Europe: Italian consumers look to ice cream in traditional flavors to ease work stress
Italian consumers are looking to the creamy texture of ice cream to help relax and unwind after a busy day at the office, according to a Canadean report entitled Consumer Trends Analysis: Understanding Consumer Trends and Drivers of Behavior in the Italian Ice Cream Market. Italians who feel stressed and fatigued after a hard day’s work are sure to have...
Europe: FSA asked by board to maintain current rules on sale of raw milk
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board has on July 23, 2014 asked for the FSA to maintain the current regulations controlling the sale of raw milk, while further evidence is gathered to allow board members to make a final decision on whether to revise the rules. Following a review of the current raw milk regulations, the FSA had proposed exploring...
Europe: Food producers need to be transparent on halal processes for UK consumers, finds survey
While the majority (52%) of UK consumers are not concerned about the consumption of halal meat, a third of adults deliberately avoid halal meat certified products, primarily because of animal welfare concerns, according to a Canadean survey of 2,000 British consumers in June 2014. The survey found 32% of consumers say that they deliberately avoid meat products that are certified...
Europe: Manufacturers should focus on benefits of dairy to Russian consumers, says report
Dairy products are a part of traditional food in Russia and have deep roots in consumption patterns, with products such as milk, kefir, sour cream, and cottage cheese being regular part of the diet, according to a report from Canadean entitled Consumer Trends Analysis: Understanding Consumer Trends and Drivers of Behavior in the Russian Dairy Food Market. While one of...
World: AAK buys Turkish brand from Unilever
AAK has signed an agreement to acquire the Turkish frying oil brand Frita from Unilever. Frita, which covers a part of the local food service market, had revenues of approximately SEK 75 million (US$11 million) in 2013. AAK says the acquisition should be seen as a natural addition to its Turkey’s existing product portfolio and is an add-on to the Unipro...
Americas: GLG submits GRAS notification to FDA for high-purity Rebaudioside C
GLG Life Tech Corporation has submitted a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notification with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its high-purity Rebaudioside C stevia extract product. The company says this notification represents many months of work to develop the product and all required documentation under the FDA-administered GRAS process to demonstrate that GLG’s Rebaudioside C extract...
Americas: Zinc found to prevent diseases, say researchers
Researchers identified zinc as one of the most important essential trace metals in human nutrition and lifestyle in a new review article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, published by the Institute of Food Technologists. Zinc is not only a vital element in various physiological processes; it is also a drug in the prevention of many diseases. The...
Europe: No horse meat DNA in meat products found above threshold, says EU
The latest round of industry and European Union (EU) testing published on July 22, 2014 found no horse meat deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in meat products at or above the 1% reporting threshold. Since 2013, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been working with the European Commission (EC) and the industry in an extensive program of testing to detect horse meat. These...
World: FutureFood 2050 discusses food security, nutritional challenges in Africa
To envision challenges and solutions associated with feeding nine billion people anticipated by 2050, one can look to developing economies and countries that epitomize the difficulty and reward of planning for the future of food security. Scientific solutions to food challenges in Africa are the theme of recent interviews from the Institute of Food Technologists as part of its FutureFood 2050...
Asia Pacific: Study finds probiotics consumption improves blood pressure
Eating probiotics regularly may modestly improve your blood pressure, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. It says probiotics are live microorganisms (naturally occurring bacteria in the gut) thought to have beneficial effects; common sources are yogurt or dietary supplements. “The small collection of studies we looked at suggest regular consumption of probiotics can be part of...