Fi Europe and Ni 2011 has exceeded the expectations of exhibitors, visitors and organisers alike. Indeed pre-registration for this year’s show was 20% up on the previous show and the 15,000-plus people came through the doors on the first day fo the show, 19% ahead of 2009’s first day attendance.

“It’s not just about the numbers, though,” said Nick Ornstien, portfolio director for food at UBM, who is responsible for the show. “Every stand seems to have meetings taking place. The feedback from the exhibitors has been extremely positive: they note not only the high number, but also the high quality, of this year’s visitors. They’ve also been very positive about how the show looks, and what a good place it is to do business.”

“We’ve been very happy with the reaction this year,” said Mattius Van Uffelen, head of sales, Europe and UK at Taura. “The feedback has been incredibly positive.”

“We met more people in one day at the show than we had met in 10 years of working away in the South of France,” said Jean-François Picard, marketing manager at Nattives

A global show

With exhibitors coming from more than 50 countries, and visitors coming from more than 100 countries, Fi Europe and Ni is a European show in name only. “The fact is,” said Ornstien, “it is now a global show.”

Ornstien is also enthusiastic about the show’s innovations, with over 80 entries for this year’s Fi Excellence Awards and double the number of products on display in the new products zone.

“What we’re seeing is an industry that is very positive and very confident,” said Ornstien. “We’re seeing not just new products, but new companies. There’s a lot of energy and spirit on the show floor.”

The future

Fi Europe celebrates its 25th birthday this year. How does Ornstien believe the show will look in 25 years’ time?

“In an increasingly digital age, shows like this will become even more important,” he said. “Businesses are placing even more value on the opportunity to network face-to-face, to meet people they have only previously met via email. Fi Europe will not only still be happening in 2036 – it will be even bigger than it is today.”

What about 2013 in Frankfurt? “The floor plan is already open, and we’re seeing enormous interest in the show from this year’s exhibitors,” said Ornstien. “We’re very much looking forward to seeing everyone again in two years’ time.”

Source: Ingredients Network

Unespecified Fi Europe

Barry Callebaut continues to focus on convenience and premiumness with the launch of new confectionery decorations, fillings and inclusions.

Barry Callebaut is proud to present Désir, the ultimate chocolate filling with the smoothest bite and the most delightful taste, comparable to an artisanal made ganache. The Désir filling range will help you to create superior chocolate applications, eventually with a personal touch, as they are the ideal interior for high quality moulded products.

Barry Callebaut’s mini decorations nibs, vermicelli, CrisPearls, splitters and blossoms, are small in size but big in style and beauty. Innovative inclusions close the range.

The mini vermicelli decorations have an incomparable taste thanks to the use of quality ingredients and are ideal to decorate pralines, cakes and plated desserts.

For a festive and sophisticated chocolate touch, Barry Callebaut has created mini Blossoms. The irregular and handcrafted character of this decoration allows you to create special effects and highlights.

Mini CrisPearls are made from the finest dark, milk and white chocolate around a crispy toasted biscuit kernel for an overwhelming taste sensation. They can be included in confectionery, ice cream, desserts and pastries for a tasty, crispy bite, or as a seductive, shiny decoration.

Mini splitters are shiny flat shaped chocolate bits, and provide an impressive look and taste eg to create a stracciatella effect in ice cream or to decorate truffles, pralines, cakes, desserts, cakes and roles.

Mini nibs are probably the most typical decorations for Barry Callebaut. They are roasted kernels of the cocoa bean with a refined and intense taste, a mild and pleasant roasted bitterness and fruity notes. They offer a pleasant, mild crunch and enhance the artisanal and authentic character of your products.

Barry Callebaut offers new possibilities when it comes to personalised inclusions eg your logo embossed three dimensional in a real chocolate inclusion.

Barry Callebaut also offers an extensive range of nut products ranging from whole roasted hazelnuts and almonds to fine, pure nut pastes, gianduja’s, praliné’s and so much more. All products are produced in an authentic way. Our hazelnuts and almonds are sourced from the best nut cultivating regions in the world.

Source: Confectionery Production

Chocolate, Ingredients Barry Callebaut, Désir, premium ingredients

After 26 years in charge of international bakery group Lantmännen Unibake , CEO Bent Pultz Larsen retires. As of January 01, 2012, Jan Klarskov Henriksen (46) is appointed new CEO of Lantmännen Unibake. Klarskov Henriksen is currently CEO of Lantmännen Danpo.

