The Leading Source for Food Manufacturing News
Keeping The Chocolate Flowing
March 18, 2010 11:40 am | Articles | CommentsEstablished in 1978, Kinnerton today is part of Zetar Plc, and can boast a turnover of £60 million. At its manufacturing plant in Fakenham, the company produces confectionery ranging from Easter eggs and Advent calendars, through to chocolate bars and chocolate miniature figures, as well as chocolate lollipops.
The Produce Safety Project Is On The Case
March 17, 2010 12:17 pm | Videos | CommentsThe Produce Safety Project is talking to fruit and vegetable growers around the country before making recommendations to the FDA about how best to make the food supply chain safer and increase consumer confidence.
DIY Fuel Made From Candy, Beer & Soda
March 17, 2010 12:12 pm | Videos | CommentsThe E-Fuel MicroFueler can turn regular food waste and a little bit of beer or wine into fuel for automobiles—and it can do it right in your backyard.
A Spud's Life: From Farm To McDonald's Fries
March 17, 2010 12:11 pm | Videos | CommentsMcDonald's Moms visit a Canadian potato farm to learn just what it takes to become a McDonald's french fry.
Meet Your Maker (And Buy Him a Beer)
March 17, 2010 12:09 pm | Videos | CommentsA father and son team up to open a beermaking operation, blogging their way through their first batch of beer in an attempt to initiate a craft beer movement in their home city.
The Future of Chemical-Free Aseptic Packaging
March 17, 2010 6:08 am | by Josh Epstein, Director of Marketing, Advanced Electron Beams | Articles | CommentsThree dominant trends are shaping the future of shelf stable packaging technologies in the food and beverage industry. First, sustainable packaging and sustainable manufacturing practices are being adopted across the industry. Corporate social responsibility, the value of green marketing, and preparation for environmental regulation are driving consumer packaged goods manufacturers to reevaluate their packaging strategies.
Are You Overlooking a Prime Source of Cost Reductions?
March 17, 2010 6:08 am | by Bob Zak, President & General Manager, Powerit Solutions, North America | Articles | CommentsWe have a tendency to see energy as a largely uncontrollable cost—we need the energy we need when we need it, and often are dealing with a monopoly provider. But even the most energy-intensive businesses can cut energy costs significantly, and without compromising operational performance or quality.
Measure Twice, Criticize Less
March 17, 2010 6:08 am | by Karen Langhauser, Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsDespite spending seven years writing about the technical advances in our modern-day food industry, I'm sometimes still guilty of letting sensationalized criticism of our nation's food production get to me. As I drive past the farmers market in my town in a hurry to get to the chain grocery store, I sometimes wonder if I am personally contributing to the downfall of our country's sustainability efforts.
Overcoming Jelly Belly Aches
March 17, 2010 6:07 am | by Karen Langhauser, Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsRequests from overseas customers started almost immediately after it became known in 1980 that President-elect Ronald Reagan adored the jelly beans made by the Herman Goelitz Candy Company. Jelly Belly® jelly beans were different from the standard penny store jellies, instead manufactured through a meticulous process, with intense and unusual flavors in the candy shell as well as inside of the bean, using natural ingredients for flavoring.
UK Unions, Lawmakers Criticize Kraft CEO
March 17, 2010 5:42 am | News | CommentsLONDON (AP) — A Kraft Inc. executive apologized on Tuesday for raising — and then dashing — hopes that it would keep open a British factory after its takeover of Cadbury, as the U.S. company's chief executive came under fire from lawmakers and union leaders. Executive Vice President Marc Firestone said he was "truly sorry" for the uncertainty caused by Kraft's back track on the factory in Somerdale, western England, adding that the company did not plan to shut any more British factories or ax further jobs for the next two years.
Feds Talk Milk Prices With Dairy Farmers
March 17, 2010 5:41 am | News | CommentsALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., says Justice Department officials will meet later this month with upstate New York farmers and consumers over claims anticompetitive practices are driving down prices paid to dairies at the same time retail milk prices soar. The meeting with Schumer and the top federal antitrust investigator will be at Genesee Community College in Batavia on March 29.
Pet Food Maker Considers Sale
March 17, 2010 5:37 am | News | CommentsTORONTO (Canadian Press) — Three years after Menu Foods Income Fund became the centre of a tainted pet food scandal, the company says it is considering whether to sell all or part of its assets. The Toronto-based fund (TSX:MEW.UN), which operates Menu Foods Ltd., said Tuesday the move takes into account changes in federal tax rules for income trusts, which come into effect in 2011.
USDA: Climate Change Legislation Will Benefit Farmers, Ranchers
March 17, 2010 5:36 am | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (USDA) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday discussed how properly structured climate change and energy legislation will benefit America's farmers and ranchers in a speech at the National Farmers Union 2010 convention in Rapid City, S.D. USDA also released a memo looking at assumptions in the FASOM model—developed by researchers at Texas A & M University that the Environmental Protection Agency—to study the impacts of climate legislation.
Judge Allows Genetically Engineered Beet Harvest
March 17, 2010 5:35 am | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday said farmers can harvest their genetically engineered sugar beets this year, ruling the economic impact too great and that environmental groups waited too long to request that the crop be yanked from the ground and otherwise barred from the market.
Vilsack To Seek Reopening Of Japanese Beef Market
March 17, 2010 5:33 am | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (Kyodo) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will visit Japan in April to meet with his Japanese counterpart Hirotaka Akamatsu and promote U.S. farm exports to the country, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Tuesday. During his visit from April 5 to 9, Vilsack is expected to call on the Japanese government to fully reopen its beef market amid growing calls in Congress for Tokyo to lift its restrictions on imported American beef products, which were imposed over fears of mad cow disease.
Thirsty For Change
March 17, 2010 5:22 am | Articles | CommentsVitality Foodservice Canada, Inc. is a subsidiary of Vitality Foodservice, an international leader in beverage products and dispensing equipment with additional companies in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe. The Canadian arm of the corporation serves, sells and distributes to the hospitality industry from coast to coast throughout that nation.
For Health Or Money?
March 17, 2010 5:20 am | by Jeff Reinke, Editorial director | Articles | CommentsIt should be rather straight forward. Eating better = living healthier. Greater overall health = reduced nation-wide health care costs and less taxpayer burden. Again, this seems like a clear connection to make. The unfortunate truth is that clarity has never been a strength of bureaucratic organizations, and the political pessimist in me says our governments are no different.
Pepsi To Cut Sugary Drinks From Schools Worldwide
March 16, 2010 6:12 am | News | CommentsUntitled Document EMILY FREDRIX AP Food Industry Writer NEW YORK (AP) — PepsiCo plans to remove full-calorie, sugary drinks from schools around the world in the next two years. The move, aimed at fighting childhood obesity, follows the success of similar changes in the U.
Ten Steps To DIY Business Process Improvement
March 16, 2010 6:04 am | by Amy Radishofski, Features Editor, Manufacturing.net | Articles | CommentsCompanies are always striving to make their businesses leaner and more efficient, so the concept of business process improvement (BPI) is nothing new to them. However, many companies default to a third party to help with the process. “There are several reasons why companies use consultants, usually either because they think BPI is more complicated than it is, they don’t feel that their employees have the required skills to do the work, they feel that they need better facilitation skills to lead the work, or they don’t believe that existing employees will eliminate a step in a process if it negatively affects their job,” said Susan Page, Manager, HRIS for a major entertainment company located in Orlando, FL.
