Europe: Chr. Hansen raises prices of cheese coagulants

Chr. Hansen increased the prices of its cheese coagulants on January 1, 2014 by 1.5-3% (depending on product group) to reflect cost increase of energy, labor and raw materials worldwide.Products include CHY-MAX M, CHY-MAX, HANNILASE, THERMOLASE and NATUREN.The company says these price changes will affect all coagulants, in all regions and areas, with the exception of existing contracts that...

Europe: COT publishes position paper on aspartame study

UK-based Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer products and the Environment (COT) has peered reviewed a double blind randomized crossover study of aspartame, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). COT is a committee of independent experts that provides advice to the FSA and other parts of government. The expert committee concluded that “the results presented did not indicate...

Americas: Neogen introduces NeoFilm for simple microbial tests

Neogen Corporation has introduced a "clearly better" test system for microbial counts. The new NeoFilm microbial tests require the inoculation of a fabric sample pad and an incubation period. Following incubation, the sample pad is evaluated for bacterial colony growth. NeoFilm tests are available for coliforms, E. coli, yeast and mold, Staphylococcus aureus, and aerobic bacteria. "Our simple NeoFilm tests represent the perfect...

World: RNCO’s study finds global food testing industry to grow

International trade has complicated the food production system and lengthened the food supply chain, resulting to the need for more insight into the safety of raw materials and products being imported and sold, according to RNCOS’ study Global Food Safety Testing Market Analysis. It states that unsafe food, which contains contaminants, may prove harmful to its consumer immediately or after...

Asia: Chinese Taipei donates $80,000 to food safety, animal and plant health standards

Chinese Taipei has donated $80,000 to the Swiss-based Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) in 2013 to help developing countries establish and implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards for health protection and increase their ability to gain or maintain access to markets. The STDF also acts as a forum for World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to share and gather information...

Americas: ZICO Beverages joins Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola Company has acquired the outstanding ownership stake in coconut water brand ZICO Beverages LLC, which will unlock more capability for ZICO including marketing, selling, manufacturing, innovation and distribution opportunities. Additionally, The Coca-Cola Company will gain a leading position in one of the fastest growing beverage categories in the world. The move completes the transaction which began in 2009 when...

Asia Pacific: Labelexpo Asia 2013 sets records across the board

The 10th edition of Labelexpo Asia was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre during December 2-6, 2013, welcoming 21,416 visitors, an increase of 18.8% over 2011’s show. The show visitors came from 87 countries, up 11% from 74 countries in 2011. Almost 300 exhibitors showcased their solutions over 8,500sqm of net space. A two-day conference program consisting of six sessions...

Europe: IMCD Food & Nutrition delivers technical innovation

The European technical team of IMCD Food & Nutrition presented a Belgian praline at Food Ingredients Europe in November 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany. The confectionary treat contained an aerated, allergen-free praline filling, which is made in partnership with a Belgian praline manufacturer, using its facility to complete the product with high-quality chocolate. The praline was made as an universally appealing and...

Asia: Vitasoy maintains growth in operations

Hong Kong-based Vitasoy International Holdings Limited (VIHL) has announced its interim results for the six months ended 30th September 2013. It said it has maintained its growth momentum of 9% in net sales to HK$2,326 million (US$300 million) for the first six months on its core business across operations. The group's gross profit was HK$1,118 million (US$144.14 million) , up 11% year-on-year,...

Australia: Brewer uses UV sterilization for quality control

In 2007, Australian brewer, Tooheys, decided to sterilize its process water with the first Hanovia UV system supplied by Fluidquip Australia. Its first ultra violet (UV) system was installed on the de-aerated water generation plant. Since then, two Hanovia UV systems have been added to the de-aerated water distribution plant, one system added to the sugar intake and two more after...