	Nyhetsarkiv 2009

Nyhetsarkiv 2009

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2008		2010

December

Göran Henriksson ny VD för Milko
Göran Henriksson har utsetts till ny VD för mejeriföretaget Milko. Göran Henriksson, som närmast kommer från befattningen som VD för koncernen Östersunds Tidningar, efterträder Erik Gumabon som slutade under hösten. Under tiden som rekrytering av ny VD pågått har Lars Ölander tjänstgjort som tf VD. Göran Henriksson tillträder tjänsten som VD under första kvartalet 2010 med placeringsort Östersund.
-Det är med stor glädje och spänning jag ser fram emot att utveckla verksamheten inom Milko. Milko har idag ett starkt kunderbjudande, bland annat närproducerad mjölk, och en bra position på marknaden, säger Göran Henriksson.
Göran Henriksson, 56 år, är från Östersund. Göran Henriksson har varit VD för koncernen Östersunds Tidningar sedan 2006. Koncernen, där bl a Östersunds-Posten , Länstidningen och Tidningen Härjedalen ingår, omsätter 230 miljoner per år och har 150 anställda, huvudkontoret finns i Östersund. Göran Henriksson var VD för Östersund-Posten mellan 1997-2006 samt dess marknadschef mellan 1994-1997.
- Göran Henriksson har en stor operativ ledarerfarenhet bland annat från ett framgångsrikt medieföretag. Att dagligen brottas med dagstidningens konkurrensutsatta situation, gör honom till en mycket lämplig VD för Milko. Vi i styrelsen är övertygade om att Göran tillsammans med Milkos ledningsgrupp och övriga anställda kommer att fortsätta utveckla Milkos starka strategiska position som ett helsvenskt mejeriföretag med stark regional hemvist, säger Milkos styrelseordförande Per Åsling.
- Göran Henriksson har den profil vi i rekryteringsgruppen eftersträvat. Hans gedigna erfarenhet från en starkt konkurrensutsatt marknad kommer att vara viktig för oss i vårt fortsatta arbete att utveckla Milko framöver, säger Milkos vice ordförande och ordförande i rekryteringsgruppen, Lars Reyier.

Fonterra JV to Buy Lactose Business from Dutch Partner Royal FrieslandCampina
Fonterra's 50:50 joint venture with Royal FrieslandCampina, DMV-Fonterra Excipients (DFE) is buying Royal FrieslandCampina's pharmaceutical lactose business and manufacturing unit, FrieslandCampina Domo-Pharma. The total transaction value is NZ$106 million, of which Fonterra’s share is NZ$53 million.
The transaction, which is likely to complete in March 2010, is subject to regulatory and other approvals.

Method For Continuous Production Of Fermented Dairy Products
The invention provides continuous methods for preparing a fermented dairy product, the methods including steps of fermenting a dairy base with agitation while measuring the viscosity change of the fermentation mixture until an initial fermented dairy base having a target viscosity is achieved. The initial fermented dairy base is then preferably further fermented to a final fermented dairy base without agitation. Patent Number: WO/2009/151602, Applicant: GENERAL MILLS, INC. Number One General Mills Boulevard P.O. Box 1113 Minneapolis, MN 55440

Planerna på ett fullskaligt mejeri i Kalv vid Svenljunga har avancerat långt
Ett aktiebolag med lokala ägare ska investera runt 13 miljoner kronor. Och tanken är att kommunen ska bygga ett industrihotell, som sedan hyrs ut.
–Vi bestämde oss för att jobba för att satsa på ett mejeri i full skala. Ett beslut som drivs på av den dåliga lönsamheten för mjölkbönderna.
Och sedan dess har intressenterna jobbat på. Kalkyler och marknadsundersökningar har tagits fram, studiebesök har gjorts och en affärsplan ligger nu klar. Och bilden av ett nybyggt mejeri har allt mer utkristalliserat sig.
Tommy Stensson berättar om mejeritankarna. Men han understryker också att finansieringen ännu inte är helt klar. Ett besök på banken återstår.
– Mejeriet ska ta fram lokalproducerad konsumtionsmjölk, fil, yoghurt och grädde. Vi ska också fortsätta att mer hantverksmässigt producera ost och smör.
– Vi räknar med 4-5 anställda i produktionen, en försäljare, en arbetsledare, en vd. Vi ska också ha kontrakt med en entreprenör som kör mjölkbil. Bilen ska hämta varje dag på gårdarna och även köra färdiga varor till handlarna.
– Vi bildar ett aktiebolag med 4-5 huvudägare. Hälften är mjölkbönder. Vi avvecklar den ekonomiska föreningen och några mindre delägare går också in i bolaget.
– Vi räknar med att vår investering hamnar på runt 13 miljoner kronor. Och att vi i början ska kunna ta emot fem miljoner liter mjölk på årsbasis.
– Vi har också ett samarbetsavtal med Skånemejerier, som bland annat ska låna ut en mejerist och ge oss utbildningar.
Tanken är att mejeriet ska ligga i en ny byggnad på kommunens industrimark i Kalv, som ligger 800 meter in på vägen mot Östra Frölunda. Och det planeras att lokalen på 1 000 kvadratmeter ska byggas av kommunen och sedan hyras ut till mejeriet.
Här talas om en byggkostnad på upp mot tio miljoner. Men inget är heller ännu klart här.

