Top Stories
China and U.S. sign food safety agreement
China and the U.S. signed agreements on Tuesday that aim to ensure key Chinese food, drug and other exports meet US standards.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of the People’s Republic of China signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to enhance the safety of food and drugs exported to the U.S. from China.
As part of the agreement, Chinese food producers must register with local authorities and submit to annual inspections to ensure U.S. standards are met.
For more, see http://globalhealth.gov/news/agreements/ia121107b.html
For more, see http://www.hhs.gov/news/facts/foodfeed.html
The end of cheap food?
On Tuesday, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture forecast that U.S. wheat stocks would fall to their lowest level in 60 years, dropping from 312m bushels to 280m by the end of the 2007-08 crop year.
U.S. corn stocks were projected 100 million bushels lower for the month. The corn export forecast was raised 100 million bushels on expected increases in foreign consumption and imports. At the projected 2.45 billion bushels, 2007-08 corn exports would be a record, surpassing the previous record of 2.4 billion in 1979-80.
There was much discussion in news outlets last week about higher food prices. For more, see:
- Food vs. Fuel
- Concerns over food inflation as harvests fail
- The latest issue of the Economist has a cover story on The End of Cheap Food?
A U.S.-based research group says climate change and rising energy costs will likely cause world food prices to rise, threatening the health and livelihoods of the world’s poor.
In a report released Tuesday at a conference in Beijing, the International Food Policy Research Institute says environmental and other changes, including urbanization and development, will contribute to higher prices and greater demand for food.
The report says global agricultural production is projected to fall 16 percent by 2020 due to global warming, with output dropping by 20 percent in developing nations. It also notes the increase in bio-fuels will likely cut into food supplies.
For more, see http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/agm07/jvbagm2007.asp
There has been some question during the past year about the impact of the growing U.S. ethanol industry on consumer food prices. This report says the significant factor in consumers’ food bills is surging global demand for commodities.
A copy of the analysis, entitled “Analysis of Potential Causes of Consumer Food Price Inflation,” can be found at http://www.informaecon.com/
Research Briefs
JFS accepting submissions for three new subject areas
IFT’s Journal of Food Science has developed three new subject areas and is now accepting submissions for the three new sections: Nanoscale Food Science, Engineering, and Technology; Health, Nutrition, and Food; and Toxicology and Chemical Food Safety.
These three new sections will appear in the Journal of Food Science starting in early 2008.
Nanoscale Food Science, Engineering, and Technology
Scientific original research on fundamental principles of producing, analyzing, and characterizing nanoscale food particles (materials with at least one dimension at roughly between 1 to 100 nm), nanoscale materials, and nanoscale-based devices and systems for detection and intervention technologies for food safety and quality.Health, Nutrition, and Food
Original research that integrates food science and technology with applied personal and public health nutrition. Topics may include studies on nutritional and health impacts of foods and food components using human subjects or appropriate animal models, and adaptation and application of technologies that enhance the content and/or biological availability of healthful components in foods.Toxicology and Chemical Food Safety
Original research papers on occurrence, safety and toxicological evaluation, detoxification, conditions of formation, analysis, regulatory control, and surveillance of natural and man-made chemical compounds in food.The journal currently accepts papers for: Concise Reviews and Hypotheses in Food Science; Food Chemistry; Food Engineering and Physical Properties; and Food Microbiology and Safety
Submit JFS manuscripts online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfs
Far flung food: Europe’s distant diets
At a recent conference, held Nov. 5-6 and funded by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST), scientists and policy makers gathered to consider the problems that face future European food supplies. One important area of research looks at where food comes from, and how that food gets from the field to the fork.
Results, presented at the conference in Budapest on November 5-6, show that food is increasingly coming from outside Europe. “Europe is one of the world’s top food importers”, says Paul Watkiss, a policy advisor from Oxford in the UK. For example, half all vegetables and 95% of fruit consumed within the UK come from overseas nowadays.
Watkiss thinks that today’s global food market is one reason. “In recent years, Europe has begun to trade with many more developing countries,” he says. “These countries have much lower labor and production costs, so can often grow and process food much more cheaply than we can in Europe”.
Europeans are also buying more convenience food — food that is pre-cut, pre-cooked and pre-packaged. These ‘ready-meals’ often contain ingredients that have been imported from many different countries. Furthermore, the cutting, cooking and packaging of ‘ready-meals’ is often done in more than one place, resulting in food that is well-travelled even before it is ready to eat.
