Ultra-discounting in extended US cereal portfolio unlikely, says General Mills

General Mills plans to introduce a host of new ready-to-eat cereal products to the US in 2013, but seems unlikely to heavily discount its range to line up with competitors.

Postconsumer plastic recycling increased in 2011, says study

Recycling of postconsumer plastic increased by 24% in Canada last year, according to a new report.

Gluten free ‘most popular approach to weight loss’ for 2013 (but it doesn’t work, say dietitians)

Despite strong evidence to the contrary, the belief that a gluten-free diet will help you lose weight and improve your health - even if you don’t have celiac disease -...

DSM buys Swedish oat beta-glucan brand

A day after confirming the €500m acquisition of New York-based blends specialist Fortitech, Royal DSM has concluded the year by buying beta-glucan brand Oatwell from Swedish Oat Fiber (SOF).

Gluten-free festive bake-off: Quality vs nutrition

BakeryandSnacks.com has put together a ‘festive bake-off’ scouring all the science and research from 2012 on gluten-free products to see how efforts to improve quality and up nutrition compare.

EFSA on caramel colours: Consumer exposure lower than previously estimated

Consumer exposure to three caramel colours used in a variety of food and drink applications is ‘considerably lower’ than a 2011 scientific opinion published by EFSA suggested, says the Authority.  ...

Frito-Lay technology slashes potato chip oil content by a third

Frito-Lay North America has filed an international patent for a method it has developed to reduce the oil content of potato chips by around a third.

News in brief

American Sugar Alliance: ‘The country is swimming in sugar’

Sugar prices in the US have fallen more than 40% since last summer and are now at “dangerously low levels for producers who are facing ever-increasing input costs”, according to...

Biggest movements of 2012: Buyouts, JVs and those left up for sale…

This year has seen a flurry of activity in the bakery, snack and cereal market with big buys, joint ventures and companies left up for sale as we enter 2013....

5-minute festive flick

Happy holidays from William Reed Business Media!

The working year is almost done, time to pause from ‘the business’ and embrace the festive season…go on, give it a big hug. Happy holidays!

Diamond posts Q1 loss after walnut scandal

Kettle Chips maker Diamond Foods has recorded a $10.7m loss in the first quarter of 2013 after incurring expenses for an investigation into improper payments to walnut growers.

editor's comment

‘Drinkifying snacks’: PepsiCo mush or master stroke?

Despite giving us object lessons in corporate word wash, can PepsiCo pull off what seems like a slightly puzzling mission, namely a long-term plan to ‘drinkify' snacks and vice versa...

Innovation key ingredient in cost-cutting recipe, says expert

Food companies are looking for new ways to appeal to frugal consumers while cutting their own costs – and ingredient companies are coming up some innovative answers.

Mexican Cola bottler delves deeper into snacks with two acquisitions

Mexican Coca-Cola bottler Arca Continental (AC) has bought two snack companies as it seeks to deepen its hold in the ‘highly complementary’ snacks arena.

ADM will ‘redeploy’ $450m gained from Gruma sale

Archer Daniels Midland has sold its stake in Mexican corn flour and tortilla firm Gruma SAB for $450m as it shifts cash into more profitable areas.

Vacuum cooling slashes times for industrial bakers, claims Aston Foods

Swiss firm Aston Foods has developed a vacuum cooling technology for large bakeries that can save time and money compared to conventional cooling towers, it claims.

EU health claims: FoodDrinkEurope welcomes “certainty and clarity”

The EU’s biggest food industry group – FoodDrinkEurope – has backed Friday’s enabling of the article 13 list of 222 approved and 1500+ rejected health claims in the European Union’s 27 member states.

It’s official! There are 222 general function approved health claims in the EU; 1500+ rejected

From today food and supplement products marketed in the EU’s 27 member states must comply with the article 13, permitted list of health claims or face prosecution for misleading marketing.

Crown offers Europe seated end tin opportunities

Crown Speciality Packaging is offering premium food and beverage brands in Europe easier access to a form of tin design intended to make their products stand out more.

Mixer accident could have been avoided

An accident involving a dough mixer could have been avoided if appropriate safety procedures had been implemented, according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

PepsiCo significantly ahead of Western Europe’s snack pack

PepsiCo gobbles up the lion’s share of the savory snack market in Western Europe, and is a significant way ahead of other players, a new report shows.

European gluten-free thresholds are working to protect coeliacs, study finds

A maximum threshold of 20 mg of gluten contamination per kilogram of food marketed as gluten-free has been successful in protecting coeliac consumers in Europe, according to a new study...

