Flavours and colours

McCormick's brands include Schwartz

McCormick’s £62.5M Italian spice acquisition

By Rod Addy

McCormick & Company has bought Italian spices business Drogheria & Alimentari (D&A) for €85M (£62.5M) in a deal it claims will boost the portfolio it offers retailers and manufacturers.

Lamb wasn't the only thing in the takeaways surveyed

27% of lamb takeaways flout law

By Rod Addy

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found that 27% of lamb takeaways sampled did not comply with food law because they contained undeclared meat, allergens or additives.

One of Frutarom's flavour labs

Frutarom buys FoodBlenders for £2M

By Rod Addy

Frutarom Industries has acquired FoodBlenders, a UK savoury ingredients business specialising in convenience foods, in a combined offer estimated at £2M.

Spicy opportunity: five key trends will drive shoppers' purchases next year, predicted Canadean

Top five food trends for next year offer opportunity

By Michael Stones

‘Better-for-you ingredients’ is one of five top trends that will influence the purchase of food and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) next year, predicts market research firm Canadean.

New research suggests sweeteners can help increase weight loss

Research suggests sweeteners help reduce weight

By Nicholas Robinson

People consuming low- and no-calorie sweetened (LCNS) beverages on average lose nearly 50% more weight than those who just drink water, a new study has shown.

Bingham and Jones urge supermarkets to be creative with ready meals (Photo©Sacha Ferrier)

Own-label ready meals lack innovation, Bingham and Jones

By Nicholas Robinson

Retailers need to be bolder with their own-label ready meals and stop relying on the basics, such as spaghetti Bolognese and lasagne, former food industry rivals Jonny Bingham and David Jones have said.

Mums say children are eating too much junk food

Mums don’t trust food industry

By Nicholas Robinson

Children’s food is often higher in salt, fat and sugar than similar adult versions, a leading nutritionist has warned, following the results of a survey revealing the lack of trust in the industry among mums.

Its sensory spectrum is huge

Three ways to create Indian mango flavour

Sensient Flavors has analysed the sensory attributes of three varieties of Indian mango – alphonso, kesar and badami – to produce a range of natural mango flavourings for drinks. The base for these flavours is Sensient’s natural extracts, which are derived...

Swiss food firm uses potato as natural pink colouring

Potato with pink promise

Swiss food colouring manufacturer, Wild Flavors, is using the purple sweet potato as a natural source of pink and violet food colouring.

Ferulic acid can be used in the production of vanillin

By-products projects could cut processing costs

By Rod Addy

Bakers and millers can get more cash from by-products through projects launched by the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA), one of which holds big potential for users of natural vanilla flavouring.

Precision testing of foods and traceability throughout the supply chain are key themes of the Food Safety conference. For details of our early bird ticket offer, telephone Ellie Ray on 01293 610279 or email ellie.ray@wrbm.com

Food safety conference highlights precision testing

By Mike Stones

Putting precision testing and traceability firmly in the context of food safety are two key themes of Food Manufacture’s one-day Food Safety conference, suggested by its chairman Professor Colin Dennis.

Saucy trends: Globalisation is leading consumers to choose more flavoursome foods, according to Stephen Romero

Globalisation spices up the market for hot foods

By Mike Stones

Globalisation is leading to more adventurous consumers who are increasingly prepared to try spicy foods, including hot pepper sauces, according to the McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco pepper sauce.

Super soup brand: Nestlé's Maggi brand of instant soups, stocks, sauces, taste enhancers and noodles was selected by Kantar Worldpanel as the top food brand

Maggi is the world’s top food brand: Kantar

By Lorraine Mullaney

The number one global food brand is Nestlé’s Maggi range of instant soups, stocks, sauces, taste enhancers and noodles, according to Kantar Worldpanel. Unilever’s Knorr brand came second while PepsiCo’s Lay’s brand was third.

Sugar and spice: bold flavour combinations are popular

Bold and beautiful

By Michelle Knott

More unusual flavour combinations are driving new product developments, reports Michelle Knott

Ghost peppers feature on Sensient Flavours' list of top 10 hot flavour trends for 2013

Top 10 flavour trends include one of world’s hottest peppers

By Laurence Gibbons

One of the world’s hottest peppers, together with alderwood smoke, the pawpaw fruit and a classic cookie from the Netherlands will feature in the top 10 flavour trends for 2013, according to a report published by flavour company Sensient Flavours.

Widepread disruption: Marmite on the M1 caused chaos among rush hour commuters

Marmite spread on M1 after lorry collision

By Dan Colombini

A driver was taken to hospital and a section of the M1 motorway was closed yesterday after an accident resulted in 20t of Marmite being spilled onto the carriageway.

A more consistent way to see red

A more consistent way to see red

Red Strawberry Fragaria is the newest natural colour to be launched by Chr Hansen. Designed for fermented milk and fruit preparations, it offers a more cost-effective and consistent way to colour yogurt with a lower concentration of the colour that is...

Pasteur Institute builds food research

Pasteur Institute builds food research

By Rod Addy

Rod addyThe Pasteur Institute in Lille is making progress on a range of nutritional studies, including work with Roquette on eye health investigating the potential of feeding hens lutein and zeaxanthin to enrich eggs.

Full force of the law

Full force of the law

By Lynda Searby

January marked the end of the two-year transition period for flavouring regulation EC 1334/2008, which means firms are expected to have completed any changes necessary to comply with the new law.

Natural colours: insatiable demand but no silver bullet

The trouble with nature...

By Rod Addy

As the food industry shifts from synthetically-derived colours, past ‘natural’ ingredients to colouring foodstuffs, we highlight the challenges this is currently creating.

Spirulina faces legal questions

Spirulina faces legal questions

By Elaine Watson

Spirulina, the blue colour from algae used in Nestlé’s Smarties, is one of 10 substances used to colour food that faces an uncertain future as its legal status is scrutinised.

Showdown of the six

Showdown of the six

By Michelle Knott

It's High Noon for the notorious 'Southampton six' food colourings, reports Michelle Knott

Natural selection

Natural selection

As the drive towards natural colours gathers further momentum, manufacturers need to adapt their processes to the challenges this presents. Lou Reade reports

Colour me natural

Colour me natural

By Rod Addy

Replacing synthetic colours is not a simple process and is presenting a host of challenges surrounding formulation and shelf-life, says Rod Addy

Hue and cry over phytonutrients

Hue and cry over phytonutrients

By Allison Carvalho

As EFSA called for a reassessment of the safety of 45 authorised colourings used in food, Allison Carvalho looks at the potential health-giving properties of existing products

Nothing to declare

Nothing to declare

First it was the Co-op Group, then M&S. As more retailers jump on the 'additive-free' bandwagon, Rebecca Green looks at the challenges facing colour producers