Breaking News on Food Marketing and Retailing

Companies able to “test drive” packing test instruments at new labs

Mocon has established three in-house packaging testing laboratories across the globe to allow companies to put its machines through their paces before purchasing them.

Is taurine slipping out of energy drinks?

Manufacturers of energy drinks are less frequently including the ingredient taurine in their new product launches, according to the latest post-market statistics.

Review of European food hygiene regs

Leading players in the UK food sector are being asked for their views on an overhaul of European food hygiene legislation three years after the rules came into force.

New study to investigate why people ignore food labels

The FDA is planning to conduct a study to uncover barriers to consumers looking at food labels, in a bid to help consumer understanding and use of information provided on packaging.

Letter to the editor

Folic acid: Why mandatory fortification is vital

Relying on voluntary fortification of grain products with folic acid is not sufficient to ensure adequate intakes and relieve the burden of birth defects, says an eminent British professor.

Plant sterols survive tight economy, says Cognis

Strong demand for plant sterols has helped support overall flagging sales over the past six months for the food ingredient firm Cognis.

Amcor creates "easy open, easy reclose" packaging for chocolate squares

Amcor has been working with Rübezahl Schokoladen to apply its “easy open, easy reclose” innovation to the packaging of Sun Rice chocolate squares.

Perception of high quality set to drive private label sales

Private label still has enormous growth potential as those who believe non-branded goods are of high quality still far outnumber regular buyers, according to a new market report.

European dairy industry loses market share but stays competitive, says report

The EU dairy industry is losing market share but added value gains and improvements in labour productivity are compensating for the retreat, according a new report carried out for the Commission.

News in brief

Sonoco to raise Euro recycled paperboard prices

Sonoco has announced it is to increase prices on all recycled paperboard grades in Europe.

Tea drinkers may have younger biological age

The cells of regular tea drinkers may have a younger biological age than cells from non-drinkers, according to new research from China.

We’re not planning warm ice cream, Unilever says

Unilever has denied that it is actively developing ambient ice cream, following newspaper reports that such a product is part of a programme to reduce the environmental impact of its consumer goods.

Weekly comment

Folic acid: Old women and children first!

Look at the globe and you’d be hard pressed to find two countries further apart than Ireland and New Zealand. But they stand side-by-side on the folic acid fortification issue – it is not needed.

Combine kids’ and parents’ food wish lists, says Leatherhead

Manufacturers of kids foods have the dual challenge of meeting the exacting and fun demands of little consumers – and the health demands of their parents and carers, says Leatherhead.

‘Unknown’ cholesterol in processed food poses big heart health risk

With all the focus on LDL (bad) cholesterol, a ‘virtually unknown’ form called oxycholesterol may pose the biggest heart health threat, say Chinese scientists.

French packaging law could wreck EU food marketing and logistics

A new French law threatens supply chain efficiencies in the packaged goods sector and could create new trade barriers in the EU internal market, warns the European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (Europen).

News in brief

Martek signs omega-6 deals in Europe and Asia

Martek Biosciences has signed two new deals to supply its omega-6 ARA (arachidonic acid) ingredients to infant food makers in Australia and Spain.

European beer sales dry up in the first half of 2009

Soft drink sales in Western Europe outshone beer in the first half of the year suggesting the recession is prompting people to turn away from the bottle.

Nestle launches its first rPET bottled water product

Food giant Nestle is to launch its first range of mineral water in the US packaged in bottles containing 25 per cent recycled PET (rPET) and is supporting the launch with a recycling scheme.

New machine responds to growing demand for hanging displays of sweets and snacks

Ishida Europe has launched a new packaging machine that gathers bags of sweets and snacks into strips for hanging displays in shops.

Common connection between comfort food and crisis debunked: Study

The common perception that people turn to so-called comfort foods in times of crisis could be entirely unfounded, says new research due to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Cargill claims strength in recession despite Q4 earnings slump

Cargill has reported a huge drop in earnings during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to a year earlier, but said that it had entered the economic downturn with several effective strategies in place.

News in brief

IRI report finds consumers rethinking shopping in recession

Manufacturers should be focusing more resources on understanding how to target consumers as shopping patterns have changed during the recession, says market research organization IRI.

News in brief

Sainsbury’s adopts heat-sealed flexible lidding for soft fruit

UK retail giant Sainsbury’s has dropped rigid clip-on lids in favour of heat-sealed flexible lidding for its soft fruit packaging

News in brief

Diageo launches legal battle for Pimm's

Diageo has launched a legal action against J Sainsbury for an alleged copyright infringement of its Pimm’s brand.

Weekly comment

Free farmers to farm and bank UK food security

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?

Private label sector continues to grow, says Nielsen

Sales of private label products are still growing, having “significantly increased” over the past year, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.

Cadbury removes palm oil from Dairy Milk in New Zealand

Cadbury is removing palm oil from its Dairy Milk recipe in New Zealand following complaints from consumers concerned about its environmental impact.