For more information, click here
Food source threatened by carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide increasing in the atmosphere may affect the microbial life in the sea, which could have an impact on a major food source, warned Ian Joint at a Science Media Centre press briefing.
Joint is sequencing the DNA of different ocean bacteria to find out how they will respond to an increase in carbon dioxide. “So far from one experiment we have sequenced 300 million bases of DNA, about one tenth the size of the human genome. We are analyzing this ‘ocean genome’ to see if changes might affect the productivity of the sea.”
Worldwide, fish from the sea provide nearly a fifth of the animal protein eaten by man. If microscopic plants that fish eat are affected by carbon dioxide, this may deplete a major food source.
For more, see the press release at
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/sfgm-fst121007.php
Mediterranean diet and activity associated with lower death rate
Eating a Mediterranean diet and following national recommendations for physical activity are each associated with a reduced risk of death over a five-year period, according to two reports in the December 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Both studies use data from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.
In one study, Panagiota N. Mitrou and colleagues used a nine-point scale to assess conformity with the Mediterranean diet in 380,296 of the participants (214,284 men and 166,012 women) with no history of chronic disease. Components of the diet included vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, whole grains, fish, ratio of monounsaturated fats, alcohol and meat. During five years of follow-up, 12,105 participants died, including 5,985 from cancer and 3,451 from cardiovascular disease. Those with higher Mediterranean diet scores were less likely to die of any cause or of cancer or heart disease.
In another study, Michael F. Leitzmann and colleagues analyzed the results of two questionnaires on physical activity from 252,925 of the participants (142,828 men and 110,097 women). Of those, 7,900 died during follow-up. Compared with being inactive, individuals who performed the amount of moderate physical activity recommended in national guidelines (at least 30 minutes most days of the week) were 27 percent less likely to die and those who achieved the goal for vigorous physical activity (at least 20 minutes three times per week) were 32 percent less likely to die. Smaller amounts of physical activity also appeared to be associated with a 19 percent reduced risk of death.
Company News
Food company merger and acquisitions in 2007
As a roundup of food industry merger and acquisition news for the year:
On Dec. 5, Heineken N.V. announced that it will acquire the Rodic Brewery, in Novi Sad, Serbia.
In Dec., Kraft Foods issued a statement refuting claims it was in talks to buy Brazilian poultry outfit Perdigao.
On Dec. 3, Jays Foods, a snack food company based in Chicago which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October, will received a bid from Motown Snack Foods, one of its distributors in Detroit.
On Nov. 30, Cloetta Fazer announced it has acquired Finland-based Fennobon Oy, a maker of sugar-free chewing gum and candies. The company has a focus on high quality and uses xylitol in all of its products.
On Nov. 29, Campina, one of Europe’s largest co-operative dairy companies, said it plans to acquire the German ingredient specialist Satro GmbH.
On Nov. 15, Frutarom Industries announced it acquired through its subsidiary Frutarom Ltd. the activity of RAD Natural Technologies Ltd. RAD researches, develops, produces and sells unique natural plant extracts with anti-oxidant properties for use in food, dietary supplements and cosmetic products.
On Nov. 15,Kraft Foods Inc announced an agreement to merge its Post cereals business into Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. a leader in private-label and frozen bakery products.
On Nov. 12, French dairy firm Lactalis has acquired fruit dessert manufacturer Délis SA for an undisclosed sum.
On Nov. 6, Kellogg Co. said in a regulatory filing it acquired certain assets and liabilities of Wholesome & Hearty Foods Co., a U.S. manufacturer of vegetarian foods marketed under the Gardenburger brand.
On Nov. 5, DSM Venturing, the corporate venturing unit of Royal DSM N.V. announced that it has participated in a financing round in Ganeden Biotech, Inc., a US probiotics company which markets dietary supplements focused on digestive health.
On Oct. 16, Chiquita Brands’ Fresh Express subsidiary announced the acquisition of Verdelli Farms, a privately held processor of value-added salads, vegetables and fruit snacks serving the East Coast.
On Oct. 2, Kraft Foods announced that it has agreed to sell its Fruit2O water and Veryfine juice brands and related assets to Sunny Delight Beverages Co.
On Oct. 2, PepsiCo announced that it has agreed to acquire Brazilian snack company Comercio de Doces Lucky Ltda for an undisclosed amount.
On Oct. 1, The J. M. Smucker Company announced that its Canadian subsidiary has acquired the Canadian Carnation brand canned milk products business from Nestle Canada.
