They may seem vague and abstract, but there's tremendous value in intellectual assets and many companies are missing out, according to the Intellectual Assets Centre (IAC).

'Eco labelling' is more likely to become a tool for helping the industry police itself and reduce its environmental impact rather than a means of driving consumer choice, according to experts.

Industry body Dairy UK has criticised the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) saturated fat proposals as "positively harmful" to the sector.

Manufacturers, retailers and local authorities plan to launch a unified recycling label, which aims to increase recycle rates by telling consumers how to recycle their food packaging.

Allied Bakeries (AB) is implementing a business intelligence (BI) model it claims has improved efficiency, helping it tailor product launches to consumers and save tens of thousands of pounds.

How healthy is Britain's food and drink manufacturing sector? Food Manufacture's annual 'state-of-the-industry' survey, published in the July issue, will address this and other issues.

Traffic light labelling would not prove the "disaster" for the biscuit, cake and confectionery sector that many companies had feared, according to market researcher TNS.

Scientists at the University of Plymouth are looking for a partner in the food or robotics industry to work on a blue sky project aimed at building a robot that can learn recipes and cook meals.

Findus has launched Frozen Farmed Cod from Norway to ease pressure on overfished oceanic cod stocks.

A health-enhancing chocolate aimed at diabetics is in the pipeline at Barry Callebaut.

The Guild of Fine Food has accused Tesco of having an "unhealthy" market share and selling standard products as premium.

Leatherhead Food International (LFI) is holding a meeting on June 7 for companies interested in joining a new working group to explore applications of nanotechnology in the food industry. The 'NanoWatch' group would conduct trial research to test feasibility of novel applications in nanotechnology of ingredients and products, said LFI. For more details, email kgroves@leatherheadfood.com

Foods boosting cognitive function and mood have massive commercial potential, but more research is needed to overcome regulatory barriers, according to nutrition and brain function experts.

A new test to help employers make a rapid assessment of the English skills of migrant workers has been launched.

Manufacturers in the north of England can access a government supported network that has just been launched to help boost their competitiveness.

Confectioners are losing out on £43M of sales because retailers aren't giving confectionery countlines (single items) sufficient shelf-space, according to Mars.

Successful launches in the 'mood food' arena are possible without spending millions on clinical trials, a brand expert has claimed.

Consumers often think twice about buying products if front-of-pack label percentages exceed 30% of the recommended Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) for snacks or 40% for ready meals, Tesco has revealed.

The Transport and General Workers' Union is due to meet Tulip on May 2 to urge the firm to release the full information behind its decision to close its pork processing plant in Thetford, Norfolk.

Heinz is installing a bespoke new production line at its Kitt Green factory in Wigan that has been designed to produce the company's major new product launch, scheduled for later this year.

The UK seafood processing sector has been valued at £3.9bn and employs 118,000 people, according to a report by industry body Seafish.

Cadbury has become the first food manufacturer to face prosecution under EU General Food Law for failing immediately to inform the authorities of a potential food safety problem.

Tesco is lobbying the European Commission to amend the controversial Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation to allow references to glycaemic index (GI) on food labels.

Guideline daily amounts (GDAs) 'bamboozle' consumers instead of helping them make healthy choices, the boss of Seabrook Crisps has claimed.

A Food Standards Agency (FSA) botulism alert over chilled vacuum-packed meat comes a year after warnings that the packaging could increase the risk of the disease.

Cereals processors are wasting more than £13.3M of grain a year, according to a report commissioned by grain marketing firm Centaur Grain.

Food manufacturers face raw materials shortages and unsustainable price hikes if crops continue to be diverted into biofuel production, a leading European margarine and fats supplier has claimed.

Firms are missing a chance to create high-value prebiotics from carbohydrate waste produced during processing because they have not invested in new technology.

The 2007 Food Manufacture Excellence Awards showcase the best firms and people in the sector in the past year.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is said to have received more than 50 submissions from companies trying to keep goji berries on supermarket shelves.

The School Food Trust (SFT) has rejected industry calls to relax tough new rules on food provision in schools, despite signs children are spurning healthier options.

Organic milling wheat prices, which rocketed by £100/t to more than £200/t at the turn of the year, show no sign of cooling as global supplies tighten.

Readers can get the latest news from Food Manufacture as it goes to press by checking out its new interactive digital edition.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the EU, on March 25, The Independent newspaper published a list of 50 reasons we should love the often derided institution. But the newspaper appeared to set the bar too high and had to scrape the barrel for some of them. Number 14, for example - making the French eat British beef again - was hardly a success considering France ignored EU demands to resume imports of British beef for years.

The food sector will miss its target of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20% by 2010, according to environmental panels advising the government's revised Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS).

Researchers have come up with a new way of working that, they say, bridges the gap between new product development (NPD) and marketing.

When it was developing its five new Knorr Patak's sauces, Unilever Foodsolutions picked the brains of chefs working in the foodservice industry to gain an insight into how they use Indian sauces - and to ask for their opinions on the products available.

