food
Food and drink producers ‘pouring cash down the drain’
Poor water efficiency means food and drink producers in the UK could be pouring up to ₤160,000 a day down the drain, according to a new survey from sustainable business body Envirowise. The research found that companies are losing out on combined annual cost savings of more than £58 million. Nearly two-thirds of companies surveyed […]
US company acquires UK oven manufacturer
US industrial food processing supplier JBT FoodTech has acquired Double D Food Engineering – a UK designer and manufacturer of custom-built ovens and cookers – for an undisclosed sum. “Double D provides cooking technologies that complement and extend our product portfolio of ovens, says Torbjorn Arvidsson, of JBT FoodTech’s Food Solutions and Services Division.“We are […]
Polish food and drink sales set to soar
Food and drink sales in Poland are forecast to buck the country’s economic slowdown, and jump by almost 17% by 2013, says new research from industry analysts Business Monitor International (BMI). It says the value of food and beverage sales is set to reach $3.9bn in 2013, up 16.8% on 2008 figures. It adds that […]
Vinegar linked with weight loss
Ordinary vinegar could be the ultimate tummy trimmer, according to new research from Japan. Researchers there say the results of a study with mice revealed that that vinegar, or acetic acid, can help prevent accumulation of body fat which causes weight gain. Animals fed a high-fat diet and supplemented with acetic acid developed about 10 […]
Three die in processing plant explosion
Three workers died and at least 40 were injured in an explosion at a ConAgra food processing plant in the United States. The blast ripped through the facility in Garner, Northern Carolina, earlier this week. The 500,000sq m plant, which processes Slim Jim meat products, employs 900 workers, although only 280 were on site at […]
Versatile’ replacement for rigid PVC packaging
Spartech Corporation has responded to an increasing demand for environmentally friendly, sustainable packaging with the launch of EnviroSeal – a collection of sealable, polyester products designed to replace clear, rigid PVC packaging. “Sustainability, high performance and versatility were key drivers in designing this family of products, explains Jonathan Cage, director of packaging development at Spartech.“The […]
Launch of new sterol-containing cracker
Natural snack food company Kashi this week launched a new sterol-containing cracker in the USA. As well as plant sterols, the crackers, part of the firm’s Heart to Heart range, also include 0.4g of plant sterols per serving, six natural antioxidants such as extracts from green tea, white tea and grape seed, as well as […]
New cost-saving website from DSM
DSM Food Specialities has launched a dedicated cost savings website – www.dsm-food-saving4u.com – which it says will allow visitors to access information on its portfolio of solutions. Combining commercial and technical data, the online resource focuses on five key market sectors – baking, brewing, dairy, savoury and food protection – and enables visitors to select […]
Possible takeover for Finsbury Food
UK cake maker Finsbury Food Group has confimed that it has received a preliminary approach about a possible takeover of the business. According to Finsbury, the approach was exploratory in nature and the company says there is considerable doubt that a formal offer will materialise. For the first six months of the finanacial year ended […]
New sanitiser to boost food hygiene standards
A new water-based surface and utensil sanitiser offers UK food and drink processors an effective, safe, low cost and environmentally friendly means of maintaining hygiene standards, according to its manufacturer Radical. The Radical Water System uses naturally occurring biocides, generated by oxidation, to combat the harmful micro-organisms that can cause salmonella, listeria, e-coli and other […]
Top food supplier declared one of UK’s greenest companies
Muntons, a supplier of malt and malted ingredients to the food industry, has been named one of the country’s ‘greenest’ companies in a new Sunday Times environmental ranking. The Suffolk-based business was placed 41st by judges in the newspaper’s cross-sector Top 60 Best Green Companies awards scheme. The competition recognises companies in all industries that […]
Reusable shopping bags ‘pose food safety risk’
Reusable food shopping bags and packages can contain a high level of bacteria, yeast, mould and coliform counts which pose a significant food safety risk, according to a new study from Sporometrics, an environmental microbiology lab based in Canada. Swab tests of reusable bags last November revealed a bacteria count of 1,800 colony-forming units, while […]
Job loss fears as Northern Foods plans factory closure
Northern Foods is planning to close its factory in Hull, Yorkshire, with the threat of 349 redundancies. The firm says the UK site is no longer viable after it lost a contract to make own-brand ready meals for its main customer – supermarket chain Morrisons. The company, which makes Goodfella’s pizzas and Fox’s biscuits, says […]
New UK salt reduction targets
The Food Standards Agency has unveiled revised salt reduction targets for the food industry, affecting 80 food categories. By 2012, the FSA is hoping to have reduced salt intake to 6g a day for adults (2.4g sodium), from around 9.5g in 2000/1. The current consumption estimate is at 8.6g, indicating that progress has been made […]