Breaking News on Industrial Baking & Snacks

Vinegar could be used for salt reduction: Study

Adding low concentrations of vinegar to foods may enhance perception of saltiness and enable food manufacturers to cut salt content without affecting taste, according to new research from Japan.

Frito-Lay cooperation targets cost value from crisp packet waste

Packaging waste derived from snack goods like potato chip packets may provide manufacturers with versatile new ways to cut their environmental impacts by using the materials in bags, pencil cases and even building products, says one US-based group.

Maxx launches bitter-free green tea for bakery

Upstate New York-based Maxx Performance has introduced an encapsulated green tea extract allowing addition to bakery and other dried goods without compromising flavor.

Giving bread and patisserie a healthy makeover

Puratos’ R&D director explains how bakery products can be given a healthy edge by reducing the salt and fat content – and how the technical challenges can be overcome.

FDA failed over salmonella outbreak, says new chief

The recent outbreak of salmonella in the United States caused by contaminated peanut butter represented a “failure” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency’s new commissioner said this week as she took up her post.

Prebiotic fibres may boost weight loss: Study

Daily consumption of prebiotic oligofructose may lead to weight loss by suppressing levels of hormones linked to hunger, says a new study from Canada.

Round table: The growth of nanotech

Food and nutrition is a 'hot spot' for nanotechnology, experts have said. Stephen Daniells talks to two such experts and asks where the developments are, could it really lead to a removal colours from foods, and is nanotech really like GM?

Pringles are crisps after all, says Court of Appeal

A UK Court of Appeal decided on Wednesday that Pringles are crisps after all and therefore the snacks are liable for the 15 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT).

Bakers wary over salt reduction technical feasibility

Ongoing amendments to salt reduction targets across European markets like the UK are throwing up unknown challenges for bakers beyond just affecting taste, with fears over the possible wider impacts for product quality, according to industry leaders.

Weekly comment

Cheerios: Drugs for breakfast?

When is a breakfast cereal not a breakfast cereal? Well, when it’s a drug.

News in brief

Aussie fresh-bake omega-3 bread launched

A preservative-free, fresh-baked bread has been launched in Australia by bakery chain, Brumby’s Bakeries, the first time omega-3 has been available outside of long-life, supermarket versions.

News in brief

National Starch talks texture in five tongues

National Starch has developed a multi-lingual dictionary of texture called the ‘Texicon’, which its sales teams use to ensure manufacturers and food scientists understand the same thing from descriptive terms.

Acrylamide reduction not uniform across foods, EFSA

There is a general trend towards lower levels acrylamide in food products over time, EFSA has observed – but the decrease is not consistent across food groups and for some levels have actually increased.

Volac expands plant capacity, launches first lactose

Volac has expanded its dairy ingredients plant in Wales to offer lactose for the first time, and increase its overall production output by 50 per cent.

Company claims consumers duped by trans fat labeling loophole

Consumers who choose foods labeled ‘zero trans fats’ could still surpass their recommended daily limit due to FDA rules that allow up to 0.49g of trans fat per serving to be rounded to zero, says spread company Smart Balance.

Wild makes fruit flavours last longer in cookies

Wild has developed a new line of flavours for baked goods that are said to be more stable than is usual and have a more intense fruity flavour and aroma.

Canadian Wheat Board resists GM wheat collaboration

The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has said that it will not support genetically modified wheat – at least until certain conditions are met.

Gluten-free diet not friendly to gut bacteria: Study

Following a gluten-free diet may be detrimental to gut health, which may also affect immune health, according to a new study from the Spanish National Research Council.

UK unveils new salt reduction targets

The Food Standards Agency has unveiled updated salt reduction targets for the food industry up to 2012, trimming back levels once more in some 80 categories of foods.

Chewing almonds may boost satiety

Thorough chewing of almonds may increase the absorption of unsaturated fat and suppress hunger for longer, according to findings from Purdue University.

Weekly comment

Different shades of green: Looking beyond carbon footprints

You can try your best to avoid it, but when it comes to measuring carbon footprint, almost everything we do these days, either as a business or individuals, is likely to have a negative impact on the environment.

Inspiration from bread tastes past

Puratos’ CEO talks about consumers’ tastes for bread and patisserie – past and present – and how to ensure the skills needed to work with ingredients are available in every global market.

Canada approves high oleic acid GM soybeans

Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have approved a high oleic acid genetically modified (GM) soybean for cultivation and foods containing the oil could hit the market by 2010, says DuPont.

ZMC-Farbest team up to extend beta-carotene distribution

ZMC-USA and ZMC China have formed a strategic partnership with Farbest Brands to market ZMC’s line of high-quality beta carotene products in the US.

