New menus on the white board
Michelle Knott talks to companies supplying food to schools to find out how they are responding to the new healthy meal proposals
Archives for December 5, 2005
Light bite delights
Ingredients manufacturers are put to the test as snack processors demand salt and sugar substitutes to transform their naughty nibbles into tasty, but healthy treats. Sarah Britton looks at the latest developments designed to make mouths water
Scientists predict lipids may be a taste of things to come
It has been well publicised that the tongue can sense sweet, salt, sour and bitter, but while some of us are still trying to get our heads around the...
The curse of the turkey twizzler
As McCain has been telling us for years, not every chip contains enough fat to fuel the Olympic torch. And as Pure Organics has proved, it is...
Bird flu could put food firms on the back foot
Plans found wanting as health experts predict a quarter off sick
Stories published in the past month on our website
An £800,000 research project has been launched to investigate and reduce carbon emissions released by the food industry.Manufacturing giants, such...
Off the deck and onto the rack
Waterfields' bakery engineer Brian Hodson has been convinced of the merits of switching production to rack ovens following extensive trials at Double...
Harvestime fails and takes 400 staff with it
Just weeks after it changed owner-ship for the second time this year, the baker Harvestime (2005) has gone into administration, making more than 400...
Farmer-owned dairy ingredients group invests to add value
Farmer-owned business Milk Link Ingredient Services, which claims over 30% of the market for fresh dairy product ingredients in the UK, is planning...
Tulip reduces smoker fire risk
Cooking and smoking is a central feature of Tulip UK, with its 23 factories, 7,000 employees and £1bn turnover representing the interests of the...
Pressure mounts to allow the use of high intensity sweeteners in breakfast cereals
High-intensity sweetener suppliers are working with the bakery industry in an effort to change the rules preventing the use of such artificial...
Portion control scale is versatile and precise
Industrial weighing specialist Weightron Bilanciai has launched a new scale designed specifically for manual portion control applications in the food...
Views sought over symbolic gesture
Suppliers unhappy with new packaging symbols designed by an industry group to identify cases in shops' warehouses should raise their objections now,...
DEFRA works with poultry firms to keep avian flu at bay
Moy Park is “delighted” that poultry process workers will be involved in early warnings on avian flu after the Department for Environment, Food...
GM legislation workability?
By the time this column goes to print, the European Commission (EC) will have initiated its scheduled review concerning the implementation of...
Tetra Pak bans inks that might have tainted food for a decade
Chance find in Italy pinpoints long-term contamination from chemical in food packaging ink
Engineering the authentic thing
Adrian Harding trained as a chemical engineer and is now implementing world class manufacturing and 'just-in-time' practices
No quick remedy for Uniq indigestion
It will be at least 1218 months before Uniq's ill-fated desserts plant at Minsterley returns a profit, chief executive Geoff Eaton has admitted.The...
Northern results rally as 1,000 suppliers are given the chop
Question over future of distribution business as rationalisation plan delivers profits
Fishing for fresh ideas
As chilled seafood sales continue to rise, Sarah Britton talks to NPD experts to find out what is driving the seafood industry and the trade secrets manufacturers are adopting to raise their game
New controls coming for chemicals in food
EFSA pushes for better risk management
Is the future fixed?
Fixed price contracts could offer salvation for Britain’s beef producers, But there are also quality issues that need to resolved. Sue Scott reports
Browned off with infrared technology
Dutch company Infrabaker International has developed a modular quartz infrared continuous cooking oven which is now being used around the world.The...
Prim and proper beans
Awareness of beans' health benefits and new cook/freeze techniques, could result in their more widespread use. Rick Pendrous takes their pulse
Low-quality foil trays hazard
Producers of high quality ready meals for catering are being undermined by low-gauge foil trays from the Far East, some of which are being sold on by...
Cadbury joins rejection of traffic light nutrition labelling
Confectionery giant Cadbury is the lastest company to reject an official recommendation that food products declare their nutritional content by means...
Auntie enters new territory
Food Manufacture Award-winner promises to move frozen food category forward
Allergen labelling could cover loose foods
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is in talks with stakeholders to examine extending new allergen labelling guidance to cover loose foods.The amended...
Time for frozen to come in from cold
Price wars between the multiple retailers have brought the frozen food sector virtually to its knees, said Howard McEvoy of McEvoy Foods...
Nestlé scolded by European Food Safety Authority
Nestlé, the world’s biggest food company, has been accused by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of potentially misleading the public by...
Asda flow logistics drive could push costs upstream
A new initiative from Asda to reduce store backroom stock of its top 1,000 ambient lines could increase supplier costs, manufacturers have...
Salt target is pie in the sky
Speciality products, such as cured bacons and hams, should be excluded from Food Standards Agency (FSA) targets on maximum salt levels in meat,...
UK is missing the boat
Many food manufacturers "simply not interested" in export help
Go with the flow, says Asda
We thought until earlier this month that retail-ready packaging was the main current, retailer-led change initiative.However, in October Asda...
News In Brief
Cains Brewery in Liverpool will produce the official beer for the European Capital of Culture 2008, an award given to the city.It is the first...
Kill or cure: industry lobby saves bacon
Suppliers of cured ham, bacon and other traditional meat products have won a reprieve from Europe over the use of nitrates and nitrites in...
Building BLTs like BMWs
Improving efficiency and making a profit while keeping customers happy is a tall order, but one that can be met with the right equipment, as John Dunn discovers
Armagnac parfait with a poached pear and praline biscuit
Martin Wishart adds a touch of magic to the humble pear
Firms on back foot over flu
Food companies are unprepared for the greatest threat facing their businesses today a flu pandemic according to risk management consultant Aon.Aon...
Batchelors paid the price for over-complex branding
Dry soup producer Batchelors has found to its cost that multi-layered segmentation of its broad Cup a Soup brand, and the way this was reflected in...
Healthy frustration
Chips, chicken nuggets and ice cream. The kids menu at the local pub is enough to get most nutritionists running for cover. But are things any better at school or the supermarket? Elaine Watson finds out
Mega omega makes a stand
Sarah Britton observes how food and drink manufacturers have incorporated omega-3 fatty acids into their products to promote heart health on a global scale
Appetite for functional foods set to grow
A raft of new functional foods which help to improve bone, heart and gut health, protect against cancer and provide weight control, look set to...
Fancy fillings
Premium sandwiches and healthy wraps are all the rage right now, but is it just a flash in the pan or a trend that's set to continue? And where does it leave the old faithfuls? Rebecca Green finds out
Keeping it real
Globe-trotting consumers are demanding more from their curries, which means manufacturers are having to innovate to stay ahead, says Rebecca Green
Simply say it
Food Manufacture's second healthy new product development (NPD) conference brought together a host of experts who described the opportunities and pitfalls of this emerging area of business. Rick Pendrous reports
Healthy? You must be kidding!
Thanks to education secretary Ruth Kelly's campaign to get rid of 'junk food' in schools, snack manufacturers are reformulating their products. But not everything is as healthy as it seems, says Sue Scott
From art to science
Bob Brooks describes the latest research and development designed to monitor what is happening in ovens and improve upon the baking process
Tesco admits failures
Retailer says its own distribution is no better than its suppliers'
Job losses and investment go hand in hand at UK dairy firm
Sixty jobs are to be axed at UK dairy giant Arla Foods following a major restructuring move last month.The jobs, mainly senior and middle management...