EFSA and Japan sign a Memorandum of Cooperation
EFSA and the Food Safety Commission (FSC) of Japan have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on the collection and sharing of data required for the assessment of current and emerging risks. As crops, animals and food products are transported around the globe, so can the risks associated with the food chain. Ensuring access to a larger pool of international data is one of the priorities of EFSA’s international strategy.
The Food Safety Commission of Japan, like EFSA, is responsible for the assessment of risks associated with the food chain and gives independent scientific advice to risk managers such as the Health and Agriculture ministries. Following the signing of the agreement the FSC delegation, led by FSC deputy chair Dr. Takeshi Mikami, met EFSA scientists to discuss a number of issues, including animal cloning, nanotechnology, food contact materials and contaminants.
The memorandum signed with Japan is the second formal international cooperation agreement EFSA has signed with a national food safety authority outside the European Union. In 2007, EFSA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a memorandum designed to facilitate sharing of confidential, scientific information. EFSA is working towards strengthening cooperation on data collection and data sharing with food safety organisations around the world while respecting confidentiality obligations.

China uncovers more melamine-tainted milk powder
Employees from a Chinese dairy company have been taken into police custody on suspicion of selling tonnes of melamine-tainted milk powder.
Three people from the Shaanxi Jinqiao Dairy Co, in northern Shaanxi province, have been detained and accused of producing and selling toxic food, Chinese state media reports.
The police operation comes just over a year after a nationwide contamination scandal involving the lacing of milk powder with the industrial chemical killed six and sickened an estimated 300,000.
The general manager and two employees of the dairy company have been accused of selling more than five tonnes of contaminated milk powder to a food additive firm in the southern region of Guangxi in September. The Nanning Yueqian food additive company uncovered the contamination last month, leading to the detentions on 2 December.
Xu Qiang, deputy head of the regional public security department, said that none of the product had reached the market and all of it had been recovered.

Tetra Pak to undertake limited trials with renewable polyethylene from Braskem in the production of plastic closures
Tetra Pak has reached agreement with the largest Brazilian petrochemical company, Braskem SA, to purchase limited volumes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) derived entirely from a renewable feedstock. The agreement represents the first move toward using green polyethylene in the carton packaging industry. Braskem expects the world’s first commercial-scale green polyethylene plant, located in the south of Brazil, to come on stream late next year and is targeting first deliveries to Tetra Pak early in 2011. The new facility will use ethanol derived from sugar cane to produce ethylene, which will then be converted into polyethylene, the world’s most commonly used plastic. It is estimated that the process will result in an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared with the traditional process for manufacturing polyethylene. Under the terms of today’s agreement, Braskem will begin supplying Tetra Pak with 5 Ktons per year of green HDPE from 2011, for use in the production of plastic caps and closures. The volume represents just over 5% of the company's total HDPE demand, and is slightly less than 1% of its total plastics purchases.

Ovisst för anställda på mejeri
Det går trögt när Länsstyrelsen ska ta över utbildningsmejeriet på Rösta i Ås från Landstinget. Ett opåskrivet avtal skickas nu mellan landstinget och länsstyrelsen samtidigt som personalen svävar i ovisshet. När mejeriet drevs av landstinget hade de både kursverksamhet och ostförsäljning över disk till kunder. Men när länsstyrelsen ska ta över vill de bara behålla utvecklingsdelen och en anställd. Ett opåskrivet avtal skickas nu mellan landstinget och länsstyrelsen samtidigt som personalen svävar i ovisshet.