Consumers looking to spice up their lives can rely on a new range of chilli jellies to set their tastebuds on fire.

Food manufacturers are recognising the value of using branded ingredients in their products. Yorkshire farmers Debbie and Andrew Keeble, founders of the debbie & andrew's sausage range, have joined forces with Newcastle Brown Ale to launch a pork and ale sausage.

O2go, the range of sachets that can be used to flavour water, has now been reformulated with Splenda Sucralose - the no-calorie sweetener made from sugar.

People become interim managers for a variety of reasons.

Keen to meet growing demand for healthy snacks on-the-go, GC Hahn & Co has developed a praline yoghurt.

Wilkin & Sons is to produce a new version of its Tiptree sauce containing red and green peppers, honey and tomato purée.

Smedley's Salads is set to launch its first branded, organic offering in the £185M pot salads sector.

Rachel's Organic has extended its range to include new fruit flavours. Its revamped Luscious Low Fat offering now includes cherry, strawberry and raspberry products aimed at the health- conscious consumer.

Warburtons' Enfield bakery is conducting shopfloor trials to confirm whether the huge benefits of using manufacturing execution systems (MES) software are really as good as they appeared to be in an earlier high-end theoretical study.

Recent calls from the Food Standards Agency for a reduction in standard portion sizes and the wider availability of smaller portions - without price penalties - will have a far-reaching impact on food and drink manufacturers.

The list of finalists in the Starpack 2007 Awards clearly illustrates the renewed impact that environmental considerations, such as the use of lightweight and sustainable materials, are having on pack designs for food and drink.

Environmentally driven policies that give preference to certain packaging polymers, chiefly polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), are eroding demand for other plastics, converters report.

Flow-wrap equipment specialist Ilapak is completing final machine tests on Rapid Action Packaging (RAP) Softpack paper-and-polylactide (PLA) laminate pack, while also looking for a licensing structure for the new technology.

A micro-thickness vacuum layer inside a film is giving food and drink manufacturers the opportunity to insulate product more efficiently, and potentially to reduce the weight of existing packaging.

Collaborative "speed dating" distribution sessions between retailers, their suppliers and logistics providers, set up as part of an industry-wide project, could help to remove up to 15,000 loads a year from Britain's roads.

The food industry bemoans being forced by powerful buyers to operate on low profit margins for most lines. Not only are margins low and under constant downward pressure, but costs are rising as fuel costs and duty soar and retailers find ever more complex and expensive ways of ordering just what they want, precisely when they want it.

As Bob Dylan once sang, 'money doesn't talk ­ it swears'. It's a safe bet that he wasn't drawing on the influx of private equity into the food sector for inspiration back in 1965, but he had a point. Indeed, if the delegates at Food Manufacture's recent industry round table are right, 2007 is going to be a bumper year for merger and acquisitions activity in food.

That top-selling product you make: think of it as a person who could tell a story about its origins. On hearing that story, are you proud of where it came from and what went in to making it what it is today?

He came, he saw, he conquered - well almost. Nine months after Dave Woodward was parachuted in from Proctor & Gamble to take the top job at Heinz UK & Ireland, it's certainly looking like he was a pretty good hire. Those unaware that Heinz needed 'fixing' should be in no doubt: Woodward was looking at a 'turnaround situation' from the start, and he rapidly set about firing a rocket up the backside of one of the country's most loved brands. "Heinz is a great company," says its new boss. "But, effectively, it hasn't grown for five years. That's not acceptable."

The Climate Change Bill will make the UK government's long-term goal of a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 a legally binding target. It will also enable Whitehall to draft secondary legislation to help it achieve this. Carbon-trading schemes are key to this effort.

There is confusion over changes to European health and nutrition claims in food labelling, but the revisions create opportunities, argues law firm Pinsent Masons.

As we all know by now, SRP stands for shelf-ready packaging. Other variants have been suggested: 'straining retail partnerships' or, more feasibly, 'suppliers rant - privately'.

Bradman Lake Group is introducing its Integrated Cartoning System (ICS) to the UK. Described by the manufacturer as a "flexible and advanced solution to top-load cartoning", each unit consists of three modules - to form, fill and close trays and cartons.

Fast, advanced gas-flush pot filling equipment has been despatched to the Western Isles of Scotland to help meet growing demand for alternatives to dairy products.

Driven by demand from the convenience food sector for total packaging solutions, D2 Food Systems has launched its Ulma Scorpius 600-tray sealing system, complete with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) dome lid-sealing facility. Offering enhanced flexibility and reliability, the machine has been developed for high-quality heat sealing of sister company D2 Europack's award-winning* dome-style containers. These are designed for a wide range of convenience food products, such as ready-to-cook whole poultry or meat joints.

Around a third of British adults are trying to slim at any one time, according to research by Mintel. And almost seven out of 10 people say concern about their health is the most pressing reason for shedding a few pounds. Even so, most consumers still want a treat so this paradox continues to drive the trend towards healthier products in areas where dieters may previously have feared to tread. And this includes the bakery and confectionery markets.