On Sept. 24, New Brunswick, Canada-based Cooke Aquaculture announced plans to acquire Chilean salmon producer Salmones Cupquelan S.A. Salmones Cupquelan produces 30,000 MT of salmon with annual sales of $100 million.
On Sept. 17, chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut AG announced that it would sell its U.S. sugar-candy subsidiary Brach’s to Catterton Partners’ portfolio company Farley’s & Sathers in order to focus exclusively on its chocolate business. Brach’s had annual sales of $270 million (75% from sugar-candy).
On Sept. 7, ConAgra Foods announced that it has acquired Chicago-based Lincoln Snacks, a privately-held popcorn snacks manufacturer, from Ubiquity Brands.
On Aug. 24, FPI Limited, a seafood company, announced the sale of FPI assets to Ocean Choice International and High Liner Foods for $301.5 million.
On August 23, Hormel Foods announced its purchase of Iowa-based Burke Corporation, a manufacturer and marketer of pizza-toppings and other fully-cooked meat products, for approximately $110 million.
On Aug. 9, Campbell Soup Company announced that it will explore strategic alternatives, including possible divestiture, for its Godiva Chocolatier business.
On Aug. 7, SunOpta Inc. announced that it has acquired the operating assets of a soymilk manufacturing facility located in Heuvelton, New York from ProSoya Corporation.
On Aug. 2, private equity firm Tricor Pacific Capital, acquired Golden Boy Foods, a leading Canadian manufacturer of more than 400 private label and branded food products, including peanut butter, baking nuts, snacking nuts, trail mixes, raisins, dried fruitsand jams.
On July 27, ADM announced that it will acquire Fasco Mills Company, a privately-held grain and feed company operating one of the largest networks of grain elevators and rail shipping terminals in Illinois.
On July 23, ConAgra Foods announced that it has acquired New York-based Alexia Foods Inc., a privately held natural food company. Alexia Foods, with annual sales of $35 million, represents the leading natural frozen potato brand and markets all natural and organic appetizers and artisan breads.
On July 16, ALFA announced that its subsidiary Sigma Alimentos, S.A. de C.V., the leader in the Mexican processed meats market, has signed an agreement to acquire Wisconsin-based Mexican Cheese Producers, Inc. to increase its penetration of the US market.
On July 3 Frutarom Industries announced that it signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the ownership of Abaco, for $3.2 million. Abaco develops, produces and markets unique ingredients for the flavor and fragrance industry.
On July 2, Danisco transferred the ownership of its Flavors group to Firmenich, a world leader within flavours and fragrances.
On July 2, AAK UK, the UK division of global speciality oils company AAK AB, acquired Croda Food Services from Croda International Plc. The business based in Oldham, UK, supplies a range of products and services to the bakery industry including release agents and divider oils together with bespoke delivery systems.On July 2, Nestlé completed its acquisition of Novartis Medical Nutrition.
On June 15, Tate & Lyle announced the acquisition of an 80% holding in German specialty food ingredients group G. C. Hahn & Co for £78 million
On June 15, Belgium’s Tessenderlo Group sold its flavoring and food ingredients activity to French flavor producer Nactis.
On June 12, CSM acquired Titterington’s, based in U.S. for $23 million. Titterington’s is a supplier of Thaw & Serve products like scones, muffins, cakes and pastries to the food service and out-of-home market segments.
On June 11, The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. announced that it completed its acquisition of the tofu and meat-alternative business of WhiteWave Foods Company, a subsidiary of Dean Foods Company.
On June 11, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and Calpis Co., Ltd. agreed to make Calpis a wholly owned subsidiary of Ajinomoto through an exchange of shares, and signed a share exchange agreement.
On June 7, The Coca-Cola Company announced that it closed its previously announced acquisition of Energy Brands, Inc., known as glacéau, and its full range of fast-growing, enhanced water brands, including vitaminwater.
On May 31, TreeHouse Foods, Inc. announced it completed its purchase of San Antonio Farms, a San Antonio, Texas based maker of premium quality Mexican sauces including salsa, picante, cheese dip, enchilada sauce and taco sauce.
On May 18, Mitsubishi Corp. turned three domestic food affiliates into majority-held subsidiaries through tender offers totaling 27.2 billion yen. Mitsubishi plans to buy 19.74 billion yen worth of shares in Nosan Corp., 5.23 billion yen of Nitto Fuji Flour Milling Co. and 2.26 billion yen of Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co..
