Waste of breath?
Communicating with consumers is one route to more sustainable packaging, reports Laurence Gibbons
Archives for July 1, 2013
Partnership promises energy savings
Energy management specialist Schneider Electric has launched a partnership programme with other technology providers under the title EcoStruxure. The aim is to enable open data communications between buildings and process equipment across enterprises and...
Scope of packaging certification grows
The benchmarking of the BRC/IoP packaging standard with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) equivalent has been a major step towards international harmonisation in food packaging certification, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has claimed.
Swamp spice
A Louisiana swamp is not your usual factory location but Tabasco's not your usual sauce, reports Mike Stones
Where there's a will there's always a way
Make no mistake about it, the fallout from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims regime is still being keenly felt by functional food firms. The new system was nothing short of a culture shock and - even setting aside the wider...
Europe playing catch-up with stevia launches
Europe now accounts for a quarter of global product launches containing stevia, according to new industry figures.
Clean sheet on recycling for materials firm
The decision of aluminium sheet supplier Novelis to offer metal with a guaranteed, certified proportion of recycled content could pave the way for similar undertakings from other materials suppliers.
Old and the new
Wyke Farms is combining history and modern marketing to sustain its rise, reports Gary Scattergood
Bulk conveying just got easier
Bulk materials handling specialist Flexicon has designed a new line of tubular cable conveyors, Flex-Disc, for the gentle transfer of fragile food products.
Frozen food pioneers celebrated at awards
Daregal Gourmet and Delice de France were the big winners at the British Frozen Food Federation's (BFFF's) awards at the London Hilton on Park Lane last month.
New pump fills production vacuum
Vacuum pump manufacturer Busch (UK) has supplied a new Busch R 5 pump, model RA 630 for an existing centralised vacuum system at Cranswick Convenience Foods' Milton Keynes DeliCo site. It has been installed alongside 10 existing R 5s as the facility is...
Ocado IS an online grocer, says boss as losses grow
Ocado plans to develop as a grocery retailer not a logistics firm for hire, insisted its boss, as the firm reported bigger losses in the first half of this year.
Dairy Crest finds potential milk delivery buyer
Dairy Crest is consulting staff on plans to parcel out its milk delivery business in the north west of England to Creamline Dairies and Mortons Dairies in a deal worth £1.15M in cash.
Site move creates jobs and doubles Mackie's production
Scottish potato crisp company Mackie's at Taypack is set to double its output after developing a new manufacturing facility in Errol, which is 60% bigger than its current unit at nearby Moncur, Perthshire.
Cream of the crop
Sustained value success has funded Suncream Dairies' move upmarket, Rebecca Manfredi tells Gary Scattergood
New slice of seafood processing efficiency
Marel showcased its I-slice 3300 at the recent Seafood Processing Europe exhibition in Brussels. It highlighted the flexibility and efficiency of its production of salmon retail packs, which it claims can make batches of sliced salmon ready for packing...
US patent granted for salt replacer
Tate & Lyle has been granted a US patent to manufacture Soda-Lo salt microspheres, which are designed to reduce salt levels by 25% to 50% without sacrificing taste.
EFSA approves lemon balm
Activ'Inside claims to have produced the only natural lemon balm extract titrated in magnesium with European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approval that enables manufacturers to communicate a message of naturalness, tradition, history of use and safety....
Scanners crack the barcode link
Kellogg has implemented Honeywell radio frequency barcode scanners as part of its automated supply chain. Supplied and supported by Peak-Ryzex, Kellogg uses the scanners at its UK distribution centres and warehouses. Its barcode-driven processes are...
Life is as complex as food labelling systems
As if there isn't already enough food labelling, a group of scientists is calling for the inclusion of the glycaemic index (GI) on food labels.
Ripe for success
Fruit is on trend and ticking all the functional ingredient boxes, reports Gary Scattergood
Retail ransom
Despite being held to ransom by retailers, food manufacturers remain optimistic, according to our survey. Rick Pendrous shares the results
Creamy yet clean-label, cost-effective starch
Ingredion's new functional native starch - Indulge 1720 - is a clean-label co-texturiser designed to enable dairy manufacturers to deliver thick and creamy - yet cost-effective - indulgent yogurt products.
Oats health claim with approval
DSM is introducing OatWell oat beta-glucan, following its acquisition of the OatWell brand from CreaNutrition.
Protein shake-up
Do new ways of assessing and scoring protein quality reflect the complexity of the debate? Paul Gander asks some of the experts
Fourayes invests £1.3M as demand for jam spreads
Fruit processor Fourayes is investing £1.3M in the latest food production technology to meet a 70% rise in demand for its jams and aseptic purées over the past six months.
OFT decision saves jobs in Scotland
The Office of Fair Trading's (OFT's) decision not to refer 2 Sisters Food Group's (2SFG's) acquisition of large parts of Vion UK's food operations to the Competition Commission was widely welcomed news last month, since it safeguarded the jobs of...
New leader of the sustainable packaging pack
Amcor Flexibles has launched a new sustainable thermoformable cellulose-based packaging product called Packpyrus. Its oxygen barrier makes it suitable for pre-sliced products such as meat or cheese.
Optimal food structuring provides enhanced satiety - research
Satiation by a food can be increased by specific structuring that leads to sedimentation of an energy-dense layer in the stomach.
Tackling a tragedy
New Beneo boss insists good nutrition starts from birth, reports Gary Scattergood
Monitor factory performance with 'minimum input'
Nottingham-based management consultancy Coriolis has designed a cloud-based factory performance software system for food and drink manufacturers.
Joint agreement to make bioplastic beer bottles
Austrian plastics converter Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner and renewable chemicals firm Avantium have made a joint agreement to develop polyethylene furanoate (PEF) bioplastic bottles.
New gel, new possibilities
Gelatine and collagen peptides manufacturer Rousselot is promising new functional possibilities for food manufacturers that take up its newly launched Synergy Systems range of gelatine-based functional solutions.
Get the breast of infant formulation
Arla Foods Ingredients says its "radical" new concept 'Staging' will shake up the lucrative infant formula category as it is developed on the basis of how breast milk composition changes in lactation.
Inside information
Supply chains will be tighter post-horsegate to reduce the risk of further recalls, reports Lorraine Mullaney
Rise and shine
Entries for the 2013 Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards close on July 31. Don't miss your chance to shine. Enter online at FoodManAwards
Natural demand
Demand for natural antioxidants to extend shelf-life is increasing, and so is their price, reports Michelle Knott
Students' ready meal offal pie wins food innovation prize
Harper Adams University's More than Meat Pies team has won gold prize in the Dragons' Den-style event Ecotrophelia UK 2013 for its ready meal offal pie, Hearty Meal.
Microalgae supplement eases digestion
Roquette and 3I Nature pooled their know-how to develop a new food supplement based on micro-algae and fibres. Named Chlorella 2D, its synergistic combination of Roquette Chlorella and Nutriose are said to promote digestive health - a claim that is...
End 'Cold War': export to eastern Europe
UK food firms need to shatter their misconceptions about central and eastern Europe because it holds "highly-sophisticated" retail outfits to partner with to exploit extensive export opportunities.
Can new labels change consumer behaviour?
The government has at last published its hybrid front-of-pack (FoP) nutritional labelling scheme, to widespread applause from health campaigners, major retailers and some manufacturers - although not all - that have supported it.