November

Arla övertar varumärket Anchor® i Storbritannien
Arla Foods får nu hela rätten att sälja, marknadsföra och distribuera produkter med varumärket Anchor® i Storbritannien.
Hittills har arbete legat inom ett joint venture där Arla ägde 75 procent och det nya zeeländska företaget Fonterra 25 procent. Anledningen till att Fonterra väljer att sälja sin fjärdedel är att arbetet inte längre är i fokus i deras långsiktiga strategi. Köpesumman kan inte uppges.
Arla och Fonterra har även ingått ett avtal som säkrar Arlas tillgång på smör från Fonterra till varumärket Anchor®.
– Anchor® är ett mycket starkt och framgångsrikt varumärke i Storbritannien och det är därför en bra investering för Arla. Smör och blandningsprodukter är en stor och viktig kategori för Arla och därför är det naturligt för oss att överta varumärket, så att vi också kan utveckla det, säger Peter Lauritzen, ansvarig för Arla i Storbritannien.
Arla och Fonterra inledde ett joint venture 2002. Fonterra valde att använda Arlas kontor i Stourton när de avvecklade sin brittiska förpackningsanläggning i Swindon. Arla övertog därefter försäljning och marknadsföring av produkter under varumärket Anchor®, samt all förpackning av det smör under varumärket Anchor® som kommer i frusna block från Nya Zeeland.
Huvuddelen av smöret packas om på Varde Mejeri i Danmark, medan Götene Mejeri i Sverige bearbetar resten av smöret till blandningsprodukterna Anchor® Spreadable och Anchor® Lighter Spreadable. Denna produktion fortsätter oförändrat efter köpet.
De färdiga varorna skickas därefter till distributionscentret i Stourton, Storbritannien, och distribueras sedan till den brittiska detaljhandeln.
Förutom smör och blandningsprodukter säljs också vispgrädde och chokladmousse under varumärket Anchor®.

Ex-Parmalat Auditors Settle US Investor Lawsuit
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu will pay $8.5 million and Grant Thornton International will pay $6.5 million to settle, documents filed Thursday with in Manhattan federal court show.
The case was brought by several funds on behalf of thousands of investors who said they lost money from Parmalat's multi-billion-dollar fraud.
"It is very rare that worldwide coordinating audit networks enter into settlements like what we have," said James Sabella, a lawyer at Grant & Eisenhofer PA in New York representing the investors, in an interview.
Lead plaintiffs include Hermes Focus Asset Management Europe Ltd, Cattolica Partecipazioni SpA, Capital & Finance Asset Management, Societe Moderne des Terrassements Parisiens and Solotrat, court documents show.
Deloitte and Grant Thornton did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The settlement requires approval by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who has overseen much of the Parmalat-related litigation in the United States. Sabella said approval could come in the first quarter of 2010.
Parmalat's collapse sparked litigation worldwide against dozens of banks, including Bank of America Corp and Citigroup Inc, by current Parmalat management and by investors.
Deloitte agreed in January 2007 to pay $149 million to settle with Parmalat itself. Parmalat has appealed Kaplan's dismissal in September of its lawsuit against Grant Thornton.
The U.S. equity investors believed they suffered $138.2 million of damages, but Sabella said their claims might have been reduced by earlier settlements. He also said taking their case to a jury could have been "full of difficulties."
Burdened by about 14 billion euros ($20.9 billion) of debt, Parmalat filed for insolvency protection in Italy in December 2003, after uncovering a 4 billion euro ($6 billion) hole in its balance sheet. Parmalat was restructured and relisted on the Milan bourse in 2005.

