Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

CIAA lobbies for changes to environmental, trade policies

The Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) has outlined its strategy in lobbying EU legislators in the upcoming year on environmental policies and international trade issues.

UK dairy to host EU CAP debate

Experts on EU agriculture policy will attend a meeting in the UK early next year, organised by the country's dairy industry to kick-start the build up to new reforms.

Wenger resigns from Nestlé

The food industry has lost another member of a rare species - a woman in management - after Nelly Wenger left her job as managing director for Nestlé Switzerland due to ill health.

Trans Fat Focus

New Tate & Lyle ingredient system targets trans free desserts

British ingredients firm Tate & Lyle has introduced a new method to eliminate trans fats in desserts, a move that comes in response to the renewed trans fat momentum in the US.

Rank makes bid for SIG as part of global strategy

A €1.5 billion offer for Switzerland-based SIG Holding marks an attempt by a New Zealandbillionaire to put together a global force in packaging.

Christmas feature

Reindeer milk - not on Santa's list this year

In a year that has seen camel, sheep and donkey milk grab the headlines in turn, Mrs Rudolph and her chums neednt fear that theyre next to get the "other milk" treatment.

Danone sets up joint venture with China's Mengniu

French biscuits, water and yoghurt group Danone said yesterday that it had signed a joint venture with China's leading dairy Mengniu to cooperate in the production and distribution of fresh dairy products in China.

UK regulator reviews inspection, enforcement policies

Local authorities in the UK will get new inspection and regulatory powers in the future, thecountry's food agency said yesterday in announcing a review of the current system.

Danone offers to feed the world

It is not a task for the faint-hearted, but French dairy and food group Danone has pledged to use more research and development resources to tackle malnutrition around the world.

Weekly Comment

Response and Responsibility

Bah, Humbug! It has been that kind of year in general for the food industry, and in particular for some major companies.

Boycott legacy hampers Arla plans

A consumer boycott across the Middle East on dairy products made by Arla Foods has set the firm back two years in the region, and allowed rivals to gain ground.

Food industry policy: Part I

Industry puts emphasis on self-regulation

The EU's food industry association yesterday set out its wish list for the coming year, calling for a raft of changes to current and proposed laws.

Forbes, Carrefour confident over Reducol roll-out

Reducol could have a big impact on heart disease rates in France, say Forbes Medi-Tech and Carrefour, the supermarket giant that recently launched a range of yoghurt products containing the cholesterol-lowering ingredient.

Parliament passes chemicals law

The EU Parliament yesterday voted for a tougher regulatory regime for chemicals, requiring producers and users to replace some of the current chemicals in use with safer alternatives, if they exist.

Yili expands ice-cream, yoghurt production

China's biggest dairy group Yili is investing further in the ice-cream market, revealing a plan to spend CNY215.5 million (€20.8m) on two new ice-cream production facilities.

Nestlé rejects FDA doubts on infant formula

Infant formula made by food and nutrition giant Nestlé will not be recalled in the US, the group has said, despite warnings from the country's food regulator.

UK must milk dairy export potential

UK dairy firms are being urged to capitalise on a resurgence in the country's food and drink exports, through a new project with the Food From Britain organisation.

Fonterra to set up dairy farm in China

New Zealand dairy co-op Fonterra said today that it will set up a best practice dairy farm in China to provide quality milk for Shijiazhuang SanLu, the Chinese dairy in which it holds a 43 per cent stake.

Weekly Comment

Trans Fats: A Farewell to Harm

There's no way but out for heart-damaging trans fatty acids, and procrastinators in the food industry will achieve nothing by delaying reformulation other than lagging behind in the game as the rest of the world waves goodbye.

Cryovac breaths new life into cheese packaging

A new range of vacuum cheese packaging allows the curing process to continue while extending product shelf life, its manufacturer claims.

UK milk producers push for better deal, as colleagues quit

Talks to get UK dairy farmers a better deal with supermarkets are expected to intensify over the next couple of weeks, as new figures show nearly 1,000 producers have quit the sector in the last year.

EU ban threatens UK specialist cheese

Time is running out for producers of specialist, cloth-bound cheese in the UK as efforts stall in their bid to continue using a chemical that is banned across the EU.

Danisco stabiliser cuts fat, costs for ice cream

Danish ingredients group Danisco has launched a new stabilizer ingredient designed to allow ice cream manufacturers to cut the fat content of their products while still maintaining a creamy mouthfeel.

National Foods recalls milk with E.coli risk

Australian dairy National Foods has recalled several thousand litres of its Pura brand milk, citing fears that it could be contaminated with the E.coli bacteria.

UK Chancellor pushes carbon trading expansion

The development of a global carbon trading scheme and investment in biofuels were two central strategies put forward by the UK Chancellor on Wednesday to halt climate change.

Lactalis stops Roquefort shipments in safety row

A dispute over Roquefort cheese has again erupted in Australia after authorities there rejected a recent shipment, prompting French dairy group Lactalis to cancel exports to the country in protest.

Chilled foods embrace thin-walled packaging

The use of thin-walled packaging for food products is growing in Europe, with demand in the chilled sector for the format increasing at the fastest rate, according to a new report.

New Quest berry flavours target dairy growth

Quest claims that its new Berrysense range of fruit flavours could give dairy product firms the edge in capturing lucrative new markets.

Mafia gangs add to Parmesan cheese problems

Bands of thieves are hijacking lorries containing Parmesan cheese in northern Italy and selling on the products for hard cash, adding to the woes of a struggling industry.

EU breaks New Zealand butter monopoly

Nearly half the licences to import butter to the EU from New Zealand will be opened up to new firms, breaking a monopoly held by the UK subsidiary of dairy group Fonterra.

Meiji launches fresh milk in China

Asia's biggest dairy, Japan's Meiji, has started shipping pasteurized milk directly to Shanghai from Japan, the first time a foreign dairy has supplied fresh milk to the rapidly growing market.

Weekly Comment

Taking the junk out of junk food

The relationship between child and crisp has long been a sacred one but instead of exploiting this dynamic to shovel unhealthy food into young mouths isn't it about time healthier companies exploited it to push junk food without the junk?

Scientists look to better flavour, mouthfeel from whey-based dairy

The hydrocolloid high-methoxy pectin (HMP) may offer the best potential to enhance the thickness of whey-based lactic beverages.

EU hygiene legislation extended to farms

The EU completes the food safety link from farm to fork on 1 January 2007, when new hygiene legislation is extended to farms, in most cases for the first time.

New vocational qualifications released for processing sector

New competency-based vocational qualifications have been developed for food and drink workers in the UK.