WWF steps ups palm oil sustainability scrutiny

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is set to step up scrutiny of how manufacturers source their palm oil over the next six months after a poor industry response to purchasing sustainable shipments of the ingredient.

Stevia World puts stevia on the map as sugar replacer

Speakers at the first day of Stevia World have focused on the potential of stevia sweeteners as mainstream sugar replacers, as well as their role in tackling surging rates of diet related ill health, such as diabetes.

Folic acid may boost baby’s heart health: Study

Increased intakes of folic acid by mandatory fortification of grain products to reduce neural tube defects may also reduce a baby’s risk of severe congenital heart defects, says a new study.

Raisio sells margarine business to Bunge for €80m

Raisio is to sell its margarine portfolio to Bunge, a move that will allow it to focus on its grain business and give it a powerful new partner for its Benecol plant stanols brand.

Food companies to be hit by higher grain prices

Food companies are likely to struggle with high grain prices well into next year, according to the USDA’s first crop projection report of 2009.

General Mills Cheerios cereal is a drug, says FDA

General Mills has been told to change the marketing of its popular Cheerios whole grain cereal, as the health claims it currently uses classify it as an unapproved drug.

Is obesity fuelling food allergies?

Rising childhood obesity levels may also be driving the increases in food allergies, suggests new research from the US.

China opens new food test lab

The first food-testing laboratory in China recognised to reach international standards for pesticide screenings, melamine and heavy metal testing and microbiological analyses, was opened last month by Eurofins in Suzhou.

Turkish state opens hazelnut stocks to the world

The Turkish grain board is looking to sell its reserve stocks of hazelnuts to international buyers, according to press reports, as demand is high despite the recession.

Indian food processors set for growth

India’s food processing sector is poised for significant growth, according to management consultants A T Kearney.

Denmark’s excessive salt intakes turns focus on food industry

Danish intakes of salt in Denmark are above current recommended levels, with processed foods the main source, according to new findings from Copenhagen.

Weekly comment

The quiet potential of supplements and fortified foods

What do companies like Vitamin Shoppe, Johnson & Johnson, DSM, Whole Foods, NBTY and even Pfizer have in common?

US obesity due to more calories, not less exercise: Study

Increased calorie intake – rather than lack of exercise – is nearly exclusively responsible for the obesity epidemic in the US, according to a new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity on Friday.

Mobile hopper to reduce risk of product contamination and operator injuries

Reducing the risk of operator injuries and accidental product spillage, bulk material handling firm Fresco Systems Australasia has rolled out a mobile hopper loader to their range of conveyors.

Acrylamide has no link to brain cancer risk: Study

Dietary intakes of acrylamide are not related to increased risks of brain cancer, says a new study from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Unilever finds strength in emerging markets and innovation

Unilever’s activities in the developing and emerging markets and the US have proved key to growth in Q1, but private label presents a challenge to brands.

General Mills extends gluten-free formulations to five more snacks

In pace with growing consumer demand for gluten-free foods, US snack firm General Mills will roll out five new gluten-free formulations in the summer.

Eco-packaging boost for Fisher snack nuts

Boosting its sustainability credentials, John B Sanfilippo & Son announced the launch of 'earth-friendly' packaging for the company's Fisher brand of snacks and baking products.

Companies look to Asia as an economic buffer

Food and beverage companies should look to Asia to bolster their business in times of economic crisis, while differentiating their products closer to home, according to a Frost and Sullivan analyst.

Cost cutting must not reduce safety, quality, says expert

Food firms looking to trim costs in the recession must be sure to complete due diligence in their ingredient sourcing and not compromise the long-term image of their brands by reduced quality, warns a food chain consultant.

Romer Labs offers alternative to costly acetonitrile for mycotoxin analysis

In response to global shortages of acetonitrile and rising costs for this common solvent, diagnostic solution firm Romer Labs has rolled-out an alternative, methanol-based HPLC method to analyse mycotoxins.

News in brief

Zetar sells loss-making snack unit BSC to CEO

Zetar announced this week that it has sold its loss-making subsidiary, The Baked Snacks Company to Tilbury Property, a firm controlled by the snack company's CEO Mobeen Mehdi.

Dried plums for healthy, satiating snack: Study

Snacking on dried plums could be more effective as an appetite suppressant than a low-fat snack, say researchers.

Weekly comment

Food safety reform: Not a century too soon

On a summer’s day in 1906 Theodore Roosevelt pushed through new food safety regulation. The Food and Drugs Act passed that day over 100 years ago was the last time the US food safety system was modernized.

Snackers seek to balance indulgence with nutrition

Snacks are becoming healthier and more upmarket as Americans increasingly turn away from the idea of three square meals a day, according to a new trend-mapping report from Packaged Facts.