Results of the recent University of Southampton food colouring and hyperactivity study are "uninterpretable" and will not help European food safety bosses decide which, if any, of the additives used in the study to ban, according to a leading toxicologist.

The food industry only has itself to blame for consumers' irrational suspicion of E-numbers, because it has been peddling unscientific nonsense about these so-called 'nasties' for years, ingredients suppliers have claimed.

Uniq has lodged a planning application to extend its Smedleys Salads factory at Pinchbeck in Spalding, Lincolnshire, in a move that could see up to 80 new jobs.

Lack of resources at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT ) may explain why more food companies haven't been busted for price-fixing, law experts have claimed.

Coca-Cola Enterprises' Edmonton factory has cleaned up in the Best Factory Awards run by Cranfield School of Management and Works Management magazine.

The Food Standards Agency has begun consulting on guidance for food businesses over country-of-origin labelling.

A study of the generation gap in the workplace commissioned by Jobcentre Plus has revealed that 40% of workers aged 50 plus in manufacturing believe they can learn new skills from younger colleagues. Both groups cite the benefits of working in a mixed-age workforce, contrary to the popular view that they don't see eye-to-eye.

Food businesses will find plenty of helping hands at a networking event organised by the local food branding agency Select Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and Humber food group. The event, on October 10 at the forest Pines Hotel, near Brigg, will highlight support available from both organisations for local producers, including commercial introductions and skills building.

Recycling organisation Valpak has awarded its best partnership title to Nestlé UK and FairShare. the community food network.

The boss of Assured Food Standards (AFS) has put the brakes on using the Red Tractor mark on highly processed foods.

The European Commission (EC) will publish its long-awaited proposal to revise the Novel Food Regulation this month.

The Soil Association (SA) looked increasingly isolated as it began considering calls for a ban on organic air-freighted produce from developing countries this week.

Central Foods has appointed Christian Salvesen as its logistics partner in its frozen food distribution operations for the next two years. The partnership will enable Central Foods to deliver products from factories to more than 200 retailers nationally.

Paragon Quality Foods is expanding its operations with a £300,000 update that will further automate its burger factory. The £5M, three-year-old site will see the introduction of carton erectors and robotic systems aimed at easing congestion in the packing area.

Nutritional interventions at different life stages can play a decisive part in reducing the risk of developing degenerative diseases from dementia to diabetes. Get the right nutrients at the right time and we can significantly improve our quality of life.

The Authentic Food Company, a supplier of fine food to the foodservice sector, has invested £1M in a new facility to service its two Greater Manchester-based manufacturing sites. The new site in Cheadle, Cheshire, will include state-of-the-art storage and logistics facilities to meet the company's expansion plans.

United Biscuits has announced an ongoing commitment to improve the nutritional value of its output. The programme includes reduced use of artificial colourants and flavours, sodium and saturated fats, as well as eliminating hydrogenated vegetable oils, a potential source of trans-fats.

Portable electronic 'noses' being trialled in UK hospitals to detect tell-tale bacteria on patients' breath could find their way on to food production lines.

Dealers predict that trading relationships between cereal processors, grain traders and growers will change dramatically as manufacturers seek insulation from future price volatility and lock in adequate supplies.

High-profile campaigns like British Food Fortnight (BFF), which concludes this month, are forcing a sea-change in demand from traditionally large-volume, low-cost caterers.

The shortlist for the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards has been decided (see below) and the winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony at The Marriott, Grosvenor Square, London, on November 7.

More selenium-enriched products are likely to hit supermarket shelves by 2010, with crop nutrition experts expecting increasing consumer recognition of their health benefits.

'Vascular age' will be the next buzzword in functional foods, according to a firm developing bioactive ingredients from ancient apple varieties boasting "higher concentrations of polyphenols than green tea and cocoa".

Nestlé has called for larger trucks to be allowed on Britain's roads to reduce congestion and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

On-shelf availability has fallen this year, after an improvement in previous years, according to co-chairman of Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) UK, Chris Tyas.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, one foot and mouth outbreak could be called a misfortune, but two looks like carelessness.

A combined nutritional and environmental food labelling system has been made possible by Sheffield Hallam University's discovery of a link between food products' nutritional value and their carbon emissions.

Derby-based food firm Marbran has received an £18,000 grant from the Home-Grown Cereals Authority enabling the company to improve its new 'Crips' snacks brand.

Banbury-based Witwood Food Products hopes to capitalise on the growing barbecue market with a range of new concepts, developed in conjunction with its Australian and Asian subsidiaries.

Blackpool-based confectioner Tangerine hopes its new look Taveners, which are being dubbed 'proper sweets', will be a big hit with sweet-toothed adult consumers looking for a taste of nostalgia.

Chocolate specialist Newtree claims that chocolate need not be avoided when dieting, thanks to its new low-fat low-calorie spreads.

The Good Food Village has launched the first natural cheese containing 'Secret Shapes'. The product was created using a new process, which enables a shape to be cut into a piece of cheese, while the excess product remains in place until it is peeled away by the consumer.

