News
The future’s orange for Chr Hansen
Chr Hansen has extended its I-Colors range with the addition of a new orange shade. The range, launched last November, features natural colours developed for instant powder drinks, which are popular in South America, US, the Middle East and Asia thanks to their ability to withstand warm conditions and long shelf life. “The new I-Colors […]
Industry bosses’ optimism on the up
For the first time since the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) Business Confidence survey was launched in 2010, food and drink business leaders have reported positive levels of optimism for consecutive quarters. Despite continuing uncertainty in the UK economy, food and drink manufacturers’ business optimism has remained high in 2012, with 48 per cent of […]
Industry quizzed on emerging technology
A recent survey asked the food and beverage industry what objectives are currently the most important when considering investment in new technology. Results revealed that over 55 per cent still considered that, despite big moves within the industry to improve sustainability and resource efficiency, the primary technology innovations needed remain focused on the product – […]
FSA issues warning over Czech bootleg liquor
The Food Standards Agency is advising anyone travelling to, or recently returned from, the Czech Republic to steer clear of locally produced hard spirits. This follows a recent spate of alcohol-related cases of methanol poisoning in the country, including 19 deaths. The poisonings are associated with bootleg spirits that have been tainted with industrial methanol […]
New counterfeit booze-busting test
With reports of counterfeit alcohol increasing in parts of Europe, demand for testing for dangerous and illegal alcohol additives such as methanol is on the up too. Although methanol, a potent toxicant in humans, can occur naturally in very low levels in some alcoholic beverages, dangerous amounts of methanol may occur in or be added […]
Industry praised for environmental efforts
The food and drink industry has been praised this week for helping to cut the environmental costs of feeding Britain. Speaking during a visit to Coca-Cola’s factory in Wakefield, Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, praised efforts by food and drink manufacturers to cut their carbon footprint, reduce water consumption and slim down waste […]
Grange ups pouch pack productivity
Contract packer Grange Packaging and Distribution is producing pouch packs for Kellogg’s and Fox’s Biscuits, thanks to its new Vegatronic 4000 continuous film motion, VFFS (vertical, form, fill and seal) packaging machine. The high-speed machine from Ilapak is producing snack packs for Fox’s Rocky packs and Kellogg’s cereals. Grange first installed an Ilapak Vegatronic 4000 […]
Desto destined for success
A new ready meal packaging format is attracting interest from leading supermarkets, thanks to a unique design that offers greater convenience and has environmental credentials, says its UK manufacturer Intelligent Packaging Solutions. The firm has already landed a contract with Tesco for its Desto cup, which is to be used in the retailer’s Tesco’s Piing […]
US meaty favourite going global?
The US has the largest meat snacks market in the world, dominated by jerky-style products that, despite their relative maturity, have seen good growth in recent years. Now it appears that the rest of the world may be catching on. According to Innova Market Insights, launch numbers for meat snacks are up two per cent […]
Asda driving ahead with new distribution operation
Retail giant Asda is nearing completion of a two-year project to transform its retail distribution operation with logistics and route optimisation software. Over the last 18 months, Asda has been implementing a new regional distribution structure using Paragon TTS – a transport optimisation and execution system integrated with real-time vehicle tracking. Thnaks to the software, […]
Bowman Ingredients invests millions in new facility
Flour and coatings supplier Bowman Ingredients has commissioned a new blending plant in Hertfordshire, UK. The fully-automated facility – costing £6 million (€7.4m) – is located close to Bowman’s existing factory and flour mill. “We’re delighted to announce this next stage of our development, as we seek to utilise the latest processing technology drawn from […]
Tate & Lyle launches stevia sweetener
Tate & Lyle has launched Tasteva, a zero-calorie stevia sweetener. “We have spent over two years analysing various steviol glycosides compositions, and developed a proprietary process to give manufacturers the optimal balance of sweetness with 100 per cent great taste,” says Jeremy Thompson, director of natural sweeteners product management at Tate & Lyle. “Our research […]
Etiquette Labels looks to ‘bright future’
North Wales firm Etiquette Labels has just celebrated its 21st birthday. The company was founded by director Tom Bunce and co-director Christiane Gough after the pair identified what they called ‘a need in the labelling industry for a company specialising in plain labels and consumables for barcoding that would satisfy the burgeoning outer-case labelling requirement […]
Tetra Pak unveils ‘latest innovation’
Tetra Pak has unveiled what it’s calling its ‘latest innovation in carton packaging’. The Tetra Brik Aseptic 1000 Mid LightCap 24 builds on the success of the Tetra Brik Aseptic 1000 Base perforation carton packaging, says the firm, and features its lowest cost screw cap. “The package has a two-step opening with barrier protection for […]