Arla Foods bygger världens största mejeri för dryckesmjölk i Storbritannien
Arla Foods UK startar nu ett projekt med målet att bygga ett helt nytt mejeri med kapacitet för en miljard kilo mjölk. Det nya supermejeriet ska ligga i utkanten av London.
Projektet bör ses som en fortsättning på Arla Foods redan kommunicerade ambition om att investera ytterligare i Storbritannien, som en del av verksamhetens tillväxtstrategi i landet.
Mejeriet kommer att bli det största och mest teknologiskt avancerade mejeriet för dryckesmjölk i världen, vilket ger Arla Foods möjlighet för fortsatt tillväxt på den brittiska konsumentmarknaden för dryckesmjölk. Mejeriet förväntas bli färdigt under 2012 och vara i särklass vad avser effektivitet och miljöstandard. Mejeriet förväntas ha cirka 500 medarbetare inom produktion, distribution och administration.
- Arla Foods skapar långsiktighet och en hållbar framtid på den brittiska marknaden, vilket det nya mejeriet är ett uttryck för. Mejeriet kommer att få den mest moderna tekniken och kommer att bli det mest effektiva och miljövänliga mejeriet i världen, säger Peter Lauritzen, koncerndirektör för Arla Foods UK.
- Projektet har nu påbörjats och vi ska välja var mejeriet ska byggas. De detaljerade planerna kommer att presenteras för Arla Foods styrelse i början av 2010. Vi har redan ett ledande mejeri i Stourton nära Leeds, och det nya mejeriet kommer att sätta en helt ny standard inom produktion av mejerivaror, säger Peter Lauritzen.

Fakta:
Mjölkkonsumtion (Källa IDF, 2007):

Storbritannien 82,6 liter per capita
Danmark 87,2 liter per capita
Sverige 102, 5 liter per capita
Arla Foods nya mejeri i UK med kapacitet kommer att få en kapacitet på 1 miljard kilo mjölk, vilket motsvarar närmare en femtedel av årskonsumtionen i landet.
Mejeriet kommer att kunna förse drygt 11 miljoner londonbor med mjölk varje dag.
Arla Foods nya mejeri i Storbritannien har en kapacitet som är fyra gånger större än Arlas största mejeri i Sverige, Stockholm Mejeri

Danone bone health yoghurt attracts new niche of consumers
Danone launched Densia in August on the Spanish market and early sales indicators suggest the yoghurt is performing well.
Densia differs from existing yoghurt products in its positioning. Instead of focusing on the burgeoning bone health market for children, Densia is aimed at older consumers.
But importantly, Danone has targeted women above 40 implicitly without resorting to direct marketing claims, which have previously floundered in Europe. Consumers prefer not to be reminded of their age so Danone has opted to talk discreetly about vitality and bone density.
Densia is perhaps the first serious attempt to reach these consumers. It is fortified with vitamin D and calcium, so that each 125g pot contains 100 per cent of the daily RDA for vitamin D and 50 per cent of the RDA for calcium.

Nytt applikationscenter i Århus
En av världens mest moderna platser för livsmedelsutveckling har invigts i Århus. Arla samlar sina experter inom mjölk- och vassleproteiner i ett nytt så kallat applikationscenter i Viby, Århus, Danmark.
Centret öppnade den 2 november och kommer att utveckla, producera och sälja högförädlade ingredienser till livsmedelsproducenter runt om i världen.
Förutom mejeriindustrin har bland andra närings-, bageri- och köttindustrin nytta av förädlade och funktionella mjölkproteiner. Även kunder med specifika behov kan bjudas in för att tillsammans med Arlas specialister utveckla exakt den lösning de saknar.
– Funktionella proteiner från mjölk och vassle kan bland annat ersätta kasein i salami eller byta ut äggvitan i muffins. Tillverkare använder ofta våra mjölkproteiner eftersom de får en superfunktionell ingrediens, som i många fall är både mer naturlig och ekonomiskt mer attraktiv än andra alternativ, säger Jais Valeur.
Hittills har experterna inom Arla Foods Ingredients huserat på olika platser. När alla samlas under ett tak blir verksamheten ännu bättre anpassad.
Centret har kostat 20 miljoner danska kronor och består av 2 000 kvadratmeter yta för test och utveckling. Förutom de 30 teknikerna rymmer anläggningen 40 medarbetare inom försäljning. Arla Foods Ingredients håller trots finanskrisen fast vid sitt strategiska mål att fördubbla omsättningen av högförädlat mjölkprotein till 2013. Under 2008 omsatte affärsområdet närmare 2 miljarder danska kronor.

Den 42:a Nordiska mejerikongressen arrangeras i Finland den 17 - 19 juni 2010.

- Vi har beslutat att den 42 kongressens föreläsningspråk är engelska. Detta eftersom vi inte hittade föreläsare i Finland som vågade sig på svenska språket. Samt vi kommer att ha ett stort antal föreläsare från länder utanför Norden, bland annat från Tyskland, Frankrike, Lithauen och Nya Zealand. Vi tror att vi också kommer att ha deltagare från övrigt Europa. De är orsaker att vi bytte språk från nordiska till engelska, sägerJuha Yli-Kovanen generalsekreterare Nordiskt Mejeritekniskt Råd. Han hälsar:

"Welcome to the 42nd Nordic Dairy Congress, which is organised every 3rd year, in Hämeenlinna at the Arts and Congress Center Verkatehdas (“fabric factory”) from the 17th to 19th of June 2010. Hämeenlinna is the historical and cultural capital of the province of Southern Finland and it offers impressive and ideal surroundings for the congress."

