The number of contamination incidents reported through the European Union’s food safety alert system reached record levels last year, with an average of almost 22 logged each day during 2009, said a report from Brussels.
Evaluating ways of how to achieve sustainable consumption and production is the focus of the annual meeting of bakery industry suppliers trade group Fedima, which takes place in Barcelona this week.
Estrella Maarud, the leading snack manufacturer in Northern Europe, has joined the EU advertising pledge that aims to promote healthier snacking choices and balanced lifestyles among children.
DS Smith said it has completed its take over of French company Otor earlier than expected as it announced “good volume growth” across its business in its latest interim management statement.
In its safety review of curcumin as a food colouring substance, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes that it agrees with the FAO and WHO findings that the food additive is not carcinogenic.
Snack packaging supplier, the Weidenhammer Packaging Group (WPG), said it has completed a €6.5m upgrade on its plant in Greece, with the expanded manufacturing capacity helping it to meet a hike in demand in southeastern Europe.
A clutch of widely-used nutrition claims from ‘no added salt’ and ‘low-Gi’ to ‘10% less fat’ remain in a state of legal limbo as discussions over whether to allow them under the health claims Regulation drag on.
Huhtamaki has posted improved year-on-year figures for the first half of 2010 as it predicted better returns in H2 despite continued uncertainties in the market.
European snack producers are set to move towards a single portion size of 30 g for snacks such as crisps and pretzels in all 27 EU member states to ensure dietary recommendations on calorie intake is met, claims the European Snack Association.
Indian basmati rice is one of the products to be removed from an EU list of food imports subject to heightened scrutiny while some herbs and spices from Thailand have been added, said Brussels as it updated the register today.
Always read the small print. Good advice and nowhere more so than in food labelling with today’s increasingly savvy consumers demanding to know what’s in their food, where it came from and what it’s going to do to them.
New research does not contradict or change the conclusions drawn in the European Food Safety Authority’s opinion on ochratoxin A (OTA) in foods such as cocoa products and liquorice, claims the Parma-based agency.
The bioplastics industry should receive the same level of support from the European Union and national governments as the biofuel and renewable energy sectors to stimulate its development, said a trade body.
Country of origin labelling (COOL) should be not be mandatory for snacks and other foods, as the financial burdens would outweigh any benefits, claims a leading Spanish politician.
Cereplast said a new deal with Bunge will see it expand production of its bioplastic food packaging in Brazil but that any European growth plans were under review for up to two years while it assesses regional demand.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has urged the European Commission to amend EU law to permit the production of ‘smokies’, the common name for smoked skin on sheep carcasses.
Following a positive safety opinion from EFSA last month, US hydrocolloids company TIC Gums is expecting its gum acacia modified with n-octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) to received European clearance in 2011.
The status of the noni plant as a novel food ingredient has been boosted with the manufacturer, Tahitian Noni, last week receiving its third European Union Novel Food approval for the puree and concentrate forms of the fruit.
Restrictions on guar gum imported from India into the EU have been revised on fears that the risk of dioxin contamination of the product remains too high.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has mounted a campaign against half empty food packaging, accusing the US food industry of flaunting federal regulations.
A decision to add acrylamide to a European list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) is unlikely to have any impact on the cardboard packaging industry, said one trade body.
The European Commission has given its approval for the acquisition of PET resin producer Artenius UK Ltd by KP Chemical, a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set up an expert panel to evaluate the safety of non-plastic food contact materials such as inks and adhesives.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said it will campaign for a change in European law to allow the production of smoked skin-on sheep meat for human consumption.
As the competition authorities are stepping up scrutiny of the food sector, all companies should ensure they have compliance structures in place and do not view national activities in isolation, say lawyers at CMS Cameron McKenna
Sweden-based firm, Lantmännen Cerealia, said that it has withdrawn some crushed linseed products manufactured under the GoGreen brand in Finland and Sweden after a batch of crushed linseed it had sourced from Russia tested positive for GM traces.
Alcan Packaging has started production trials at a new flexible packaging plant in the Czech Republic as part of its strategy to strengthen its position in the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe.
The UK Food and Drink Federation claims a call from the Food Standards Agency to put more effort into the promotion of low fat and reduced fat products such as meat pies and savoury snacks will be limited by pending EU regulation on nutrition claims.
Ka-CHING! Hear that? No it’s not the sound of overflowing cash registers as consumers throw endless wads of euros at scientifically-backed, healthy foods in greater numbers than ever before.
The amount of packaging used per capita in the UK has remained almost frozen over the past decade while recycling rates have more than doubled, said an industry body quoting new EU figures.
October 1 was not a good day for many in the functional foods and food supplements business in the European Union as the meaning of life under a highly restrictive health claims regime came more into focus.
Barentz Europe has formed a new production division that formally brings together its three ingredients businesses under the same management – Barentz Ingredients, Vitablend and LI Frank.
France and Germany have emerged from recession but the global nature of the food industry may mean it takes longer to recover than other sectors, according to a senior economist at Wageningen University.
The UK’s Competition Commission is asking government to establish an ombudsman to arbitrate in disputes between retailers and suppliers, as retailers have declined to act and the Commission does not have the power to do so itself.
Canada-based Lallemand has acquired the UK yeast facilities of GB Ingredients (GBI), after a Commission investigation revealed insufficient competition in the European market.
Nanotechnology in food packaging is set experience strong growth over the next five years as the move towards globalisation of the food supply boosts demand for shelf-life enhancing packing.
The spectrum of opinions on genetically modified organisms is to come under new scrutiny in a European consultation project to assess EU legislation governing the controversial crops.
A proposal to allow individual countries in the European Union to opt out of growing genetically modified (GM) crops is to be tabled this week at a top-level meeting at the European Commission.
The chemical 4-methylbenzophenone (4MBP) poses no long-term health risk at currently reported levels and is likely to be given the all clear by the European Commission (EC).
Disagreement among members states means a decision to impose a new toll of a few cents per kilometre on freight haulage companies based on the polluter pays principle has been delayed.
A cash injection for frozen dough and lipid supplier Vandemoortele is set to boost the firm's business-to-business activities targeted at bakers and snack makers.
The UK food and drink sector has today reiterated its stance that an opt-out clause in the European Union curb on working hours is crucial for industry survival as EU economies contract.
