Revolution not evolution
Syspal's innovative new Euro-bin Tumbler gently rotates a 200 litre Euro bin to mix ingredients. Since there are no paddles or blades, the Euro-bin...
Archives for October 30, 2006
Flavour prediction tool can cut development time in half
Flavours firm Quest's new 'Linking sensory data to acceptance' (LISA) method can accurately predict worldwide taste preferences in record time,...
Flowmeters check chocolate
Specialist chocolate manufacturer Classic Couverture has installed three Krohne Optimass Coriolis mass flowmeters to improve the accuracy of...
Age before beauty - except when it comes to the pay packet
The recent move by Asda to pay under 18s the same hourly rate as older workers has opened a debate on whether there should be changes to the national...
Arla slaps a £15M claim on dairies
Six dairies facing Office of Fair Trading (OFT) penalties for price and market fixing in the Scottish fresh processed milk sector now face a £15M...
FSA suspends search for a permanent chief executive
No surprise at failure to find a new boss
Tate & Lyle sells more
EU sugar reform leads to more restructuring in related market
A baker born and bread
The cut and thrust of production wraps up working at Warburtons for Mark Picconi
Workers confront Blair over increasing job losses in York
Workers seek high-level political backing to save food and drink jobs in the city
UB's buyers offer hope on pensions
The agreed new owners of United Biscuits (UB) have reassured staff that they would plug the company's £213M pension deficit, but have said nothing...
Inspection 'for show'
Failure to set metal detectors correctly could be widespread
No health warnings on booze, says EC
The European Commission (EC) will not force manufacturers to put cigarette-style health warnings on booze in a bid to tackle binge drinking.In its...
Gut feeling
It's a subject we don't like to discuss, but right now gut health is big news for ingredients firms. Rebecca Green looks at the market opportunities
There's something in the water
Slovenian food manufacturer Droga Kolinska, has launched new mineral water brand Donat Mg into the UK.Sourced from the ancient Rogaska spring in...
EC agrees to GM tests on US long-grain rice
The European Commission (EC) has agreed to tougher sanctions to prevent unauthorised genetically modified (GM) rice entering the EU after emergency...
Clear triple layer, smart single serve
Improvements in aluminium oxide (AlOx) and silicon oxide (SiOx) barriers for clear flexibles have persuaded Mondi Packaging to invest in a new...
Forecasting failing, claims IGD
IGD report reveals millions wasted each year from inefficient planning and forecasting
Lifting the mood
The products are there, says Sue Scott. But is the public ready for mood food?
Fleets hit the road in cost-savings survey
Study could identify big potential reductions of transport costs
Firms will invest to boost manufacturing efficiency
Better efficiency will be the primary reason for food and drink manufacturers investing in plant, machinery and buildings in the next year, rather...
Risk team calls for testing of toxicity of nanoparticles
A taskforce set up by the government's Nanotechnology Research Co-ordination Group (NRCG) said that new testing strategies would be needed to address...
Trade Talk
Time to play by the rules?
Boosting bulk wine imports could slash green glass waste
A new national initiative to reduce glass waste from the wine industry by encouraging bulk imports looks set to win support on the basis of costs,...
Mars plans ahead for chocolate drink growth
As Mars Drinks prepares for the launch of its Moment du Chocolat microwave beverage, its contract packer, Mailway Packaging Solutions, is already...
New floor for Jessie Oldfield
Flooring specialist Kemtile has completed a project at Jessie Oldfield Bakeries in Trafford Park, Manchester. It replaced a 20-year old floor with...
Coors continues trend with brewery job cuts
Brewer follows up job cuts in spring with same again at Burton
Improve tries to revive apprenticeships
Apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing and meat and poultry processing have been overhauled from this month to make them more relevant for...
Ginsters opens agricultural academy
Cornish pasty giant Ginsters has teamed up with Duchy College to launch the UK’s first agricultural academy - aimed at strengthening supplier...
Bowl choppers that chop a lot
Union Food Machinery and Equipment (UFM)) has launched a new family of high capacity Laska bowl choppers, including 200 litre, 330 litre, 500 litre...
Pre-glued sleever
D2 Food Systems has launched a fully automatic pre-glued sleeving system for the convenience food sector specially designed with a small footprint...
Cool science cooks up hot answers
Innovative ideas and new research promise better blending of delicate ingredients and improved mixer design, as John Dunn discovers
Happy, healthy families
Having written two columns, I feel you are getting to know me, so I'll introduce my family.My husband could be regarded as 'the man on the Clapham...
Dip and test for allergens
A range of hand-held 'dip and test' allergen test kits has been introduced by Tepnel BioSystems. The Rapid 3-D kits enable food manufacturers to...
You don't always get what you want ...
So, you're not happy about the talent pool you have to draw from? With enough support, radical new proposals might just give you what you need. Rick Pendrous reports from Food Manufacture's fourth HR forum
Accentuate the positive
Success in functional foods comes from treating shoppers like consumers, not patients, says Elaine Watson
Forecasting: where art meets science
The difference between 'JIT' (just in time) and 'JTFL' (just too f**king late), as some manufacturers politely refer to their supply chain planning...
Reconciling stock? Act now or pay later ...
I lost an argument three months ago over the frequency with which stocks should be reconciled between a manufacturer and his new third-party...
Plant extracts 'as effective as aspirin' in slowing cancer
Evidence is mounting that the consumption of botanicals may delay the onset of cancer, providing a vast opportunity for food manufacturers to market...
Sharing and caring
Companies should proceed with caution when it comes to exchanging sensitive information with competitors, warns Kate Newton
Hunger busting
One in five Europeans will be obese by 2010 thanks to poor diet and lack of exercise. But is the food industry the problem, or the solution? Allison Carvalho reports
Hero fails portion test
Hero Foods will stop selling its Fruit2day drink in the UK after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned claims that the product contained...
The pie’s the limit with bakery’s £3M investment
Sweet and savoury baker Wrights has invested £3M in modern pie and freezing lines at is main bakery in Crewe, Cheshire.The investment puts the...
Developing developers
It's not very often that large food manufacturers work together on a project, especially if they're in competition with each other. But Premier Foods...
Smart kids get dense
Calcium consumption during youth is vital to increase bone density, but with balanced diets off the menu, food enrichment may be the only way to improve calcium levels, says Sarah Britton
Plant power
The UK is still underdeveloped compared to some other markets in Europe when it comes to cardiovascular health ingredients, says Allison Carvalho
LETTER
Money is the turn-on when it comes to lean manufacturing
Over 500 Grampian workers to go on strike
The Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G) expected over 500 workers from two Grampian Country Food Group chicken processing plants to go...
Managers buy TSC
A management team at sauces and soups manufacturer TSC Foods, led by md Brian Dahl and finance director Bill Morran, has acquired the company from...
Scottish scampi firm announces 70 job cuts
Dawnfresh Seafoods expected to cut 70 of its 325 jobs when it transfers some frozen scampi processing to the Far East to save an estimated £1M a...
Offshoring puts UK supply chain at risk, says report
The move to relocate increasing volumes of packaging production overseas, much of it following the food industry itself, is putting the entire supply...
Kyprianou calls for front of pack nutrition labelling that supports the EU’s goals on health
Markos Kyprianou, the European Commissioner for health and consumer protection, has entered the front of pack nutrition labelling debate by calling...