Sustainable packaging, non-GMO verified authenticity and the social impact of food distribution models: these were three of the key themes of the fifth Sustainable Foods Summit. 180 executives met in San Francisco on 17-18 January for the carbon-neutral event to explore key sustainability issues in the food industry. Read more »
The Melbourne Exhibition Centre will host two trade shows in one this April. From 17-19 April, the Safety in Action and Melbourne Materials handling trade shows will combine to showcase solutions for managers in the food technology industry such as plant, lab, storage and logistics managers. Read more »
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR, in Wachtberg, have developed a Stand Alone MilliMeter wave Imager (SAMMI). Read more »
A UK consortium has funded an investigation into the use of ultrasound in the production of ‘free from’ baked foods. Read more »
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was alerted to the presence of the fungicide carbendazim in imported Brazilian orange juice concentrate in late December last year. Levels of up to 35 parts per billion were found in the concentrate and, in response, the FDA began testing all imported concentrate in the US. Australia’s reaction to the concerns raises difficult questions about Australian standards, testing procedures and provenance labelling. Read more »
Modified probiotics, the beneficial bacteria touted for their role in digestive health, could one day decrease the risk of Listeria infection in people with susceptible immune systems, according to Purdue University research. Read more »
Innova has identified ten key trends it claims will impact the food and beverage market this year and into the future. Read more »
Global iced coffee sales are on the increase, according to Innova Market Insights. Read more »
Human tongues apparently recognise and have an affinity for fat, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis. They have found that variations in a gene can make people more or less sensitive to the taste of fat. Read more »
Researchers Donald Schaffner and Rebecca Montville of Rutgers University’s (New Jersey) Food Science Department conducted a quantitative analysis of existing data in order to determine if there was a difference in effectiveness between antibacterial and non-antibacterial soaps. Read more »
The name of the game has become one of intense competition, of finding the growth niches within the overall packaging market to make sure that you grow faster than your opposition. The overall packaging market in developed countries may therefore seem to be rather mature and static but internally it certainly is very dynamic. Read more »
Rising cocoa and sugar costs in 2010/11 did not spoil the party for the confectionery industry as it continued to lead the food and drinks sector in terms of global launch activity in the first half of 2011. Read more »
In a search to uncover the patterns and principles people use in choosing ingredient combinations beyond individual taste and recipes, a team looked at the key ingredients of 56,498 online recipes and then analysed those ingredients for shared flavour compounds. The results showed differences between Eastern and Western dietary preferences. Read more »
With a final death toll of 30 people, including one miscarriage, the US’s most deadly outbreak ever of food poisoning has been declared over. In total, 146 people across 28 states became ill after eating Listeria monocytogenes contaminated whole rockmelon. While the number of deaths was not the largest ever recorded for a food poisoning outbreak, the greater than one in five death rate makes the outbreak of listeriosis the deadliest food poisoning incident in the US. The outbreak was also the first caused by whole, unprocessed produce. Read more »
The days are gone when packaging was used for nothing more than protecting the product and ensuring an attractive presentation at the point of sale. These days, packaging has to do a lot more. It has to be intelligent and interactive, and it is supposed to track goods along the entire supply chain, to expose counterfeits, to test whether a package has already been opened, or to indicate whether a cold chain has been interrupted. Finally, it is supposed to make it possible to pursue new methods of brand communication and to interact with the consumer. Read more »
There is all this ballyhoo about ‘traffic light’ information on foods so consumers can select the healthiest options but following my recent experience with labelling on roast beef all I want is front-of-pack labels that clearly inform me what the food actually is. Read more »
The European Food Safety Authority has commenced assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the EU's current meat inspection methodology so it can provide a scientific basis for the modernisation of meat inspection across the European Union. It has released its first reports covering the inspection of swine. Read more »
For many Australian and New Zealand food manufacturers there is increasing pressure from government agencies to reach higher standards of wastewater treatment for environmental discharge. In fact, throughout the western world, food manufacturers are facing similar challenges. Read more »
In the context of the Save Food campaign, the packaging industry wants to fight food loss more effectively. Simple, decentralised packaging machines for emerging markets can improve food security, while the ‘throwaway’ mentality in western industrialised nations can be combated with smart packages. Read more »
Microwave volumetric heating could deliver cost benefits, slash energy consumption and increase efficiency in the food processing industry. Read more »