With summer just around the corner, our thoughts are turning to invigorating, light food, such as this refreshing yet full-flavoured halibut dish. When steamed with a little salt, butter and lemon juice the flavours of halibut really intensify.

Novevita is a range of three 45g chocolate bars made by Aro International for the Belgian market. The bitter chocolate variant with pieces of candied orange peel is enriched with anti-oxidants from vine leaves. These are known as transresveratrol - polyphenols and are said to have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.

German confectioner Stollwerck has developed a 100g bar of Sarotti Purpur Edelbitter. The bitter chocolate is 78% cocoa and has a high level of antioxidants.

Confectioner Ecco Bella Botanicals has launched a new chocolate bar in Canada under its health by chocolate brand.

Japanese confectionery heavyweight Morinaga has launched a bitter chocolate with twice as many polyphenols as its milk chocolate counterpart.

Intelligent Nutrients in the US has manufactured a chocolate bar that it claims encourages consumers to relax. IN-Fused organic chocolate contains L-theanine, which is a novel free form amino acid found in the tea plant.

As intolerance awareness has grown, there has been a surge in demand for lactose-free dairy flavours. In response, Edlong Dairy Flavours has developed its Vision range.

Danisco has taken steps to remove all food allergens, and ingredients that may contain allergens, from its antimicrobials and protective cultures (substances that inhibit the growth of pathogenic and/or spoilage microorganisms).

Flavour and fragrance firm Quest has come up with a range of flavours that mimics nuts, without actually being derived from them.

A peanut crunch flavour is included in Nimbus Foods' Rainbow Crunch Flavours range that allows nut intolerant sufferers to enjoy nutty flavoured sugar granules. The ingredients add texture, colour and flavour to bakery, ice cream and dessert toppings.

The media hype around the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) launch of its traffic lights scheme and the high profile rejection of this by leading manufacturers and retailers has raised some interesting questions about the purpose of the whole exercise.

It is hard to think of new product development for a food product that has been produced in the same way for 150M years, but honey is having something of a renaissance at the moment and it is certainly the star performer of the jams and spreads market.

Over recent months there have been several reports of successful large companies experiencing a fall in sales as their ranges are rejected by consumers, who have greater awareness of a healthy diet.

Soft & Chewy Cookie Mixes, which are free from hydrogenated fat, are the latest offering from ingredients supplier Macphie.

Husband and wife team Debbie and Andrew Keeble aim to cash in on a gap in the market for a healthier sausage targeted at kids. Launched under Debbie & Andrew's Higgledy Piggledy brand, the sausages are claimed to have 55% more meat and 73% less fat than the market leader, Halls Food Group's Wee Willie Winkies.

With summer fast approaching, Doddington Dairy Ice Cream has designed its From a Flower range of luxury ice creams to tempt consumers into treating themselves.

Neet Foods has traceability down to a T with its novel St Marwenne soft cheese balls. Immersed in sunflower oil with fresh garlic, herbs and red peppercorns, the creamy balls contain no artificial additives or preservatives.

Unilever is intent on introducing soya to mainstream audiences. Under its Birds Eye brand, the company has launched Fieldfresh soya beans in 20 Asda stores.

Worth a cool £90M in 2005 and on course to top £195M by 2010, the free from market is seeing growth that rivals in the ambient aisles can only dream of. However, the technical challenges of manufacturing non-allergenic foods mean that free from is still more hassle than it's worth for most large food companies, and the range, therefore, is still frustratingly limited, says Allergy UK chief executive Muriel Simmons.

Chocolate has always played the loveable rogue. No one ever really thought it was any good for them, but its irresistible taste justified the calories. However, with the UK's current focus on health and natural ingredients, chocolatiers are under pressure to reformulate their products or face media vilification.

A few years ago things looked pretty bleak for ready meals, which bore the brunt of several media scares and became a scapegoat for health campaigners. The market is still static, with growth of only 0.7% in the last year (TNS Worldpanel), but two areas are now really benefiting from our preoccupation with all things healthy: premium and ready to cook.

You've seen the statistics: 72% of every £1 spent on new product development (NPD) goes into products that never make it to market or are unsuccessful when they do, and nine out of 10 new food and drink products fail when they hit the market. I could go on; but what it basically amounts to is a lot of bucks, and very little bang.

