Preference for salt may begin in the cradle, scientists warn

22-Dec-2011 - Early dietary exposure to foods containing added salt shapes a greater preference for salty tastes throughout infancy and childhood, suggests a new study.

CCE catches Olympic fever but French soda tax dampens spirits

20-Dec-2011 - Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) says it is focusing on the London 2012 Olympics to spur sales, but admits that any French soda tax could lead to retail price rises there of around 10 per cent.

Exclusive interview

Beneo board: “Let us not forget that functional food responds to a clear demand of the consumer”

20-Dec-2011 - In the first part of this exclusive interview, Beneo Group executive board member, Yves Servotte, explains how European Union health claim rules have informed strategic thinking at one of Europe’s biggest and most vocal ingredient vendors.

UK food industry comes together to answer big questions in salt reduction

19-Dec-2011 - Leading members of the UK food industry have announced a partnership to fund and deliver a new comprehensive report on reformulation and sodium reduction methods.

Leatherhead cites category overlap as ‘overriding’ soft drinks trend

19-Dec-2011 - There is an overriding trend within the world soft drinks market towards an overlap between categories, while economic unrest is expected to consolidate a trend towards cheaper products, according to Leatherhead Food Research.

Special Edition: Stevia

Getting a handle on flavour, bulking and bitter blocker systems key to stevia formulation

22-Nov-2011 - In-depth understanding of how stevia works with different flavour systems, bulking agents, and other ingredients is required to optimise NPD or reformulation of existing food and drinks using the natural sweetener.

Create Flavours pioneers fruit flavours with low-fat dairy affinity

17-Nov-2011 - UK company Create Flavours has spent a year working on an in-house research project to develop a new fruit flavours range with increased acceptability in low-fat dairy products.

More fibre, not less sat fat, may be key for metabolic syndrome: Study

15-Nov-2011 - A diet high in fibre – but not necessarily one low in saturated fat or cholesterol – is associated with lower risks of heart disease and type-2 diabetes in teenagers, according to new findings.

Euromonitor: CLA is a “key” to future of weight management market

07-Nov-2011 - Market analyst Euromonitor has produced a global weight management report that predicts an ongoing prevalence of reduced-calorie foods in the category but highlights conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as a nutrient with a “key” role to play.

‘Cost-saving’ dairy bulking agent for chocolate and bakery to go global

04-Nov-2011 - Arla Foods Ingredients has announced that a dairy bulking agent for chocolate and bakery formulation that it said offers cost savings on sweet whey powder (SWP) is set for global roll-out in 2012.

Tate & Lyle signs agreement for salt reduction technology

31-Oct-2011 - Tate & Lyle has announced an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Eminate Ltd for its novel salt reduction technology Soda-Lo.

Market entry of a microalgae-derived fat reducer edges nearer

27-Oct-2011 - Commercial scale-up of a microalgae derived flour algae is expected to get underway in December this year, with anticipated market entry for set for 2012, claims Solazyme and Roquette.

News in brief

Danish fat tax raises 'considerable concerns': EDA

21-Oct-2011 - The European Dairy Association (EDA) has hit out at Denmark's recently introduced tax on foods containing saturated fats, which it said raised 'considerable concerns' regarding its social and economic impact on the nation's population.

NIZO and Vion Foods look to give proteins fat functionality

21-Oct-2011 - There is no one ‘golden bullet’ for fat functionality replacement in foods but understanding what fats do in a food system will help in the search for alternatives, claims a NIZO researcher.

Emulsions structure may affect sensory qualities of foods: Study

19-Oct-2011 - Changes in type or fat content of emulsion can have a significant impact on the structural properties and sensory properties of foods, according to researchers from Unilever R&D and the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).

Sugar-free drinks may generate ‘false security’ on tooth decay, study finds

18-Oct-2011 - Acidic flavourings and preservatives added to sugar-free beverages and confectionery may pose a ‘dental health risk’ to consumers who believe such products don’t cause tooth decay.

Biorigin targets salt reduction in meat with new umami flavour line

17-Oct-2011 - Brazil based ingredients supplier Biorigin has extended its umami flavour line to enable sodium reduction in meats.

Sweet taste modulator may help provide 'true' sugar taste with zero calories: Senomyx

11-Oct-2011 - Small molecules that modulate the human sweet taste receptor could help to provide zero-calorie foods and drinks that have "the true taste of sugar", say industry scientists.

Clean-label salt enhancer could help slash sodium by 35% and counter bitterness of KCl

05-Oct-2011 - A new salt enhancer claimed to help food manufacturers slash salt by 25- 35% without breaking the bank or compromising their clean-labels will be unveiled at the SupplySide West show in Las Vegas next week.

Soda tax could threaten Irish economic recovery, industry body warns

29-Sep-2011 - Irish government plans to introduce a 'sugar tax' on carbonated drinks could lead to widespread job losses within the Irish food and beverage industry and threaten the nation's economic recovery, Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) has claimed.

Hungarian ‘chips tax’ wrecks Intersnack investment

23-Sep-2011 - Hungarian snacks firm Chio Magyarország – owned by German giant Intersnack – has slammed the country’s new ‘chips tax’ for ruining its chance of winning funding for new popcorn and snacks lines.

Review highlights possibilities for healthier processed meat

22-Sep-2011 - The meat industry must move towards the production of healthier processed meats by formulating new and innovative products, according to a new review.

New yogurt stabilisers address soaring gelatin prices: Cargill

20-Sep-2011 - Cargill has unveiled a new stabiliser system that it says will help dairy food manufacturers avoid the rising cost of gelatin in yogurt production.

South African food industry faces regulatory action on salt

20-Sep-2011 - The South African food processing industry is set to face regulatory action in a government bid to meet a 2020 target of salt reduction to less than 5g per day by per person.