Läs mer på kongressens hemsida: http://www.nordicdairycongress.fi/index-en.php

New Danisco enzyme to solve a foul dairy problem
A common issue in UHT milk processing, resulting in excessive downtime and high consumption of cleaning chemicals, can be resolved efficiently and naturally with a new enzyme solution from Danisco. FoodPro® Cleanline is designed to overcome the problem of fouling in UHT units.
Dairies benefit from a longer interval between cleaning cycles and a capacity increase of up to 15% due to the reduced downtime. The reduced use of harsh cleaning chemicals and energy for the cleaning process itself is very much in line with today’s environmental focus. Other gains include improved milk emulsion stability and an up to 80% reduction in free cholesterol.
Fouling is a daily challenge for the dairy industry, caused when caramelised proteins separate from milk and milk-based products during heat treatment and form deposits on the surface of plate heat exchangers. This results in back pressure build-up in the system, which can only be eradicated by shutting down the UHT unit for cleaning. Based on patented Danisco technology, FoodPro® Cleanline solves the problem by modifying the phospholipase naturally present in milk and, through this, limiting the ability of milk proteins to settle on the heat exchanger.

Invigning av Stafvas nya gårdsmejeri
Den 6/11 öppnades portarna till Stafvas nya gårdsmejeri. Tradition möter här den modernaste tekniken. Mjölken kommer in i mejeriet från ladugården genom en rostfri ledning och ses lätt genom ett synglas. Överallt finns det stora fönster där besökare från övervåningen kan blicka ner i de olika rummen i mejeriet; ysteriet, processhallen och de olika lagringskylarna. I restaurangdelen lagas maten av den berömde kocken Mattias Palmqvist. Uppstartare av prisbelönta krogen Smakrike i Ljugarn.

Gäsene Mejeri på You Tube

Gäsene Mejeri finns nu på You Tube. Här är länken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAuCmraSeTc

Oktober

Arlas image i Sverige
Arlas varumärke har en stark position hos svenska konsumenter. Men arbetet i Sverige blir allt mer ifrågasatt – i medierna, inom branschen, internt i företaget och bland medlemmarna. Bilden av Arla i Sverige är bred. Från otroligt populär bland konsumenterna, till att bli allt mer ifrågasatt, främst inom branschen och hos ägarna. Bland de vanligaste negativa påståendena märks följande:
• ”Arla är en dansk mejerigigant”
• ”Det är för få svenskar i företagsledningen – svenskarna är inte med och bestämmer”
• ”Arla skyller på omvärldsfaktorer och visar inte handlingskraft”
• ”Danskarna förstår inte hur viktig och värdefull Arla-kossan är för de svenska konsumenterna”
Därför lade representantskapet lång tid på att diskutera den aktuella situationen i Sverige och hur Arlas goda image kan förbättras ytterligare. Styrelseordförande Ove Møberg och vice ordförande Åke Hantoft tog bägge upp imagefrågan. – Det här är inte ett svenskt problem, det är ett Arlaproblem. Därför ska hela Arla arbeta med att göra det bättre, poängterade Ove Møberg.

Management buy-out of NIZO food research
The NIZO foundation and the management of NIZO food research B.V. have come to an agreement involving the sale of 100% of the shares of NIZO food research B.V. to the current management.
This step signifies the completion of a policy initiated more than 10 years ago, aimed at the transformation of NIZO into a healthy, independent research company. This policy has led to the current decision.
Over the past years NIZO has developed into an R&D company with a dedicated circle of business partners from across the full spectrum of the international food and ingredient industries.
Because the shares will be transferred to the current management, continuity of NIZO’s company policy is guaranteed. The NIZO management will continue its business of targeting further growth of turnover by focusing on expanding its customer base, both national and international.
NIZO food research was established in 1948 by the Dutch dairy industry. Over the years it has changed from a renowned dairy research institute into a successful, internationally operating R&D company for the food industry in its widest sense.