«In his 26 years at Lantmännen Unibake Bent Pultz Larsen has taken the company from a small player to one of Europe´s biggest bakery groups. Bent has been a hugely popular leader and a great asset for Lantmännen as well as the entire industry. Now that the time has come for him to retire we are very pleased to present a strong profile from our own ranks. Jan Klarskov Henriksen has achieved impressive results with Lantmännen´s chicken business, and I have no doubt that he will prove to be a very worthy successor to Bent», says Johan Karlström, director of Lantmännen´s food division.

In his three years as Lantmännen Danpo and Kronfågel CEO Jan Klarskov Henriksen managed to turn deficit into profit. Today Danpo and Kronfågel are profitable businesses with an annual turnover of more than 332 million EUR. He has implemented major structural changes in both the Danish and Swedish business to increase competitiveness in the global chicken market.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Companies Lantmännen Unibake

American agribusiness company Cargill has completed the sale of its global flavours business to Kerry, an Irish food ingredients and flavours group, in a deal worth $230m.

Cargill said the transaction, which includes activities in 22 countries and production facilities in three continents, has been concluded after both companies received clearance from competition authorities.

Following extensive discussions in July, Kerry entered into an agreement to acquire Cargill’s global flavours business Cargill Flavor Systems in September 2011.

In October, the Irish Competition Authority approved the planned acquisition, stating that the deal will not lessen the competition in any markets for goods or services in Ireland.

According to Kerry, the acquisition strengthens its capability to provide integrated customer solutions across all food and beverage end-use markets and extends its presence in emerging markets, where it generates 25% of its revenues from food ingredients business.

Cargill Flavor Systems, which has an annual revenues of $200m, offers flavour ingredients and flavour systems for beverage, dairy, sweet and savoury categories, such as cheese, yoghurts and ice creams.

It employs 700 people in application centres in France, UK, South Africa, India, Malaysia, China, US, Puerto-Rico, Mexico and Brazil, and has a network of sales representative offices in 12 other countries.

Kerry, a global provider of food ingredients and flavours and a leading consumer foods processor in the UK and Ireland, owns brands including Denny, Dairygold, Galtee, Calvita, Roscrea, Kerrymaid, Cheestrings and Richmond.

Kerry’s flavours division develops, manufactures and delivers technology-based ingredients, flavours and integrated solutions for food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets.

The unit, which is a leading producer of cheese ingredients with significant operations in savoury and sweet ingredients, accounted for nearly 60% of Kerry’s €5bn ($6.73bn) revenue and 75% of profits in 2010.

Source: Food Processing Technologies

Companies Cargill, flavours, Kerry

Ferré & Consulting Group – Consulting Alliance Holding wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012 filled with health, work, joy and humanity.

Click on image to view our Christmas card

Happy Holidays !

Ferré & Consulting Group Merry Christmas

Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) 2011 in PARIS, from November 29 to December 1

Welcome to visit AROMATIC in stand No.: 4H49 (the Swedish Pavillion)

We are celebrating our 75 years of innovation by launching a number of new products and concepts!
Below please find some information about what we will be showing in our stand at FiE.
For more details, please come and visit us!

For free entrance to the exhibition at Paris Nord Villepint (value €115), please pre-register online at

http://fieurope.ingredientsnetwork.com

Here you will also find any information about the exhibition you may require.

Ask for Dorothy!

Ask for Dorothy!

The consumer prefers a cake that is moist and soft. Accordingly, cake producers are struggling to detain the staling process.

With this in mind, Aromatic has developed DOROTHY – a whole range of new powerful emulsion products to retain freshness and softness in cakes from day 1 and throughout life. With DOROTHY, the delicious feeling of newly-baked remains for a long long time.

Please visit us and learn what our new DOROTHY product line can do for your specific recipe!

Saffron specialists

Saffron specialists

Saffron is an important ingredient not only for the Swedish Christmas traditions, but also for many other applications all over the world.

Only top-quality pure saffron pistils are used for liquid Saffron Extracts from Aromatic. A unique extraction process lends our Saffron Extracts both intensive colour and flavour. Furthermore, the products are also very cost efficient.

This year, we have been focusing on developing different formulations from our Saffron Extract, to meet different demands in the market. Come and see us and compare our wide selection of Saffron!

Colours of the rainbow

Colours of the rainbow

You also eat with your eyes!

Aromatic is launching a number of azo-free food grade colours, that are new in our palette:

• Pink
• Purple
• Black
• Orange

Perfect for your macrons!

