Return to profitability. It’s a phrase that businesses have been yearning for, but as more of them are starting to use it, it’s time to ask: At what cost?
There’s a perfect storm building for food prices. You don’t have to scan the horizon to see the signs; the clouds are developing all around us - at a faster rate than anyone expected.
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.
Novel food regulation functions as an unintentional trade barrier to heritage foods and affects supply chain development and poverty alleviation in developing countries, according to a new report.
Kraft Foods is a step closer to becoming the first company to win approval to use plant sterols in reduced fat cheese in New Zealand and Australia after a positive regulatory assessment.
The European cholesterol-lowering market presents many opportunities for food supplements and functional foods despite threats such as statin drugs and a tough new health claims regime, says Dr Robert Harwood, principal consultant at UK-based CPL Business...
A Welsh food supplements company is calling on the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) to release documents that may shed light on why a herb’s novel status was changed shortly before a court case it lost over illegal use of that same herb – Festuca arundinacea.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has published a second assessment report on the potential use of a herbicide-tolerant soybean line in food products, giving its preferred option of approval.
How best should Britain plan to secure reliable supplies of reasonably-priced food? Should the nation put its trust in home production or food imports from the world market?
Food and beverage ingredient demand has been ‘stable’ in Tate & Lyle’s Q1, says the company in its interim statement, and the year so far has exceeded expectations.
Since we reported on the UK’s Food Standard Agency’s investigation of reports of a mysterious metallic taste after eating pine nuts last week we have received a number of hypotheses on the cause from the food industry.
Fiber nutrient content claims recommended last week by Codex are unlikely to generate consistency in product labeling due to widely varying national differences in serving sizes.
The European Food Safety Authority is unlikely to consider setting guidance for probiotic health claims, despite mounting pressure from industry and the scientific community stressing the need for a clear regulatory framework.
Growing interest from food processors in providing healthier convenience products is driving a surge in global demand for functional ingredients, particularly in emerging markets like India, suggests recent market analysis.
The Association of Manufacturers and Formulators of Enzyme Products has welcomed EFSA’s draft guidelines for assessing food enzyme safety, but cautioned that regulation should be proportionate and clear.
The European Food Safety Authority has lowered the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for cadmium after studying data, a decision that could affect sourcing.
China continues to reflect the growing opportunities across Asia for products designed to be beneficial in fighting health conditions such as obesity, claim the organisers of a major new show in the country.
E. coli in ground beef, melamine in infant formula, and salmonella in peanut butter - what is next? Isn’t it about time the slices of the US food safety pie were taken back from the multiple federal agencies involved and surveillance placed under one...
At the time of writing, the US is poised to go to the polls. The next two days are going to be hugely exciting. And when it’s all over, after the victor gets some well-earned rest… he’ll rub his sleepy eyes and ask: ‘What’s for breakfast?'.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a draft strategic plan on Thursday pinpointing the areas where it foresees food safety issues to arise over the next five years.
A new online traceability system for Chinese ingredients and products will provide quick and accurate information for food companies, consumers and regulators, claims it developers.
Vitiva is aiming at a new market for its rosemary-derived anti-oxidants, after test have shown positive results for the reduction of acrylamide in fried foods.
Food manufacturers are well aware that, in order for a product to succeed, they must understand consumer wants and needs. But according to a new paper from Frost & Sullivan, they need to delve even deeper into the link between flavours and emotions.
Europe’s health claim assessment process kicked off with the rejection of almost 90 per cent of the first bunch. But industry must accept its shortcomings if credibility is to be the winner.
Have you ever scavenged through a supermarket bin looking for your next meal? It’s a strange question to put to business readers – and most would shrink at the thought. But that’s just how the ‘freegans’ decide what’s for dinner.
DSM is introducing application-specific versions of its Preventase
enzyme; meanwhile, Novozymes is launching Acrylaway in Australia
and New Zealand after having received regulatory approval.
Thirty-five new international food standards were adopted during
last week's 31st session of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, including guidelines on the use of flavourings and
gluten-free products.
Natural ingredients are undefined in almost all global
jurisdictions and no resolution is in sight for a category gaining
attention as consumers turn away from the synthetic production of
foods and beverages and the ingredients used...
Efforts to reduce acrylamide remain a priority as the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes risk assessments regarding the
carcinogen will stay the same.
Solbar is introducing a new isolated soy protein with about a
quarter of the sodium usually found in isolates, contributing to
manufacturers' quest to lower levels in finished foods.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published new
labelling guidance for food manufacturers, which it hopes will help
international companies meet the nation's labeling requirements.
Environmental group Friends of the Earth (FOE) has called for a
moratorium on the use of nanotechnology in the food chain, claiming
insufficient research has been carried out into its effect on human
health and the environment.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected vanadium as
an ingredient that can safely be used in foods and food supplements
because of overexposure fears to the general population.
Radical changes consumer behaviour, especially in rich countries,
is crucial to averting a crisis in food supply in the coming
decades, attendees at the City Food Lecture in London heard this
week.
The UK government unveiled the first steps it will take in its
national strategy to fight obesity, earmarking £372m for the cause.
Steps include addressing food issues, as well as increasing
education and encouraging physical activity.
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.
Polyphenols from wine may reduce the negative impact of high-fat
foods, according to a small study from Israel that suggests a role
in the formulation of healthier food products.
In an exclusive interview, Professor Niels Christian Nielsen,
winner of this year's Danisco Award, shared his thoughts with
Stephen Daniells on the rise of nanotechnology and gave insight on
this fascinating new area of the food...
Cutting out the junk will be a major for manufacturers in 2008 said
Mintel in its prediction of trends to shape food for the next 12
months, as consumers buy into natural and environmentally-friendly
products.
Chr Hansen has introduced a new probiotic mix for children, which
the firm is marketing in an easy-to-use format that can be added
directly to foods and drinks as a dietary supplement.
The future of research into the ability of phytochemicals to treat
modern disease lies in Asia because of restrictive laws and
"cynicism", a UK based research company has said.
The majority of American consumers are still against the idea of
eating products derived from cloned animals, although confidence
levels shoot up if these products are deemed safe by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
Codex has agreed to exclude the controversial precautionary
principle in its risk analysis standards, marking the end of a long
battle between the EU and trade groups.
