Shrink to fit target audience
Magnum ice creams have been miniaturised in a bid to increase consumption levels.At half the size of a standard version, Unilever's Magnum Minis are...
Archives for February 26, 2008
Naans go premium
Ethnic bread producer Honeytop Speciality Foods has been working with Marks & Spencer (M&S) to re-launch a range of premium naan breads for...
Who pays the Berryman?
Leatherhead Food International's new chief executive Dr Paul Berryman plans to raise the research organisation's turnover by 5-10% a year by offering more focused added value services to its members. Rick Pendrous finds out where the money is coming from
LETTER
Tools for efficiency
Trade Talk
Short but sweet is the simple solution
Greening of distribution warehouses is set to take off
Warehouse and logistics provider Gazeley, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart, has committed as part of its sustainability strategy to make more...
Analyst slams industry for not carrying out proper audits on its contractors
The failure of companies sourcing products from contract manufacturers and ingredients suppliers to carry out proper audits is resulting in large...
Undercover superfood causes a stir in new pasta sauce for school kids
Specialist pasta meals supplier Pasta King, has introduced quinoa (pronounced keen wah) as a main ingredient in a new sauce to get more vitamins into...
Water, water everywhere ...
... and so much do we waste. Rick Pendrous reports on Envirowise's FEED event designed to help food businesses save water and money
Marks & Spencer raises the axe to cut £40M in costs this year
Feeling the pinch, High Street giant M&S tightens its belt and brings in the cost cutters
Come get your fill
Satiety foods offer a filling meal that doesn't leave you sniffing around for snacks and consumers are taking note, says Sarah Britton
New currency to replace euro
Pounds are becoming kilos. You are probably thinking that I am about to re-launch the debate of imperial versus metric. I'm not. I'm talking about...
Bulk issues addressed
Explosive materials; 'rat holing'; and hygienic design. Powder handling presents some thorny issues, says John Dunn
Stamp out suspicion
A lack of transparency between manufacturers and their ingredients suppliers is proving a barrier to innovation, says Sarah Britton
Faster, lump-free mixer
Hosokawa Micron has developed the Vitomix mid-shear conical mixer which is capable of achieving high mixing accuracy in a very short time. The...
Convergence, separation, and sortation - all sorted
The need to separate, converge or sort products, such as biscuits and cakes requiring coating with chocolate, while they are moving on a process belt...
Anti-freeze ice set for go
The first ultra-low fat frozen food products containing 'anti-freeze' ice structuring proteins (ISPs) will be launched in Europe in 2009, Unilever...
Brand care adds value
Manufacturers need to go beyond good food safety procedures to properly manage the potential risk of damage to their brands, according to cleaning...
Herbs success sees business expand
Although still based in Dundee, year-on-year growth of 20% has seen Scotherbs move to larger premises, which gives the herb experts an additional 30%...
Greencore focuses the spotlight on its suppliers
only the best will do for Convenience group
Cake company has recipe for TV success
Lightbody Cakes has teamed up with BBC Children's TV programme Beat the Boss, challenging a team of children and a team of adults to compete with...
Beyond the usual suspects
Fresh pasta sauces are set to become a major growth area and, as Lynda Searby discovers, there's more to this area than tomato and basil
Mass flowmeter gets the dose right for drinks maker
Cheshire-based manufacturer of mixing, distillation and fermentation systems to the drinks industry, ABM, has chosen the Krohne Optimass 1300...
Portion caution
Good things come in small packages, but firms must approach the subject carefully if they are to convince consumers that the same is true of food portions. Mary Carmichael investigates
Production line for talent
Students of the Food Technology Centre at North Nottinghamshire College have access to some impressive facilities, says Rod Addy
Lightweight portable floor scale just flies along
An ultra-lightweight portable floor scale from Avery Weigh-Tronix claims to have the UK's highest strength-to-weight ratio.Called the Air Platform,...
Video inspects oven interiors
The OvenScope video inspection system from McQueen Cairns Technology produces videos of the internal surfaces of continuous ovens as it passes along...
Pallet stabiliser prevents broken bottles
A new palletised containment system could save the glass bottling industry millions of pounds in breakages by improving pallet stability during...
EU's supermarket squeeze
MEPs vote for regulation of the big boys
Bloomin' marvellous
Adventurous development chef at The Serious Food Company Charlotte Marriott shares her thoughts on flower-infused desserts. Sarah Britton reports
McCain's range is frozen out
Production of McCain's Anytime paninis and baguettes has had to be discontinued
Pulsed light helps extend shelf-life
French technology supplier Claranor says that its Ventris pulsed light system can effectively decontaminate closures and materials for extended...
Tesco pushes forward with ethical initiative
As Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from February 25 to March 9, began, Tesco was urging firms to back an initiative to improve the conditions of...
LPD could be a lifesaver for seasonal product launches
When time is of the essence, manufacturers may find that a lean product development (LPD) strategy can save the day."When the product lifecycle is...
Find your niche
Ethnicity, artisanship, taste, healthy eating, free-from and clean labels - shoppers want more than ever before from baked goods, says Rod Addy
Nutrition labelling causes headaches
The proposal for a Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers was enthusiastically announced last month by the European Commission,...
Recycling targets signal shift away from stress on weight
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA's) new packaging recycling targets highlight the growing importance of overall carbon...
Omega-3 food fortification could become mandatory
The case for fortifying foods with omega-3 is gathering momentum and could even become law if the fatty acid's behavioural benefits can be proven.The...
Shoppers think retailers are profiteering, as prices of food rise
Consumer trust in the food and drink industry is low, claims national Consumer Council
Keep it local, but food safety comes at a price, says Tesco
Tesco says new third-party safety audits are a drain on local food and drink firms
Terrific taste, teeny waist
Creaminess, stability and shelf-life are key elements to making high quality ice cream, but these are particularly challenging to achieve in low fat...
Get up to speed on traceability
Systems can improve visibility throughout your factory while helping to avoid damaging product recalls, as Michelle Knott discovers
Cereal flaking rolls upgraded for reliability and precision
State-of-the-art hydraulics technology to improve the reliability and operation of cereal flaking rolls is now being offered by Baker Perkins, both...
The delegation debate
Most chefs are, by the very nature of their role, good managers, especially when they are in their comfort zone, namely a kitchen.However, place a...
Dairy double act
Hole-in-the-wall packaging operations have been an option for years, but not everyone has been able to make them work well. So why did Arla opt for this solution in its high-tech Leeds dairy? Paul Gander went to find out
Swiss firm is run like clockwork
Running their eponymous company has been a rollercoaster ride for the Bartholdi family, but the firm just keeps going from strength to strength, says director Ruedi Bartholdi
Move and mature cheese in same box
Linpac Allibert has produced a reusable cheese box or crate specially designed for handling and maturing 20kg blocks of cheese. The design is a joint...
Fat opportunities in the market for infused oils
Infused hard fats promise new products
Shortages of public analysts threaten industry's ability to detect food fraud
Cases of food fraud will rocket if the number of public analysts (PAs), which have the responsibility of applying food fraud testing methods,...
No Reale deal for pasta and soups firm
Crawley-based pasta and soups firm Pasta Reale has removed the 'for sale' sign it hung up over its business, pledging to go it alone.The family-owned...
Thermal transfer printer saves space and money
An entry-level, high performance thermal transfer printer has been developed by Allen Coding Systems.Offering cost and space saving benefits, the...