Food Industry Archive

Cargill recently announced some new successes working with rebiana, a zero-calorie sweetener derived from stevia plant extract. It’s been predicted that stevia will revitalize the soft drinks industry and be the “holy grail” of sweeteners, but stevia’s bitter aftertaste has proved a challenge. Cargill says it’s developed ways to make various stevia-sweetened...

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Flu could slow Mexican truck resolution — The controversy over allowing Mexican trucks onto U.S. roads could take longer to resolve because of swine flu, trade experts have said. Under NAFTA, the U.S. was supposed to open its roads to truckers from Mexico, but unions and other groups say that Mexican trucks don’t meet U.S. safety standards and that such a move would drag down...

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Unilever just announced it will reduce the sodium content in most of its 22,000 products by the end of 2010. In the past, Unilever has gone after trans fat, saturated fat and sugar, but now it is joining a growing list of companies and organizations struggling to tackle the latest bogeyman of nutrition: salt. “Salt is the new bad guy and deserves to be,” Michael Jacobson of the...

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Swine flu cases are turning up in a growing number of countries. The disease has killed more than a hundred in Mexico, screwed with the stock market and sent Smithfield shares tumbling. But there’s one group that so far doesn’t seem all that affected by the pandemic — swine. The first known case in the outbreak occurred near a Mexican pig farm (partially owned by Smithfield)...

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Starbucks aims to have fully recyclable paper cups available by 2012, and has opened its first LEED-certified store. Those are two of the highlights from the company’s new corporate social responsibility report, which became available online Monday. Among the others: * The company says it’s now the largest-single buyer of “Fair Trade” certified coffee; * Its coffee...

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Coke exec says second good-bye — Neville Isdell retired from the Coca-Cola Company last week for the second time. In 2004 Isdell had returned to Coca-Cola after nearly three years of retirement, but he left his position as CEO last year and officially retired as chairman at last week’s board meeting in Atlanta. Muhtar Kent, who took over for Isdell as CEO, is now chairman as well....

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Last week’s Beige Book report from the Federal Reserve had some modestly upbeat news for the farm industry — fuel and fertilizer costs are falling, and that’s making it easier for growers to get financing. Still, problems remain, particularly for Midwest livestock producers, who are faced with weak demand and low prices, and in California, water shortages remain a problem....

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After 16 years of staying relatively the same, Chipotle Mexican Grill is toying with some significant changes to its menu, including kids meals, smaller portion options, soups and salads. The plan is just in the testing phase, and only in Denver, company founder and co-CEO Steve Ells said in yesterday’s Q1 earnings call. And the company is in no rush, he added. “We’re going to...

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Frito-Lay to introduce compostable chip bag — The PepsiCo snack division will package SunChips in bags made of renewable plant-based materials starting by Earth Day of next year. When composted, the package will break down within 14 weeks, the company said. The current SunChips packaging, introduced earlier this month, is 33 percent biodegradable. [Sources: Just-Food, Food Business News]...

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The halal and kosher markets are full of opportunities for food companies, so come on in, says a new report by Packaged Facts. Not only will religious Muslims and Jews be interested in products meeting their respective religious standards, the report said, but other consumers with an interest in ethical food issues may trust these products as well. In the U.S., kosher is much more well-known...

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