State of the art application centre builds on expertise
Unique facility to optimise development of customer solutions
Arla Foods Ingredients’ new application centre in Denmark is complete and ready to go into operation. Located in Aarhus, the centre comprises 2,000m2 of test and analysis laboratories – meat and dairy laboratories for the functional milk protein team and a large laboratory for the bakery team with several ovens, including a pilot-scale tunnel oven. Flexibility has been a key priority in shaping the application centre, where knowledge sharing and work in cross-organisational teams will be among the priorities. To inspire optimum innovation, the centre also contains a customer room, made for easy adaptation to specific development projects. The inauguration of the new centre will take place on 2 November. Construction of Arla Foods Ingredients’ new head office continues on a neighbouring plot and is scheduled for completion in May 2010.

Tetra Pak launches Tetra Centri Airtight Eco
Tetra Pak launches the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator, the world’s first hermetically sealed direct driven dairy separator.
Suitable for all dairy customers with high capacity production, the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator reduces energy consumption of an overall separation system by up to 35% compared to conventional paring disc separators and doubles production time between major services compared to belt driven separators.
The new Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator introduces three innovations: the eDrive system, the eMotion system and the eCon control system. The gearless eDrive is a patented new direct drive system in which the motor is connected to the separator spindle directly and incorporated into the separator bowl without a gear. That increases up-time and reduces costs compared to belt driven separators. With fewer moving parts and less wear and tear, the mechanical simplicity of the eDrive extends production time between major services from 8,000 hours to up to 16,000 hours. It also uses 90% less lubrication oil than previous systems.

The patented eMotion system reduces friction inside the separator, enabling reduced energy loss and thus reducing the energy consumption of the separator itself by over 50%. That translates to an up to 35% reduction in the energy consumption of an overall separation system compared to conventional paring disc separators. Added benefits are the reduction of noise levels by three dB(A) and the reduction of machine surface temperature.
The eCon system is a fully embedded control system, which handles all of the separator’s support functions, such as cooling, lubrication, and discharge. This enables dairies to simplify and improve monitoring, status reporting and reliability of the systems and decreases the number of unplanned stops.
Unique to the TetraCentri AirTight range of separators are the hermetic seals at the inlet and outlet, which prevent the intake and exposure of the product to destructive air. In the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator, the product is fed smoothly into the separator bowl from the bottom through the new eDrive, which ensures that the size of fat globules and particles is maintained. This is why the separability of fat and impurities and concentration of cream in the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator is more efficient than in any alternative design on the market.
Backed by Tetra Pak performance guarantees, the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator provides dairy customers with a guaranteed production outcome that is pre-defined according to contractual agreements on parameters, such as energy consumption and running times.

Skruvkork på kartonger

Både kunder och konsumenter efterfrågar skruvkork på förpackningarna. Samtidigt som maskinparken på mejerierna behöver moderniseras planerar Arla nu att införa skruvkork på fler produkter. Övergången till takåsförpackningar, med eller utan skruvkork, kommer ske under cirka tre år och först ut är Göteborg, Jönköping och delvis Visby. I november syns de första takåsförpackningarna med skruvkork i svenska butiker. De ekologiska produkterna lanseras utan skruvkork.

Arla’s two pint polybottles are the lightest in the industry

Arla is adding weight to its environmental credentials by slimming down its use of packaging and now boasts the lightest two pint polybottles for milk in the UK.
The industry average for a two pint polybottle is 27 grammes but Arla has succeeded in shaving two grammes off bottles blown at its dairy in Stourton, Leeds, without compromising the integrity and functionality of the bottle.
Good progress has been made on six pint bottles at Stourton dairy, these are now four grammes lighter than the 70 gramme industry average while bottles at Arla’s Ashby dairy weigh in even less at 65 grammes.

