Breaking News on Industrial Baking & Snacks

California sues food firms over acrylamide

The state of California is suing nine top food manufacturers over their reluctance to issue warnings that some popular snacks could contain a potential cancer-causing chemical.

Spain to turn to bread to boost low-fibre diet?

Spanish scientists are carrying out further investigation into the nutrient content of bread in an attempt to persuade consumers to eat more of the fibre-rich food.

Allied Starch strengthens position in tortilla market

Allied Starch & Chemical (ASC) has acquired Californian-based firm Ingredients Unlimited as part of its plan to capitalize on the lucrative North American tortilla market.

Weekly comment

Water wastage syndrome

Praise where praise is due. And it is certainly due for one small-time drinks firm in southern Britain, which is spear-heading answers to global water shortages that threaten to wreak havoc on food producers everywhere.

Prices stable on stronger yields for confectionery nut ingredient, pistachios

As prices for hazelnuts, two-thirds of which are sourced from Turkey, slowly start to recover following global shortages, pistachio production also shows signs of improvement following last year's frosts.

Novozymes consolidates food enzyme distribution with Fiske

Strenghtening supply chain number one enzyme supplier Novozymes will consolidate its numerous distributor agreements in Europe under one firm, ingredients and additive distributor Fiske.

Nestlé, ADM and Cargill go to court over cocoa child labour

Leading cocoa suppliers Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland, and Cargill are being sued by a US labour rights firm over accusations of forced child labour.

Almond prices boost US exports

Agricultural exports are forecast at $63.5 billion for 2006, up $1.5 billion from the revised 2005 estimate, says new report from US department of agriculture.

Plant lighting: Turn on, turn off with intelligence

An intelligent system for modulating fluorescent lighting could slice 30 per cent off a food plant's energy bills.

Hazelnut prices to stabilise in forthcoming months?

Hazelnut prices remain at all time highs but the imminent crop from key producer Turkey could offer some stability to snack makers and confectioners impacted by the record highs.

Bakeries to face sorbate price hike from Nutrinova

German-based ingredients firm Nutrinova passes raw material and energy price rises onto the market, announcing double-digit price hike for its sorbate products, used increasingly by food manufacturers to preserve baked goods.

Food science improves flavour release for baked frozen foods

Improving the flavour of thawed and re-heated frozen baked goods, food scientists in the US have designed a release mechanism that delays odour release until the product is cooked.

Ingredients boost 4Q for Cargill

Core business segments, including food ingredients, contribute to an 18 per cent leap in quarterly profit for expanding, and ambitious, US firm Cargill.

Kellogg puts its weight behind fiber

Leading cereal maker Kellogg on Monday launched a new initiative in the US to promote its fibre-rich cereal products. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of dietary fibre in order to encourage Americans to increase their fibre consumption.

Rumours that Purac to build lactate production in Thailand

Leading Dutch lactic acid supplier is believed to be in discussions to expand its presence in the East with plans to build an acid plant in Thailand that uses sugar as a raw material.

Latest figures reveal wholegrain surge

US sales of wholegrain cookies have skyrocketed 1,364 per cent in the past year, marking them as the nation's fastest growing wholegrain bakery product, according to market researcher AC Nielsen.

Weekly comment

Waiting for the super-nutrition revolution

Henry Ford's famous aphorism that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses, provides food makers with a lesson they must learn.

Degussa ingredients sale in 'final negotiations'

German chemical group Degussa is in the final stages of talks to shed its food ingredients unit, says chief financial officer Heinz-Joachim Wagner.

Mega-trends: convenience food and health to double in ten years

Ten mega trends stretching from age to individualism will determine the success and shape of any new products to hit the market in the near future, claims market analysts Datamonitor.

Sara Lee to close three bakery plants

Leading US bakery Sara Lee announced this week that it will close three of its bakery plants, though the company claimed production will not be effected as it is picked up by neighbouring plants.

Wheat classification system aids UK exports

A new, simplified wheat classification system designed to help the UK compete directly with other global wheat suppliers is bringing in results, with a breakthrough agreement that could see substantial quantities of UK grain shipped to Egypt over the next five years.

New study unravels human taste perception

Ramifications for food formulation as fundamental research on chocolate smells finds olfaction is uniquely a "dual" sense, in that the brain perceives the same smell molecule differently if it arrives through the nose rather than the mouth.

Baking industry boosts food enzyme sales at Novozymes

Fresh first half figures for Novozymes reveal the number one food enzyme firm continues to gain from healthy sales to the baking industry.

Morrisons sells more stores to competitor

The UK's biggest supermarkets are currently engaged in vicious price wars, like their counterparts across Europe, in a bid to increase or maintain market share. This has put price pressure on theirfood suppliers, who are also being squeezed by rising costs for raw material, petrol and packaging.

Weekly comment

In food makers we trust?

In among the hollers about obesity and the concerns over nutrition, food companies now need to work hard to ensure they clinch public trust, as a matter of insurance. This means more than compliance on traceability and labeling. This means being seen as a force for good.