Special Edition: Fibre

From bakery to beverage: Are ‘high fibre’ claims diversifying?

‘High fibre’ claims are traditionally the realm of bakery products, but has recent growing demand for fibre by consumers resulted in a shift away from bread-based products?

Gourmet fruit range targets artisan chocolatiers and bakers

Taura Natural Ingredients has developed a range of natural concentrated fruit pieces to specifically target and cater to the needs of artisan chocolatiers and bakers.

ADM gets second takeover rejection from GrainCorp

GrainCorp has snuffed Archer Daniels Midland's (ADM) second, higher takeover bid saying that it still “materially undervalues” the business.

December 14 EU health claims deadline

Stakeholder vox pop: December 14 EU health claim deadline

With the December 14 enforcement of the EU's article 13 general function health claim list that includes 200+ approved claims and about 1500 rejections just two days away (after a...

General Mills on a quest for all-natural label-friendly yeast and mold inhibitors

General Mills is seeking label friendly ingredients that prevent the growth of yeasts and molds in dry packaged fruit-based foods.

The Twinkie tale: Hostess set to survive overseas?

Up-for-sale Hostess Brands has had strong interest from international firms looking to snap up its iconic brands, the company has said.

EC study: Do retailers’ own brands reduce consumer choice and industry innovation?

The European Commission (EC) has said it intends to conduct a study on whether expanded use of private label food and beverage products has restricted consumer choice and industry innovation.

New EFSA health claims chief: “I prefer pedagogic behavior”; offers 2013 hope

As the formlisation of the main organ (article 13.1 list) of the nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) kicks in this week, Professor Ambroise Martin, the new chair of the...

Special edition: Fiber

Can fiber continue its upward trajectory to rock star status?

Consumer demand for fiber-rich products is predicted to continue to sky rocket, with some industry observers claiming fiber will have ‘rock star’ status for the food and nutrition industries.

News in brief

Whole grains, fiber and less sugar: Kellogg unveils new breakfast products

Kellogg has unveiled a series of new breakfast products with an emphasis on whole grains, fiber and reduced sugar.

High costs and lack of partnership force Warburtons to cut European export trial

High distribution costs and no success in finding a European manufacturing partner has forced UK bread manufacturer Warburtons to end its export trial with Tesco across Central Europe.

Barley bread has great potential but there are formulation challenges, say researchers

Barley has great potential to leach the charge in a new era or functional bread products, but more needs to be done in understanding the key formulation challenges, warn researchers.

Particle size important for GMO detection in bread, finds study

GMO content is harder to quantify in breads made from maize flour than maize semolina because the grain has a smaller particle size and has been processed more, a new...

FAO urges greater use of ‘neglected’ grains

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged greater use of neglected traditional grains, saying that there is global overreliance on just a handful of staple foods.

Guest article

Eight winners: Are EU diabetes-metabolic syndrome health claims set to explode?

Eight ingredients have won EU health claims that can be used to back messaging around metabolic syndrome – although the take-up to date has been lacklustre, says Euromonitor analyst, Diana Cowland....

Palsgaard backing Asian confidence with increased investment

The chief executive of Danish chocolate and extruded whipping cake emulsifiers major Palsgaard has outlined the reasons behind the company's recent significant investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Diamond Foods: Our 2012 losses do not reflect our recent change in strategic direction

Premium nuts and snacks maker Diamond Foods has reported an $86.3m net loss on a 2% rise in sales to $981.4m for the year to July 31, but stressed that...

News in brief

Synergy introduces ‘authentic’ cheese flavour range for bakery

Synergy has introduced a new range of cheese flavours for savoury baked goods such as breads, scones, bagels and muffins, the company has said.

Enhanced manufacturing parameters will improve granola quality and consistency, suggest researchers

A better understanding of how the manufacturing parameters impact the production of granola could help the industry to create products that better match consumer expectations and have consistent quality, say...

Packaging can make the unseasonal seasonal, says analyst

The bakery and snack sector is not generally seasonal and is comprised of staples, but manufacturers can exploit the lucrative Christmas period through packaging design, an analyst says.

News in brief

Goodman Fielder offloads NZ flour milling business to Japanese firm

Australian food giant Goodman Fielder will offload its New Zealand flour milling business to Japanese firm Nisshin as part of its wider strategy to recover from struggling finances.

