A ban on landfilling biodegradable waste - including food - as part of the government's Waste Strategy could hit manufacturers hard unless they can find alternative disposal routes, such as waste-to-energy conversion.

Switching prime agricultural land over to biofuel production is "economically and ecologically indefensible", Nestlé has claimed.

Two-fifths of consumers are unhappy with the information provided on food labelling about artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, according to a Harris Interactive survey commissioned exclusively for Food Manufacture.

Failure to integrate acquisitions in the past decade is largely responsible for Inter Link Foods' problems, claims its new boss.

Attempts to keep overzealous buyers at the leading supermarkets in check in recent years have failed miserably, according to a new report from the Competition Commission.

The Food Standard Agency's decision last month to approve the mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid - to reduce the number of neutral tube defects in unborn babies - means it must now decide whether it is added at the flour-milling or at the bread-making stage of production.

The Society of Food Hygiene and Technology Awards will be presented at the society's annual lecture and luncheon on November 15 at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London. New awards include Best Individual Trainer and Best Training Company. For full details visit http://www.sofht.co.uk.

Sainsbury has rejected claims by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) that smaller retailers subsidise multiples by paying more to their suppliers. It said ACS had a flawed understanding of the UK grocery market.

Snacks and confectionery group Zetar has acquired Britannia Biscuits. Britannia, which turned over £4.5M in the year to July 31, 2006, makes crisps, rice crackers, biscuits and bars

Sales of Tate & Lyle sweetener Splenda increased by only 3%, to £147M, in the year to March 31, reflecting the firm's failure to persuade US soft drinks makers to switch from aspartame.

The food industry can help tackle consumers' mental health alongside dietary habits as it directs them towards healthier lifestyles, according to Scotland's deputy chief medical officer professor Peter Donnelly.

McCain has called on the government to provide more funding so the steam ovens it arranged to be installed in four schools can be rolled out to others.

Continued lowering of acceptable residue limits could increase costs and leave some crops vulnerable to pests and disease, an industry advisor has warned.

Manufacturers face hefty fines from next month if refrigeration plants are found to be leaking fluorinated refrigerant gases, which have a strong greenhouse effect.

The Food Standards Agency will publish results of research into labelling on cereal products this month to address issues arising from front-of-pack labelling.

Shortages of organic livestock feed have hit poultry and egg producers.

Food Manufacture's fortnightly E-alert service will now be updated weekly to enable subscribers to receive updates of the latest news via email even more often. To sign up to the service, visit the Food manufacture home page

The Health Protection Agency has launched a proficiency testing system for laboratories that examine foods in accordance with Regulation (EC) 2073/2005. Its Food Law Scheme is backed by expert microbiologists who can provide guidance on the implications and application of the new legislation.

The Home Grown Cereals Authority is calling for creative food and drink firms that use UK-grown grain to enter its Enterprise Awards scheme.

An electrical fault that caused a wax tank to overheat was blamed for a fire at Wensleydale Creamery in Yorkshire last month. Smoke damage was caused in the plant's cheese blending area but no one was hurt and stock loss was minimal, said a spokesman.

The second stage of construction has started on a £3.3M training and research centre at the University of Lincolnshire's Holbeach campus. Two new workspaces, the larger of which will be a dedicated learning centre for the food sector, will be added during the works.

The Institute of Food Research is spinning off its model gut technology into a separate company following a surge of interest from the food industry.

Young's Seafood subsidiary Macrae has opened its new £10M seafood factory at Livingston, Scotland, having outgrown its former site in Granton.

The red meat industry is braced for adverse publicity later this year when the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) publishes a review linking meat consumption to increased risk of bowel cancer.

United Biscuits (UB) has warned processors to improve retail-ready packaging (RRP) or risk their product being dropped.

Craft bakers have come under fire for failing to match plant bakers in reducing the salt content of their bread.

Scotland's first carbon-neutral whisky distillery is under construction in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

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Food and drink manufacturers are burying their heads in the sand when it comes to the European Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, regulatory experts have claimed.

Food minister Lord Jeff Rooker has called on the industry to unite behind a comprehensive and consistent 'eco-labelling' system.

First the new magazine, now the website! Food Ingredients Health & Nutrition, the new sister title to Food Manufacture, has launched a website at http://www.foodingredientsinfo.com.

The food industry could be vulnerable to a nuclear accident if surveillance on radioactive contamination is reduced, according to an expert.

Time is running out to enter the 2007 Food Manufacture Excellence Awards.

The European Commission decision to allow imperial weights to appear alongside metric measures for sales of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables in perpetuity marks the end of a saga.

Consumers have always been reluctant to embrace prepared seafood meals, probably because stomach-churning stories abound about food poisoning caused by shellfish.

Many consumers don't have time to stop for breakfast so Northern Ireland fresh fruit specialist Wilson's Country is launching a healthy breakfast option that can be eaten on the move. The company has developed an additive-free product with three separate layers of ingredients.

Dorset-based artisan bakery Honeybuns has launched its first gluten-free savoury tray-bake snack.

Dairy processor Milk Link has launched a chocolate-flavoured milk as the latest addition to its range of Moo long-life drinks. It is expected to boost sales because flavoured milks are selling very well, says the firm.

