Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

Scientists develop sugar free dairy dessert

Two top scientists claim to have developed a frozen dairy dessert that contains no sugar, trans fats or lactose, heralding new opportunities for dairy firms to target consumer health trends.

Food industry to feel heat on UK climate plan

Food firms will have to play a major role in the UK's new drive to curb carbon emissions in an effort to avoid environmental and economic disaster from global warming, Britain's environment minister has said.

Europe's Arla eyes US dairy expansion

Arla Foods has indicated it will continue to expand aggressively on the US speciality cheese sector after a successful 2006, holding up European dairy firms' push for added value markets across the Atlantic.

Unilever CEO presents 'manifesto' to food industry

Unilever CEO Patrick Cescau presented his 'manifesto for the food industry' to the CIAA Congress last week.

Rexam opens PET bottle sale

International packaging group Rexam will look to sell its PET bottle facilities in Central and Eastern Europe as part of its plans to focus on more globally recognised products like plastic food packaging.

Weekly comment

A fair trade future

The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly create a more sustainable and ethical food market.

Government cover-up on UK scientist shortages, report says

Large increases in science graduates lauded by the UK government simply do not exist, the country's prestigious Royal Society has warned, adding more evidence of the threat to food industry research and development.

Arla sues Wiseman in UK price fixing dispute

Rows over dairy price fixing allegations in Scotland took another twist this week, after Arla Foods UK revealed it would sue rival Robert Wiseman to recoup lost revenue.

'Paralysis' of food trade talks bad for EU business

The European Commission has once again expressed regret that the failure of the WTO Doha Round of trade talks will negatively impact EU business.

Netherlands company bacteriophage cleaner approved in US

A naturally-occurring bacteriophage that kills Listeria on foods has been approved for use oncheese products in the US.

Probiotics and health can revitalise US yoghurt

A mature US yoghurt market does not mean there is no room for growth, according to a new report, which identifies huge expansion possibilities particularly in the area of probiotic and prebiotic yoghurt products.

Fat replacer targets dairy products

A new fat replacer from hydrocolloid firm Gum Technology has been designed specifically to interact with the milk proteins present in dairy goods, and claims to cut fat by up to 10 percent in milk-based products.

Arla Foods set to reel in UK subsidiary

Dairy firm Arla Foods Amba has entered into talks with its British subsidiary to buy out the remaining 49 per cent of the company it does not already own.

UK milk producers head for brighter 2007, report says

Pressure on UK milk producers may ease off next year, according to a new supply chain report, which follows new moves to monitor and improve earnings in the sector.

Consumer groups attack move to milk cloned cows

Consumer groups in the US have united against government plans to allow milk and meat from cloned animals into the food chain, highlighting a potential dilemma for dairy firms interested in the technology.

UK tightens hygiene to head off EU dairy row

The UK food safety watchdog has revised its guidance on dairy hygiene in an attempt to defuse pending legal action from the EU, after allegations UK officials failed to protect the public from contaminated milk.

Australian drought could impact dairy prices

Buyers of Australian dairy products are facing uncertainty over future supplies and pricing as the country's farmers weigh up the impact of a prolonged drought on their output.

Biodegradable film designed for chilled foods

A new biodegradable film has been designed to remain stable under chill conditions.

Tesco funds to fill organic milk supply gap

UK supermarket Tesco will pay organic milk producers £400 per year in an attempt to ensure the organic dairy sector keeps up with rapidly growing consumer demand.

Danisco intros probiotic studied for antibiotic recovery

Danisco is introducing a new addition to its Howru probiotics line, which it says was seen in the first of a series of condition-specific studies to help restore the beneficial bacteria in the human gut after taking antibiotics.

Nestlé enjoys strong organic growth

Nestlé today said sales are up 9.1 per cent to CHF72.2bn (€45.4bn) in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period in 2005.

Member States start compiling health claims lists

European food companies are already being asked to submit health claims for approval to agencies at national level, following the adoption of the new EU regulation on nutrition and health claims last week.

Dairy research barely alive in the UK, warn scientists

Dairy research and development in the UK has been systematically destroyed, warn two senior ex-officials, seriously damaging the potential for the country's industry to compete against foreign players.

Friesland to build second dairy plant in Vietnam

Dutch dairy group Friesland Foods will build a second dairy plant in Vietnam, it revealed last week, allowing it to meet strong demand for its products in the rapidly growing Vietnamese dairy market.

F&N takes over Nestlé milk business in Asia

Fraser & Neave, the Malaysian beverage and glass group, has signed a RM310 million (67.2m) deal with Nestlé to produce and sell the Swiss group's liquid milk products in south-east Asia.