The Mediterranean diet, which is based on wholegrain carbohydrates, high fruit and veg intake, and simple food components, is making its mark on consumers as they strive for a healthier lifestyle. But what opportunities does this present for product developers?

It's not often that you find a mix of higher and further education (FE) at one campus, which is what makes the University of Lincoln's Holbeach campus in South Lincolnshire unique. Not only that, but in the 18 months since refurbishment, the centre has built solid relationships with food employers in the area (both large multinationals and small, niche market producers), listened to their needs, and adapted its offering accordingly.

In order for any improvement programme to be a success, one of the key initial activities is to create a clear vision of what you want to achieve. This vision becomes the focal point for all future actions, decisions and activities. Experience has shown that without this common level of understanding, programmes are unlikely to succeed.

Electronic Irradiation of Foods: An Introduction to the Technology covers a variety of technologies and practical implementation techniques associated with food irradiation.

An analysis of recent mergers and acquisitions within the international food additives and ingredients market has been published by Leatherhead Food International (LFI).

Drafted by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) in consultation with the British Poultry Council, British Chicken - What Price? is a report discussing how costs and pricing have negatively affected a number of chicken businesses in recent years.

The British Pig Executive (BPEX) has published Pork: A Category Update, which builds on its original 2002 report. It includes TNS market data examining pork's position within the retail sector, while consumer perceptions of the meat are also analysed.

The Canadian automated inspection systems supplier Dipix has set up a London office to market its services in Europe.

Expanding ready meals manufacturer Wok Express put the seal of approval on Packaging Automation's high throughput equipment by installing a PA182 (right) to meet rising demand.

Krohne has launched a robust vortex liquid, gas and vapour flow meter which can be cleaned and sterilised in place, making it ideal for food manufacture.

They don't need rest periods, they never throw a sickie and they work for less than a quarter of the minimum wage: robots are the key to the future of food manufacturing, according to leading automated systems supplier Mitsubishi.

Electric tugs have taken the strain off workers at Wrexham ready meal manufacturer Rowan Foods.

Berson UV has launched an aerial assault on pests in the workplace with a new range of powerful ultra-violet (UV) light exterminators.

With the heat rising on demand for summer barbecue products, equipment supplier UFM has launched the first industrial grinder capable of processing both frozen and fresh meat.

Dairy specialist Carlisle Process Systems has won the contract to install a new production line, worth more than £350,000, at leading luxury Scottish ice cream maker Mackie's.

A new range of high-output ice machines for plant bakers has been launched by Hubbard Ice Systems.

When production of Football's Famous Chicken Balti Pies at Shire Foods went into extra time, it decided to move to a new state-of-the-art manufacturing site at Leamington Spa.

Robots with magnetic 'hands' are giving loaf tins the gentle touch at independent baker Frank Roberts and Sons.

How to replicate the taste, texture and look of artisanal breads using modern, continuous bakery technology has been the holy grail of equipment suppliers keen to cash in on the worldwide rise in demand for 'traditional' products.

The baking industry is notoriously conservative, but that doesn't stop suppliers from seeking to drive innovation. According to Keith Graham, marketing manager for Baker Perkins, the key is to make sure that the benefits to the products and processes are clear for cautious end users.

Priorclave, which manufactures sterilisers used extensively in food research labs, has struck a deal with coatings specialists BioCote to provide equipment that is 100% hygiene safe.

Greater emphasis on fat content in dairy foods and concern over antibiotic residues in milk has led to two innovations.

BioControl has launched a DNA-based rapid detection system for salmonella, which promises food manufacturers results in less than 24 hours.

A "fool-proof" headspace gas analyser for modified atmosphere packaged food has been launched by PBI-Dansensor.

Quality control (QC) is an essential part of any manufacturing. Without it there's no way of knowing whether the product leaving the factory is up to scratch. For manufacturers of discrete products and components - such as cars, computers, mobile phones and the other paraphernalia of modern life - this is a straightforward operation. If a component or product fails QC, it's rejected and the production line carries on.

Situated just off the seafront in sunny Southwick, you could be forgiven for thinking that Southover Foods was content with the quiet life. Not so.

If you get stuck in a deflationary spiral, you can either grind it out and watch your margins steadily dwindle; make a last ditch attempt to inject some new life - and profit - into the category; or count your losses and find the next big thing, says Archy Cunningham, the straight-talking boss of United Central Bakeries (UCB).

