Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

Scientist studies use of bacteria to improve food taste

Scientist Michael Gaenzle believes injections of bacteria and enzymes can help improve the taste of food, giving processors a way of enhancing the flavour and nutrition of their products.

Gorgonzola gets a safety check

A system that can rapidly detect pathogens within 48 hours has gone into full implementation at a gorgonzola production plant in Italy.

Group behind food lawsuit accused of extremism

A lawsuit targeting Kraft, General Mills and Dannon for dishonest advertising over weight-loss claims has been attacked as a front for animal rights extremists, writes Anthony Fletcher.

Listeria, Salmonella: the bacteria that won't die

Harmful Listeria and Salmonella bacteria can live on in prepared products even under the toughest plant safety conditions according to research published by the Food Safety Consortium.

New product development targets 'light' dessert yoghurts

Reflecting ongoing product development for low-fat lines targeting the health conscious consumer Yoplait Dairy Crest launches a new line of dessert recipe yoghurts that hinges on a range of fruit flavours.

DairyReporter Financials

Firms unite to form French mega dairy

French dairy firm Entremont has joined forces with Breton co-operative Unicopa to form France's second biggest milk processor as tough market conditions force industry consolidation, reports Chris Mercer.

Monday comment

Claims, claims, claims

As lawyers circle the food and drink industry like a fatted calf, the first lesson for those preparing for defence is that it is not so much what you sell that matters, as how you sell it.

Health trends drive soy milk craze

Soy milk has been Western Europe's fastest growing 'dairy' sector over the last six years, presenting new challenges to dairy firms via consumer health trends and new fears over lactose intolerance, reports Chris Mercer.

Parmalat secures Morgan Stanley pay-out

Morgan Stanley will pay Parmalat €155m in an out-of-court settlement as the troubled Italian dairy firm tries to get back on track amid a hail of law suits, reports Chris Mercer.

Baby milk powder in China, new recalls?

Food safety for Chinese milk powders hits the headlines again as authorities detect excessive iodine content in another Nestle baby milk powder, according to Chinese news reports.

Nestlé lawsuit claims lies and deceit

Nestlé is being sued in Puerto Rico by a local ice cream firm it had agreed to buy, accused of deceit, fraud and breach of a competition authority ruling, reports Chris Mercer.

OECD projects price increases for agricultural products

Stiffer competition between countries exporting wheat, oilseeds, sugar and livestock will intensify over the next ten years, bringing down prices, according to forecasts by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the UN.

Dairygold invests in food science to build up value-added foods

Irish dairy and food group Dairygold flags up high-margin value-added food products, pouring €15.6 million into a new R&D centre that will double its food scientists.

Nestlé gets away with reference to calcium in cheesecake

Nestle UK has found a way to refer to the calcium content in its cheesecake without it being considered a health claim, writes Dominique Patton.

Device packs cheese with thin, tough wrap

Under an agreement with Aviso Packaging, Outlook Group will market a new technology designed for the wrapping of cheese with a thinner, tougher material, the company claims.

Monday Comment

The Age of Consent for RFID

The image of secret radio chips planted inside the home from larder to bathroom, transmitting data freely to Corporation Inc, is enough to curl the toes of more than anti-capitalism activists.

Milk processing unit has hibernation mode

Tetra Pak is marketing its new Therm Lacta 10 as an energy-saving pasteurisation unit designed for the automated processing of market milk, cheese milk, yoghurt milk, cream, ice cream mix and otherlow acid liquid dairy products.

EFSA: bacteria and moulds face new system for safety assessment

Europe's food safety body backs proposals to introduce the concept of Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) for the safety assessment of microorganisms used in food production.

Public R&D funding pays off for Ireland's food sector

Ireland's public investment in R&D is beginning to pay off, with the launch of such products as a new form of bio-cheese and a low-fat snack food. The government has identified health and nutrition food development as a major funding target, reports Ahmed ElAmin.

Added-calcium drinks go under trial

Making a calcium-fortified drink could get easier for companies participating in a new study designed to investigate which of the numerous types of calcium ingredients perform best in which application, writes Dominique Patton.

Whey protein could fight gut infection and save lives

Researchers in New Zealand's Massey University have reported that whey protein concentrate reduced the severity of rotavirus-induced diarrhea in a mice model. If replicated in humans, this result could help save the lives of children all around the world.

Global percentage ingredient labels on the Codex table, again

International labelling standards on the percentage of ingredients in a food and beverage products are on the table again at an upcoming Codex meeting, reports Lindsey Partos.