Spanish slump pulls down Sara Lee bakery sales

Sara Lee has posted a sharp drop in international bakery sales for the fiscal year, a month after announcing the sale of three Spanish bakeries.

Kraft reaps rewards from sustainable processing strategy

The need to maximise profit combined with a desire to help the environment have been major drivers in Kraft slashing water use in its food processing operations by more than 20 per cent in three years, the company said.

More difficulty ahead for food sector as European recession eases

France and Germany have emerged from recession but the global nature of the food industry may mean it takes longer to recover than other sectors, according to a senior economist at Wageningen University.

EFSA provides guidance on food enzymes safety evaluation

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a guidance document outlining what information industry needs to provide for the safety of food enzymes to be assessed.

News in brief

Food marketing deals threatened by waste reduction efforts

Supermarkets in the UK could be offering half-price deals on perishable food items instead of buy one, get one free offers in an effort to reduce food waste, according to a report in Advertising Age.

Confectionery fat destocking hits AAK, but healthy oils are on the up

Specialty fats firm AAK has said it is benefiting from the trend for manufacturers to substitute more expensive fats with cheaper, healthier oils – but it has been hit by destocking of confectionery fats.

EU lycopene ADI discussions to continue

The Food Standards Agency in the UK says lycopene levels – at least for the carotenoid’s use as a food colour – are under review at EU level.

ABF sells Polish sugar business in advance of EU rule change

Associated British Foods (ABF) has sold its Polish sugar business to Pfeifer & Langen for an estimated £120 to £130m in preparation for the opening up of EU sugar trade.

News in brief

Denmark proposes vitamin D fortification

Denmark has backed a Swedish scheme that sees voluntary vitamin D milk fortification up to 10 per cent of recommended daily intakes (RDIs).

Labour MPs disagree on dairy industry commitment to sustainability

The UK farming minister has tipped the dairy industry to smash environmental targets just a week after a fellow Labour MP questioned its green credentials.

News in brief

Dairy UK and Carbon Trust begin work on carbon footprint guide

Trade body Dairy UK and the Carbon Trust have begun work on an industry-wide carbon footprinting guide to increase comparability between businesses.

News in brief

UK Whole Foods losses ‘don’t reflect progress’

Despite losses of £36 million (€41.8 million), Whole Foods Market’s British operation is making progress in the UK and will continue to expand, according to reports.

Benecol smoothie courts younger cholesterol-lowering market

McNeil Nutritionals has launched a Benecol smoothie in the UK and Ireland in a bid to reach a younger audience with a product it will market on dual benefits – plant stanol-derived cholesterol-lowering and its fruit content.

Weekly comment

FDA’s Commissioner Hamburg: Beefing up US food safety

It looks like the FDA has finally got some muscle. Never mind new legislation – if anything can prevent America acquiring a weedy reputation for food safety, it’s the might of Dr Margaret Hamburg.

German study links debt, obesity and access to healthy food

People in financial debt are more likely to be obese, concludes a study from Germany that adds to concern that healthier foods cost more than energy-dense foods of low nutritional value.

Industry is investing heavily in health, says progress report

Irish food companies are investing heavily to develop new, healthier products, and promote healthy lifestyles, according to an industry progress report.

ASA censors ads for prebiotic-fortified infant formula

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that an advertisement for Aptamil Follow On infant formula may not continue to be broadcast because it implies it can stop children from catching colds.

Dairy UK head gives verdict on Commission report

Despite the widening gap between producer and supermarket prices, the director general of Dairy UK said “there is no cream to be had” in the fiercely competitive dairy market.

Calls for supplier relations watchdog; retailers disagree

The UK’s Competition Commission is asking government to establish an ombudsman to arbitrate in disputes between retailers and suppliers, as retailers have declined to act and the Commission does not have the power to do so itself.

Enzymes help post-merger cost reduction, Novozymes

Enzymes can help reduce costs and increase productivity for brewers in the wake of a merger or acquisition, says Novozymes, which has a pipeline of new solutions nearing launch.

Naturex buys Natraceutical to form botanicals giant

Naturex has succeeded in its stated ambition to become the world’s biggest independent botanicals extracts supplier by striking a deal that brings on-board the ingredients division of Spanish company, Natraceutical.

Inquiry puts spotlight on fairness in the food sector

A major new inquiry is seeking evidence on fairness in the global food system and will deliver a set of recommendations for food producers, retailers and governments on ethical practices.

UK specialty meats given clean bill of health

Almost 99 per cent of ready to eat (RTE) specialty meats sold in the UK are safe to eat, according to a new report published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Weekly comment

Downsize me! FSA right to push for smaller snacks

Chocolate bar makers should embrace the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) proposals on snack portions and adapt their supersizing skills to downsizing.

Facebook and Twitter guide flavour firm’s consumer research

Food firms wanting to capture the views and tastes of consumers need to tap social media, says Symrise, which is now dedicating resources to using emerging online tools.