You don't hear many complaints from plant bakers these days about retailers selling bread below cost. But that doesn't mean everything in the bakery is rustic. The sector still faces major challenges of restructuring and adapting to changing consumer lifestyles. And adapting to these will not be painless.

Beware of the fish, says a sign welcoming visitors to the home of the UK's fastest growing snack bar. 'Room full of boring files,' says another as you make your way upstairs to a reception area furnished with comfy chairs, books, chocolate brownies and bowls full of nuts.

After years of hype, promises and predictions, nanotechnology is at last beginning to find some real commercial applications. Yet despite the millions of pounds, dollars, euros, yen, renminbi and won that have been spent on chasing the nanotechnology dream, it is surprisingly hard to find out how many nanotechnology consumer products there are on the supermarket shelves. And it is even more difficult - nigh on impossible in fact - to find any food products that manufacturers are willing to own up to as having been touched by the magic wand of nanotechnology.

Looby Armstrong, production manager, Ilchester Cheese Company

In calculating the real cost of handling and transport to customers, there are three obvious components: the distance from your factory or warehouse, the size of the consignment (measured in pallet spaces occupied on a vehicle) and the handling activity involved.

Weetabix is implementing a new demand planning system in a bid to reduce warehouse stock, improve transport utilisation and drive manufacturing efficiency.

Robert Wiseman is exploring whether it can build a business case for radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging by using it to keep tabs on roll cages used to deliver milk to stores.

The cost-effectiveness of small polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packs for water and soft drinks continues to increase at the can's expense, with packaging equipment specialist Sidel now boasting outputs of over 61,000 bottles per hour in sizes up to 24oz.

Steel is not an obvious choice for microwaveable packaging. But new, ductile grades and clear design parameters mean this could become a growth area for such alloys.

Demand for chilled, pre-cooked convenience foods is inspiring new pack technology combinations - particularly in the modish area of steam cooking.

As the government reviews its waste strategy, and appears to drag its feet over addressing possible fraud in the recycled paper sector, there is uncertainty about how higher European Union (EU) recovery targets will be financed.

Security fears have led Jordans Cereals to recently upgrade its on-site systems to ensure protection against potential problems. The company has installed an advanced access control system to ensure that movements within its factories are continuously monitored.

The UK's first walk-in demonstration centre for robotics and automation in the food industry should be up and running next year.

Automation has made great advances in manufacturing: no more so than in the areas of food manufacture where control and sensors work in close harmony. It ensures biscuits are baked for just the right time, the colour of a whisky blend is just right or the safety seal on a jar is present. Automation has become all pervasive - well not quite.

Lucozade manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline could find a natural alternative to the ultra-clear, vibrant synthetic orange colouring it uses, following the launch of a new range of colourants from Chr. Hansen, which permits clean label declarations.

ADM Speciality Ingredients' Cheshire site has been acquired by Albion Chemicals Group, ensuring the long-term future of ADM's acid blending and formulations service.

Aspartame has been a high profile news item since July 2005, when the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF) published its long term feeding study on rats (the largest conducted on the sweetener), and declared aspartame to be a carcinogen based on the evidence of its study.

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The Transport & General Workers' Union (T&G) was locked in talks with bosses at the HP Sauce plant in Aston Cross as Food Manufacture went to press in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Heinz to reconsider closure.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been forced to delay a consultation that could lead to the fortification of flour with folic acid because of a rethink by its Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

Consumers are rejecting foods with substantially-reduced salt and fat contents, while sudden reformulations have had unacceptable effects on flavour, according to the The British Sandwich Association (BSA).

The glycaemic index (GI) appears to be stuck in legal limbo following a vote in the European Parliament on the controversial nutrition and health claims regulation.

Research conducted as part of the Lipgene project to find technical solutions to the obesity crisis suggests that surprisingly many consumers are open to using DNA tests to help them take a more personalised approach to nutrition.

Reading Scientific Services has created a department, headed by Melindee Hastie, which is intended to help food and drink firms to exploit functional ingredients in foods.

Hull-based oils and fats supplier AAK UK has increased its presence in the speciality oils and dressings market with the acquisition of the wet products division of Lion Foods for an undisclosed sum. Lion Foods' Runcorn factory and 100-plus workforce will be retained, said AAK.

In July or August Catering giant Sodexho will open a new 1,860m2, purpose-built chilled production unit to supply armed forces stationed at Colchester Barracks after winning a contract with the Ministry of Defence.

