Functional dairy

DSM Q2 nutrition profits slip 11% as key markets struggle

DSM Q2 nutrition profits slip 11% as key markets struggle

By Shane STARLING

Sales slipped 6% and net profits 11% in Q2 for DSM’s human and animal nutrition arm as adverse currency movements, a slow US vitamins and omega-3 food supplements market and the Asian botulism infant formula scare affected earnings.

Breast is best: Punjab gov sets new infant formula labelling rules

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Labelling of infant formula sold in the Pakistani department of Punjab must now include the warning “mother’s milk is the best food for your baby and helps in preventing diarrhoea and other illnesses,” according to new prohibition and guidance rules released...

Mead Johnson Nutrition: A Danone target?

Is Danone feeling the need for Mead?

By Shane STARLING

 Danone shares rose today as rumours strengthened the French dairy giant would sell its medical and paediatric nutrition business (Nutricia), but is the firm streamlining its activities around its core foods businesses or just shifting infant-medical...

Mary Ellen Sanders:

Japanese dairy backs bifidobacteria

By Anne Bruce

Scientists have called new discoveries from leading Japanese dairy product company Morinaga Milk Industry on popular probiotic genus bifidobacteria, “an interesting first step”.

 We agree that sucrose increases risk of dental caries, but there is no evidence that lactose is less cariogenic than other sugars, says NDA panel.

EFSA adopts essential infant formula composition opinion

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

EFSA has adopted its opinion on the essential infant formula composition following a period of public consultation which saw nearly 400 comments stream in on the likes of omega-3 form DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), probiotics, fluoride and sucrose's...

Ingredients considered ‘optional’ today may be regarded as essential in the future after further research, says Specialised Nutrition Europe (SNE).

SNE chips in on EFSA’s infant formula draft opinion

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Specialised Nutrition Europe (SNE) said it was disappointed that certain nutrients were deemed "unnecessary" in the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) recent draft opinion on infant formula. 

ISAPP: “The panel concluded that the general benefit of support­ing a healthy digestive tract was reinforced by evidence gathered on a large number of different probiotic strains representing commonly studied species.”

ISAPP consensus: Gut, yes. Immunity, no (for now)

Time to recognise ‘core benefits of certain probiotics’: ISAPP

By Shane STARLING

The evidence has grown so strong for the best-documented probiotic strains that a generic digestive health claim should exist, according to a consensus statement from leading international researchers published this week in Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology...

Professor Ambroise Martin: “My personal opinion would be that I have no problem with the word ‘probiotic’.”

Dispatches from the IPA World Congress in Athens, Greece

EFSA commits to fresh gut and immune health claim guidance

By Shane STARLING

The EU’s central food science agency will next month open a consultation on immune and gut health that will inform a revised guidance that could come before year’s end and may appease sector anxiety.

ASA said the Benecol TV ad,

“This has to be one of the most stupid regulatory rulings that I have seen.”

Benecol blood boils after cholesterol ad lanced

By Shane STARLING

Cholesterol-battling plant stanol-based Benecol has been busted in the UK for exaggerating TV advert claims even though they were based on UK National Health Service (NHS), British Heart Foundation (BHF) and World Health Organization (WHO) data.

“This project could support the development of a profitable business for camel owners in the arid areas of Africa and Middle East, and it will provide ideas for the development of new products.”

Danes back nutrient-rich African camel milk expansion

By Nicola Cottam

Danish supplier Chr Hansen has launched a forum to disseminate and share information on camel cheese and milk production to generate global support and potential revenue for small-scale camel owners in Northern Africa.

Arla launches heat-sensitive whey

Arla launches heat-sensitive whey

By Nicola Cottam

Arla Food Ingredients has launched a 100% whey protein concentrate it claims is less sensitive to heat in functional and clinical nutrition.

EU-backed metabolic syndrome project has health claim wins in sight

EU-backed metabolic syndrome project has health claim wins in sight

By Shane STARLING

Nick Henson is the Reading-based associate director at the International Food Network (IFN), a key player in the EU’s new multi-million euro, multi-partner Metabolic Syndrome-battling project, PATHWAY-27, that has health claim victories trained in its...

Spockumentary: MicroWarriors explores probiotics and the human microbiome in highly logical detail

Exclusive documentary preview: MicroWarriors Special edition

MicroWarriors: Exploring probiotic power (and the powers that be)

By Shane STARLING

NutraIngredients went to LA recently to question two leading probiotic academics about probiotics and the microbiome and which we present exclusively here. The interviews form part of a new documentary to be narrated by Leonard Nimoy, better known as...

Squash to smoothie enhancers: DreamPak scans horizon in $400m market

INNOBEV GLOBAL SOFT DRINKS CONGRESS: THE FUTURE FOR WATER ENHANCERS

Squash to smoothie enhancers: DreamPak scans horizon in $400m market

By Ben BOUCKLEY

DreamPak’s international sales director tells Ben Bouckley that brands must differentiate to grow in a crowded US beverage enhancers fixture and tips tea, coffee and smoothies to lead the charge.

Norwegian firm Tine launches probiotic juice range

Finns and Norwegians partner on probiotic juice

By Shane STARLING

Finnish dairy and ingredients giant Valio has inked a deal with major Norwegian food and drink maker Tine to license its LGG probiotic strain in Tine’s Biola juice range.

“Fruit ingredients are never there to replace fresh fruit.”

Fruit ingredients shows super European growth

By Nicola Cottam

Food manufacturers have pampered to health-conscious Europeans with a raft of new fruit-based product launches in 2013, with overall fruit ingredient launches up 22% over the preceding year, according to Innova Market Insights.

Dr Heike Bischoff-Ferrari: “…we question if we get better answers from meta-analyses of meta-analyses without addressing what has repeatedly demonstrated before - that conclusions drawn from meta-analyses of vitamin D trials vary greatly as a function of the trials included, adherence and dose.”

“Which way up was the umbrella? Did this review collect knowledge or shield us from it?”

BMJ vitamin D research attacked: 'un-nuanced', 'flawed', 'irresponsible'

By Shane STARLING

The ‘umbrella’ review of vitamin D studies that found a myriad of health links for the sunshine vitamin were unconfirmed in the scientific literature, has been criticised for containing too many flawed studies that warped the overall findings.

Time to renovate your probiotic toolbox? IPA workshop explores how

IPA World Congress, May 9-11 2014, Athens, Greece

Time to renovate your probiotic toolbox? IPA workshop explores how

By Shane STARLING

Companies that manufacture probiotic products can learn much from other fast-moving-consumer-good (FMCG) firms like shower gel, pharmaceutical and smoothie makers in NPD, an expert says.

Beverage & Dairy Treatment 2014: Free Online Event!

GEA PROCOMAC, AVURE, COCA-COLA HELLENIC, REFRESCO-GERBER

Beverage & Dairy Treatment 2014: Free Online Event!

By Ben BOUCKLEY

Join us on March 20 for a free online event devoted to filling technologies including aseptic, ESL and high pressure processing (HPP) that also teases out their packaging and branding implications

EFSA backs vitamin D for bones and teeth

EFSA health claim opinion

EFSA backs vitamin D for bones and teeth

Vitamin D is important for thenormal development of bones and teeth among babies, infants, children and adults, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found in a new article 14 opinion.