T-seal bags have ‘excellent’ versatility for snack branding, says Northeast Packaging

T-seal bags are an excellent, versatile flexible packaging solution for snack manufacturers enabling good space for branding, the CEO of Northeast Packaging says.

Key Technology upgrades sorting technology to target smaller products

Key Technology is introducing three-way sorting on its Optyx machine to target the removal of potential contaminants in smaller products.

Clarkson teams with Italian firm to boost organic soy lecithin supplies

Clarkson Soy Products has moved to alleviate the pressure on organic soy lecithin supplies by entering into a relationship with an Italian supplier, the company announced yesterday.

Guest article

December 14 EU health claims crack down: Are B2B comms affected?

December 14 brings the long awaited and widely disputed EU crack down on health claims. That means 222 general function claims are good to go, another 1500 or so prohibited....

Intersnack has been ‘eyeing’ KP Snacks for six years

Intersnack Group has been eyeing KP Snacks ever since it went into private equity hands back in 2006, the group’s marketing director said.

Intersnack snaps up KP Snacks for undisclosed sum

European Intersnack Group has snapped up United Biscuits’ KP Snacks for an undisclosed sum in a move that will enable the UK firm to 'dedicate focus' to its biscuits business, United...

McCambridge sells strong private label cake division in Christmas run-up

UK bakery firm McCambridge Group has sold its private label cake division to NBGI Private Equity and despite the run-up to Christmas its MD said now is a good time...

Sunwin Stevia pours cash into production

Sunwin Stevia International has invested heavily in production capacity to support declared growth plans in China.

News in brief

Vitafoods Europe 2013 calls for conference speakers

Vitafoods Europe wants speakers to get in touch for its annual scientific an commercial conference which runs in conjunction with the trade fair to be held in Geneva, Switzerland on...

Cholesterol lowering bread: Researcher reveals method using whole grain oats

A new way to produce heart healthy bread from whole grain oats could help industry create a new area of functional bread products backed by EU health claims, according to...

GrainCorp will review ADM’s second, higher $2.9bn takeover bid

Australian bulk grains specialist GrainCorp will review Archer Daniel Midland’s revised takeover bid after initially rejecting its first offer.

Hostess Brands: Bosses deserve $1.75m in bonuses… if they meet tough targets for asset sale

The $1.75m in bonuses to be shared by bosses at Hostess Brands should they meet targets relating to the sell-off of its assets are “below market rates” and “completely routine”, says...

Malaysia becomes Nestlé cereal exporter with new site

Malaysia will house production of Nestlé breakfast cereals for the first time and export brands to neighbouring Asian countries.

Ajinomoto wins EU chilli extract approval

Japanese supplier Ajinomoto’s chilli extract has won European Union Novel Foods status at various levels in 22 foodstuffs including flavoured waters, meal replacements, baked goods and sugar-free gum.

Biosensors a key area for nanotechnology

Nanobiosensors hold considerable potential as future areas of development for nanotechnology, according to a recent study.

News in brief

China not snacking on potato chips, but US and France are

China’s potato chip consumption is low with consumers choosing biscuits, candy and chocolate instead, but the US and France top the global consumption charts, new research shows.

Nature’s Own broadens US distribution thanks to Lepage Bakeries buy

Flowers Foods has broadened US distribution of its Nature’s Own bread brand through its newly acquired bakery firm Lepage Bakeries.

Comment

Acrylamide: A scandal in the making

Acrylamide is a recognised carcinogen that we’ve known is in our food at dangerous levels for a decade. Today, the food industry has tools to mitigate it, but uptake is...

Guest article

Provexis winner: EU health claims enforcement may dish rotten tomatoes

Steve Morrision was the COO at Provexis when the UK start-up won the EU‘s first ever article 13.5 health claim for its blood circulation-boosting tomato extract called Fruitflow in 2009....

Industry is only at the ‘tip of the iceberg’ with fiber enrichment, report

Bakery and snack manufacturers are only at the ‘tip of the fiber-enriched product iceberg’ and novel ingredients present opportunities to drive the sector further, according to a new report.

Special edition: Free-from foods (gluten-free, dairy-free)

The rise and rise of gluten-free: But can the meteoric growth continue?

Gluten-free marketers have a habit of drawing a series of concentric circles when they are trying to describe their target market - and the potential size of the prize.

News in brief

Packaging Dynamics acquires Groupe De Luxe

Packaging Dynamics Corporation has acquired Groupe De Luxe to expand into new geographies and end markets.