Could tax breaks for healthy food sales work better than food taxes?

Incentivising the sale of healthy foods at the supermarket checkout could be more effective than food taxation for improving food choices, suggests a letter published in the BMJ.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2013

Chewing gum developed to battle common cold

Private label gum maker Fertin Pharma has developed an immunity chewing gum that it claims can help guard against the common cold.

EU urges protected origin status for more African, Caribbean and Pacific foods

The European Commission has urged increased global use of its PGI (protected geographical indication) system to increase trade in foods from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, while encouraging sustainable...

Not so Super Trooper: Swedes upset by ‘aggressive’ Iron Maiden beer label

Sweden’s state alcohol monopoly retailer Systembolaget tells BeverageDaily.com that it cannot stock Iron Maiden’s signature beer Trooper without a label change since it is too gory.

Supermarkets must stop scaremongering, say scientists

Supermarkets are pandering to misplaced consumer fears about the health risks of of widely used food ingredients in a cynical marketing move, a group representing young scientists has warned.

Hepatitis A outbreak in EU linked to frozen berries

An outbreak of hepatitis A in four EU countries has sickened at least 71 people with the exact food source still unknown.

Haribo devotes division to travel retail

Haribo has spotted an untapped opportunity for sugar confectionery in travel retail and has set up a new division dedicated to the channel to fill the void.

Horse meat: FSA considers review while EU reveals test results

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is considering commissioning an external review of its response to the horse meat crisis at a board meeting today (Wednesday).

FrieslandCampina cheese and packing acquisition granted ‘conditional’ EC approval

FrieslandCampina has been given the go-ahead to complete its acquisition of Dutch specialist cheese manufacturer, Zijerveld, and its packing business - but only under conditions designed to ensure competition in...

ASDA finds bute in corned beef

UK retail giant Asda has recalled a range of its ‘smart price’ corned beef after it was found to contain phenylbutazone (or bute).

News in brief

Mondelēz renews pallet deal with CHEP

Mondelēz International has renewed its contract for managed pooled pallets with CHEP for more than seven million pallet movements annually.

Federation of Bakers tentative on increased British wheat imports

The UK could soon become a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade, but The Federation of Bakers has said that there may be enough of...

Better understanding of consumption to help target eco strategies

Nestlé and UK supermarkets Sainsbury’s and the Cooperative Group have entered into a pilot project to improve the environmental performance of some of their products, say the project’s organisers at...

News in brief

Chinese, Italian and Indian top supermarket world meal requests: IGD

Shoppers want supermarkets to stock more world foods – particularly Chinese, Italian and Indian, according to new research commissioned by the grocery think-tank IGD.

News in brief

Give us grocery code urgently: Food and Drink Industry Ireland

Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) has called for the introduction of a statutory code of practice for the grocery sector “as a matter of urgency”.

Ikea cake recalled due to faecal contamination

Ikea has stopped the sale of two affected batches of chocolate and butterscotch almond cake over fears it might be  contaminated with fecal matter.

UK's first on demand digital print packaging plant

Belmont Packaging claims to have established the UK's first on-demand digital sheet packaging plant, responding to demand for more eye-catching packs to help brands stand out from retailers' labels on shelf....

Global report on food colours

Clean label trend helps drive natural colours to overtake synthetics

Natural colours have overtaken their synthetic counterparts for the first time ever, and the trend towards clean label products is one of the key drivers according to new data from...

Dispatches from NCA Miami Conference - Supermarket insights

Confectioners must adapt to online shopping environment, says supermarket boss

Confectionery manufacturers must use electronic communications and ensure in-store displays are “show stoppers” as consumers make the shift to online shopping, according to the head of a US supermarket....

Food industry failing to manage animal welfare, warns report

The first ever structured benchmark of the world’s leading food companies suggests that farm animal welfare is not being properly managed and reported by the food industry.

Dispatches from NCA Miami Conference

‘Experiential retail’ can build confectionery brand loyalty

Speakers at the National Confectioner Associations’ State of the Industry conference are making big noises about creating in-store experiences to boost confectionery sales.

News in brief

Tesco cheese price fixing penalty reduced under settlement

Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco, will pay a reduced £6.5m penalty to the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for its involvement in the widespread fixing the cheese retail prices.

Horsegate: premium retailers could benefit: City

The continuing horsemeat scandal could benefit premium food retailers at the expense of value outlets, according to city analyst Shore Captial.

Supermarkets have ‘underwear around ankles’ on horse meat

The horsemeat scandal has caught big retailers “with the their underwear down” and it was still too early to predict the full implications of the crisis, a leading food policy...