Unless afforded the luxury of basking in the southern European heat wave for the last three months, you cannot escape the fact that the good old British summer was a washout of epic proportions.

The Coors Brewing Company has responded to consumer demand for a crisper-tasting beer at an ABV of 4.5%.

Heinz is adding a new 'Snap Pots' format to its Beanz and Pasta ranges to cater for consumers who want a quicker way to prepare a light snack.

Budgens is introducing phase two of its premium own-label range Our Kitchen following its successful launch in July.

New Brussels-based ingredients firm Bakbel Europe is hoping to appeal to the bakery, confectionery and foodservice markets with its range of glazes, jams and fruit preparations.

It is extremely rare for a regulatory person to express sympathy for marketers, but in the current climate I do feel a bit sorry for those seeking to promote foods to children.

The problem of dangerous unregulated shatterproof lamps being used by food manufacturers could become a thing of the past when a new standard from the lighting industry comes into force next year.

Manufacturers are incurring huge costs when equipment breaks down prematurely because corners have been cut when replacing seals, according to one specialist.

Dutch food research group Nizo claims to have developed the first high throughput cheese production system, which is capable of making as many as 600 'micro cheeses' weighing around 200mg each at a time. It is said to make cost effective large-scale screening a reality.

Practical rather than sustainable, a hybrid board and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tray material from Stora Enso is now being used by leading German ready meals manufacturer M+P Tiefkuhlkost.

Medium-sized food companies, traditionally slow to adopt high-cost robotic automation, are showing a greater willingness to invest in this technology, say suppliers.

The duration and nature of carton storage can have a significant effect on subsequent cartoning performance, research from Pira International has found.

Despite a range of barrier options to maintain the quality of beer in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, large-scale adoption by mainstream western European brands may have to wait for a generation.

Nestlé UK's supply chain director has called for greater investment in Britain's rail freight infrastructure, as the food giant embarks upon its first major UK rail distribution initiative to transport food and drink from York via Selby in North Yorkshire up to Grangemouth in Scotland.

You know it will happen, every time: you grab that slice of pizza by the crust; you give it a nudge with the knife in the hope of a clean cut; then, as soon as you pull away, the long cheesy strings start an endless struggle for which you have to send in an army of fingers to break them free.

Federic Roquet-Jalmar, plant director, Kellogg, Wrexham

Pete Sanders was a busy man before fire struck his firm's Pontefract popcorn factory in summer 2005. But if he was burning the midnight oil before disaster struck, he's burned gallons more of the stuff since.

Unless you've been in a carbonates-fuelled daze for the last decade, then you can't fail to have noticed the success of Innocent drinks. The firm has a 71% share of the £169M UK smoothie market and every bottle is stamped with a smiling face, complete with halo to bring home the company's message of good ethics.

Take a fair slice of people from your business and imagine the looks on their faces if they were put on the spot and had to cook up Tuscan tomato soup with beans or butternut squash.

Riviera is undergoing a dramatic makeover, but it'll take more than a lick of paint to get the job done.

So there you are, setting up a new processing line and wondering what kind of materials handling equipment to put into it. It's bad enough trying to work out what kind of forklifts you're actually going to require and in what numbers, but on top of that, anyone in the food and drink sector also needs to think about a whole range of truck modifications designed to ensure that the products you're dealing with don't become contaminated and that they also don't have a ruinous effect on your forklifts.

Do you know what your annual spend is on packaging and what proportion of this goes on pallet stretch-wrap film? If you do know the true cost per pallet then you are probably in the minority, suggests BPI Films, manufacturer of stretch-wrap products.

Frozen food maker Birds Eye has chosen Castell's Salvo to protect warehouse workers at its Hull factory from unscheduled trailer departure.

Transdek UK has expanded its range of rapid-installation double-deck dock lifts to include units with capacity for up to 24 roll cages.

It's good for the gut, good for the immune system, and great at keeping the hunger pangs at bay. What's more, consumers are finally cottoning on to the fact that they are not getting enough. Whether it's derived from corn, apples, sugar beet, peas, oats, larch, barley or chicory, fibre is the hottest ingredient in town.

As pressure to reduce the use of sugar, fat, salt and artificial colours and flavours increases, a host of exhibitors at FiE is offering creative solutions without compromising on taste, texture or appearance. Leading the way is Cargill with its extensive range of sweeteners and texturisers. Top of its bill is its patent pending TexDesign, a new fat replacement system that can help manufacturers reduce fat in baked goods by up to 50%.

Five years ago, few marketers would wax lyrical about protein on the front of their packs unless they were talking to bodybuilders or serious athletes. Today, they are shouting about it from the roof tops. New forms of vegetable protein represent a particularly fertile area of opportunity given that animal protein is becoming increasingly expensive and environmentally costly. Quite apart from this, more user-friendly products are now coming on to the market and clinical studies have revealed a broader range of nutritional benefits.

Whether they boost satiety, speed up metabolism, inhibit protein breakdown or block fat absorption, weight management ingredients are great at grabbing the limelight. But how many will provide a return on investment for manufacturers desperate to grab a slice of the functional foods market?