Brakes is extending its range of culinary nuts and dried fruit to include seeds with the launch of Sunflower Seeds and Toasted Mixed Seeds.

Schoolchildren are the target for the latest better-for-you cookie from BakeMark UK. Its soft-bake Apricot and Raisin Cookie is free from artificial flavours and colours, low in sodium and contains more than 20% fruit offering caterers a means of indulging youngsters' snacking habits with a tasty but better-for-you option.

A patented instant cake emulsifier has been launched to offer producers "ultimate convenience and security in the field of industrially produced cakes".

Bakery giant BakeMark UK has launched a creme cake mix designed to make busy bakers' lives easier. Craigmillar All In Creme Cake Mix is the only product of its type on the market to which bakers need add only water for optimum results.

Kluman and Balter, which lays claim to being the UK's largest independent supplier to the baking industry, is rebranding its Kaybee range and increasing the number of own-label products available.

Growing interest in healthy eating and widespread belief in the health benefits of cranberries has led to increasing demand for ingredients based on the superfruit. Now supplier J O Sims has reported growing interest in its Ocean Spray range.

The ability to provide healthier products has moved up the agenda for British Sugar, the leading supplier of sugar to the UK food and drink industries.

Faced with an anticipated drop in cocoa production again this year, David Michael & Co in the US is reminding manufacturers of the benefits of its cocoa extender, Cocoa-Mate, which is functionally capable of replacing up to 30% of the cocoa powder used in finished food products.

Nearly 850 exhibitors from over 30 countries are set to take part in Total Processing & Packaging 2007 at the NEC, and Food Manufacture has picked out some highlights of this year's show.

RTS is asking visitors to the show to take a five-minute return on investment check to identify their firm's potential for improved productivity and profitability through automation.

Conveyor firm Wire Belt Company's Compact Grid machine will be a central feature of the its stand 4000 at the Total show.

Fine mesh separation specialist Russell Finex is showcasing the latest additions to its sieving range, the Blow Thru Sieve and the Mini Sifter, on stand 4650.

Automated Packaging Systems is launching its new FAS SPrint bagging machine on stand 4626. Its first assault on the European food sector, FAS SPrint has been developed to handle the packing of fresh, chilled and frozen produce such as meat, poultry and fish.

The M710 robot palletiser from Abar Automation on stand 5045 is suitable for companies where conventional palletisers or standard robots have been considered too large or too expensive.

Linx Printing Technologies is launching its latest continuous ink jet printer on stand 4325.

Making its debut on stand 4116 will be the Autosort MC-D. This is the latest opto-electronic colour sorter model from Radix Systems' new Autosort Multichromatic range.

TNA, the supplier of turn-key, integrated packaging and processing solutions for food production companies worldwide, is showcasing four machines producing several bag styles on stand 5631.

Bulk powder handling firm Guttridge is launching a new range of flexible screw conveyors, a range of screw feeders and a line of sieve screeners and separators on stand 5715.

Top-filling and tray-sealing machines will be on display by leading equipment manufacturer Packaging Automation on stand 5310.

Flexicon (Europe) will be exhibiting its revolutionary Swing-down bulk bag filler on stand 4015.

Unilever Netherlands has recently installed a Berson ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection system to treat process water at its margarine manufacturing plant in Rotterdam.

Air Products has launched a continuous cryogenic solution for freezing, chilling and slicing meat products.

The factory that makes breakfast cereals for millions has hired a new helper: Kalic, Buxton Lime's liquid-lime dosing system.

Warburton's Wednesbury bakery has purchased two Russell Finex Compact machines to screen hand-fed ingredients and reduce the risk of bags being tipped over. The sieving stage of the bread production process is designed to remove any foreign matter from the ingredients being screened. Sieving is critical to ensure that products remain un-contaminated.

Rannoch Food Group has installed a Marco TRAC-IT MES system to provide control and management from goods-in through manufacture to packaging and despatch at its Cucina Sano plant, near Boston in Lincolnshire.

Vortex is following up the launch of its Quantum gate valve in the UK with the introduction of its Vortex Wye Line Diverter. It delivers the same advantages for vacuum, or dilute phase pneumatic conveying of dry solids.

Three high performance X-ray systems designed to provide high levels of contaminant detection have been installed by Pukka Pies.

Temperature control solutions specialist Dawsonrentals helped one of Europe's leading food companies save £30,000 by providing a new freezing system that eliminated the company's need to build a completely new premises.

A new, high-performance carbon cloth filter medium, Zorflex HF, claims to offer the highest flow rates to date for any activated carbon cloth medium.

Organic soups and sauces manufacturer Pasta Reale has installed Loma Scientific's Celsius non-invasive temperature measurement system.

The latest scientific developments relating to measuring and improving the efficiency of food production are covered in Food Manufacturing Efficiency.

Biofilms in the food environment acts as a reference source for quality assurance managers, microbiologists, and university researchers.

The Future of Flour is a comprehensive compendium of flour improvement.

The Food Manufacture directory 2007 is designed to put companies in touch with all the contacts they need across the manufacturing industry.