The big players in the beverage industry are all seeking the ‘Green Grail’ - packaging for soft drinks that they can present to the marketplace as ‘green’. [ + ]

San Diego’s oldest craft brewery, Karl Strauss Brewing Co, recently commissioned CoMac of Italy to install a keg line at its Northern Californian brewery. [ + ]

As the number of bag filling equipment options increases, so should the ability of the specifier to evaluate standalone equipment and integrated systems against current and anticipated needs. [ + ]

At a Chocolate Appreciation Class held on 11 July, Master Chocolatier Thomas Schnetzler introduced attendees to four new flavours of Lindt Excellence dark chocolate, and the best way to savour them. [ + ]

By installing an Optyx sorter, L&S Cranberry has increased its production time from one shift a day to two, six days a week. [ + ]

The new dehusking and sorting system at the Macadamia Processing Company’s (MPC’s) Alphadale facility has been a success for growers and processors alike. [ + ]

Foodtech Packtech is a must-attend event for all packaging, food processing and food development professionals. [ + ]

For years acrylamide has been the focus of research as a response to fears that it may have carcinogenic properties. [ + ]

To help you to navigate the food safety path, the 19th Australian HACCP Conference will deliver the expertise of 20 leading professionals and exponents of food safety from Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Conference attendees will learn about important legal and technical updates, new technology applications, risk implications from corporate change plus take a glimpse into the future for the Australian food industry. [ + ]

The vegetables in salads are full of vitamins and nutrients, but you won’t get much benefit without the right type and amount of salad dressing according to a recent Purdue University study. [ + ]

The simplification of complex nutritional messages has resulted in grain foods like bread and pasta becoming the ‘scapegoat’ for weight gain and bloating, despite ample research to the contrary. [ + ]

A prototype computer vision system has been used to identify substandard potatoes. The machine vision system used off-the-shelf hardware to enable affordable detection, identification and quantification of common defects affecting potatoes. [ + ]

After December this year, any unauthorised health claims on foods in Europe will be prohibited. Article 13.1 of the regulations contains 222 permitted general health claims and Leatherhead Food Research has concocted an airline meal that can meet all 222 claims. [ + ]

A Food Standards Agency UK research study, contracted by Pira International during November 2008 to April 2011, has developed screening tests for visible and non-visible set-off. The project developed a scanner for measuring the total surface area of patches of visible set-off on the food contact surface of packaging, and exposure techniques and analytical methods which allowed the measurement of individual ink components on the food contact surface of packaging. The extent of migration of these ink components from packaging into food was also quantified. [ + ]

Chronos BTH has recently installed and commissioned a high-accuracy bagging and palletising system for milk powder sector company Emmi Milch, Switzerland. [ + ]