The Leading Source for Food Manufacturing News
Pulling The Plug On Vending Machines
February 9, 2010 10:46 am | by Krystal Gabert, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsSo while the industry may be quieting opposition because beverage companies have diversified their product and will be able to stock vending machines regardless of the beverage restrictions imposed, other groups may sit out this fight for different reasons. I’d venture that most people would agree that if you present a 10 year-old with the option of eating a candy bar or an apple, they’ll eat the candy bar every single time.
Simplifying Food and Beverage Inspection
February 9, 2010 10:45 am | by Mark Lampert, Business Development Manager – Food and Beverage, Banner Engineering | Articles | CommentsA machine vision inspection has a relatively simple purpose: to input a snapshot of the application, evaluate this snapshot based upon a set of given tolerances and output a “pass” or “fail” signal. This sequence is otherwise known as acquisition, analysis, and determination.
Orange Juice, Sugar Prices On The Rise
February 9, 2010 10:43 am | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Sugar and orange juice prices are rising after the Department of Agriculture's latest report predicted smaller supplies of the crops than previously estimated. Grains are little changed after the report Tuesday. Grain supply levels were in line with expectations, said Frank Cholly Sr.
Kraft To Close Cadbury Plant In UK
February 9, 2010 10:42 am | News | CommentsLONDON (AP) — Kraft Foods Inc. said Tuesday that it will close Cadbury's Somerdale plant in the United Kingdom as the British candy company originally planned, saying the plans were too far advanced to reverse. Kraft, which got final approval this month to acquire Cadbury, previously said it hoped to keep the facility open.
India Halts Genetically Modified Eggplant Release
February 9, 2010 10:41 am | News | CommentsMUMBAI, India (AP) — India halted the release of the world's first genetically modified eggplant Tuesday, saying further study needed to be done to guarantee consumer safety before it could be cultivated in the country. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said more independent research must be conducted to ensure the hybrid eggplant was safe for human consumption, after a government committee approved the commercial release of the genetically modified, pest-resistant crop in October.
Colo. Senate Debates Taxing Candy, Soda
February 9, 2010 10:40 am | News | CommentsDENVER (AP) — The full Colorado Senate has narrowly backed taxing things including candy and soda, software downloads and energy used in manufacturing to balance the state budget. The measures passed initial votes late Monday night after about 12 hours of debate. The final round of voting may not come until Wednesday.
Beverage Calorie Info To Appear On Soda Fountains
February 9, 2010 10:39 am | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (PRNewswire-USNewswire) — Answering First Lady Michelle Obama's call for innovative industry initiatives that contribute to her healthy families program, America's non-alcoholic beverage companies are coming together to make the calories in their products even more clear and consumer-friendly by putting the information on the front of all their packages, vending machines and fountain machines.
Tyson Gets Insurance Payout From Jefferson Flood
February 9, 2010 10:38 am | News | CommentsJEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) — Insurance proceeds from flood damage at the Tyson Foods plant in Jefferson helped boost the company's bottom line in the fiscal first quarter. The meat producer, based in Springdale, Ark., said Friday it received $8 million in insurance money in the first quarter related to severe flooding that temporarily closed the Jefferson plant in the summer of 2008.
4-Wheel Steer Cart
February 9, 2010 10:18 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe ProFlow TrakSteer series of 4-wheel steer industrial quality carts can tow up to 2,000 lb. loads. The 4-wheel steering improves tracking of carts in long trains and is helpful for cornering or maneuvering in tight aisles. Carts have a one-piece formed flat steel deck with welded stiffeners, 11” deck height and quiet operation.
Centrifugal Sifter
February 9, 2010 10:17 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Kek Centrifugal Sifter features an oversize hinged door for quick access to the sifting screen and cantilevered shaft, which eliminates the oversize end bearings and seals, allowing for virtually tool free maintenance. This easy-clean design provides the highest standards in hygiene and ease of operation resulting in maximum output and uptime.
Explosion Unlikely To Slow Gas Plant Development
February 9, 2010 4:15 am | News | CommentsCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The explosion that killed five people in the state of Connecticut won't slow the development of natural gas power plants. But it will likely lead to more scrutiny of a technique used to clear air from gas lines. The accident is the latest in a series of deadly blasts over the last decade connected to natural gas, a fuel increasingly being counted on to power the nation's energy future.
Anti-Whalers, Japanese Fleet Fire Water Cannons
February 9, 2010 4:14 am | News | CommentsADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Activists vowing to stop the killing of whales exchanged water-cannon fire with a Japanese whaling fleet they are tailing in the Antarctic Ocean, as sea confrontations that have led to collisions and a sunken vessel continue. The Sea Shepherd conservation group said its ships, the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker, confronted the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru early Monday.
Bayer Ordered To Pay $1.5M To Rice Farmers
February 9, 2010 4:13 am | News | CommentsST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal court jury has ordered the German conglomerate Bayer CropScience to pay $1.5 million to farmers in Arkansas and Mississippi whose rice seed was contaminated with a genetically altered strain. Friday's verdict was the second against Bayer CropScience for losses sustained by farmers when an experimental variety of rice that the company was testing infiltrated crops.
Utah Softens Bill On 'Junk Food' In Schools
February 9, 2010 4:12 am | News | CommentsSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah Senate committee voted to soften a bill Friday that would have banned some junk food from public school vending machines. Originally Senate Bill 49 said vending machines couldn't be stocked with beverages and snacks loaded with calories and sweeteners. But the committee voted to change the bill so that schools would only have to provide a report on what's in their vending machines.
Former Agriprocessors Employee Gets Probation
February 9, 2010 4:11 am | News | CommentsCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge in Cedar Rapids has sentenced a former Agriprocessors, Inc., employee to one year of probation for helping to hire illegal aliens at the kosher slaughterhouse in Postville. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jon Stuart Scoles imposed the sentence Friday on 31-year-old Karina Freund of Fayette.
Imperial Sugar Posts Profit On Insurance Claims
February 9, 2010 4:09 am | News | CommentsSUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) — Imperial Sugar Co. said Friday that its fiscal first quarter profit more than doubled on an insurance settlement over the deadly 2008 explosion at a plant in Georgia. The company would have lost money without the benefit of one-time items, and the shares fell $1.
Uncloaking The Food Industry
February 8, 2010 12:09 pm | by Krystal Gabert, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsSome American consumers seem to believe that a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with regard to the production of our food is the only thing that keeps Americans eating pre-packaged and processed foods—that if we were exposed to the real processes by which our food made it to the shelf, we’d all fork over the extra dollars and spend the extra hours required to cook fresh produce and free range meat.
Statement On 'Mercy For Animals' Video
February 8, 2010 12:04 pm | Articles | CommentsWhile the Animal Agriculture Alliance is disappointed by the images of alleged animal cruelty documented in an undercover video released in January by animal activist group Mercy for Animals (MFA), it is also dismayed that several news organizations have used footage from a single location to denounce the entire dairy industry as inhumane. The video depicts unsatisfactory conditions that are not representative of America's dairy families as a whole.
Ovenable Bag for Poultry
February 8, 2010 12:01 pm | Product Releases | CommentsAvailable in widths from 8 to 16 inches, the Oven Ease™ bag allows pre-seasoned poultry items to be cooked inside the same material they are packaged in, reducing prep-time, clean-up time and, in some cases, cooking time. The convenient ovenable package features exceptional clarity and can be used with cook-from-raw or reheat applications.