Strong growth for Panera Bread offset by high costs?

Panera Bread has revealed strong growth in its first half sales, but the company expects higher costs to hit margins for the rest of the year.

Sara Lee to sell international cosmetics business

International consumer goods maker Sara Lee has confirmed that it is selling its direct sales cosmetics business to Tupperware for $577 million. The move forms part of the company's bid to redefine its over-stretched product portfolio and turn around its financial fortunes.

PepsiCo's Smith's acquires Australian rice snack maker

Leading Australian snack maker Smith's this week announced that it has acquired Sakata Rice Snacks Australia, for an undisclosed sum.

Folic acid fortification is working, shows study

The mandatory fortification of flour and grain products with folic acid in the US appears to be bringing in results, according to the largest study of B vitamin levels in the population carried out to date.

Rice genome map could spell bigger crops

A group of international scientists has sequenced the complete rice genome, something that could be used to improve the quality and size of crops. The discovery may also be developed to apply to wheat and barley.

Lifestyle, diet may halt prostate cancer progression

Men with early stage prostate cancer who make intensive changes to their lifestyle and diet- including consumption of wholegrains- may stop the disease's progress.

Spanish bakery Panrico to be sold to private equity

US private equity group Apax last week announced its plans to expand into the Spanish bakery market, after signing an agreement to purchase Spanish bakery Panrico.

Popcorn flavorings linked to lung infections

Staff exposed to flavoring agents in microwave popcorn plants are more likely to develop airway inflammation, according to a new US government study.

EU subsidy cuts hurt Arla's butter exports

Dairy producer Arla Foods, which supplies butter to a number of bakeries, has sent out one of the first signals that the dairy sector is hurting from a reduction in EU agricultural export subsidies.

New oat-based fat substitute targeted at Europe

A new fibre-based fat substitute that can reduce the fat content of baked goods by 50 per cent is to be launched in Europe by Swiss marketing group DKSH.

Energy bars expand consumer interest in sports nutrition

Better-tasting and convenient performance foods are attracting growing numbers of Europeans, many of whom are not sports professionals, reveals a new report.

Greggs sales up but expansion slowing

Greggs Plc, the UK bakery business that has stood out as a growth success story in a sector cramped by obesity concerns, last week unveiled first-half results that suggest it may be running out of steam in selling ever more bread to Britons on the High Street.

Sara Lee sales down, but profits boosted by cost-cutting

Major cost-cutting at US-based Sara Lee boosted operating profits at its bakery division by 36 per cent over 2005 but sales were down on the previous year after a 53rd week in 2004 swelled turnover.

Weekly Comment

Turning food into trash

Water, we save. Energy, we conserve. But food, it seems, we can waste, junk and bin and no-one cares. Except one crusader, whose 20-year project has proven what should have been obvious in the first place: our attitude to food is costing us a fortune.

World enzyme demand to hit $5.1bn by 2009

World demand for enzymes is expected to rise 6.5 per cent annually to nearly $5.1 billion in 2009, according to a new report.

Low folate levels could lower baby's birth weight

Women planning to have a baby should increase their folate intake if they want their child to reach optimal weight, finds new research that links the vitamin for the first time to birth weight.

Natural salt alternative could make low-sodium diet reality

Growing pressure on food manufacturers to cut salt levels has led to a frantic search for alternatives. Joan Watsabaugh tells FoodNavigator-USA.com why AlsoSalt could provide the industry with a viable solution.

Biscuit maker McVitie's cuts jobs after floods

UK biscuit maker McVitie's is to cut 33 jobs at its Carlisle factory, after damage caused by floods in January permanently disabled four production lines, reducing the plant's total output by 20 per cent.

High fat diet could aggravate snack attack

A high-fat diet may lead to over-consumption of tasty snacks, say researchers involved in a rat study. They believe that regular eating habits could affect sensitivity to a hormone that tells us when to stop eating.

AB Enzymes targets Asia with new Veron products

AB Enzymes will launch a new product to replace potassium bromate in time to cash in on an increased Asian demand for substitutes, after the substance was banned in China early this month.

White wholegrain flour not white enough?

Wholegrain flours that can be used to produce white baked products are proving a hit with US bakeries looking to meet new healthy eating guidelines, but colour is still proving a challenge, writes Lorraine Heller.

Weekly Comment

Making GI a quality mark

Whether it is a pork pie from Melton Mowbray or olive oil from Nimes, every Tom, Denis and Haemon seems to believe their local food deserves the EU's protection from big, bad corporations.

ADM sales decline lifted by lower costs

Archer Daniels Midland has reported a fourth-quarter profit, with lower costs offsetting a decline in sales.

Could Atkins bounce back from bankruptcy?

Business is looking bleak for Atkins Nutritionals. As the once-celebrated pioneer of a diet regime that took the world by storm files for bankruptcy protection, Jess Halliday asks: What went wrong?