News In Brief

Noni no or yes?

The Independent Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes has been asked by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to review an application to sell Hawaiian Noni's Noni Juice. The FSA needs to know whether the product is "substantially equivalent" to a previously-approved product.

Fruit juice pricier

Bad weather has increased the prices of fruit juice concentrates by as much as 50% in some cases, according to the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA).

Hurricanes in the US and the Caribbean have driven up orange juice concentrate prices by 50%, while a shortage of rain in Europe has increased apple juice prices by 20%, said the BSDA. Pineapple prices are up 20%, with grapefruit prices likely to remain high as crop recovery in Florida is slow following last year's hurricanes.

Hygiene certificate

The Meat Training Council's Food and Drink Qualifications arm has released another new qualification. The Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene is claimed to be equivalent to those offered by other organisations.

Tractor trend

The value of products displaying the Red Tractor logo has passed the £5bn a year mark with the number of products using the symbol increasing by 14% from March to July 2005, claimed Assured Food Standards, which manages the mark.

The dairy sector witnessed the largest growth; 17%. Red meat's use of the logo increased by 12%, while fresh produce saw a 15% rise. Assured Food Standards said that growth would continue as new packaging appeared.

Ice cream expansion

Richmond Ice Cream is to invest £13.7m to expand its Wigan site. The three-year plan, which attracted a £1m grant from the North West Development Agency, includes a 200m2 factory extension, new hygienic panels, upgrades to the mixed plant and a new sundae filling line.

The plan ties in with the launch of a 100ml pot version of the own-brand low-fat ice cream Skinny Cow and is expected to create up to 62 jobs, mainly in production.