Food News In Brief 38938

Food News In Brief

Virginia Dare, FMC BioPolymer and Devansoy have developed 4Soy, a new line of soy-based beverages packed in Tetra Pak's Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 250 ml package; the new line include a maple brown sugar, soy and oat breakfast drink; a high antioxidant açai fruit-, soy- and berry-based beverage; a soy and strawberry-banana smoothie; and a white tea, chai and soy beverage. Glaceau (www.glaceau.com) settled its case in against PepsiCo for trade dress infringement and unfair competition; PepsiCo agreed to change the trade dress of its Sobe Life Water. . ... Dairy Management Inc. (www.innovatewithdairy.com) hosted a review of the science and latest applications of whey protein at its Dairy Innovation Forum in Scottsdale, Ariz. Mike Fata, president and co-founder of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils (www.manitobaharvest.com) was named one of the Top 10 Reader's Favorites in Fast Company Magazine, in honor of creative thinking and significant accomplishments < B>Ocean Spray ITG (www.oceansprayitg.com) is doubling production capacity at its processing plant in Middleboro, Mass.; the expansion fulfils the company's pledge to increase capacity and boost new product development capability. Holland Sweetener Company VoF (www.hollandsweetener.com), a joint venture between DSM and Tosoh Corp., intends to withdraw from the aspartame business at the end of 2006 and will discontinue production of aspartame, including its branded ingredient Twinsweet, in the fourth quarter. Nutrinova (www.nutrinova.com) conducted a sensory study on different combinations of its Sunett® Acesulfame K sweetener, Sucralose and high fructose corn syrup; the study was conducted as part of the company's research into ways to improve the taste of reduced sugar products. National Starch Food Innovation (www.foodinnovation.com) published a new brochure including comprehensive information compiled by experienced food technologists and chefs on how to select food starches for various applications. David Michael & Co. (www.dmflavors.com) received a Supplier's Innovation Excellence Award from Well's Dairy. ENRECO Inc. (www.enreco.com) introduced a new corporate image and ingredients at Natural Products Expo West in March, where it sponsored a seminar on developing new, health-enhanced bakery products incorporating flaxseed and dietary fiber and delivering low-glycemic and antioxidant benefits. Fenchem Enterprises Ltd. (www.fenchem.com) was awarded organic certification for its plant oils and green tea extracts, indicating compliance with EU2092/91, U.S. National Organic Program and Japan JAS on producing, processing, subdividing and handling of organic products. The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) is presented its Top 10 Health & Wellness Trends for this year, compiled from various NMI (www.nmisolutions.com) research sources including the Health & Wellness Trends Database (HWTD), the LOHAS Consumer Trends Database (LCTD), the Supplement/OTC/Rx Database (SORD), Healthy Aging/Boomer Database, HealthBeat Interactive,  ESPTM (e-Screener Panel) and Immerzions. The top 10 trends include: shifting demographics (e.g., among Generation Xers and Boomers) will produce changes in marketing and product offerings; there will be continued propagation of specific ingredient/nutrient platform drivers across food/beverage and supplements, including omega-3s, protein, gluten-free, low sodium and probiotics; and there will be advances in delivery systems and continued proliferation of research-backed, condition-specific supplements. Chocolate consumption is on the rise, according independent market analyst Datamonitor (www.datamonitor.com). Currently, Americans eat 12.3 lbs/year of chocolate and spend almost $50/year on the food; Datamonitor forecasts consumption will increase by an extra 1.5 lbs/year in 2010. Citizens for Health submitted a Citizen Petition to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the agency to revoke its approval of sucralose (Splenda), which the organization says is harmful to health as its manufacturing process involves chlorine and release of toxins into the environment as cyclohexane, and contains dextrose and maltodextrin, which may pose a threat to pregnant women with genetic predisposition toward galactosemia. Dow AgroSciences LLC (www.dowagro.com) plans to increase production of its Natreon canola oils by 35 percent in North America this year and double production volume of the oils in 2007. Stanelco Plc (www.stanelco.co.uk) announced its jointly owned subsidiary Biotec will commence commercialization of STARPOL 3000, a multi-layer, biodegradable, rigid, starch-based packing material marketed as an environmentally friendly, cost effective alternative to APET and Polypropylene. The Organic Trade Association (www.ota.com) raised more than $518,000 for its public policy, media relations and advocacy work, through its annual fundraising campaign. Top investors included SunOpta Inc., United Natural Foods Inc., Whole Foods Market Inc. and WhiteWave Foods. Solbar Industries Ltd. (www.solbar.com) announced Danetto Food ApS, the company's distribution partner in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, will expand its area of responsibility by marketing Solbar's soy proteins in Finland. Establishment of the new distribution channel is a component of Solbar's plan to strengthen its position in the European market.