The EU Parliament has voted against the labelling of food with “X% less” or “no added X” claims. The Food and Drink Federation, the UK’s leading voice for the food and drink industry, has expressed disappointment with the vote, which took place on 2 February 2012. The UK industry said it was concerned about the potential impact on industry’s discouragement of industry formulation of healthier foods. UK Food and Drink Federation’s response Barbara Gallani, Director of Food Safety... ...Read more »

A report by Rabobank’s global Food and Agribusiness and Advisory department on 3 February, 2012 has forecast strong but uneven growth in world dairy products. In the report, Rabobank stated that “the global dairy market will offer strong growth prospects in the coming five years, but the uneven spread of this market expansion and an era of elevated pricing will create as many challenges as opportunities for key players along the dairy supply chain”. Growth will be highly skewed to emerging... ...Read more »

A new scientific study conducted at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine suggests a potential link between the consumption of diet soft drinks and heart attacks or other vascular events. The study has found that people who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at an increased risk of suffering vascular events such as a stroke, heart attack, and vascular death. The research led by Dr Hannah Gardener ScD was examining the relationship between both diet and regular soft drink... ...Read more »

Two leading law experts have claimed that if proposed Palm Oil Labelling legislation were to be enacted in Australia, it would be afoul of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. The claim has been made in a research article authored by Melbourne-based lawyer Elizabeth Sheargold together with Associate Professor Andrew Mitchell  of the University of Melbourne. The article was published recently in the Melbourne Journal of International Law. The publication finding comes despite the Australian Government... ...Read more »

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, in the United States, claim to have identified a human receptor that can detect fat – irrespective of taste. Their research suggests that some people may be more sensitive to the presence of fat in foods. The researchers found that people with a particular variant of the CD36 gene are far more sensitive to the presence of fat than others. Their study is available online in the Journal of Lipid Research. The researchers studied 21 people... ...Read more »

The European Parliament has voted in favour of putting in place tighter legislation on the composition of fruit juices, ensuring companies stick to stricter labelling guidelines. Companies will no longer be able to add sugar and sweeteners to drinks labelled as “fruit juices” under the EU’s new labelling rules. It is already industry practice not to add sugar to juices, and that practice is now being written into law. The new legislation will apply to all juice products regardless of whether... ...Read more »

A diet high in polyphenols could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and associated health risks, according to a new study by the University of Glasgow. Researchers from the university’s Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences (ICAMS) say their findings suggest that as far as polyphenol-containing fruit drinks go, there are possible benefits for cardiovascular health. Their research, published today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, was funded by The Coca-Cola... ...Read more »

Consumer concerns surrounding health issues such as obesity are giving the confectionery markets a challenging time in the EU, where sales of sugar and gum confectionery have remained stagnant over the past four years (2008-2011), from €8.6 billion in 2008 to an estimated €8.9billion in 2011. According to global market research company Mintel’s latest research, sales declined the most in mature markets such as Germany, which despite remaining the largest market in Europe has seen sales drop... ...Read more »

Global food and beverage conglomerate, Kraft Foods, has announced it is cutting around 200 jobs at UK confectioner Cadbury. Kraft has said it intends to divide its business into two independent companies by the end of 2012, and has also announced this week that its current CEO and Chairman, Irene Rosenfeld will head the conglomerate’s planned high-growth global snacks business (which will include the Cadbury brand). It was Irene Rosenfeld who drove Kraft’s hostile takeover of Cadbury in 2011. The... ...Read more »

Tesco Lotus has opened Asia’s the first of its “zero-carbon” supermarket Asia, as part of its commitment to be a zero carbon business by 2050. Tesco Lotus is a major supermarket chain in Thailand, Cambodia and China. In Thailand, the stores are operated by the Ek-Chai Distribution System Co. According to Tesco Lotus, the new store in Bang Pra, Thailand, will put back into the Thai National Grid as much energy as it uses over the course of a year. Renewable fuel is converted into energy... ...Read more »