Food & Food Equipment News

Food & Beverage Processing Machinery Market Reports Package Published

What is the size of the food and beverage processing machinery market in different countries? How is the market divided into different types of products? Which products are growing fast? How the market has been developing? How does the future look like? What is the potential for the market? How do the indicators of doing business look like? How easily are the contracts being enforced, or what is the inflation rate and how is it developing? Answers to all these key questions and many more can be found in a new report package.

New research report package “Food and Beverage Processing Machinery–Global” prepared by Global Research & Data Services incorporates 63 food and beverage processing machinery market analyses from a wide range of countries across the globe. Each analysis gives a deep overview of the current situation, developments and future outlook of the food and beverage processing machinery market in the respective country. Each review covers total market value and volume for food and beverage processing machinery, market value and volume for food and beverage processing machinery by type, product prices. Furthermore, overall country overview, macroeconomic and key doing business indicators in each pertinent country are also provided.

Food and beverage processing machinery types covered include: brewery, chocolate, cocoa and confectionery, fruit, vegetable and nut, meat and poultry, pasta and bakery, sugar, other, and parts for food and beverage processing machinery.

Report Package Details:

Title: Food and Beverage Processing Machinery – Global

Published: March 1, 2012

Pages: 3087

Price: US$ 26,237

http://marketpublishers.com/report/industry/machinery_equipment/food_n_beverage_processing_machinery_global_globalresearch.html

Thermo Fisher Scientific Develops Method to Detect Carbendazim in Orange Juice

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that scientists at its global Food Safety Response Center, located in Dreieich, Germany, have developed and internally validated a new method for detecting residue levels of the fungicide carbendazim in oranges and orange juice.

The new carbendazim method was developed in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement in January that it would test shipments of imported orange juice for the fungicide. Thermo Fisher’s method can reliably detect carbendazim in orange juice to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Speaking at the Food Safety Response Center in Dreieich, Alan Malus, Thermo Fisher Executive Vice President and President of the Analytical Technologies Group said, “Our team of scientists worked around the clock to develop a method to rapidly and reliably test orange juice for traces of carbendazim, and we are pleased to provide the industry with an improved method that automates the sample preparation and improves lab productivity.”

The new method for detecting carbendazim uses Thermo Scientific Turboflow technology to automate sample preparation, enabling laboratories to analyze more samples per day. Prior methods rely on manual sample preparation, which is time-consuming and not as repeatable as the new, automated method.

Carbendazim is a chemical fungicide that is used to treat crops worldwide, including in Canada, Japan, Europe and Brazil, to control the growth of fungus and mold. It is not registered for use on U.S. citrus crops. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 requires that importers verify the safety of food from their suppliers and gives the FDA authority to block the importation of foods of questionable safety from facilities or countries.

Laboratories interested in obtaining a copy of the new, validated method can download a copy at www.thermoscientific.com/fsnews.

FDA Cracks Down on Carbendazim in Oranges, Ignores Other Foods, Expert Says

The FDA announced this week that it is implementing a “test and hold” policy for all imported shipments of orange juice to determine if they contain carbendazim (a fungicide, also called “MBC”). Under the law, a food cannot contain a pesticide residue unless the residue has an established tolerance level for that specific food. The Environmental Protection Agency has not established a tolerance level for carbendazim residues in orange juice.

The sudden crackdown on orange juice in particular highlights the questionable way that FDA and the EPA regulate pesticides in foods, said Benjamin England, former FDA Regulatory Counsel and founder of FDAImports.com. Carbendazim is now at the forefront of FDA’s attention because EPA has not established a legal limit in oranges (or orange juice). FDA will therefore reject for importation orange juice with more than “trace” amounts of MBC, greater than 1.0 parts per billion.

At the same time, England said, MBC is permissible in apples, apricots and bananas. Should the FDA stop all of those fruits too? The concentration of another pesticide (thiophanate methyl or TPM) that is related to (and degrades down to) MBC is permitted in apples and bananas at 2.0 parts per million and in apricots at a whopping 15 ppm. So how does FDA test for the presence of TPM? By testing for MBC, the same pesticide that is causing all the imported OJ containers to stop at U.S. ports of entry.