Campina targets low-fat dessert market

Dutch dairy group Campina has strengthened its hand in Europe's growing dairy dessert market by launching a new, low-fat pudding in Germany.

Kefir ingredients could help food allergies

Drinking the probiotic, fermented milk, kefir, decreased the allergic response to ovalbumin (egg white) in mice, and may offer hope to preventing food allergies, suggests a new study from Taiwan.

World Food Day

What the food industry can do

In a world of famine, the food industry has a lot to give.

Danisco launches 'novel flavour' salt replacer

Danisco has launched a novel flavour that it claims can reduce the salt in processed foods by 25 to 35 per cent, while retaining the original taste.

EU dairy facing up to challenges ahead

Milk prices, new EU members and the dairy industry review in 2008 were on the agenda in the second part of DairyReporter's interview with the European Dairy Association.

Dairy targets kids with healthy ingredients

A new report examining how dairy companies are successfully targeting healthy products to children underlines the growing importance of this particular food category.

Stork shareholders bid to sell off food division

Stork's shareholders today consider a proposal to sell off parts of the company, including itsfood processing division.

EU takes UK to court over dairy hygiene dispute

EU officials have filed legal proceedings against food safety authorities in the UK, alleging they failed to properly protect the public from contaminated milk at an English dairy.

Fonterra develops new milk powder quality test

Fonterra researchers have developed a flow cytometry test that can be used to assess the quality of milk powder.

Britain's taste for cheddar cheese matures

Consumers in the UK are trading up on their favourite cheese, cheddar, according to new figures, eating into private label sales and offering strong opportunities for producers.

EU dairies need more support for innovation, says industry body

The next few years will be a crucial time for the European dairy industry, as several economic and strategic issues that could shape the sector for decades come to a head. Chris Mercer speaks to the European Dairy Association about what lies ahead.

EU to probe UK dairy sector in antibiotics row

Food safety inspectors from the EU will investigate how UK dairy firms test for antibiotics residues in milk, after the European Commission banned cheese from one company on Friday.

UK dairy ban sparks EU food safety row

Rows and confusion have soured relations between food safety bodies from the UK and European Commission, after EU member states agreed to ban products from a UK dairy.

France's Carrefour to launch Reducol-containing yoghurts

Forbes Medi-Tech's branded plant sterol Reducol is continuing to march though European supermarkets with the launch of cholesterol-lowering yoghurts at Carrefour-owned Champion in France.

Isolator barrier uses air stream to protect aseptic filling

A new isolator that uses air circulation as a barrier to protect the aseptic filling of milk andother drinks allows non-stop production for up to three days, its manufacturer claims.

Weekly Comment

Is a trans fat ban a healthy solution?

Sometimes I just love eating fatty, greasy, unquestionably hazardous foods. But I don't like trans fats, that come as a by-product in some processed foods, and have been linked to high cholesterol and heart problems.

EC vows to recover misspent CAP millions

The EC's promise to recover €317.3 million in misspent CAP money follows high-level discussions on how the CAP can be simplified and streamlined.

Nordmilch chooses SIG for dairy innovation

European dairy group Nordmilch will install four new production lines from SIG Combibloc to help it develop the added value dairy products it needs to be competitive.

UK merges milk watchdog with animal health body

Efforts to save money and make farm inspections more efficient in the UK have seen the Dairy Hygiene Inspectorate merge with the country's veterinary service this week.

Flavoured camel milk hits the Middle East

The launch of a date-flavoured Camel milk drink could strengthen the development of this product as a viable segment of the global dairy industry.

GM bacteria could naturally sweeten dairy

By adding a novel genetically engineered bacterial strain to dairy, the fermentation process is limited to converting lactose to glucose, a technique that could remove the need to add sweeteners to dairy products.

Wiseman warning highlights dairy cost pressures

Soaring input costs threaten to drag down recovering profit margins for UK dairy firm Robert Wiseman, highlighting ongoing pressure on sector earnings.

Multi-scan RFID uses reflectors to reduce errors

A new system for scanning multiple radio frequency identification (RFID) tags reduces the high error rate found in current systems, its manufacturer claims.

EU fines highlight milk quota problems

More multi-million euro fines are to be handed out to EU member states exceeding their milk quotas this year, highlighting what some believe is an out-dated system.

Method provides faster shelf life indication for milk

A microbiological testing system developed by Foss is quicker and more effective than currentlyused methods for estimating the shelf life of pasteurised milk, researchers say.

Nutrition labelling: research gaps and divided consumers

There is a huge gap in the food industry's understanding of how nutrition information on label actually influences buying behaviour in the supermarket, according to a EUFIC study.