Readers collect cash prizes in annual draw
A draw from among respondents to the latest annual Food Manufacture survey means cash prizes for three lucky readers.Greg Hunn, group technical...
Archives for June 29, 2005
New Basmati code is stuck in sticky mess
Plans for a stricter voluntary code of practice for Basmati rice suppliers have hit a stumbling block because Indian and Pakistani exporters cannot...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Skills shortage solutions are on the way
Investment puts Anson Foodservice ahead of the game
A major investment in leading-edge punch and die technology totalling euro 1m has been made at Anson Foodservice's purpose-built factory in...
No weak links in the chain
Whether cutting labour or improving process speeds, conveyors play a crucial role in reducing bottom line costs. Susan Birks looks at developments that will move goods round the factory more efficiently
Tumbler helps to mix salads both quickly and gently
An innovative new machine from Syspal is claimed to have overcome all the problems traditionally associated with producing high quality fresh salad...
Supplier's plea for retailers to unscramble the data from RFID
Standardisation is essential for radio tagging, says manufacturer By Elaine Watson
Ingredient discharger gets a clean bill of health
Flexicon has designed a system to prevent dust escaping during the in-line untying and discharging of bulk bags with ingredients that feed on to...
Sensitive analysis of food and drink
Emerson Process Management has introduced two new Rosemount Analytical sensors with specific applications in the food and beverage market. The Bx438...
Business booms for filling and depositing kit
Business is booming for filling and depositing equipment supplier Turbo Systems. It has just received a repeat order from Cardiff-based Memory Lane...
Chilled data in control
A range of temperature recorders has been developed which are suitable for use with all makes of temperature controlled equipment.Jointly developed...
Heinz juggles HP portfolio
Heinz may not keep all of the brands it has acquired from HP Foods in last month's £470m takeover, analysts have predicted.It is also unlikely to...
Government must get tough on supermarkets, says Curry
The government can no longer ignore calls to curb the power of multiple retailers, according to food and farming tsar Sir Don Curry.Curry, whose Food...
RHM flotation raises little enthusiasm
RHM boss Ian McMahon has promised to pump more cash into product and process development and make further efficiency savings after the group goes...
Ready meals for weight-watchers
A new range of six chilled ready meals is being produced by Greencore under licence from WeightWatchers International.Greencore says the meals are...
Wise ways to spend it
Unless companies refocus attention on their processes, their businesses are likely to disappear offshore, however good they are at product innovation and marketing. John Dunn reports
EFSA head calls for Europe-wide agreement on crisis management
Euro safety body distances itself from UK's mass Sudan 1 recall
Farmers fight latest price cut with new round of milk demos
Milk producers slam processor for going against market trend
Nutrient profiles
The proposed regulation on nutrition and health claims went to its first reading at the Council of the European Union on June 3. This generated a...
Tight supplies keep UK millers' wheat price firm, but traders predict good crop
The price of breadmaking wheat looks set to remain firm this year because of a sharp fall in the amount sown in the UK.According to the National...
Innovative moves in high volume ham processing
French food processing machinery manufacturer Armor Inox has developed a modular cooking and chilling process for cooked meat such as hams.The...
Kerrygold opts for fixed weight cutters for cheese
Customer demand for fixed weight cheese portions has led The Kerrygold Company at Leek in Staffordshire to install equipment capable of fulfilling...
Muscle matters
Britain's meat processors are consolidating in the face of a tough business environment. Rick Pendrous reports on an industry adapting to greater international competition and some difficult regulatory issues
THE FIRM:
Your cut-out-and-keep guide to top employers. No 60: Inter Link Foods
Culina initiative slashes lead times to Northern Ireland
A clutch of blue chip manufacturers including Tropicana, Kraft and Kerrygold have slashed lead times and shipping costs for transporting goods to...
Rapid lasers take labour cost out of product sorting
Key Technology now offers laser-based sensing technology to customers alongside its optical inspection capabilities.The new Optyx G6 3000 Series...
Liquorice equipment maker cooks it up
A novel cook and vacuum cool system was shown by BCH for the first time at the Interpack exhibition in Germany recently. The system cools products...
Arla's London dairy installs new cleaning in place plant
The Arla Foods Dairy in north London has installed a new stainless steel cleaning in place (CIP) facility. The project, undertaken by dairy...