Not Just Apples and Oranges

FDA will not be stopping apples, bananas and apricots due to the presence of thousands more times (in concentration) of the same pesticide chemical simply because EPA has established those high tolerances, England said. Of course, if FDA were worried about the safety of MBC, it would also have to stop grape juice (with an EPA tolerance of 5.0 ppm) and cherry juice (the heavy-hitter, with an EPA tolerance at a monstrous 20 ppm). Grape juice is used as the base juice for most fruit juices sold in the U.S.A.—and it has a tolerance for TPM, which is measured by testing for carbendazim, the original “culprit.”

“Expect FDA to use these recent pesticide results in OJ as an excuse to stop, delay and test for MBC [carbendazim] in many other fresh and finished fruit and vegetable products”, England said. “While FDA is busy locking up the American orange juice supply, U.S. consumers will have to turn to other juices for their kids, like apple and grape juices. Apparently the fact that MBC is permitted at much (much) higher concentrations in those other juice products is lost on FDA.” The net result of FDA’s actions in this case will be to greatly increase the cost of orange juice, burden the American public with a gratuitous pesticide scare and unnecessarily bottleneck imports of orange juice and juice concentrates into the United States.

Importer Impact: What to Expect?

England cited other ways that the orange juice crisis would impact imports and manufacturers bringing in product to the United States:

• Expect FDA to become “concerned” about other imported fruits, vegetables, juices, juice concentrates, etc. FDA will hold the entry and test it for carbendazim and other pesticides for residues that are obviously not unsafe.
• If FDA detects a pesticide residue for which there is no tolerance in a food or finds a residue that exceeds a tolerance, the agency will refuse the entry.
• If FDA finds an “illegal” pesticide residue or a residue that exceeds a tolerance the product is going on one of FDA’s automatic detention lists (import alerts).

For more information, go to www.fdaimports.com, call (410) 740-3403 or contact Jon Barnes at jrbarnes@fdaimports.com.

Leading Flavor Experts Are Red Hot for Tart Cherries

'Cherry Will Be the New Pomegranate'

American palates are indicating a new appreciation for a combination of sweet and tart tastes. In fact, while sweet still ranks third among America's favorite flavors, tangy is now fifth (up from sixth) and sour ninth (up from 10th). It's no coincidence that tart cherries—with their unique sweet-tart taste—are showing up in more new products and menu items.

Restaurateur Michael Moorman, owner of popular cafe m.henry and recently opened m.henrietta in Chicago, says he's been using tart cherries as a featured ingredient in everything from salads to sauces to baked goods. One of the cafe's signature items is their Sour Cherry Granola, which features dried tart cherries. "We use tart cherries for their flavor and the added value that they bring to a dish. They're plumper and moister than most other dried fruits, so they offer greater appeal to our customers."

Moorman adds that tart cherries are an ideal choice because they're highly versatile and available year-round, in dried, juice and frozen forms. "Tart cherries have a distinctive enough flavor to stand up as a featured ingredient, but are also subtle enough to complement other flavors." Coupled with their eye-popping, bright red color, tart cherries offer a winning combination unmatched by any other Super Fruit.

Beyond the restaurant menu, tart cherries are outfitting store shelves in everything from granola bars to pre-made salad mixes to cereals, making it easy for everyone to incorporate this versatile Super Fruit into the daily diet.

Cheers to Tart Cherry Juice

According to the Food Channel's "Top Ten Beverage Trends 2011," one of the hottest ways to use Super Fruit juices — such as tart cherry juice — is to mix them with beers and spirits. This gives them a healthy twist, adds color and provides a unique flavor. In her 2011 trends report, wine and spirits expert Kara Newman cited, "cherry will be the new pomegranate," when it comes to adding new flavors. Mixologist Charles Joly of Chicago's Drawing Room livens up cocktail hour by mixing tart cherry juice with whiskey for The Cherry Club Cocktail (recipe available at www.choosecherries.com).