Liquorice flavour

Liquorice flavour

The trendy novelty of the year is a Lemon-Liquorice Whoopie!

Aromatic flavours add that final touch to your recipe, irrespective of whether your product is baked or unbaked. In our extensive assortment you find all the flavours you will need. The only limit is your own imagination…

Let us inspire you!

Pumpable products

Pumpable products

Aromatic has several pumpable ingredients for bakery industry in our product range:

• Alpha-gel emulsifiers for cakes and bread
•  Emulsions for cakes and bread
•  Shelf life improvers
•  Releasing agents
•  Malt products
•  Flavours & food colours

We are also offering assistance and guidance regarding different pumping and dispensing solutions.

Companies, Events Aromatic, Food Ingredients Europe

Grupo Bimbo  S.A.B. de C.V. formalized three operations that will point its integration into different areas on two continents, expanding the company´s global vision and consolidating its leadership in the world bakery industry. During a press conference, Daniel Servitje Grupo Bimbo´s CEO, noted «all three commercial operations accomplish the Company´s development expectations and give us the opportunity to create value, meanwhile allowing us to enhance our experience we have acquired over 65 years». These three commercial operations were announced as follows:

On September 19th Argentine authorities granted Grupo Bimbo final authorization to complete the acquisition of Compañía de Alimentos Fargo, the main bread producer and distributor in the Republic of Argentina.

On October 10th, Grupo Bimbo signed an agreement with Sara Lee Corporation to acquire its bakery division in Spain and Portugal: Bimbo España, a leader in the packaged bread market on the Iberian Peninsula.

On October 21st, Grupo Bimbo announced that the Department of Justice of the United States granted it authorization to complete the acquisition of the Sara Lee bakery division in the US.

Guillermo Quiroz, Corporate Finance and Administration Director for Grupo Bimbo, informed that once all three operations are formalized, the Company will show important growths in its figures; in example, as of now 154 production plants, 126’200 associates, 50’300 distribution routes and presence in 19 countries on three continents. Thus, final sales for the Group will grow 27 percent, of which 62 percent will come from international market sources.

Grupo Bimbo will continue doing solid and profitable business on the American continent, as Sara Lee and Fargo operations will reinforce its presence in the US and Latin American markets, respectively. Meanwhile the purchase agreement for the Sara Lee bakery division in Spain, will give the Company presence on the Iberian Peninsula to penetrate the European market.

This announcement is made in the midst of a complex climate in global markets, however it sends a positive message and states Grupo Bimbo´s confidence in renewing its vision of leadership in the bakery industry.

Daniel Servitje concluded, «We recognize the challenges posed by the different markets in a global economy, but we are certain of the strategic benefits Grupo Bimbo will derive from being present on three continents and leveraging itself as a global company with millions of consumers who enjoy its vast product portfolio».

About: Grupo Bimbo  is the leading company in the global bakery industry. It has more than 109’000 associates. In 2010, it sold 117,16 billion Mexican Pesos. It has 102 plants in 17 countries that produce more than 7’000 products under more than 150 brands in categories such as sliced bread, rolls and toasted bread. Additionally the Mexican bakery group maintains one of the largest distribution networks in the world – more than 43’000 routes.

Source: Bakenet EU

Companies Grupo Bimbo

Barry Callebaut’s Terra Cacao line has been nominated for a Fi Excellence Award in the confectionery innovation category.

The award recognizes individuals and businesses for their exemplary work and contribution to the industry. Winners are selected by a leading panel of industry experts and will be announced during an awards ceremony on Nov. 29 at the upcoming FI Europe show.

Terra Cacao was originally launched in Feb. 2011 and relies on new cocoa cultivation and fermentation methods developed by Barry Callebaut in collaboration with local cocoa growers. This process is designed to produce virtually zero defects or off flavours, resulting in a 100 per cent natural chocolate with an unprecedented harmony of pure tastes and rich aromas.

For Terra Cacao, Barry Callebaut searches for plantations on flavour-enhancing terroirs in equatorial regions. The cocoa beans are then handpicked at the precise moment when they contain a maximum of flavors and aromas. The cocoa is then fermented with the company’s 100 per cent natural method to enhance even the most delicate flavours and aromas. Afterwards, the beans are roasted in their shells until they release all of their inherent flavours. Finally, the chocolate is conched for hours until the right texture, aroma, taste and flavours are found.

The Terra Cacao range covers several milk and dark chocolate references varying from 33.5 per cent to 70.5 per cent cocoa mass. The line, shaped as callets, is packed in 10 kg bags and will be available to food manufacturers worldwide.