Witwood Food Products' new product development manager, Trudie Varney, is spearheading the development of a range of authentic coatings to take advantage of the growing focus on ethical shopping and the continued popularity of regional flavours and ingredients.

Since 2004 there has been a drive across the industry to target the foodservice sector, because reports at the time forecast substantial growth in the out-of-home market.

A new study conducted by researchers at the Medical Research Council Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge and Newcastle University's Human Nutrition Research Centre has further raised concerns about wholegrain consumption in the UK.

One of the largest segments in the natural colours industry is orange, which can be used in an array of applications, such as: confectionery, beverages, margarines, bakery and dairy products.

So the clock is seriously ticking now on new nutrition and health claims rules. Regulation 1924/2006 comes into force on July 1 2007. The Regulation contains a variety of transition periods which apply to products already on the market, or certain claims already in use. The Regulation significantly has no transition period for claims referring to children's development and health.

Manufacturers are taking steps to reduce their impact on the environment despite claims that pressure - from supermarkets and government - to do so would burden them with additional costs.

The second half of the 19th century was a period when factories flourished. Large production facilities often caused problems for the neighbourhoods in which they were built because they emitted noxious odours, dumped waste indiscriminately and polluted water.

Asda has defended its invitation to consumers to deposit excess packaging outside its York and Dewsbury stores, in Yorkshire, to shame suppliers into reducing materials usage.

Demand for paper and board from accredited forestry management schemes is likely to put pressure on supplies, will require new administration and storage systems and will increase costs, say suppliers.

Sidel says its new generation roll-fed wraparound labeller can reduce changeover times by 30% and give 20% greater accuracy than established systems.

Prepared dark-meat products, such as mini-kebabs and steaks, stand to benefit from a self-venting skin pack for use in microwaves.

Nestlé has signed a 10-year contract with Innovate Logistics that will see the temperature-controlled storage and distribution provider taking over the operation of Nestlé's 75,000-pallet automated ambient product facility at Bardon in Leicestershire.

The unveiling of Coca-Cola Enterprises' (CCE's) £30M factory in Edmonton, north London, will mean 37,700 fewer lorry journeys a year - a reduction of 77,600 miles - as it delivers to retailers in the capital and the South East.

I guess at least a few people share my prejudice that the US breeds supply chain people who are highly skilled at talking and 'theorising', but not always so adept at delivering. On the whole, our sector in the UK is the antithesis of this. We deliver - but are not great theorists.

Bob Fleming, md, The Big Prawn Company

If food minister Lord Jeff Rooker plans to step down, or expects to be moved following the departure of Tony Blair, he's not telling. "I'm like a pig in muck here; I am thrilled to bits to be back," he says with a broad smile on his face. It's a measure of the pleasure he gets from his second stint at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) following the ministerial reshuffle last year.

Scientific arguments behind the mandatory fortification of flour or bread with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), such as spina bifida in babies, have won the day.

Change is afoot at the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), the qualifying body for the profession, as it attempts to make itself more relevant to people working in the sector.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should prosecute three times as many cases as it does, says worker and public safety campaigning group, the Centre for Corporate Accountability.

As Charles Dickens's Mr Micawber put it in David Copperfield: 'Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 19 pounds, 19 shillings and six pence, result: happiness. Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds, ought shillings and six pence, result: misery'.

Penny Hydraulics is offering a free booklet giving guidance on current manual handling regulations and practical advice on how to reduce the need to handle loads by hand. Separate sections highlight the principal regulations and industry codes of practice covering manual handling and the use of lorry loaders, platforms lifts and workshop and stores lifts. The booklet includes numerous case studies.

Fire resistant wall panels from Eurobond's fire resistant Firemaster Extra and Rockspan Extra ranges have been tested by Warrington Fire Research and achieved up to 180 minutes integrity and insulation fire resistance, at spans of up to 12m.

White and blue Trucker safety Wellingtons from safety footwear specialist Aimont are ideally suited to the food processing sector, combining comfort and protection.

Schmersal is extending the range of its CSS 180 non-contact, electronic machinery safety sensors.

The choice between a volumetric versus a gravimetric loss-in-weight (LIW) feeder for delivery of high value ingredients is based upon the need to know the exact amount of ingredients delivered and the accuracy of that delivery. In the case of one ice cream maker, a K-Tron LIW single screw S60 feeder provided the answer.

Dale Farm co-operative, which is 100% owned by United Dairy Farmers, decided to look no further than Tetrapak company CPS when it wanted to invest in cheese making equipment and process plant.

Leicester-based weighing specialist Mettler Toledo has provided Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses of Lancashire with an industrial floor scale to provide checkweighing for its dairy products at various stages of production and shipping.

Control of Listeria is one of the major challenges facing the cheese industry. Now Cheshire-based cheese supplier J S Bailey has enlisted the help of anti-microbial technology company Byotrol to eradicate Listeria and ensure that all cheese leaving its factory is Listeria free.

