Cargill has expanded its capabilities with the opening of a new Snacks and Cereal Product Innovation Centre in Minneapolis. The company are hoping the new research centre will enable them to help food manufacturers create innovative new products that drive sales growth. “The new facility unites Cargill’s product formulation and pilot plant scale-up capabilities under one roof, enabling the company to help customers accelerate new product development and testing and increase speed to market,”... ...Read more »
A new milk container is being sold in the US, which reportedly does not require crates or racks for shipping and storage, and reduces costs. Sam’s Club, the second largest wholesaler in the US, have already shifted to the new milk containers. The new containers are a square shaped gallon, which represent a packaging change consistent with the transformation of milk from pitchers to glass bottles in the late 1800’s and then cardboard cartons to plastic gallons in the early 1950’s. According... ...Read more »
Engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs), which contain novel properties that might offer benefits for use in food packaging, raise new safety evaluation challenges for regulators and industry, according to a report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).The food-packaging industry, food companies and consumers all share an interest in ensuring that any possible safety questions are identified and are carefully evaluated and resolved... ...Read more »
US company Ikan is threatening to revolutionise the way consumers shop for groceries with the launch of a new product scanning device. The product, which costs $400, allows consumers to scan the barcodes of products they have just finished or are about to finish so that it can be added to their shopping list automatically. The Ikan device has a colour screen, laser scanner and a Wi-Fi antenna to enable connection to the consumer’s home network. Once a product is scanned the device will... ...Read more »
Australia is slowly developing a love affair for bottled water, with sales figures indicating it is Australia’s fastest growing beverage. Over the past six years consumption has increased, on average, by 10% per annum and, despite recent negative press, the current 12L consumed by each Australian consumer is set to escalate. The opportunity for growth of Australia’s bottled water industry is staggering if you consider that Italians, the world’s leading consumers of bottled... ...Read more »
The efforts of one man 25 years ago to bring a native plant from Paraguay to the United States is on the verge of changing the way America eats. Available online and in US grocery store aisles for the first time is an all-natural, zero-calorie, zero-carb, zero-glycemic index alternative to sugar. “No pun intended, but for me, this day is sweet victory,” said Jim May, CEO and founder of Wisdom Natural Brands, the makers of SweetLeaf Sweetener. May was, according to Wisdom Natural Brands,... ...Read more »
A report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that cocoa flavanols, which are naturally occurring plant compounds, may provide benefits to people with Type 2 Diabetes. The study concluded that the daily consumption of a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols can positively impact blood vessel dysfunction. Study participants who regularly drank a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols, made using the Mars, Incorporated Cocoapro process, experienced a 30 per cent improvement... ...Read more »
Checkpoint Systems and Sealed Air Cryovac have reportedly created the first integrated and automated anti-theft tagging system for direct contact with fresh food products. The combination of Checkpoint’s Food-Safe EAS labels, certified for direct contact with food, and Sealed Air Cryovac Smartpak vacuum shrink bags, is also anticipated to allow retailers to reduce inventory shrinkage of cheese and fresh products. According to Checkpoint Systems, the idea came from concerns about increasing... ...Read more »
The US Candy Expo was held in Chicago last week with the world’s biggest names in candy showing off their latest creations. Mars Inc. signalled their intentions to improve their share of the premium chocolate market with the introduction of a different M&M’s product. Premium M&M’s result in Mars changing the M&M production formula for the first time, as well as changing the packaging and look of the product. The new product complements the presence of Mars’... ...Read more »
Chocolate has rarely been considered as a sound choice for those looking for healthy snack options. However, with a growing body of research highlighting the health benefits of cocoa, chocolate manufacturers are starting to update their products to capitalise on the positive publicity. The sugar and milk content, among other ingredients, in normal processed chocolate has restricted the potential of the cocoa bean but now, with increased awareness of the benefits of antioxidants in cocoa, manufacturers... ...Read more »