Tart Cherries Add RED Hot Holiday Appeal

It's easy for anyone to get in the holiday spirit with tart cherries, according to food blogger and photographer Matt Armendariz of MattBites.com. Armendariz says tart cherries are always on the top of his holiday shopping list. "The holidays are the time to really elevate the menu, and adding tart cherries to any holiday favorite instantly ups the appeal."

Matt shared some of his favorite ways to add tart cherries to holiday fare –easy for anyone to do:

• Red hot mulled wine. Simmer a full-bodied red wine and a splash of tart cherry juice with cloves, a cinnamon stick, some orange slices and dried tart cherries. This also works great with apple cider.
• Roast chicken with red. Roast a chicken with chicken stock, layering cippolini onions, fingerling potatoes, garlic and a handful of dried tart cherries around it before putting it into the oven. "It couldn't be easier to do, and the tart cherries provide a delicious contrast to the warm roasted flavors of the potatoes and chicken," said Armendariz.

Visit www.choosecherries.com or facebook.com/choosecherries for more recipes and tips to inspire you to Go Red Instead with tart cherries.

Superfruits Sweep Nation: National Retailers Participate in First National Superfruit Month

Across the country, grocery stores including Kroger, Safeway, ShopRite, Shaw’s and Dierberg’s, are enticing shoppers to supercharge their diets by adding superfruits to their daily routines. October is the first National Superfruit Month, a month dedicated to supporting healthier lives and bodies through the use of fruits that offer nutritional value far beyond standard fruits and vegetables.

To celebrate National Superfruit Month, participating retailers will be displaying special signage in stores to guide shoppers to superfruit products, as well as offering discounts on produce when superfruit products are purchased. For instance, Genesis Today is offering $2 off the purchase of any fresh fruit or vegetable, including pumpkins, with the purchase of their 32- or 64-ounce superfruit juices.

Superfruits provide concentrated amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that bodies need with fewer calories. Many superfruits, including the acai berry, goji berry, noni berry, Mangosteen fruit, sea buckthorn berry and cacao, are generally grown abroad and are most readily available to U.S. consumers in the form of juices, chews, vitamins and supplements.

“The Standard American Diet (SAD) is completely void of the vitamins and nutrients we need and quite frankly, it is slowly killing all of us. To combat this and the everyday toxins we incur from pollution, stress and poor diet, we need to consume fruits and foods and beverages with off-the-charts nutrient levels,” said sought-after celebrity nutritionist Dr. Lindsey Duncan, ND, CN, whose clients have included Courtney Cox, Marc Jacobs and Demi Moore. “A diet that combines superfruits like the acai berry and goji berry with readily available fresh produce like spinach, blackberries and sweet potatoes will help fight the damage in our bodies and lead us to optimum vitality.”

For more information about Dr. Lindsey Duncan, visit www.drlindsey.com.

Research and Markets: US Soft Drinks Market Analysis - US Sales of Non-Alcoholic Energy Drinks Projected to Reach USD 9 Billion in 2011

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "US Soft Drinks Market Analysis" report to their offering.

With the recovering economy and rising per capita income, the soft drinks industry in US is once again in the spotlight. The demand has increased considerably in 2010 supported by factors like surge in consumption of fruit beverages and rising spending on drinks. Compared to this, the industry witnessed a decline of more than 2 per cent YOY in 2009. Going ahead, a better growth scenario can be expected owing to the new products introduction, rising demand of energy and fruit drinks.

The report titled US Soft Drinks Market Analysis provides a succinct but deep dive analysis of the current status and overall growth prospects of the US soft drinks market. With the synchronization of all the factors, we have presented a logical analysis of the present and future growth potential in the US Soft drinks market.

The report studies the market by categorizing it into multiple segments such as sports drinks, bottled water & water beverages, soft drinks and diet soft drinks, energy drinks, 100% juice and juice drinks and ready-to-drink tea The research also probes into how new product launches are expected to drive the future market growth.

