News
Authenticity spotlight on fish, oils and rice
Demand for authenticity tests have soared in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, with the spotlight now on fish, speciality oils and basmati rice, according to laboratory RSSL. “Any food ingredient that has a price premium, and similar-looking ingredients that are cheaper, is potentially vulnerable to adulteration,” says Jane Staniforth, of RSSL. “When fish has […]
Cola, water and glucose drinks stimulating market, says Britvic report
The soft drinks industry is bubbling with excitement after proving its resilience in a tough economic climate. According to the newly published Britvic Soft Drinks Review, soft drinks generated value sales of more than £7.2 billion (€8.5bn) in the grocery, convenience and impulse categories “The soft drinks category is growing ever closer to becoming a […]
Razor-sharp success
Texture analysis firm Stable Micro Systems has announced the launch of the Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (MORS) blade, declaring it ‘the quickest, most accurate and simplest tool for measuring poultry tenderness’. The Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear method uses a sharp craft knife blade of defined dimensions, attached to a TA.XTPlus texture analyser, to conduct a cutting/shearing test. […]
Pepsi unveils new-look bottle
Pepsi has announced that it’s to roll out a new shape for its 20oz bottle. The new bottle, the first in almost 20 years, has a contoured bottom half, with a shorter wraparound label that exposes more of the drink. A PepsiCo spokesman says the new bottle is part of the company’s ongoing update of […]
FDF scoops ad campaign award
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) campaign, Taste Success, has scooped the Silver Laurus award for the most outstanding production achieved with a budget or £15,000 (€17,700) or less at the IVCA (International Visual Communications Association) awards. The campaign, Taste Success – A Future in Food, is FDF’s industry-led campaign to attract new talent to […]
Launch of food allergy study welcomed
An international study into food allergy has just been launched in the UK. The project, led by the University of Manchester and funded by the European Commission, will involve leading experts from around the world, including the UK and USA. The university team will work with 38 partners, including the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the […]
Packaging pair set to ‘shake up’ food market
Glass packaging firm Croxsons says it’s planning to ‘shake up’ the food packaging market following British Retail Consortium (BRC) accreditation for Elmoris, its partner for closures. Lithuania-based Elmoris – which specialises in metal twist-off closures – and Croxsons recently exhibited together at IFE, where they showed off a range of glassware and closures for food […]
‘Green construction could save food industry millions’
The UK food industry could save £120 million (€140m) per year by building more environmentally sustainable manufacturing and processing facilities. That’s the conclusion of a white paper just released by food industry construction company Chalcroft. “As one of the major energy users in the UK, sustainability is something that the food industry simply cannot afford […]
Coup for cardboard can
The winner of this year’s Fresh Ideas award at the Pro2Pac show is Itsu’s ‘cardcan’ – an environmentally friendly iced tea pack declaring itself ‘the only cardboard drink can on the market’. The can, which launched in Waitrose stores across the UK in February, has a smaller carbon footprint than aluminium cans or plastic bottles, […]
Export figures static but show ‘industry resilience’
Figures released this week reveal that total UK food and non-alcoholic drink exports remained at £12.1 billion (€14bn) last year – in line with the 2011 figure Strong growth in exports of value added food products (+3.7 per cent) was counterbalanced by sharp falls in some of the UK’s largest commodity categories, such as cereals […]
Plastics plant hits recycling milestone
Continuum Recycling, the recycled-PET joint venture between Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) and Eco Plastics, has celebrated sorting a quarter of a billion bottles. The landmark comes some nine months after the UK facility was opened. Located on the site of ECO Plastics’ existing facility in Hemswell – itself the world’s largest plastics sorting plant – Continuum […]
LycoRed launches ingredients combo for bone health
LycoRed has launched Lyc-O-Fem, a slow-release formulation for bone health containing genistein, tomato lycopene and vitamin D. The firm says the combination of ingredients also ‘provides a natural approach to alleviate menopause symptoms’. The genistein in Lyc-O-Fem is a phytoestrogen derived from sophora japonica, the Japanese pagoda tree, is standardised to 98% purity and specially […]
EU agencies to advise on bute risk
The European Commission has asked EFSA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to carry out a joint assessment of the risks to human health from residues of the anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone in horsemeat. The request comes in the wake of the horsemeat scandal and the discovery of phenylbutazone – also known as ‘bute’ – in […]
FDF industry awards open for entry
The new Food and Drink Federation (FDF) awards are now open for entry. The awards have been launched to coincide with FDF’s centenary and include a number of new categories for both individuals and companies. The entries will all be judged by panels of industry experts and the winners announced at an awards ceremony at […]