Breaking News on Industrial Baking & Snacks

Yeast suppliers to benefit bakers through 'application profiling'

The global shortage of molasses and competition from biofuels continue to put upward pressure on prices for yeast, but opportunities for yeast players lie squarely with the emerging market for speciality yeast products, and specifically clean label demands, predict market researchers Frost and Sullivan.

Weekly comment

The food industry after Lisbon

In the face of another rejection of a European Union treaty, the bloc's food industry has one glaring path ahead: business as normal.

Natural sweetener race hots up with Nutrinova break-through

Nutrinova has announced progress in its mission to identify compounds that could yield new natural sweeteners for the food and beverage industry, in collaboration with BRAIN.

CSM opens the doors to its new innovation centre

Bakery ingredients company CSM opened a new innovation centre in Germany yesterday to focus on developing bakery ingredients for the international market.

Cassava flour alternative relieves costs for bakers

Beating the high costs linked to the price of wheat flour on today's market, bakers in the African country of Ghana can now access a cheaper alternative produced with cassava and maize.

New Promitor product adds to fiber-enriched options

Tate & Lyle has developed a new soluble corn fiber in its Promitor line, expanding the toolkit at manufacturers' disposal for easy formulation of products with added fiber.

Tortilla nutrition benefits from hydrocolloid addition: study

Hydrocolloids can be added to tortilla formulations containing bean flour to extend the product's shelf life and improve texture while increasing its nutritional content, say researchers.

New bread aromas enhance taste in salt reduced products

Ingredients and flavours supplier Synergy has developed a range of natural bread aromas designed to capture artisan bakery qualities in products with a reduced salt content.

Gluten-free bakery gets boost from enzyme: study

Baking gluten-free breads for the ever-growing coeliac population may be possible using brown rice and buckwheat flours and adding the transglutaminase enzyme, according to results of a European project.

News briefs: Salt reduction, Flower Foods merger and food prices

This week, the FSA holds an event focusing on salt-reduction initiative, Flower Foods announces its merger with Holsum Bakery, and the American Bakers Association addresses food prices.

Industry on-board with anti-acrylamide enzyme, says Novozymes

Acrylaway, the acrylamide-reducing enzyme from Novozymes, has received approval in a slate of countries worldwide and is now being applied across broad range of bakery and snack products.

Weekly comment

GM: Breaking the stalemate

Food industry voices are joining those of politicians in the GM debate, hailing the controversial technology as the answer to the food supply crisis. But the hearts and minds of consumers must still be won.

Bunge buys into sweeteners with Corn Products acquisition

Bunge has announced the signature of a definitive agreement to acquire Corn Products International for around $4.8bn, a major deal that plunges it into the high-potential sweeteners market.

Cereal and dairy groups eye nutrition push

A UK-based breakfast cereal association says it is teaming up with its dairy counterparts to this month kick off a new promotion scheme playing up the nutritional benefits of consuming the products.

Automated product sorting designed to cut baker rejects

A supplier of automated conveyer devices has extended the applications of a belt system originally used in carton distribution for cost effective alignment of flat-baked goods on the production line.

Ulrick & Short gains organic approval

UK company Ulrick & Short has received new Soil Association accreditation for two of its products, allowing it to market these already clean label ingredients as organic.

Organic combination could build fairtrade awareness

Organic certification in tandem with fairtrade can help raise awareness for ethical sourcing amongst consumers, says Organic Monitor, but the two systems are unlikely to merge entirely into one.

High fibre barley provides bakers with health spin

Bakers designing muffin and bread formulations for the health conscious consumer can soon access a high-fibre barley grain as Australia's national science laboratory (CSIRO) signs a deal to bring large scale commercial crops of its Barleymax grain to food makers.

DSM gains Preventase go-ahead from Swiss

The acrylamide-reducing enzyme Preventase has been granted approval for use in Switzerland, marking a new step down the road towards industry-wide adoption for biscuits and other baked goods.

Scientists aim to cut risk posed by Ug99 to wheat supplies

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have developed wheat lines resistance to a stem rust fungus, which is threatening crop and adding to existing problems of rising costs and a 30-year low for stockpiles.

Rosemary extracts to receive antioxidant status

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said rosemary extract is safe for use as an antioxidant in food, expanding application opportunities and increasing its natural appeal.

Floods shut down three Midwest food plants

Record flooding in Iowa forced three major food plants to close last week disrupting supplies of a range of food ingredients.

