Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

EU experts meet to discuss problems with packaging chemical

A EU food safety committee is meeting in Brussels today to discuss the contamination of milk and other products with a chemical used by Tetra Pak in its packaging process.

Unilever's Pro-Activ to be reimbursed by French insurer

Unilever said yesterday that it had signed a deal with Maaf Assurances that will see the French insurer reimbursing policyholders for consumption of its cholesterol-lowering Pro-Activ range.

Machine doses milk with omega-3, without the fishy smell

A method of enriching milk with Omega 3 will result in products without the fishy taste associated with the oil, Tetra Pak says in marketing a dosing machine for the nutrient.

Weekly comment

Death by food support

If the EU keeps hiding its agriculture sector behind huge pay cheques instead of devoting more time to food research funding, the bloc's whimpering and wailing will only get worse.

Osmosis cuts Fonterra's milk transport costs

A reverse osmosis machine capable of extracting excess water from milk is expected to significantly cut transport costs for New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra.

Lactalis signs sales deal with Friesland Foods

Lactalis, the largest French dairy processor, has struck a deal with Dutch dairy Friesland Foods to combine the two groups' marketing teams in Germany.

EU scientists call for listeria alert network for food

With an EU scientific study recommending that the European Commission set up a system to track deadly listeria infections in the bloc, processors will be under the gun to prevent the bacteria from entering the food chain.

Numico and SMA Nutrition's products affected by packaging chemical

While Nestlé's chief executive continues to query the motives behind the Italian government's seizure of million of litres of its baby milk, details are emerging that infant formula from Royal Numico and SMA Nutrition may also be contaminated by the same chemical used in their Tetra Pak-made packaging.

Gas packaging extends Russian cheese shelf-life

Russian packager and food producer Nevskie Syry has launched a new line of cheese packaging using inert gases that it says can significantly extend products' shelf-life.

Italy calls for investigation of Nestlé's use of printing ink chemical

The fallout from the discovery that isopropylthioxanthone (ITX) had contaminated some of Nestlé baby milk products in four EU countries continues, with the company maintaining that there are nohealth consequences while Italy has called for the bloc's food regulatory authority to conduct tests on the printing ink chemical.

No extra profit for organic milk producers

Organic milk producers can make the same profit as their non-organic counterparts, says one study, but their products may not be any healthier.

Nestlé baby milk recall begins due to concerns over packaging ink

As Nestlé recalls two million litres of baby milk in four European countries due to a packaging problem, the company is attempting to calm consumer fears that their children were in danger ofingesting a printing chemical from drinking the product.

UK Dairy officials to meet OFT amid rising tension

British dairy representatives will meet with the Office of Fair Trading to try and solve their differences, as one official admits retail price initiatives are a no-go.

Nutritional demand drives whey and lactose sales

Innovative dairy ingredients are increasingly being used in nutritional-focused applications and are showing significant growth rates according to a new study.

New project probes functional properties of milk

A dairy research body in Australia will get $300,000 of government money to examine bioactive material in milk that could be used to develop novel functional foods.

Weekly Comment

Time for Japan to act on agriculture

Strong rhetoric at last weekend's Apec summit on the abolition of agricultural subsidies could not drown out the scraping sound of Japanese heels.

Campina plots dairy expansion in Russia

Dutch dairy co-operative Campina has got clearance from Russian authorities to expand its dairy drinks production in Moscow as demand for fresh dairy soars.

Texture analyser gets the measure on soft foods

A gel analyser can help food companies and laboratories measure the texture of butter and cheese products, sauces, doughs and baked goods, vegetables, meat products, candies, yogurts and puddings.

Arla predicts profitable expansion into Algerian dairy market

Arla Foods' plan to sell full-cream milk powder in Algeria makes perfect business sense to a company looking to expand into lucrative new markets.

Fonterra to upgrade Northland plant, buys Kapiti

New Zealand dairy firm Fonterra will spend around $15 million upgrading its Northland site next year, it said today.

Wild acquisition strengthens European flavour position

Rudolf Wild's acquisition of a facility in Nauen should strengthen the German company's position in the lucrative European flavours market.

UK dairy industry losing confidence in OFT

Britain's Office of Fair Trading is losing support among dairy industry officials, who claim the agency does not understand the sector and has been far too heavy-handed.

FSA traffic lights system signals labelling dispute

The FSA's backing of a 'multiple traffic light' (MTL) labelling initiative comes a day after the UK food industry promised a voluntary guideline on daily amounts (GDA).

Scientists search milk for new functional proteins

Australia's dairy industry will spend $850,000 on research to find novel milk proteins that could be used in functional foods to improve nutrition and combat major diseases.

