Lactofree sales up 37% as Arla posts profit surge

01-Sep-2010 - Arla's lactose-free brand Lactofree is generating value growth of 37% year-on-year, bosses have revealed as the dairy giant unveiled a sharp rise in interim profits.

Sipsmith spirit success sees distillery approach capacity

01-Sep-2010 - Premium spirits firm Sipsmith is already running at around 70% capacity just 14 months after launch following the success of its copper-distilled barley vodka and London Dry Gin, and is looking to possibly purchase a further still "at some point" during 2012.

Chase Distillery expects to double turnover next year

23-Aug-2010 - Premium vodka and spirit producer Chase Distillery is confident of doubling its turnover to £3-4m in 2011 on the back of strong US sales.

PepsiCo invests $250m in Vietnam

23-Aug-2010 - Global food and drink giant PepsiCo has pledged to invest $250m in its food and beverage business in Vietnam over the next three years.

James White secures new listings for beetroot shots

19-Aug-2010 - The firm behind heart-friendly beetroot juice Beet It has secured new retail listings for its ‘one-shot’ 70ml packs after a successful launch in Holland & Barrett.

News in brief

Carlsberg UK posts 'low double digit' increase in volumes in H1

17-Aug-2010 - Volumes at Carlsberg UK increased in the low double-digits in the first half of the year.

Senomyx and PepsiCo collaborate on sweetness enhancement

17-Aug-2010 - California-based flavor firm Senomyx has entered into a four-year partnership with PepsiCo in order to develop sweetness enhancers and natural high-intensity sweeteners for new PepsiCo products.

Sending PET bottles to landfill may prove the low-carbon option, report

12-Aug-2010 - Countries with adequate space and little recycling infrastructure, such as parts of the US and the UK, could lower their carbon footprint substantially by sending PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles to landfill – rather than recycling or incinerating them, say researchers.

NZ firm eyes EU entry for natural sweetener from monk fruit

10-Aug-2010 - The New-Zealand-based firm driving the commercialisation of an intense natural sweetener from monk fruit (luo han guo) is seeking clearance to market it in the EU following successful trials with some of the world’s leading food and drink manufacturers.

Unions urge govt to probe "disgraceful" Twinings fund

06-Aug-2010 - The Trades Union Congress has written to business secretary Vince Cable asking him to investigate whether Twinings received EU funds to “relocate” production from the UK to a new Polish factory, given that UK jobs could be lost as a result.

In defence of Coca-Cola

01-Aug-2010 - I am writing with regard to the article published in the July issue of Food Manufacture (p7) ‘Soft drinks firm labels Coca-Cola’s production plant ‘a disgrace’.

Girl power yet to reach food manufacturing

01-Aug-2010 - Further work is needed to attract women to food science, according to Helen Munday, director, scientific and regulatory affairs, Coca-Cola northwest Europe.

British Sugar forms stevia joint venture with PureCircle

27-Jul-2010 - British Sugar has joined forces with natural sweeteners firm PureCircle to develop new bulk sweeteners combining sugar and extracts from the stevia leaf.

Britvic on track for FY 2010, but Irish market still "volatile"

23-Jul-2010 - Soft drinks giant Britvic is confident of meeting profit expectations for the full year but has warned of continuing volatility in the Irish soft drinks market.

Pulsed light in bid to revolutionise soft drinks production

20-Jul-2010 - A firm pioneering the use of pulsed light to kill bugs is preparing to run the first industrial trials of the technology to decontaminate sugar syrup.

Coca-Cola Enterprises achieves 78% efficiency in new Wakefield can line trial

16-Jul-2010 - A new £13m can line at Coca-Cola Enterprises’ Wakefield factory returned 78% efficiency in commissioning mode for the whole of last week during the introduction of a new four-pack format.

News in brief

Coca-Cola on track to open transformed facility

05-Jul-2010 - Coca-Cola Enterprises is making strong progress in transforming a disused production area at its Edmonton site in north London into a new bottle blowing and filling line.

Soft drinks firm labels Coca-Cola's production plant 'a disgrace'

02-Jul-2010 - Andrew Cawthray, boss of soft drinks maker Cawingredients, has challenged competitors' commitment to efficient, eco-friendly processing.

Oat-based concentrate for drink firms

02-Jul-2010 - Specialist in organic cereal concentrates, Sipal Partners, has launched an oat-based concentrate for drink manufacturers.

Labour planning system is a real money saver

02-Jul-2010 - Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is rolling out a labour planning system supplied by internet application developer Eleventeenth that has achieved "a significant cost saving" at its Wakefield plant in Yorkshire.

Stromboli wort boiler throws up major energy savings for brewers

01-Jul-2010 - It's possible to brew first-class beers without using vast amounts of energy.

Unions call off Coca-Cola strike ballot

28-Jun-2010 - The threat of industrial action at Coca-Cola plants across the UK has been averted after unions agreed to call off a strike ballot and get back around the negotiating table.

Coca-Cola: consumers and regulators are out of sync on 'natural' claims

11-Jun-2010 - Regulatory definitions of 'natural' are not in line with consumer understanding of the term, a discrepancy that is causing big headaches for the food and drink industry, according to one senior executive at Coca-Cola.

Firms must collaborate to secure health claims, says Coke

11-Jun-2010 - Food companies will increasingly have to pool resources and work with each other in order to fund the kind of human intervention studies required to support health claims, according to Coca-Cola Europe functional ingredients and external technology acquisition director Dr Michele Kellerhals.