EU to seek prior approval for food enzymes

A European regulation on food enzymes, which would demand dossiers of safety and technical information on each enzyme prior to their approval on the market, could be published by the Commission by the end of the year, reports Dominique Patton.

High calcium and vitamin D diet may decrease risk of PMS

A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may lower the risk of developing premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a condition that affects up to a fifth of all women, researchers reported yesterday.

Campina sets new standards for animal feed

Dairy company Campina will require its member farmers to use a higher quality of feed for their cattle than is currently required in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, reports Ahmed ElAmin.

Comment

Highway to health

Parked on the hot coals of public opinion, the food industry can lose no time in proving how healthy its products are.

Russian dairies see profits in drinking yoghurt

Dairies not manufacturing premium-range yoghurt are missing out, with new products hitting this lucrative market every month, reports Angela Drujinina.

Sweet drinks starve Americans of nutrition

A study showing that sweet drinks have overtaken white bread as the leading source of calories in the American diet may mean that the nutrition gap is even wider than previously thought, reports Jess Halliday. But according to the lead researcher, functional and fortified alternatives may not be a safe bridge.

Food industry must adapt to ethical consumerism

The increase in ethical consumerism means that food makers should seriously consider the commercial implications of eco-labels, though tighter regulation is still needed, writes Anthony Fletcher.

Food takes majority slice of pocket money

Children in the UK spend more than a third of their pocket money on sweets, snacks, drinks and takeaways, find new statistics from the country's national number crunching body, reports Lindsey Partos.

Fonterra covets remaining Bonlac slice

Months after New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra lost out to San Miguel in the bid for National Foods, the firm unveils this week plans to expand its presence in Australia.

Nutrition label changes to run into thousands of euros

While the European Commission still seems far from producing a proposal to amend rules on nutrition labelling, a new study suggests costs of label changes for the food maker could hit €9000 a product, reports Lindsey Partos.

Dairy fat not linked to weight gain, new study

In a new extensive study set to fuel the ongoing debate about the health benefits of milk, researchers find dietary calcium and skimmed milk are linked to weight gain, while dairy fat is not.

Nestlé apologises over baby milk in China

Nestle, the world's biggest foodmaker, has apologised to Chinese consumers after the country's safety authorities detected too much iodine in one of its milk-power brands.

Arla attacked over milk price cuts

Arla UK has been criticised for setting up a new wave of instability through Britain's milk supply chain after it cut the price it pays to farmers for milk, citing cost pressures, reports Chris Mercer.

Industry comment

Who is afraid of GMOs?

It is a perversion of the 21st century that while affluent societies continue the quest to slice the fat from their increasingly obese populations, five million children die from hunger each year, and more than 850m people go chronically hungry.

Industry livid over EU's milk refund cuts

British and Irish milk producers say the EU Commission has let them down by irresponsibly chopping export refunds on both skimmed and whole milk powder, reports Chris Mercer.

Sustainable vanilla from India reaches Danisco stocks

Diversifying supplies and managing risk for the world's most expensive, and popular, natural flavour, for the first time ingredients giant Danisco receives a batch of sustainable organic vanilla from an Indian monk, reports Lindsey Partos.

China pulls milk formula from supermarkets shelves

Nestle has launched an investigation into its milk products, after a type of baby powder sold in Chinese supermarkets failed to meet national standards over iodine content, reports Claire Johnston.

Dairy-loving ancestors bring lactose tolerance to Europe

As the milk industry feels the impact of a supposed rise in lactose intolerance, a new study from the US confirms Europeans can drink milk because their ancestors flourished in dairy pastures, passing on gene mutations that maintain the enzyme lactase into adulthood, reports Lindsey Partos.

FSA starts new work on nutrient profiling

The UK's food authority has commissioned new work to improve its nutrient profiling model designed for children's foods, writes Dominique Patton.

Supermarket sweep strengthens Arla dairy

Arla UK has survived a tense year of negotiations with Britain's major retailers, as new supply contracts and branded fresh milk promise a brighter future, reports Chris Mercer.

UK supermarket suppliers fail to complain regulator says

The UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says it has not uncovered any major fresh evidence of supermarket malpractice during an extended consultation with suppliers and food producers, a spokesperson said today.

Dairy and soy industries partner up to reach wider consumer base

Soy proteins, traditionally formulated in rival products to dairy-based foods, are being added to regular yoghurts to reach mainstream consumers in France, writes Dominique Patton.