Breaking News on Industrial Baking & Snacks

Weekly comment

The HVP recall: Damage control déjà vu

15-Mar-2010 - Not again! It emerged last week that Basic Food Flavors, the company behind the ongoing HVP recall, knew its products were tainted with salmonella but carried on shipping them anyway. Déjà vu anyone?

CIAA reaffirms per portion labelling position

12-Mar-2010 - The EU food industry considers that portion information on the front of packs is helpful to consumers in making food choices, supported by per 100g/ml information on the back of pack.

Czech baker looks set to expand into Hungary

12-Mar-2010 - Penam, a leading Czech producer in the field of bakery, flour-milling, pasta and confectionary products, is moving into the Hungarian market with the acquisition of a leading baked goods manufacturer, Ceres.

HVP recall expands to Canada

09-Mar-2010 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has recalled products manufactured in Canada, after it emerged they contained recalled hydrolyzed vegetable protein from a salmonella-tainted facility in the US.

Consumers suspicious of nanotech, irradiation and cloning

05-Mar-2010 - New technologies such as nanotech, animal cloning and irradiation trigger feelings of “unease, uncertainty, and sometimes outright negativity” among consumers, said a new report from the UK.

Barley bread could reduce obesity levels, claim USDA scientists

05-Mar-2010 - Whole grain oat or barley breads that offer more antioxidants, fibre and cholesterol lowering components than those found in current whole-wheat breads is one aim of research being carried out in the US that is primarily focused on reducing obesity levels in the US.

Large-scale recall looms due to salmonella-tainted flavor enhancer

05-Mar-2010 - A large-scale product recall is likely following discovery of salmonella in hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), a flavor enhancer ubiquitous in processed foods, the FDA has said.

Snacking study shows kids eat nearly constantly

03-Mar-2010 - American children are moving toward ‘constant eating’ with three snacks a day as well as three regular meals, according to a paper published in the journal Health Affairs.

Rieber group to sell off Polish cake facility

02-Mar-2010 - Norwegian food company Rieber & Son group is selling its Polish ambient cake operation as the group said the category does not fit with its decision to focus on products specially tailored to each country it operates in.

Industry action on sodium would save lives, save money

02-Mar-2010 - Working with the US food industry to establish voluntary sodium reduction targets could prevent around half a million strokes, a similar number of heart attacks and billions of dollars, says a new study.

Kellogg's seeks cereal weight claim approval under article 13.5

02-Mar-2010 - Kellogg’s has submitted an application to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for approval of a weight health relationship claim under the proprietary and emerging science article 13.5 for generic ready- to-eat breakfast cereals.

News in brief

Nestlé completes Kraft pizza acquisiton

02-Mar-2010 - Nestlé is starting the integration of Kraft’s frozen pizza business into its international organisation, after competing the acquisition yesterday.

Acrylamide could get prop 65 for reproductive harm

01-Mar-2010 - California health officials have proposed that acrylamide, the suspected carcinogen produced during the cooking of certain foods, should be listed as a known reproductive toxicant.

Weekly comment

What's the colour of money? Bonuses should be green

01-Mar-2010 - Never before has the dangling of golden carrots in the boardroom been so closely scrutinised. DSM and others’ decisions to ensure those carrots have green shoots of sustainability attached to them is a wise and forward thinking move.

Sara Lee accused of ‘misleading’ marketing

26-Feb-2010 - Sara Lee has issued a clarification statement regarding its EarthGrain-brand bread after organic farming campaigners at Cornucopia accused it of “misleading and unethical” claims.

Incomplete dossier prevents bakery extracts appraisal, EFSA

25-Feb-2010 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said that the lack of an appropriate dossier backing the use of oregano and lemon balm extracts as food additives means the safety assessment of their proposed uses in baked goods and cereals and other foods cannot be undertaken.

Special Edition: Kids' food

Kids’ food trends in the spotlight

25-Feb-2010 - Some major trends in children’s eating habits could change as the economy recovers – but foods marketed as natural and healthful are here to stay, according to a senior analyst at Mintel.

News in brief

BBC prompts Unilever palm oil action

24-Feb-2010 - Unilever has stopped accepting palm oil from an Indonesian planter after a damning BBC documentary showing rainforest clearing, according to the Indonesian Palm Oil Board.

CSM predicts narrowing of bakery ingredient supplier base

24-Feb-2010 - Dutch bakery ingredients supplier CSM, in releasing its 2009 full year results, said it saw more consolidation in the industry with the expected narrower supplier base leading to synergy savings and thus lower costs for the industrial, artisan and in-store baked good sector.

Sugar and stevia join forces to cut calories

23-Feb-2010 - PureCircle and Imperial Sugar have launched a joint venture to offer sugar and stevia combinations to the food and beverage industry as it looks to meet consumer demand for natural lower calorie products.

Bakery and snacks proving earner for Campbell

23-Feb-2010 - Improved sales and earnings performance within the baking and snacks division of the Campbell Soup for the fiscal year 2010 were due to favourable currency impact and margin growth in both Pepperidge Farm and Arnott’s, said the US company.

News in brief

AACC to hold short course on healthier formulation

23-Feb-2010 - The American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) is planning to hold a short course entitled Formulating to Attain Health and Wellness Initiatives in Phoenix next month.

Weekly comment

Banning energy drinks is a doomed shot in the dark

22-Feb-2010 - Energy shot drinks have come under fire from German authorities which are employing an old-school prohibition logic that history has repeatedly dunce-hatted.

No trans fat ban for Louisville – yet

22-Feb-2010 - A proposed trans fat ban in Louisville, Kentucky has been rejected in favor of a public education effort, better labeling and a voluntary phase-out – despite a taskforce recommendation for an outright ban.