The report is an outcome of comprehensive research and analysis of the US soft drinks market. The content in the report is especially useful for companies and investors looking to enter the market.. The report has maps the competitive landscape of the sector and tries to shed light on the operations/strategies and SWOT analysis of the key players. This will help the target audience in understanding the contemporary industry scenario.

Key findings in the report include:

• The growing popularity of bottled water has resulted into the drop in sales of carbonated drinks. In 2009, the carbonated soft drinks market declined by 2.1 per cent.
• The market is oligopolistic in nature. The top three firms dominate more than 85 per cent of the market. Coca-cola is the leader brand among three followed by Pepsico and Dr. Pepper Snapple.
• Although energy drinks is fastest growing segment in the beverage industry, its market share is just one per cent in overall soft drinks market. With US sales of non-alcoholic energy drinks projected to reach USD 9 billion in 2011, and not much competition, the segment has the highest potential for new entrants. However, recently there have been increasing calls for greater regulation and research in this segment, and this aspect will affect the future growth of this sector.

Lipton® Iced Tea Keeps it Real This Summer With New 100% Natural Line

In Celebration of Launch, Lipton® Brings Fans "The Natural Side of Music" This Summer

Lipton® Iced Tea, a product of the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, today announced the launch of 100% Natural Lipton® Iced Tea, a new line of beverages with a simple, all-natural ingredient list.

New 100% Natural Lipton® Iced Tea will be available, beginning April 2011, in four flavors:  long-time fan favorites, Green Tea with Citrus and Iced Tea with Lemon, as well as two new flavors—Iced Tea with Blueberry Pomegranate and Green Tea with Passionfruit Mango.

"We pride ourselves on our innovation and continue to remain at the forefront of meeting consumers' needs," says Mary Barnard, Vice President and General Manager of the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership. "In fact, research says that, in 2010, ready-to-drink tea was the fastest growing category in the Liquid Refreshment Beverage market."

As the Natural Food & Beverage category grows and consumers believe that "natural" is a key indicator for health and wellness, iced tea drinkers will find the new 100% Natural Lipton Iced Teas – which are made up of the finest-quality Lipton teas, real sugar and natural flavors – on shelves in 20-ounce bottles.

"We know tea, and our new 100% Natural Lipton Iced Tea line, which includes refreshing new flavors, offers yet another way for people to enjoy tea," says Barnard.

The Diet portfolio will expand also, with new Diet Green Tea with Watermelon joining the beloved Diet Green Tea with Citrus flavor, both free of artificial colors and flavors.

To celebrate the new line, Lipton will treat tea drinkers to summer programming that will allow them to experience music in an unplugged, natural way. "The Natural Side of Music" will include a surprise summer kick-off concert with a major unannounced artist, online videos featuring cuts and conversations with music artists and more. Official details will be announced May 2011, and fans are directed to check out Facebook.com/LiptonIcedTea for breaking announcements and details.

100% Natural Lipton Iced Tea will retail for $.99 to $1.59 and will be widely available in 20-ounce bottles beginning April 2011. Consumers will also learn more about 100% Natural Lipton Iced Tea through a national advertising campaign that will launch in May 2011. The "You Are What You Tea" campaign will introduce an iconic silhouette consisting of water, tea leaves, and sunshine. This new visual will convey the naturally uplifting effect of drinking 100% Natural Lipton Iced Tea.

For more information, go to Facebook.com/LiptonIcedTea or twitter.com/Lipton. 

Sambazon Introduces First Ever Organic Acai With Orange Juice

Sambazon announced the addition of Organic Acai with Orange Juice to its heritage Acai line of tasty juices and smoothies.  

"Give your orange juice an Amazon berry boost - with acai and acerola - for great taste with added health benefits," said celebrity dietician Ashley Koff. "Sambazon's Organic Acai with Orange Juice offers an organic whole food solution adding healthy omegas, a greater variety of antioxidants and increased Vitamin C content."

