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Sales of chilled ready meals surged 8.4% in the year to July 11, while volumes shot up 14.4% over the same period, according to new data from Kantar Worldpanel. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) Figures supplied to FoodManufacture.co.uk also reveal strong growth in fresh soup, which was up 10.3% in value and 10.6% in volume over the period. Prepared fruit preformed well, up 5.1% in value and 5.5% in volume, while fresh stuffing – a niche but growing category... read more →

Pig farmers are calling for pig prices to remain firm, or risk the industry sliding back into the red. Industry leaders said farmers will be losing money on every pig unless the DAPP is maintained at current levels. (meatinfo.co.uk) Bpex made the warning following the announcement last week of the Russian ban on wheat exports. Feed represents up to 60% of the current costs of pig production of which the main ingredients are wheat, barley and soya. During... read more →

Chestnut flour could be used in gluten-free breads to give nutritional and health benefits, according to a new study from Turkey (bakeryandsnacks.com) ormulating products with chestnut flour – reportedly the first study of its kind – may enhance the vitamin B, iron, folate, and dietary fibre content of gluten-free products, claim researchers at the Department of Food Engineering, Middle East Technical University in Turkey. The study, published in the... read more →

More accurate and reliable measurement of solid food ingredients’ consistency is claimed for the new Consistometer from Bunge Oils (bakeryandsnacks.com). The portable device is designed to measure the texture and temperature of a range of ingredients including shortenings, pastries, margarines, butters cheeses, icings and ice-cream. A spokesman for Bunge Oils told FoodProductionDaily.com: “This innovative new design is a bridge between the hand test... read more →

Food and drink processors can achieve savings of up to 30 per cent on their water and effluent bills without even having to resort to major capital investments (foodproductiondaily.com). That is the claim of Stuart Ballinger, a water specialist at AEA Technology, which runs the Rippleffect water efficiency programme on behalf of WRAP in the UK. In an interview for the second part of a special edition on plant efficiency, Ballinger explained how food and... read more →

Food minister Jim Paice has called on food businesses to voluntarily do more to improve country-of-origin labelling. (bakeryinfo.co.uk) While on a recent visit to Melton Mowbray, home of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie, Paice said he wanted to see improved country-of-origin labelling, particularly in products where confusion can most easily occur, such as meat and dairy. “Some good work is already happening – for example the voluntary agreement agreed recently... read more →

Meat from the offspring of a cloned cow was eaten in the UK last year, the Food Standards Agency has said. (bbc.co.uk) Two bulls from the embryos of a cow cloned in the US were bought by a farm near Nairn in the Highlands, and meat from one was sold to consumers. Farmer Steven Innes told the BBC he had done nothing wrong and the animal had authorisation to enter the food chain. FSA chief Tim Smith said he had no safety concerns but any suppliers would require... read more →

Collagen fibre could prove a useful emulsifier in acidic food formulations, reports a new study which suggests it could be a natural alternative to synthetic emulsifiers. (foodnavigator.com) Collagen is already used by the food industry as a protein and collagen fibre as a water and fat binder in meat products. But the broader potential of collagen fibre as an emulsifier, obtain from crude collagen and defatted, dried and ground, is a new area of exploration. Led... read more →