Parmalat board meets to discuss future strategy

Today's board meeting at Parmalat, the first since Enrico Bondi was appointed as chief executive last week, will help to determine which direction the Italian dairy giant goes from here.

Cheesemakers proposal on ultrafiltered milk gets hearing

A proposal to alter the recipe for cheesemaking to include the use of ultrafiltered milk got a step closer to becoming a reality with its initial publication for comment by the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA).

Industry pushing omega-3 content in new products

Omega-3 fatty acids are increasingly common on product labels but few manufacturers are going through the complex formulation process of using fish oils to make this claim.

Weekly Comment

Food safety for all

After all the increased safety procedures put in place over the past decade, one might have been lulled into thinking that poisonings and deaths from food contamination would be rarer than before. While it is true that the new regulatory requirements and better processing techniques have helped, the continuing breakdowns in food safety are still worrying.

OFT launches dairy price-fixing probe in UK

Britain's Office of Fair Trading is investigating allegations of price-fixing by top dairy processors as the government agency draws increasing criticism from the industry.

Dairy Crest losses highlight earnings problem

Dairy Crest saw its profits slashed by half in its first six months of this year, capping a difficult week for the British dairy industry and underlining the pressing need for more strategies to raise earnings.

More dairy strikes planned over farmgate prices

British farmers are planning another strike in protest over low prices paid by retailers and processors for their goods, adding to calls from MPs and lobby groups for mandatory legislation to force supermarkets into line.

Fonterra scientists study genes for new enzymes

Technology able to isolate genetic information has uncovered a new generation of enzymes in dairy cows' stomachs, as New Zealand dairy group Fonterra looks to capitalise.

Dairy Crest plans omega-3 spread launch

Functional spreads are increasingly holding up value on the UK margarine sector, says new research, as Dairy Crest plans to launch a new range containing omega-3.

Rising plastic costs hit Wiseman profits

Dairy processor Robert Wiseman warned farmgate milk prices would have to fall after profits tumbled 22 per cent in the first half due to rising oil and energy costs.

Galactic announces lactic acid price increases

Lactic acid giant Galactic is the latest ingredients firm to announced substantial price increases on the back of rocketing energy costs.

Parmalat backs Bondi to recoup the billions

Parmalat's administrator has weathered the storm to become the troubled Italian dairy firm's new chief executive.

Tetra goes retro with re-introduction of classic package

Tetra Pak is going retro by reintroducing its namesake four-cornered packaging, one that turned the Sweden-based company into an industry powerhouse.

Arla invests to beat CAP squeeze

Arla Foods' new full-cream milk powder factory underlines how tight margins are forcing companies to focus on delivering value-added ingredients.

Danone opens dairy research centre in China

The French group launched its first dairy research centre in Asia at the same time as raising its stake in China's Bright Dairy & Food Co to 11.55 per cent.

NFU slams OFT for Wiseman interference

It was wrong and unhelpful to the future of Britain's dairy industry for the Office of Fair Trading to intervene in Robert Wiseman's bid for Scottish Milk Dairies, says the National Farmers' Union.

Weekly comment

No avoiding sustainable sourcing

Food companies do not yet face the ethical sourcing equation of the clothing industry, where brands from Nike to Marks & Spencer cannot afford a single claim of sweat-shop production. But the moment is fast approaching for food, too, when exploitative sourcing will be the public relations kiss of death.

Processors slow in cutting greenhouse gas, researchers say

The UK's food processing industry, which has been fingered for being slow to adopt new technologies and business practices, has teamed up with university researchers to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Chr Hansen tour targets probiotics growth

Chr Hansen's latest Magical Sensory Tour is designed to bring innovative products to customers and underline the company's ethos that ingredients can be fun and imaginative.

UK tops Europe, US, in food, drink workforce productivity

The UK ranks second behind Canada in the level of productivity of its food, drink and tobacco products work force, but Austria, Finland and the Netherlands are on the way to overtaking the island, according to an international study.

UK dairy strike lacks mainstream support

A three-day strike by Britain's dairy farmers, who are withholding milk supplies in protest at low farmgate prices, has been criticised by the National Farmers' Union for jeopardising industry relations.

Fonterra to build new dairy innovation centre

Fonterra, the New Zealand dairy co-operative, is set to build a new multi-million dollar research and development centre to help it move ahead in global added value product trends.

OFT U-turn on supermarket supremacy

Britain's 'big four' supermarket chains may face pressure as the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) withdraws its previous ruling protecting the grocery sector from investigation by the Competition Commission (CC).