A nutritious alternative to traditional OJ, Organic Acai with Orange Juice is perfect for enjoying with breakfast or as a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up. One serving provides consumers with 150 percent of the daily value of Vitamin C and contains no added sugar while delivering powerful antioxidants, healthy omegas and vibrant flavor in every sip.

"Sambazon is committed to sharing superfood health with the world in a way that consciously benefits communities and eco-systems. This latest premium juice blend extends our organic line of antioxidant-rich juices, smoothies, sorbets and smoothie packs to give you a broad range of great-tasting options that help fuel your day organically," added Jeremy Black, Sambazon Co-Founder.

Sambazon Organic Acai with Orange Juice is packaged in 32 ounce and 10.5 ounce bottles with a suggested SRP of $7.99 and $2.99, respectively, and is available at select grocers and Whole Foods Markets nationwide.

Jamba Juice Debuts Nutritious, Innovative Fruit and Veggie Smoothie Line

Jamba Juice announced the launch of its first ever fruit and vegetable smoothie platform. Innovatively created to provide three full servings of fruits and vegetables in each sixteen size serving, the Jamba Juice Fruit & Veggie Smoothies are available in three tasty flavors including Berry UpBEET™, Apple 'n Greens and Orange Carrot Karma—combining the wholesome natural sweetness of fruits with the benefits of vegetables, all for under 250 calories in each 16-size.

A delicious blend of berries and vegetable juices, Berry UpBEET™ combines the delightful flavors of strawberries and blueberries with the juices from carrots, beets, broccoli and lettuce. Apple 'n Greens blends our signature apple-strawberry juice with the juice from dark leafy green vegetables, carrots and lettuce, and adds spirulina, peaches, mangos and bananas. Orange Carrot Karma is a simple blend of carrot juice, orange juice, mangos, bananas and ice, resulting in a smoothie that tastes as bright and sunny as it looks. 

Jamba Juice Fruit & Veggie Smoothies, along with all other smoothies, juices, Hot Blends™ and Ideal Meals™, will be available 2 for $5 between 3/21/11-3/30/11 with a coupon printed from www.jambajuice.com.

GoodBelly Expands Line of Probiotic Juice Drinks with Three New Options

GoodBelly announced the introduction of GoodBelly Probiotic Coconut Water, GoodBelly SuperGreen Live and GoodBelly StraightShot. The new beverages join GoodBelly’s family of dairy-free and vegan juice drinks that deliver the digestive health benefits of the company’s patented probiotic strain, Lp299v.

New product details include:

• GoodBelly Probiotic Coconut Water – A replenishing coconut water fortified with 20 billion live and active probiotic cultures per serving. Coconut water is highly regarded for its composition of natural electrolytes, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium, which aid in effective hydration. Light and refreshing, GoodBelly Probiotic Coconut Water has no added sugar and is only 80 calories per serving. MSRP $3.49 for 32 ounces.

• GoodBelly SuperGreen Live – SuperGreen Live contains a healthy blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and mineral-rich organic ingredients like spinach, spirulina, chlorella, parsley, alfalfa grass, and oat grass, which are combined with billions of live and active cultures of Lp299v. SuperGreen Live is lower in calories and sugar than the leading green juice brand and has a deliciously fruity taste. MSRP $3.49 for 32 ounces.

• GoodBelly StraightShot – The company’s most simple and economical probiotic option, GoodBelly StraightShot offers 20 billion live and active probiotic cultures per serving in a delightful and gentle non-dairy base. GoodBelly StraightShot is dairy-free, soy-free and has no added sugar. MSRP $2.99 for a 4-pack of 2.7oz shots.

GoodBelly Probiotic Coconut Water, GoodBelly SuperGreen Live and GoodBelly StraightShot will make their debut at Natural Products Expo West, March 10-12, at the GoodBelly booth 2358. GoodBelly products are available nationwide in the refrigerated section of grocery, natural and specialty retailers, including Kroger, Whole Foods Markets, Sprouts, Fresh Markets and more.