On May 2, Naturex announced the acquisition of the Italian company HP Botanicals. Heaquartered in Avignon (France), Naturex is one of the largest suppliers of plant extracts worldwide, and has recently acquired the Milano based company Hammer Pharma.
Proliant announces alliance with Melrose Dairy Proteins
Proliant Dairy, Inc., Ankeny, Iowa has signed a letter of intent with Melrose Dairy Proteins, Melrose, Minnesota for Proliant to build a dairy permeate processing facility adjacent to the Melrose cheese processing plant. Permeate, also know as deproteinized whey or DPW, is a by-product of milk or dairy protein filtration, and consists primarily of dairy lactose and minerals.
Proliant intends to construct a facility to process and dry permeate solids from the Melrose cheese plant. Site preparation could begin as soon as December 2007. Once the parties successfully conclude negotiations, the focus will shift to construction.
Melrose Dairy Proteins is a joint venture between Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. MDP is a dairy processing facility in Melrose, Minn., producing Italian-style cheeses and Cheddar cheese for further processing. The plant has approximately 150 employees. It was built in 1968 and was purchased jointly by Land O’Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America in 2001.
Regulatory News
USDA amends list of allowed organic substances
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture amended its National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances regulations to enact recommendations by the National Organic Standards Board from October 30, 2000, through March 3, 2005. The final rule adds two defined terms and nine substances, along with any restrictive annotations, and a category of substances to the National List.
For more, see the Federal Register of December 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 238, Page 70479-70486]
IFT & Meeting News
Food systems research conference to be held
The IFT Food Service Division and the International Association for Food Protection Retail Food Safety and Quality Professional Development Group is offering a Retail Food Systems Research Conference on January 7-10, 2008 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada.
The program aims to aid and facilitate new retail processes and product innovation by cooks and operators in the U.S. and worldwide. The conference will establish the standards for how retail operators can implement HACCP and validate their own process standards.
IFT calls for 2008 Annual Meeting Session Proposals and Abstracts
Take an important step to help shape your Annual Meeting by submitting a proposal or abstract for the 2008 Scientific Program. Submit a session proposal or abstract and be one of the experts in your field that lead the more than 150 educational sessions and 1,700 presentations at the Annual Meeting. To submit, visit http://www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1001366.
The deadline for session proposals (symposia, panels, workshops, and roundtables) is December 17, 2007. The deadline for abstracts for technical research papers (oral, poster, Division, competitions, the graduate student research paper competition, and the 2008 George F. Stewart International Research Paper Competition) is January 7, 2008. New Products & Technologies Abstracts are due February 4, 2008. All submissions are due by 4:00 p.m. Central Time on the deadline date. We appreciate your efforts to submit your proposals by these deadline dates. As you know, this year’s Annual Meeting occurs one month earlier, and your cooperation in meeting these deadlines is important from an event planning perspective. Sessions will be limited to 90 minutes to enable attendees to participate in one entire session while networking with colleagues between sessions.
Contribute to the exchange of information and sound science that the Scientific Program is known for. Learn more about research paper competitions, as well as the 2008 theme, Driving Growth and Sustainability through Innovation, by visiting ift.org or calling IFT’s Knowledge & Learning Center team at 312.782.8424.
Food Technology Presents: Developing and Marketing Products for Consumer Health & Wellness
If you’re involved in the development, regulation, packaging, or marketing of foods that contribute to health and wellness, or would like to deepen your understanding of ways to minimize your organization’s risk in future product development activities, mark your calendar now to attend this key event. Discover how organizations are identifying indicators that may shape the future direction of the food industry. Gain practical, actionable knowledge that you can apply to your product development and related work. And, identify new business and marketplace opportunities.
Only the Food Technology Presents conference can provide the scientific credibility, applied technology, market insight, and consumer trends information that makes Food Technology magazine the most quoted publication in the industry. Don’t miss this innovative and timely conference.
To register, go to ift.org/ftpc. When registering, please enter this code: 1207EM1091
Visit the IFT Cybrary – The Food Scientist’s Search Engine
Gain access to the most powerful search engine in the industry online at http://ift.chemidex.com/. One-time registration takes just a few minutes.
If you’ve already registered, be sure to select “Remember Me” for instant access to formulations and data sheets for thousands of ingredients.
Tags: 12 december 2007, IFT Newselter
December 16, 2007 at 5:04 pm
[...] Check This Out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today. Here’s a quick excerpt: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of the People’s Republic of China signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to enhance the safety of food and drugs exported to the US … [...]