Source: Bakers Journal

Confectionery Barry Callebaut, Terra Cacao

Safety decisions concerning one-third of the more than 10,000 substances that may be added to human food were made by food manufacturers and a trade association without review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to an analysis spearheaded by the Pew Health Group.

The report, published  in the peer-reviewed journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, illustrates potential problems with the U.S. food additive regulatory program.

“Congress established our food additive regulatory program more than 50 years ago, and it does not stand up well to scrutiny based on today’s standards of science and public transparency,” said Tom Neltner, Food Additives Project director in the Pew Health Group.

The research also found that the FDA developed an expedited process in the mid-1990′s that essentially eliminated the opportunity for public involvement in decision making prior to FDA’s safety determination. This shift doubled the rate of industry requests for FDA review. In contrast, standard operating procedure for other federal regulatory decisions regarding drug, workplace, and environmental safety requires public notice and an opportunity to comment.

“While the shift to a new regulatory process–one in which companies make safety decisions and ask FDA to confirm them–has sped up agency review, it has also bypassed the public,” Neltner said. “Subjecting safety decisions to comment from competitors, academic scientists, public interest groups, and the general public can result in stronger protections for consumers. In an age of growing demand for government transparency, there is virtually no meaningful opportunity for participation in decisions about large classes of substances added to the food supply.”

When Congress passed the Food Additives Amendment of 1958, it created a structure that has limited the FDA’s ability to effectively regulate substances added to food because the law:

Allows manufacturers to determine that the use of an additive is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), and then use that substance without notifying the FDA. As a result, the agency is unaware of many substances that may be added to food and lacks the ability to ensure that safety decisions were properly made.

Does not require that manufacturers inform the FDA when health reports suggest new hazards associated with additives already used in food. Therefore, the agency has no access to unpublished reports and must expend limited resources sifting through published information to identify potential problems and set priorities.

In addition to the article examining the state of the food additive regulation, a piece in the same publication summarizes a workshop, co-sponsored by the Institute of Food Technologists and the journal Nature, examined how FDA evaluates the potential hazards posed by substances added to food. The two-day session, held in April 2011, brought together science and food policy experts from government, industry, academia, and public interest organizations. Issues discussed at the workshop and presented in the journal article include:

The need for clear procedures to develop validated toxicological tests and regularly revise guidance documents to reflect advances in science;

Opportunities to improve academic research to make it more usable for regulatory decision making and enhance coordination between federal agencies; and

Challenges to reassessing a chemical’s safety after it is on the market.

Both journal articles appear in the November issue of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. They are the first in a series of the Pew Health Group’s assessments of the scientific evidence and FDA’s regulatory system, evaluating whether the agency ensures chemicals added to food are safe as required by law. Future articles will consider other aspects of the scientific analysis and the law, and will provide case studies of issues raised about the FDA’s food additives program. The Pew Health Group will develop policy recommendations to reduce unnecessary and hidden risks that are informed by their evaluation.

Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts

Food Safety food safety, regulations

Nestle is launching a new brand of luxury chocolates selected to match individual preferences that consumers will order online.

“What we are offering is the perfect personalised chocolate,” says Cedric Lacroix, director of Nestle’s Chocolate Centre of Excellence in Broc, Switzerland.

Nestle, the world’s biggest food group and global leader in dark chocolate, opened the research centre in Broc in 2009 and has said the economic woes of recent years have not hurt demand for premium chocolate much, calling it an “affordable treat” in difficult times.

The Swiss group presented its new chocolates at its 9-month press conference in Paris, asking journalists to taste different flavours and handing them little slips of paper to help them remember their chocolate identity.

Nestle said consumers will first order a box of five “tasting” chocolates with hints of milk, caramel, nut, fruit, flowers and vanilla to determine their preferences which they rate online following a set of instructions.

“Chocolate has certain attributes that people distinguish in different ways. It is like tasting wine,” Lacroix said.

The Nestle Maison Cailler brand will then use the results to make a selection that suits an individual’s taste from a set of 12 different chocolates that are sent directly to the consumer from the factory in Broc.

“We will be able to fine tune the Maison Cailler offering according to consumer feedback,” Lacroix said.

The recipients can then share their favoured “chocolate personality” with friends through their Facebook profile.

Maison Cailler, which will launch at the beginning of 2012 in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, also plans to set up “profiling stations” for its chocolates at a number of locations around the country, such as five star hotels.

Source: Reuters

Chocolate luxury chocolates, Nestle