YLFA Responds to EFSA’s First Series of Opinions on "General Function" Health Claims
The Yoghurt and Live Fermented Milks Association (YLFA) welcomes the publication by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on its first series of opinions on "general function" health claims. EFSA’s review represents a first batch of an important and valuable body of work that will help the European Commission and Member States to implement its regulation on nutrition and health claims. This concurs with YLFA’s members, who support all measures improving the confidence on the consistency of all health claims for probiotics.
YLFA is fully aware that the matter is new and complex and that all stakeholders involved are still in the learning phase. Many lessons have to be drawn from the publication of the first batch of opinions. One of these is that most of the claims (171 of 181) regarding probiotics were rejected because the strains were not sufficiently characterised and consequently the evaluation of the cause‐effect relationship between the consumption of the microorganisms / combination of microorganisms and their claimed effect was not achieved. YLFA therefore trust in EFSA to allow the applicants to provide further data on strain characterisation in order to proceed with the health relationship assessment rather than ruling out probiotic claims.
YLFA would like to emphasize the fact that the health benefits of yoghurt, live fermented milks and probiotic yoghurts or drinks are subject to a considerable amount of research. There is increasing science‐based evidence on the potential contribution of lactic acid bacteria to human health.
YLFA members will work closely with their partners and with EFSA in order to reduce the "technical" obstacles of these dossiers and allow scientists to continue their research in evaluating the benefits of yoghurts, live fermented milks and probiotics yoghurt and drinks.
YLFA is an international non‐profit association established by key international stakeholders in the field of live fermented milks. Established in 2005 and based in Brussels since 2008, YLFA is committed to defending the concept of live products and hence, the protection of their quality and conditions of use. Its members manufacture dairy products such as yoghurt, fermented milks, fermented milk drinks and probiotic dairy products.

The Global Dairy Agenda for Action
The Global Dairy Agenda for Action on Climate Change is a statement of commitment by the dairy supply chain to take action to address climate change.
The dairy supply chain is committed to providing consumers with the nutritious dairy products they want, in a way that is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible. This includes reducing emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide that are associated with the production of a unit of dairy product and which contribute to climate change.
The dairy supply chain recognised the need to work together in order to address this significant challenge. Climate change initiatives have already been launched around the world, but the signatories and participants of the Agenda for Action identified the need to pool knowledge and resources to achieve the changes in technology and practice needed to further reduce emissions.
In response to growing awareness and understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change, the signatories and participants of this Agenda for Action also recognised the need to raise awareness on the role of dairy production in climate change, as well as the contribution that dairy farming and dairy products make to global nutritional, social and economic wellbeing.
The result is that, for the first time, a wide range of dairy farming and industry organisations, national and regional dairy associations, and companies from throughout the dairy supply chain, have come together in a united effort to address this important challenge.
The Agenda for Action has been developed with input from across the dairy supply chain and from a wide range of dairy producing countries, including developing countries, and was signed at the World Dairy Summit in Berlin on 24 September 2009.
Along with the Green Paper cataloguing specific initiatives and commitments, the Agenda for Action is a living document that will provide a platform for future cooperation and action by the dairy supply chain. It is expected that the actions and commitments recorded will develop over time as the dairy supply chain works together alongside other stakeholders to achieve the objectives originally set out.

Boxholm Mejeri Årets Uppstickare 2009

Boxholm Mejeri tilldelades pris för ”Årets Uppstickare” den 24 september 2009. Bakom priset står Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund, Livsmedelsföretagen och Jordbruksdepartementet.
Årets uppstickare är ett pris för framgångsrika livsmedelsföretag. Företagets produkter ska vara hälsosamma, innovativa, högförädlade och innehålla svenska råvaror. De senaste tre åren ska företaget ha ökat sin omsättning, visat på positiva resultat och vuxit organiskt.
Vi är mycket glada och tacksamma för denna utmärkelse och fortsätter vårt arbete med att utveckla vårt företag i positiv riktning. Vårt mål är att skapa matglädje och inspiration.

U.S. Becomes Third Largest Dairy Exporter
The United States has emerged as the number three dairy exporter in the world after Europe and New Zealand for 2008, says Rabobank dairy expert Mark Voorbergen. Rabobank has released the World Dairy Map examining international dairy trade flows, milk production figures, export destinations, consumption and processor consolidation.
In dairy exports, the United States made gains and moved up from fourth place last year. “Australian drought conditions over the past few years affected milk production. In 2008, dairy export focus weakened in Australia providing space for the U.S. to move into the third spot,” said dairy analyst Voorbergen.
While becoming a sizeable exporter, the U.S. also remains a large destination market for imports. The new edition of the dairy map shows a global overview of casein dairy protein flows around the world. The U.S. is presented as the main destination for casein trade, while New Zealand is the main supplier of casein into the U.S.
European countries are still riding high in per capita consumption charts in various dairy products. Western Europe’s lead in consumption levels is insurmountable, leaving Eastern European countries with only the possibility of moving closer to, but not reaching the levels seen in Western Europe.