Delivery of a Multitex4 dough moulder from Baker Perkins has provided an immediate quality and productivity boost for baker Irwins of Portadown in Northern Ireland. Not only did the machine work "straight out of the box", but product quality was better. The Multitex4 also gave capacity to increase throughput by 25%.

Endress+Hauser's Soliphant M level limit switch has been upgraded. The new device retains the features of the previous version, Soliphant II, namely insensitivity to build-up, lack of moving parts and no calibration required, but now includes additional benefits.

Extruder specialist Buhler has developed a new way to produce coloured breakfast cereals. Extruded product mixes of different colours used to be made by operating several extruders in parallel, via batch production or by spraying on the colours.

Kason has developed a three-in-one batch screening system that combines a vibratory screener, a batch hopper and an integral feed control to regulate the material flow.

Dutch firm Goudsmit Magnetic Systems has developed a filter that removes even the smallest iron particles from wheat flour and other powdery and liquid materials being transported under pressure. The filter can be used to check incoming raw materials and end products.

Netzsch Pumps' SH/BH range of progressing cavity pumps has been awarded a 3A certificate by the EHEDG European hygienic engineering design organisation for food equipment. The pumps meet or exceed the requirements of current EC machinery directives and US Food and Drink Administration regulations.

A special 14-head version of Ishida's latest R Series multi-head weigher has helped increase production and save on labour costs at a leading Spanish supplier of fresh fruit, vegetables and salads .

Food processing equipment supplier Marel is to change its corporate identity to Marel Food Systems to reflect its status as the sales and service organisation for four separate companies.

Food equipment and ingredients specialist Interfood Technology worked closely with cooker manufacturer Maurer-Atmos to install a range of combined cooking and cooling units at Adams Pork Products.

Confectionery makers can now evaluate and improve the performance of sweet wrappers with a new test from Stable Micro Systems. The Wrapper Release test provides an accurate analysis of the level of difficulty consumers have in removing confectionery wrapping. The results allow sweet manufacturers to select or alter their packaging materials to improve the "unwrapping experience".

Joseph Heler Cheese has invested more than £200,000 in a fully automated, multi-head weigher and bagging system capable of producing one, two, five and 10kg bags of cheese.

Calibre Control International is to distribute and market US-based Charm Sciences' rapid one step assay (ROSA) mycotoxin diagnostic tools in the UK.

Farmers and policy makers are struggling to keep up with the horde of new demands being made on their supply chains by food manufacturers and retailers, according to a new publication.

Across the world, berries are famed for their health benefits, including high levels of antioxidants, vitamin C, fibre and folic acid. But it is vital that food companies understand how to hold on to this goodness throughout the manfacturing process.

Advances in thermal and non-thermal food preservation is the first publication to cover all microbial inactivation processes with emphasis on emerging trends and commercialisation of novel food preservation and processing techniques.

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

Food manufacturers need to recruit an extra 118,000 workers by the end of 2014, according to Improve, the food and drink sector skills council.

Anyone who's seen Gordon Ramsay in action will be aware that working in a restaurant is far from easy going. Whether the outspoken chef is better known for his cooking or his expletive outbursts is debatable. His language may be more colourful than a pack of smarties, but he claims that it's restaurant protocol to curse. "Swearing is industry language," he was once quoted as saying. "You've got to be boisterous to get results."

The past year has seen a significant increase in prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic products. According to prebiotic ingredients supplier Orafti, in 2005 there were 74 European launches of prebiotics, the fuel for probiotics, rising to 115 in 2006. Launches of synbiotic products, combining probiotic and prebiotic ingredients, rose from just one to 17. But the major focus of activity remains probiotics, the friendly bacteria that maintain our health, where launches rose from 197 to 244.

As an industry with seemingly unstoppable success rates, the soft drinks sector is hard to beat. Despite huge year-on-year growth, this is an area which still manages to launch new triumphs and has apparently endless scope for innovation. It's a healthy, vibrant sector every bit as fizzy as the latest cola drink and the best, it seems, may be yet to come.

Five years ago, a weary Sainsbury caved into Chris Hook's dogged demands. He wasn't a briber, a kidnapper, or even a powerful supplier. He was the founder of gluten-free food manufacturer Nutrition Point and a rebel with a cause - to convince the company to stock free-from products. Whether its eventual acquiescence was to shut him up or because the retailer believed there was a real category opportunity to be had, it was the start of something big.

While almost every other food category has cashed in on health trends, consumers have taken a little more persuasion to latch on to the idea that ready meals may actually be good for them.

What is the food group with the broadest range of health benefits but which consumers seem to have the greatest difficulty in incorporating regularly into their diets?

Most people care about the environmental impact of the food and drink they buy. But, according to a new survey carried out for Food Manufacture, while most would like to see some form of eco-labelling to inform their choice, far fewer claim it would definitely influence what they buy.

Naturally occurring in citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables, vitamin C has now been launched by DSM Nutritional Products as a high-quality additive. Its Quali-C range, which is produced in Europe's only vitamin C plant - in Dalry, Scotland - will enable soft drinks manufacturers to tap into a product that offers reliability and consistency of supply, the company says.

Swiss firm Frutarom has launched an omega-3 preparation for dairy products, which can be used in yoghurt drinks.