Costs to food business to rise if GM zero-tolerance prevails, warns CIAA

Europe's vast food industry calls for an end to 'uncertainty' over non EU-approved GM traces in foodstuffs, warning that new risks on the horizon could bring massive costs to the European supply chain.

Sugar beet pectin outperforms gum arabic: study

The potential rise of sugar beet pectin use in the food industry could see it substitute for gum arabic in emulsions, according to new results from Wales.

Rising costs could cook up opportunity for UK organic bakers

The rising costs of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs could boost the output of organic foods and provide more locally sourced grain for organic bakers.

Vegetable oil prices set to stay high, US warns

Vegetable oil prices are expected to remain high into the coming 2008/09 season as surging demand from the developing world outpaces production, predicts the US agriculture department.

Nestle Cereal Partners UK in talks over misleading advert

A TV advert for Nestlé cereals must not be broadcast again in its current form because it contains misleading information about eating wholegrain foods, said the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Traditional snacks still top of kids' wish-list, survey

Children's favourite snacks are crisps, biscuits, cakes and confectionery but the healthy eating message is filtering through, according to a new survey.

News briefs: Kraft, bread price crunch, and bakery closures

US food giant Kraft has set up a new Spanish and Portuguese Kraft subsidiary following the purchase of Groupe Danone's global biscuit business, including LU Iberia, in November 2007.

Snacks course taps into key tends and technical issues

A snack food processing and product formulation course will bring together technicians and decision makers to focus on technical processes and consumer trends in the sector.

Weekly comment

Food crisis: Time to stop the squabbling

Bickering gets you nowhere. It's a lesson to be learned early in life, but which seems easily forgotten when it comes to tough political issues like measures to curb the food crisis.

Bakers IAWS, Hiestand in 2.5bn euro merger

Irish baker IAWS is set to merge with Hiestand of Switzerland to create Aryzta, a €2.5bn firm that will spear the €30bn global value-added bakery market.

Cauliflower waste boosts fiber in expanded snacks

Adding cauliflower to ready-to-eat snacks boosts fiber content and nutritional value, a new study has found.

Rare sugar may replace sucrose for bakery and beyond

The rare sugar D-psicose may be an ideal substitute for sucrose, and have the added benefits of boosting antioxidant activity and boosting shelf-life, say Japanese researchers.

Vandemoortele builds presence in frozen bakery

The Vandemoortele Group has announced its plans to take over Group Panavi, expanding further its presence in the European frozen bakery products market.

Childhood obesity figures continue to challenge bakery industry

Recent figures published by Datamonitor suggest that over 35 per cent of European kids aged 5-13 will be overweight or obese by 2012, giving an extra spur to strategies to reduce waist lines, including food reformulation.

Borregaard raises vanillin prices, will work on efficiencies

Borregaard is increasing prices for its vanillin products across the board due to the drastic oil price increases and is looking at ways to improve efficiency at its plants.

News Briefs: Warburtons, Kraft and personalised popcorn.

Warbutons plans to open a new bakery, Kraft expands its healthy living range, and popcorn becomes personalised.

FDA requires bakery group allergen-action

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given a natural baked goods manufacturer 15 days to provide information on changes made to its allergen labelling policy for some of its bread products or face a possible injunction.

Biscuits are good for business

When it comes to the crunch, a humble biscuit in the boardroom can make or break a business deal, say 80 per cent of professionals.

FSA issues guidance for clearer labelling

New labelling guidelines were issued this week by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) to help manufacturers in present vital product information in a clearer way.

Ryvita and Jordans merger creates leader in healthy snacks and cereals

Faster new product development is likely after Associated British Foods (ABF) announced yesterday the merger of its Ryvita business with natural food company Jordans to create one of the biggest player in the healthy snacks and cereals sectors.

Weekly comment

Yesterday's food complacency proves hard to swallow

For too long, the developed world has taken food for granted. For years, ample food stocks, a well-supplied export trade and rapidly rising agricultural productivity have confined food fears, in the west at least, to history and the memories of older generations.

Tate and Lyle confident in 'layered patent strategy'

As the decision on patent infringement allegations in the US is pushed back by three months, UK sucralose supplier Tate & Lyle confirms its confidence in the outcome of the case, while Chinese sucralose competitors affirm their supplies will continue.

Fairtrade Foundation aims to boost bakery market share

The Fairtrade Foundation wants the UK market for Fairtrade products to reach £2bn a year, four times the current level, by 2012, according to its recent report Tipping the Balance.