Workers at vegetable and fruit supplier Bakkavor’s plant near Peterborough held street protests today asking local people to help them save their jobs. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Bakkavor’s Bourne site is one of the biggest suppliers of prepared salads, vegetables and fruit to leading UK supermarkets, but the firm began a 90-day consultation period in mid-September that could see up to 375 out of 1,200 staff made redundant. Icelandic-owned Bakkavor... read more →
Allan Rich Seafoods has been fined after it was successfully prosecuted for illegally storing outdated food and having rat and maggot-infested premises. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Environmental Health Officers found dead maggots (see picture), rotting fish and rat droppings during a routine July 2008 inspection at the wholesaler’s factory near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. At the time Allan Rich stocked frozen lobsters and prawns that it sold to restaurants,... read more →
Rosemary extracts have received recognition as safe and effective antioxidants for food preservation, according to new directives published in the European Commission’s official journal. (Foodnavigator.com) The directives specify the range of applications for which the extracts can be used, including fats and oils, bakery products, meats, dehydrated soups and potatoes, as well as nutritional supplements, such as fish oils. They also clarify that “dietary... read more →
The leading traders of physical raw sugar claim that the commodity is likely to surge to a 30-year high in the coming months, with all eyes on the pending Indian sugar crop output which is hoped will ease supply pressures. (Foodnav igator.com) Cargill, the US agribusiness group, and Sucres et Denrées of France, the two largest traders of physical raw sugar with about a third of the market between them, told the Financial Times yesterday that very low global... read more →
A breakthrough produce wash has been developed that dramatically reduces the presence microorganisms on leafy greens and helps maintain freshness, said Chiquita. (Foodproductiondaily.com) The US-based food giant said its FreshRinse solution has been scientifically validated as delivering “a substantial reduction in microorganisms on leafy greens, including superior microbial efficacy against such pathogens as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E.... read more →
Food manufacturers in the East Midlands have started to trial a new depositor inventors claim could slash changeover times and significantly increase flexibility in food production plants. (Foodproductiondaily.com) Conventional depositors – which ‘squeeze’ out foods such as mashed potato or mayonnaise onto products as they travel down production lines – are typically based on a rotary valve and piston that pushes food down a chamber, said Pete... read more →
US researchers claim to have taken a “major step towards” teaching computers to detect and classify foodborne pathogens such as Listeria, E.coli and salmonella in real time. (Foodproductiondaily.com) The scientists from Purdue University, Indianapolis, said the novel statistical method, which uses a laser scanner to analyse the optical characteristics of the bacteria, could be deployed in a network of labs and serve as a national bio-warning system to... read more →
Climate change could have a major impact on our food choices and even fuel public appetite for unhealthy processed foods, according to a report published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK. (Foodnavagitor.com) The report, which was carried out by the University of East Anglia for the FSA, studied the likely impact of climate change on food choices and nutrition, as well as food safety. Food price impact If global temperatures continue on an upward... read more →