The British Retail Consortium estimated that every week that England remained in the football World Cup UK consumers would spend an extra £124M on food and drink. That would mostly be on beer, but also wines, spirits, snacks and confectionery, said the BRC.

Consultation on draft guidelines for the Food Standards Agency's Incidents Task Force is due to begin this month. The task force was set up to help the industry respond to incidents like the Para Red and Sudan 1 contamination scares. It is likely to meet next in early October.

May's edition of Legal Briefs (p33) gave the impression that sponsorship arrangements, such as Cadbury's sponsorship of Coronation Street, would not be possible under option three of Ofcom's proposed regulations for advertising junk food to children. In fact, such sponsorship arrangements would be permitted, but the new rules would prevent any extra advertising of that company's product in the same one hour period if it had used up its allotted time.

A clutch of top names in retailing have signed up to judge the 2006 Food Manufacture Excellence awards in London.

A scheme to boost innovation in the Scottish food and drink industry will be launched this month with £150,000 from Scottish Enterprise.

Two UK rice companies have fallen foul of a code of practice designed to ensure rice sold as Basmati is the real deal.

The first breads enriched with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols could hit supermarket shelves in Europe this year, functional ingredients specialist Cognis has revealed.

Tate & Lyle is expected to seek an injunction to stop a Chinese trading conglomerate challenging its monopoly of the sucralose market while it pursues the firm through the US courts for patent infringement.

Dairy Crest has significantly revised proposed changes to its pension scheme in a bid to avert strike action.

Europabio, the body representing biotech firms in Europe, has secured high-level support to extend a scheme designed to help innovative start-up businesses, including functional and novel food firms, attract investment.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has conceded that it might ditch its plan to issue sugar and fat content targets for products, due for publication this month.

Just over a third (36%) of manufacturers responding to the latest Food Manufacture online poll claimed that the introduction of front-of-pack health labelling by retailers had significantly impacted sales.

The average person consumed 20% fewer calories per day in 2004/5 than 30 years ago, according to new government statistics. The figures will add to evidence that sedentary lifestyles, rather than over-indulgence, appear to be chiefly responsible for the nation's spiralling obesity problems.

The Office of Fair Trading has referred the grocery sector to the Competition Commission for the third time in seven years. The main areas of investigation are the buying power of supermarkets, pricing issues, like below cost selling and price flexing, and land holdings. The £95bn/year sector will now face a two-year investigation, which is likely to be the most expensive yet.

University of Birmingham researchers have shown that bacteria could dispose of confectionery waste by munching through it and generating hydrogen which could be used to power electricity-generating fuel cells. More work is under way on other high-sugar wastes.

Researchers at the Institute of Food Science and Nutrition in Switzerland claimed to have found three ways to cut the formation of the carcinogenic material acrylamide in biscuits made on an industrial scale by 30-70%. The resulting products passed sensory tests, they said.

The British Compressed Air Society launches its new Code of Practice for food-grade air this month to help firms comply with hazard analysis critical control point procedures. The code will introduce limits on oil contamination of products made in environments using compressed air systems and will force manufacturers to audit existing systems.

Brewers Charles Wells and Young's are to merge their brewing into a 60:40 joint venture that will see the end of over 400 years of beer making at Young's Ram brewery in Wandsworth, London. From October 2, Young's draught, bottled and canned beers will be produced by the Wells & Young's Brewing Company joint venture at the present Charles Wells Eagle brewery in Bedford, alongside Charles Wells products.

Generous carbon dioxide emissions limits in 2005 for many UK firms in the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, which is designed to control global warming, meant that companies had large unused chunks of the allowances for sale at a profit.

Retailers and IT companies will meet food manufacturers this month to explore ways of reducing the 'administrative nightmare' caused by the supermarkets' competing product specification systems.

The Food Processing Faraday (FPF) has invited manufacturers in Birmingham and Coventry to join two new 'resource efficiency' clubs designed to help them improve efficiency, reduce energy and water usage and find alternative disposal routes for food waste.

Pasty and pie maker Brittons of Devon has been bought out by the existing management, who have just secured several major contracts worth £2M.

Food manufacturers could soon be exploiting new applications for nanotechnology in their factories and kitchens through the development of protective coatings with self-cleaning and anti-bacterial properties, according to the Institute of Nanotechnology.

The government looks set to approve a trial of self-reporting by food and drink firms for most factory regulations, including health and safety and food safety.