Does milk make you a brain box? Research links dairy to stronger mental performance...

31-Jan-2012 - Eating at least one yogurt or drinking a glass of milk each day could have a positive impact on cognitive function, according to a new US study published in the International Dairy Journal.

Spanish regulator condemns sterol-cholesterol ads

25-Jan-2012 - The Spanish manufacturer of a plant sterol drink has been told to amend cholesterol-lowering claims for being too ambiguous in dosage and making unsubstantiated disease reduction claims.

‘Cheese makes you chubby’ New York billboards scream

20-Jan-2012 - The US-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has taken shock tactics to consumers by posting two huge billboards in New York warning of what it claims are the obesity-related dangers of eating cheese.

Academics attempt to bridge probiotic science and marketing gap

18-Jan-2012 - “Currently, there is a gap between the point where the biomedical science ends (with the publication of a paper in a scientific journal) and the point where the business begins (with the claim for a health benefit).”

Europe isn’t ‘squeaky clean’ warns expert, after new claims of Chinese infant formula death

13-Jan-2012 - A leading food safety expert has urged people to remember that Europe is not squeaky clean when it comes to scare stories, following the reported death of another Chinese baby from claimed infant formula consumption.

EFSA should review ’growing up’ milks before regulations change, says EU infant foods group

12-Jan-2012 - The European Union should put the brakes on any mooted changes to rules governing milks targeting 1-3 year olds until a scientific review can be conducted, according to the EU group that represents infant food makers.

Groupe Lactalis lift-off looms for Swedish dairy co-op Skånemejerier

11-Jan-2012 - Groupe Lactalis’ bid to take over Sweden’s second largest dairy player fits with the French firm’s strategy of reducing its reliance on cheese, and would give it further brands with which to pursue milk product growth in emerging markets, according to Euromonitor International.

Nothing fishy about this milk: Aussie startup claims world dairy first

11-Jan-2012 - Australian firm Progel claims to have created the world’s first non-fermented, multi-strain probiotic drink products – with up to four times the amount of omega-3, and without the fishy taste and smell – and now seeks international partners to commercialise the technology.

‘Undervalued’ lactose doesn’t deserve bad dairy rap, study

06-Jan-2012 - The role milk sugar lactose and its derivatives play in the human diet is often ‘misunderstood, underestimated and undervalued’, according to a new paper in the International Dairy Journal (IDJ).

Row erupts over Fonterra’s plan to ship NZ school milk

05-Jan-2012 - The New Zealand Green Party says that Fonterra’s plan to supply free school milk should be undertaken by the New Zealand government rather than ‘profit-driven companies’.

Lactofree success promises cross-category lift for UK dairy, Arla

04-Jan-2012 - Arla believes the runaway success of its ‘Lactofree’ lactose-free brand can give the whole UK dairy sector a much-needed lift, and also strengthen its broader product portfolio.

Cargill wins EU novel foods approval for omega-6 form ARA

04-Jan-2012 - Cargill is celebrating the European Union approval of a Mortierella alpine, algae fermented arachidonic acid (ARA)-rich oil, to be used in infant formula and formula for older children.

Draft dioxin guidance could ‘cripple’ food sector, warns US industry

04-Jan-2012 - The US food industry is lobbying the Obama administration to ease pending federal guidance recommending that consumers severely limit their daily dioxin intake.

MEPs back PARNUTS amendments to prompt EU baby milk law reforms

03-Jan-2012 - Pro-breast feeding advocates and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are throwing their support behind mooted amendments to the European Union PARNUTS Directive they believe can improve the safety, quality and marketing transparency of infant formulas and other products.

Disptaches from Microbiota 2011

IPA co-founder: EU probiotic approach is “dirty pool”

23-Dec-2011 - Jarrow Rogovin, never a man to mince his words, says it is high time the IPA and other trade groups stepped up to the plate to defend a sector that has been under regulatory siege on both sides of the Atlantic for several years.

Our 2011 dairy digest: relive the stories that made a milk splash this year...

23-Dec-2011 - From killer ice cream to Nestlé and Danone cancelling or suspending local operations in China, 2011 was a roller-coaster ride for the world dairy industry. So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy our whirlwind tour of the year's top news tattle...

Yakult never presented the basic evidence for probiotic health claim, says consultant

21-Dec-2011 - Yakult failed to present the most basic evidence and sought a too-complicated immunity claim in the controversially rejected immunity health claim for its probiotic drinks, a UK consultant has said.

Yakult: Health claim rejection doesn’t affect our claims

20-Dec-2011 - Japanese probiotics giant Yakult says the writing into law of its rejected EU health claim for upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) benefits won’t alter its core sell in European markets that remained, “stable”.

Exclusive interview

Beneo board: “Let us not forget that functional food responds to a clear demand of the consumer”

20-Dec-2011 - In the first part of this exclusive interview, Beneo Group executive board member, Yves Servotte, explains how European Union health claim rules have informed strategic thinking at one of Europe’s biggest and most vocal ingredient vendors.

Australian study promises sustainable ‘heart-friendly’ milk

13-Dec-2011 - Scientists in Australia say they have conducted new research showing that feeding cows winemaking byproducts drastically cuts their methane emissions and leads to healthier milk.

Comment

Lobbyists, start your engines: Can a new health claims formula be won in the European Parliament?

12-Dec-2011 - Five years ago the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) became law. Around the bloc, hopeful EU healthy foods and supplements stakeholders submitted more than 44,000 health claim applications.

Eating dairy could slash Australian healthcare budget by billions, study

09-Dec-2011 - If Australian consumers consumed recommended levels of dairy foods, then the nation could trim its healthcare budget by at least AUS $2bn (€1.5bn), according to a new industry-backed study.

'Ground-breaking' designer dairy poised for lift-off with plant isolates, NIZO

09-Dec-2011 - Dutch-based food research firm NIZO has evolved a wild plant isolate of Lactococcus lactis (L.Lactis) that it says could open the floodgates to fermented dairy products with new functionalities.

Consuming non-dairy calcium alone does not fill nutrient gaps, US study

01-Dec-2011 - Consumers can meet intake requirements for nutrients such as calcium via non-dairy sources, but these are not a ‘nutritionally significant equivalent’ for dairy foods, according to a new US study.