It's not just raw materials that are on offer at FiE. Also hoping to attract visitors' attention are texture analysis instrumentation giant Stable Microsystems, with its new cheese extensibility (stretchability) rig; Armfield, with new rapid extractor units to extract active ingredients from plants and a new carbonator for beverages; Lloyd Instruments and Food Technology Corporation, which will be promoting a wide range of texture analysis equipment.

The big guns in essential fatty acids will be out in force at FiE. First in the queue to raise the healthy lipid stakes is Kievit, which will be promoting its broad range of encapsulated oils and fats, along with Cognis, which will be showcasing its Omevital high purity omega-3 fish oils, and Lipid Nutrition, which will be highlighting its Marinol fish oil concentrates, which have a clean taste and smell and high stability.

Antioxidants can help reduce the risk of diseases associated with oxidative stress: from heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis and Parkinson's to Alzheimer's. And few fruits are packed with as many of these free-radical busters as the humble cranberry. Despite rising prices, cranberries remain the superfruit of choice, and are known to be effective in tackling everything from urinary tract infections to gum disease, helicobacter and pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella.

The latest addition to the range of heat-shrink sleeving machines from Sessions of York is the Cat Sleeve 500. Capable of sleeving 120 items a minute, the Cat Sleeve 500 has twin 400mm diameter capacity sleeve reel holders. Its splicing table ensures quick reel change-over, so reducing downtime.

Braby, the world's leading manufacturer of silos, tanks and fabrications has recently upgraded a non Atex-compliant sugar handling system for confectionery retailer Thorntons.

Mecaplastic, supplier of tray sealing and thermoforming machinery, has launched a new and innovative concept to speed up tooling change-overs in tray sealing machinery.

On-site calibration of flow meters makes business and process sense: no longer do you need to take the costly step of suspending your operations while an instrument is sent away, nor make the considerable investment in spare equipment just to keep your production line flowing.

Industrial safety specialist Fortress Interlocks has developed the AutoLokP solenoid interlock. It provides a means of escape from potentially dangerous areas such as robot loading cells, cold stores and warehouse bays. The AutoLokP internal release option can be used to unlock the door from inside a guarded area should a worker become trapped.

Finlays, the UK's largest packer of own-label tea, is using a versatile Schubert automated packing system incorporating a robot programmed to shake out and evenly distribute tea bags in cartons during the packaging process.

To comply with average-weight legislation, Mettler Toledo has developed statistical quality control software for its weighing systems. FreeWeigh.Net is a cost-effective solution for avoiding overfilling, enabling packaging and filling processes to be controlled and monitored more effectively.

A solution for the rapid and continuous chilling of mayonnaises, sauces and pastes has been launched by Air Products. Developed as an alternative to existing mechanical chilling systems, its cryogenic Freshline continuous sauce chiller can chill mayonnaise in seconds and lengthen product shelf-life.

The ICS pneumatic round cylinder from Bosch Rexroth is suited for use in wash-down applications. The cylinder meets all levels of corrosion resistance in wash-down areas and its hygienic design has smooth, cavity-free surfaces for easy cleaning. It is lubricated with food-safe lubricant and is easy to install and simple to maintain.

One of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of spiral conveyor systems for the food industry, Finnish company Vulganus, is targeting the UK and Irish markets through its UK partner, European Process Plant (EPP).

Two leading packaging companies, Multivac and Ishida, are to co-operate to provide customers with fully integrated packing line solutions.

A new generation of CWE checkweighers has been developed by Bizerba to improve quality assurance of pre-packed, portioned foods. CWE systems control the package flow, classifying and sorting the packages according to weight.

Pursuit Processing Equipment has revolutionised sauce production at AAK Foods. Since the purchase of a PDX Sonic pump mix and heat fluid processing system, AAK has dramatically improved productivity and now has the option to increase its range of products and introduce new sauce lines.

Netzsch Pumps' range of SH/BH progressing cavity pumps for the food industry has been designed in accordance with the cleanliness standards of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG).

The latest zero line-pressure roller conveyor to be announced by Excel Automation incorporates a miniature 24V DC drive and gearbox within one of the conveyor rollers.

Hall Hunter Partnership, one of the UK's leading growers of soft fruits, has significantly increased recycling at its Heathlands Farm site.

Human illness attributed to foodborne pathogenic microorganisms has been prominent in the mass media in recent months.

Datamonitor's Global Ready Meals industry profile is a detailed analysis of the ready meals industry, providing data on market size and segmentation.

A free report providing information and guidance on micronutrients, the first of its kind in the UK, is being launched by food and grocery think tank, IGD's Industry Nutrition Strategy Group.

Many factors have been identified that affect children's food choices. As well as biological and psychological factors, choice is affected by hunger and the media.

Eastbourne has perhaps been thought of more for retirement homes and fish and chips by the sea than for being a centre for culinary excellence, innovation and training. Pictures of old aged pensioners shuffling along pavements and mums and dads dragging ice cream-toting youngsters come readily to mind.