyphenols can deliver much. 

© iStock.com / leonori

Olive-sourced hydroxytyrosol effective in biscuits: Study

By Lynda Searby

Olive oil phenol hydroxytyrosol has been shown to be highly bioavailable and to lower oxidised LDL (low density lipoprotein) levels when incorporated into biscuits, suggesting functional food applications could be on the horizon for this EFSA-backed polyphenol. 

Leaders ripping apart the black box

Leaders ripping apart the black box

By Virpi Varjonen

It’s hard to care when you don’t know the real supply chain picture, argues Scandinavia-based analyst Virpi Varjonen in this guest article.

A new Dairy Council booklet promotes the role of dairy products in addressing iodine deficiency issues. Photo: iStock - Antoine2K

Dairy Council issues booklet on iodine in dairy

By Jim Cornall

Certain groups of the UK population are classified as mildly iodine deficient, however, according to The Dairy Council, consuming milk, yogurt and cheese can help ensure that iodine requirements are met.

Ginkgo producers need to gain a detailed understanding of the value chains of their products, say researchers. © iStock.com / Malgorzata Biernikiewicz

How to shut down the illicit ginkgo trade

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Research into the adulteration and poor manufacturing practices of ginkgo products has highlighted the need to reign in unregistered food supplements containing the botanical. 

Biomass marketing: 'Until now, it has been challenging to use the EU-authorised health claims with standard krill oil because you couldn’t go beyond the 250 mg dosage form' © iStock

Aker wins high-dose krill omega-3 approval in EU

By Shane Starling

Krill major Aker Biomarine has won EU approval for high-dose versions of its omega-3/phospholipid offering in food supplements across the 28 nations of European Union bloc.

Soups and cereals offer a white space for raw product launches in Germany. © Mintel

Raw foods on the rise as clean-label consumers crave more

By Niamh Michail

From snack bars to spreads, chocolate to cheese, the trend for raw ingredients in processed foods is spreading across Europe, says Mintel, as consumer attention goes beyond the ingredient list to look at clean-label processing methods.

Bottling it? Probiotic marketing is banned in the EU based on the opinions of 'ill-equipped' experts, according to professor Reid. © iStock

Probiotics expert: 'Disband EFSA' and end destructive category confusion

By Lynda Searby

A leading probiotics academic has called for EFSA to be “disbanded” saying that the effect of the EU’s central food science agency’s treatment of probiotic claims has been “confusion in Europe”, and that the EU could learn from the Canadian approach to...

Seaweed: Mintel claims it could become the next ‘superfood’

Seaweed market boosted by NPD surge

By Noli Dinkovski

Food and drink product launches with seaweed flavours, including kombu, nori, and wakame, grew by 147% in Europe between 2011 and 2015, according to latest figures.

The fortifiers and the non-fortifiers - who is doing what when it comes to folic acid and neural tube defects? © iStock.com / eyegelb

Special edition: Gender-specific nutrition

Folic acid fortification: The current global state of play

By Lynda Searby

To date 75 countries globally have implemented mandatory fortification programmes for folic acid with the aim of preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies. Yet despite growing calls from NGOs, health experts and researchers, the 28 EU member countries...

'We are trying to take the sleaze out of libido and focus on health ageing,' says the supplier behind Testofen and Libifem. © iStock.com / aquatarkus

special edition: gender-specific nutrition

How to take the sleaze out of libido supplements

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The market for male libido supplements dwarfs that for women – but positioning products as healthy ageing supplements may help shake the sleaze from this niche segment, says one bawdy botanical supplier.

The deal comes as part of Holland & Barrett’s plans for major international expansion to make its global franchises bigger than its UK and Ireland core.

1000 Holland & Barrett franchise stores to open in India

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Health and nutrition retailer Holland & Barrett has secured a £20m (€25.44m) deal with Indian hospital chain Apollo Hospitals, an agreement which will see 1000 franchise stores open across India over the next five years.

Professor Gary Frost explained how appetite regulation could be influenced

Innovation Conference

Dietary fibre intake suppresses appetite

By Rick Pendrous

Big opportunities exist for food manufacturers to tackle obesity through the use of food containing non-digestible inulin fibre to encourage satiety, according to a leading academic.

Dutch R&D company Newtricious has launched a new product, MacuView, following studies that point to its benefits for helping macular degeneration (AMD) sufferers.

From science to shelves: the development of MacuView

Study says MacuView helps with eye health and AMD

By Jim Cornall

A recent study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology has shown the benefits of consuming a dairy drink, MacuView, containing lutein-, zeaxanthin- and DHA-enriched egg yolk.