Better education, training and control could help avoid risks
Biggest ever survey may help clean up the entire food chain
European food safety body battles for its senior scientists
EFSA fights for senior scientists and improved links to new Italian HQ
One up, one down
New EU traceability laws hit UK statute books with more of a whimper than a bang in January. But has Sudan 1 changed all that? Elaine Watson reports
Modular line integration
Retail ready line tackles the challenges of automating weighing and packing operations
Patent dispute could threaten the future of flexible packaging supply
The use of six and seven-colour sets in packaging print -- an approach which is rapidly gaining ground in the UK -- could be halted by legal action...
Indian meals feel the heat from new cuisines
Indian ready meals are struggling to maintain their position as the UK's favourite ethnic cuisine as new foods steal the limelight.Speaking at last...
Beware those inflexible contracts
I had a call the other day to be a 'marriage guidance' counsellor for a third party logistics provider (3PL) and a customer who had fallen out over...
Sound lubrication strategies help companies to cut costs
While a sound lubrication strategy can optimise equipment investment, it is an area often overlooked in the food industry, claims lubricant...
Changeovers
Philip Jones has joined Riverside Food Services as cold store manager at its recently acquired facility in Four Crosses, Powys. Jones brings a wealth...
Fortified yoghurt drink uses new calcium ingredient
Chilled dessert manufacturer Yoplait Ireland has launched a calcium-enriched drinking yoghurt under its Petits Filous brand.Said to be the first of...
Skills council launches passport to success
The first UK-wide skills passport to meet the needs of food and drink firms went live this month.The Green Card, launched by Improve, the food and...
Measuring pH in meat
Meat quality checks using a pH sensor without the associated risks of glass breakage
Sweet news for plant bakers
A new invert syrup from British Sugar offers convenience and flexibility benefits for plant bakers.Invasweet was developed to meet the bakery...
Manage water vapour and multiply your product's shelf-life
Food companies are missing opportunities to significantly lengthen the shelf-life of products because the effects of water vapour transmission are...
European legal ruling could kill off health claim proposals
Unpopular legislation could be derailed by related judgement
Recycle for the future
Packaging makes life easier -- food is easier to store when it's hygienically sealed, picking up a bag of apples is quicker than selecting fruit by...
New spin on the Italian job
Food processing equipment supplier Carlisle Process Systems (CPS) has taken on the distribution of the Reda range of automatic self-cleaning...
Hired Guns
Smart talking chancers out to make a fast buck, or the real drivers of change in the industry? Elaine Watson explores the role of interim managers in food
Chargrilling and searing retains the vegetables' bite
Retaining the bite quality of vegetables is crucial when it comes to further processing, says Double D Food Engineering, which is developing high...
Plant bakery automation
An idea borrowed from the glass industry is helping Warburtons to automate its operations across the country. "We knew we had to automate, but the...
Keg tracking grows
Incorporated into a radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking solution, mobile asset management company Trenstar is using new Simatic Microbox...
Wincanton both sides of the factory gate
Factory gate pricing has proved a doubled-edged sword for Wincanton, hitting volumes going through its chilled consolidation centres on the one hand,...
New Dutch Gouda and Edam plant
Dutch co-operative DOC Kass's massive new cheesemaking plant, scheduled for completion in 2007, will make use of 11 separators supplied by...
Lawyers sound alarm bells over new fire regs
Directors could be personally responsible if a firefighter is killed
Drink that wards off strokes could be on-shelf by autumn
A tomato-based drink, claimed to benefit the heart and circulation, could hit supermarket shelves this autumn.The fruit juice drink, called Sirco,...
Overheated costs may fade into mist
Manufacturers are increasingly choosing mist systems over sprinklers for fire safety, a leading specialist has claimed.Surefire Systems, which...
Aero dynamic
Me & My Factory Interview: Mike Hale, area manager, Nestle Rowntree, York
Label printer offers increased uptime for packagers
Requiring fewer label changes, offering increased uptime and using a thermal transfer printing technique, Videojet Technologies has launched its new...
Good vibrations mean more accurate seasoning
Superior handling means less of the flavour drops off
Inter Link weighs in to Poland
Speed was the order of the day when Stevens Weighing Group won an order to supply and install a multi-station Vantage recipe formulation and...
Prebiotics research -- more than just a gut feeling
A new research project is being proposed to establish just how effective prebiotic ingredients -- substances that feed the friendly bacteria present...