Newly acquired packaging technology drives leading French cereal firm Soufflet to extend its Vivien Paille brand, launching a rice and milk snack targeted at 5 to 14 year olds... Read

Portion-controlled packaging for snacks could play a dual role in fighting raging obesity rates by reducing consumer calorific in-take and heightening awareness to portion size, finds new research from the US... Read

Inspired by The Economist's 'burgernomics' Big Mac index, French market analysts Gira Conseil have launched the 'buttered-ham sandwich' index, to compare prices of the country's enduring ham and butter sandwich, and in this challenging economic climate, to obtain a strong understanding of buying power in France... Read

Food and beverage production machinery and packaging equipment manufacturers are modestly optimistic about the outlook for 2009, despite the current econmic slump... Read

Collaboration on belting technology development and installation can improve food safety, quality assurance and operational efficiency for food processors, claims one of the US companies involved in the new partnership... Read

As the prospect of a fat tax on unhealthy food is raised once more, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has spoken out on behalf of the industry against calls for a tax on chocolate... Read

UK flavour maker Ungerer is introducing a new collection of flavours inspired entirely by foods and ingredients that are black in colour... Read

Latest UK efforts to halt honey bee decline aim to stimulate more communication on reporting health problems in hives, as disappearing pollinators could have a serious effect on food supply and ingredient sourcing... Read

Consumer watchdog Which? has renewed its calls for food manufacturers and retailers to do more to address sugar, salt and fat content and take a consistent, industry-wide approach to labelling to help people make healthily choices... Read

Quaker Oats fully embraces the health and wellness message behind its hallmark ingredient - wholegrain oats - re-positioning all of its products under one umbrella for the first time in its 130 year history... Read

A raft of new container designs from US firm Crown speciality packaging target premium biscuit makers with an eye on eco-friendly packaging materials... Read

Indonesia's Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) confirmed last week claims that certain snack products are contaminated with melamine, reports The Jakarta Post... Read

In recent years the share of private label goods sold by retailers has been on the rise, reaching almost 50 per cent in traditional retailers. The FoodNavigator editorial team discusses what's driving the trend, and what it means for big brand manufacturers... Listen

The use of salt replacers in the diet, as a means of reducing sodium intake, may improve blood pressure and artery health, says a new study from China... Read