Concerns over the potential decline of US ‘luxury’ food and snack demand during the run up to Christmas are not being shared by European manufacturers of sweet snacks, according to one industry association.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency is working on improving allergen labelling and control practices used by industry, with investigations set to kick off in November at an open meeting with researchers.
New high-margin opportunities for bakers continue to open up in Russia as the economy flourishes, fuelling consumer purchasing power and raising demand for western-style breads and confections.
Lower futures prices for wheat herald a shaving of input costs for bakers and millers, with the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the near-bankcruptcy of global insurer AIG arguably hitting agricultural quotations downwards.
Bread and baked goods are increasingly stepping into the functional food arena, with the past month alone seeing a number of new developments designed to bring added health to the category.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency is introducing a programme of industry secondments for its staff, so it can have better understanding of how compliance might work when it is developing or negotiating regulations.
The increase in prices of corn, soy and wheat is unlikely to decrease, and could stay at current levels for at least two to three decades, says a new report.
The US dietary supplements industry yesterday launched an initiative to give folic acid another boost in the minds of consumers for its benefits for healthy infant development.
More consumers in the US are becoming aware of fiber and are trying to increase their consumption of whole grains as part of a healthy diet, according to a new survey.
Higher food prices have led to larger areas planted with cereals in Russia and Ukraine, which is expected to result in higher agricultural output this year, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
Cognis and Cargill have simultaneously launched products on the US bread market by inking deals with mainstream companies that saw clinically-backed, cholesterol-lowering, sterol-imbued breads rolled out in various parts of the country yesterday.
An overall decline in manufacturing costs appears unlikely to shift food processor concerns over higher prices for their goods, according to new UK statistics out this week.
Food manufacturers are well aware that, in order for a product to succeed, they must understand consumer wants and needs. But according to a new paper from Frost & Sullivan, they need to delve even deeper into the link between flavours and emotions.
UK cereal and fruit bar maker Glisten delivers an 18 per cent rise in annual pre-tax profit, asserting that its drive into the blossoming healthy and premium snacks sector would continue to bring gains, despite a challenging climate.
SinoSweet is stepping up its activities in the UK this month with the opening of a new sales office for aspartame, which it believes will help sales of the sweetener in the face of rival sucralose.
Ambitious Russian grain processor PAVA spears higher margin value-added ingredients, announcing plans to break ground on a grain fractionation plant for the production of wheat gluten, starches and syrups.
Urgent action is required by the UK government to help prevent drastic declines in bee numbers, amidst global concerns over a possible honey supply shortage for consumers and industry, says a leading supplier of the product.
Imperfect as they may be, the European Union’s regulatory efforts in the food area have attracted the attention of regulators around the world, some of whom view what is being done in the bloc as a legislative template.
The proposed regulation on food labelling is too complicated, makes unrealistic demands on font size, and will be burdensome for SMEs, a hearing has heard.
Watching the television may well influence our snack attacks, finds a new study. And while these findings suggest opportunities for snack makers continue to lie in the TV snacking domain, all signs point to health and wellness snack products as the road...
Green organisations have instigated legal action over the new maximum legal limits on the level of pesticides allowed in food items sold in the European Union.
Agricultural and ingredients giant Cargill has given an extra push to its canola presence with the formal opening of its expanded Specialty Canola Innovation Center in Fort Collins, USA.
Foods that claim to deliver energy are carving out a distinct place in the marketplace, as consumers start to look beyond energy drinks for an added boost, according to Mintel.
Food firm Kerry delivers like-for-like trading profit of €134 million at its ingredients and flavours unit for the first half of 2008, thanks in part to 'prudent price actions' that have brought good cost recovery to the group.
DuPont-owned Pioneer Hi-Bred has opened two seed research centres in Europe in an attempt to deliver higher yielding corn and sunflower hybrids to farmers and “meet growing demand for food and fuel”.
A study into the origin of Tahitian vanilla has provided insight into opportunities for breeding new commercial varieties of the popular spice, claim scientists.
Britain’s weather this week will determine not just the quantity and quality of the 2008 wheat harvest but also domestic supplies for sale in 2010, warns the National Farmers Union.
Good intentions when it comes to a healthy food go out of the window if people are stressed or hungry, increasing demand for products that offer instant gratification, according to a new study from the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research...
Organic food was once seen as a niche market but now major multinationals are offering organic products. In fact it has been one of the biggest trends in the food sector in recent years but do organics have staying power, or will consumers lose interest...
The bakery sector in Eastern Europe is catching the attention of international food companies as the market experiences growth in the region and shows future potential.
UK industry bodies are calling for an analysis on the effects of proposed pesticide regulation amendments amid concerns that cereal yields could be cut by 30 per cent.
“Food is a weapon – don’t waste it.” This message, which featured on a Second World War poster issued by the US Office of War Information in 1943, is a lesson from history we would do well to heed.
Rising raw material costs such as wheat and energy have not crimped sales growth for Illinois-based Sara Lee Corporation which has notched a 10.3 per cent jump in fiscal 2008, with its international bakery division growing strongly.
UK supermarket Tesco has announced that it is drastically reducing the price of organic produce by up to 25 per cent, in response to feedback from consumers who are feeling the effects of the credit crunch.
On the eve of the 2008 Bejiing Olympics opening ceremony, snack makers and bakeries seeking golden sales target the athlete-watching consumer with a range of product launches set to hijack the Olympic fever.
Kraft Foods is continuing to sharpen its focus on core brands with its latest divestment announcement – the sale of its Nordic and Baltic salted snack business to a private equity firm.
Heinz, Frito-Lay, Kettle Foods and Lance Inc have agreed to slash levels of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide in their potato chips and French fries, settling a lawsuit against them.
The vast offer of aid to China following its devastating earthquake in May reflects the food industry’s increasing move towards displaying strategic corporate responsibility.
Prices for almonds, used in a wide variety of baking and snack products, should remain steady and even dip in 2008/09 as California growers forecast a bumper crop for the year.
Northern Foods and Kraft have successfully offset high commodity costs by focusing on core brands, while Weston Foods suffered an operating income decline of 30 per cent.
The number of food science graduates is falling across the globe, but measures are in place to halt the decline. Has disaster been averted? Is the industry’s future assured?
Bakers and snack makers with healthy brands in their portfolio will boost consumer loyalty, confirms fresh figures from the latest league table of 500 UK superbrands.
