A new turnkey packaging system designed as a complete system for
wafer products has been developed by European firms SPS and CAMA
who joined forces to meet demand in the market.
PB Gelatins, the gelatin activity of Tessenderlo Group, is setting
up a joint venture to be known as PB Gelatins (Pingyang), near
Wenzhou in south-eastern China.
As confectionery makers jostle for a share in the increasingly
popular organic market, UK company Venture Foods has launched two
new additions to its niche organic and fairtrade chocolate bars.
A new horizontal wrapper suitable for handling delicate products
such as tray baked goods, biscuits and chocolate confectionery has
been developed by Bosch packaging subisidary, Tevopharm.
A new operator-friendly flow-wrapper has been launched by packaging
firm PFM - providing confectionery manufacturers with an
easy-to-use system for producing pillow-style packs
Mars' CocoaVia nutritional chocolate bar range has had its healthy
image boosted by a new study indicating that the product actively
reduces cholesterol levels.
UK firm Create Flavours has developed an innovative method that it
claims is capable of recreating more accurately the original
flavour of strawberries.
China will remove the import duty on Indonesian cocoa from 1
January next year, a move likely to increase demand for the beans
from the world's third biggest producer.
Singapore-based healthcare company Eu Yan Sang is hoping to make an
impression on the European chocolate market with a range of sweets
containing traditional Chinese herbs.
A new cost-cutting moulding and depositing system suitable for use
in the manufacture of jelly and gum confectionery has been launched
by UK firm Baker Perkins to attract confectioners previously
daunted by the processes involved.
Cote d'Ivoire cocoa growers have downed tools over pay
disagreements, beginning a strike which could dramatically cut
supplies to chocolate manufacturers.
New chocolate moulding equipment which can be cleaned quickly and
easily has been developed by British firm Spooner Vicars,
targetting manufacturers wary of hygiene considerations.
An application to add calcium to chewing gum has been lodged with
Food Standards Australia New Zealand by Wrigley's, which would
allow gum sold in Australia to be fortified with the mineral for
the first time.
European ingredients firm Puratos is the latest company to tap into
the trend towards product traceability with a new range of
origin-specific chocolates hailing from prime cocoa growing areas.
Innovation may be key in the premium chocolate market but
traditional products are still bestsellers among manufacturers,
according to equipment supplier Chocolate World.
Belgium-based Puratos has published research into the use of
dextrans in sourdoughs, producing an "innovative functional
ingredient for the bakery industry."
Cocoa bean producer Pan Sino International has announced plans to
build Singapore's largest cocoa processing plant, increasing cocoa
bean supply for manufacturers.
UK Fairtrade chocolate company, Divine, has launched a new variety
of its signature chocolate bar in a bid to further entice consumers
into the ethical cocoa market.
Companies will soon have the freedom to choose the size of
packaging they use for most oftheir products, after a set of
restrictive rules were abolished yesterday by EU ministers.
GM bacteria that eat hemicellulose in corn fibre could be used as a
new, biobased method of making xylitol, a mint-flavoured sweetener
used in chewing gum.
Europeans are more clued up than their American counterparts when
it comes to the benefits of dark chocolate, according to a US
company educating the market through their range of functional
health-boosting cocoa products.
The use of ingredients to improve the nutritional status of food
products by replacing sugar is one of the major driving forces for
new product development, according to Roquette.
The world's foremost chewing gum producer, the Wm Wrigley Jr
Company, is set to make inroads into the growing functional
confectionery market with a new gum to combat bad breath.
Different types of honey have similar glycaemic indexes, and
because of its potential health benefits ranging from prebiotic to
antioxidant it could be substituted for sugar, says a new study
from the US.
The sugar alcohol maltitol is the most promising polyol sweetener
to replace sucrose in chocolate, says new research from Turkey, a
result that could lead to new types of sugar-free chocolate to the
booming "diet" candy...
Masterfoods USA will soon allow companies to feature their logos or
messages on its M&M chocolates, in a marketing move expected to
launch a new platform of growth for the product.
Scientists at Cornell University have created an environmentally
friendly, non-toxic, removable, edible paint that could be used in
candy and dietary supplements.
About one-third of the UK's food packaging has been found to
contain hidden latex, leading to calls for processors to note the
presence of the known allergen on their products.
The heart health of the baby-boom generation could benefit from
flavanol-rich cocoa, reports a study co-funded by Mars, but
independent experts warn against confusion with commercial
chocolate snacks.
A new dark chocolate bar, formulated by a US-based research food
technology company, promises to increase libido, boost energy
levels and improve mood thanks to exotic rainforest ingredients.