Attending a series of sessions on sugar reduction during the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) 2014 Wellness conference, a few common themes kept resurfacing: that obesity remains a big problem, and that—like it or not—the sugar industry is assuming...
A new global campaign will bring together experts and policy makers to tackle the current global epidemic of obesity and diabetes by reducing 'unnecessarily high' levels of sugar in food and beverage products.
With store-brand packaged goods doing $108.3bn business in the US each year, the Private Label Trade Show offers insight into trends driving the booming market.
Honey, molasses and malt extract have long been incorporated into food products for many other reasons besides their natural sweetening abilities—among them color, aroma, browning, texture, better moisture retention and improved shelf life.
The incorporation of prebiotic sugar substitutes can optimize nutrition and improve the eating quality and consumer acceptance of gluten-free bread, research finds.
Bio-on’s technology to produce PHA biopolymers from agricultural waste without organic solvents is moving closer to being used in food packaging, according to the firm.
A new EU-approved health claim for fructose-containing foods and scientific backing of glycaemic index (GI) information on food packaging are the latest signs of a perfect storm of science around low-GI diets, says CEO of Taura Natural Ingredients Peter...
Cereal majors Kellogg and Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) are reviewing the UK Department of Health’s (DoH) front-of-pack voluntary labeling scheme, but one nutrition policy expert says they will never sign.
Rising demand in Asia and Africa will drive significant growth in global sugar consumption, according to a new Rabobank report. The report, Global Sugar to 2021, projects global sugar consumption to grow from 166 million tons to 203 million tons in raw...
Changes to sugar policy in the United States enshrined in the 2008 farm bill have destabilized sugar prices and supplies, resulting in higher costs for consumers, manufacturers and now taxpayers, according to a new report from consultancy Agralytica.
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 Jack Roney, an economist with the American Sugar Alliance (ASA).
Using tagatose to sweeten food and drink products has taken a step forward as Korean scientists report the ‘first quantitative data on the relationship between the sweetness of tagatose and sucrose over a range of sweetness levels commonly encountered...
Chemical distributor Univar has entered into an agreement with Tate & Lyle Sugars to distribute its range of sugar-based sweeteners and texture modifiers across Europe, the company has said.
Rhodia Aroma Performance has introduced a range of intense vanilla flavors that it claims allows manufacturers to differentiate products and mask off-notes.
The American Bakers Association (ABA) says it is only a matter of time before “some form of a [sugar] reform amendment passes in the House”, although sugar producers say the US should learn some lessons from Europe and stop trying to fix something that...
The EU Sugar Users Association (CIUS) has welcomed debate on sugar reform scheduled in the European Parliament on Monday, ahead of an EU vote on whether to abolish sugar quotas under Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms.
Leading cereal bar brands are high in sugar, saturated fats and calories, with one product containing more sugar than a small can of Coke, finds new research.
The Real Good Food Company (RGFC) has pinpointed its bakery ingredients business Renshaw as the ‘gem’ within the group and has committed to a growth strategy for this arm.
While stevia is beginning to take off in a number of baked goods and snack categories in the US, Asian and South American markets, some other emerging ‘natural’ sweeteners look ready to take it on in the segment, claims Datamonitor.
The development of foods that contain alternating levels of taste intensity in the mouth could lead to reductions in sugar and salt levels, while retaining the same perception as with the original foodstuffs, say researchers from Dutch research group...
Growth opportunities are being stymied in sectors such as the soft drinks industry due to uncertainty over sugar supply in the EU market, claims a leading UK trade body.
Favourable market trends and successful business strategies have driven strong profits in Agrana’s sugar and starch segments, creating 20.2% growth for the first three quarters of 2011|12, the CEO said.
Tetra Pak has launched an upgrade for its Tetra Albrix sugar dissolving unit that it has claimed lowers costs and reduces energy consumption on previous versions.
Last week, hundreds of confectioners and bakers gathered on Capitol Hill, the meeting place of the US congress, to call for an end to the sugar price support programme, which they claim is keeping sugar prices artificially high and forcing food companies...
The EU is set to abolish the system of sugar production quotas for the bloc as well as guaranteed minimum prices from 2016, according to a Brussels source.
Tate and Lyle Sugars, one of the main suppliers to the UK food and drink industry is seeking €35m in compensation from the EU Commission, claiming that due to EU sugar policy mismanagement its refinery is not at full capacity, placing upward pressure...
The European Commission will consider boosting the availability of sugar at its next tonnage tender meeting on August 25 after sharp rises in prices and calls from food manufacturers for it to increase sugar quotas or abandon them.
Kraft Foods Europe is the second company to win a positive article 13.5 proprietary and emerging science health claim opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with a submission linking starch and glycaemic response in baked products.
EU food industry representatives have termed ‘premature’ the proposal by the European Commission (EC) to allow 650,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar exports from October.
The CIUS is calling for the European Commission to act now to keep sugar supplies within the EU market rather than export the sweetener, with it claiming that EU based confectioners and other food and drink manufacturers are facing sugar supply difficulties.
A new fat replacer derived from kiwifruit can remove up to 90 per cent of fats in pastry and its active vitamin C and E and dietary fibre components add functionality, claims its New Zealand based developer.
Formulating cookies with erythritol may allow for partial replacement of sugar without the consumer tasting a difference, says new research from Taiwan.
By controlling the distribution of sugar in a gelled product, the overall sugar concentration may be lowered without affecting the perceived sweetness, says a new study from Sweden.
Bran cereal with unsweetened raisins does not increase the levels of acid in dental plaque than bran flakes alone, which may put paid to the commonly held perception that raisins are acidogenic, claims a new US study.
Stevia could help ready-to-eat cereal manufacturers reduce the sugar content in their products without affecting taste, according to stevia-derived sweetener manufacturer PureCircle.
Opportunities for low-sugar formulations could potentially reside in France with a new study showing eight out of ten French people consume a reduced sugar product at least once a week.
Senomyx has received notification from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) that its new sucrose enhancing flavor ingredient is GRAS (generally recognized as safe).
Stevia could soon be adopted by ice cream manufacturers, claims a partnership of ingredient developers which believes it has overcome the technical challenges of producing frozen desserts using the natural sweetener.
A Wisconsin-based company claims it has developed a method to significantly reduce cranberry acidity without using chemicals or additives, which could lead to low- and no-sugar cranberry products.
Sugar politics means high prices are a bitter pill for US and Indian sweet food and beverage makers; while the European industry is sitting pretty on the back of the recent sugar reforms.
The Sweetener Users Association (SUA) has warned that the sugar market could be disrupted by production shortages, refining capacity issues and the upcoming hurricane season.