Omega-3 cheese: All the benefits of fish without the smell
Encapsulating omega-3 fatty acids in milk proteins may protect the fish-derived ingredients from oxidation, and cover the ‘fishy’ flavour in cheese, says a new study.
Processed cheese with the emulsified omega-3 had lower levels of oxidation products, as well as no undesirable fishy off-flavour when used at a level of 5 grams per kg, according to findings published in Food Research International.
“At a given fish oil fortification levels, processed cheese samples fortified with encapsulated fish oil maintained a higher sensory quality versus ‘fishy’ off-flavour,” wrote the researchers from Massey University in New Zealand.
“This may suggest that an encapsulated fish oil emulsion is a useful carrier of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for fortifying processed cheeses with fish oil.”

Chr. Hansen launches new range of yoghurt cultures
Chr. Hansen now introduces YoFlex®Express, YoFlex®Advance and YoFlex®Harmony, the next generation of the company’s popular range of cultures for yoghurt and fermented milks.
Based on the well-known DVS® (direct vat set) concept ensuring quality, consistency and control of the production process the new range is divided into three parts: YoFlex®Express, YoFlex®Advance and YoFlex®Harmony.
YoFlex®Express cost-efficiently increases the speed of fermentation, without compromising on the mildness, quality and stability of acidity in the yoghurt throughout shelf life.
YoFlex®Advance improves both the viscosity and creaminess of the finished product. This also allows for an improvement in the quality of low and full-fat yoghurt, and a further advantage is the opportunity for cost effective and clean label solutions since the need for stabilizer and/or milk protein can be significantly reduced.
YoFlex® Harmony addresses the challenges posed by sub-optimal storage conditions so that changes to the yoghurt during storage, primarily pH changes (souring), are avoided. This increases the production process efficiency as well as consumer satisfaction.

September

Technique for Detecting Contaminants in Raw Milk
Analysis with Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is widely used for routine analysis of raw materials to measure components such as fat and protein content. At the same time and at no extra cost per test, it can also be used to screen raw material for abnormalities as part of routine testing for payment and quality.
Looking at raw milk from a spectroscopic point of view, natural raw milk has a particular spectrum – a unique fingerprint. It is possible to program an analyser to recognise the spectra (or fingerprint) representing normal raw milk. Consequently, it is also possible to get analysers from FOSS to generate a warning when samples do not meet the criteria for normal milk. If the sample is somehow different, it will be detected immediately.
Although the software cannot determine the nature of the contaminant, it can alert operators to their presence within one minute. The suspect sample can then be analysed further to determine the identity of the contaminant.

Danisco technology toughens up probiotic cultures
Patent-pending encapsulation technique promises significantly improved probiotic stability.
Danisco Bio Actives has unveiled “outstanding” initial results using novel encapsulation technology to improve the survival of probiotic cultures at high temperatures and during storage in semi-moist applications.
Trials with an encapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus culture have found that resistance to temperatures up to 50°C (122°F) increased ten-fold when heat treatment was applied for 24 hours under dry conditions. In addition, the probiotic strain retained 60 % viability after five months’ storage at room temperature in a nutritional bar with a moisture level of 0.35Aw.
Additional tests with the encapsulated probiotic in a recombined cheese application showed processing resistance 2,500 times superior to that of the control.

Fruktyoghurt flyttar från Göteborg till Linköping
Arla Foods styrelse har fattat ett inriktningsbeslut om att flytta produktionen av fruktyoghurt från Göteborgs mejeri till Linköpings mejeri. Fackliga förhandlingar kommer nu att inledas. Slutligt besked tas efter att de fackliga förhandlingarna har genomförts.
Genom att samla yoghurttillverkningen på en plats i Sverige blir produktionen mer effektiv och distributionen kan optimeras. Mejeriet i Linköping har dessutom redan kapaciteten att ta emot produktionen och inga investeringar behöver göras. Förändringen innebär att 25 tjänster i Göteborg försvinner. Samtidigt skapas fem nya arbetstillfällen i Linköping.

Social Media for Product Development

Coca-Cola-owned Glaceau Vitaminwater is giving consumers the opportunity to design a new addition to its functional beverage range, with the winner being selected by the rapper 50 Cent and country singer, Carrie Underwood.

The crowdsourcing initiative is hosted on a Facebook ‘flavorcreator’ page and had gained about 760,000 fans keen to take the $5000 prize and mix it with the rap and country big-hitters.

Erik Gumabon slutar som Milkos vd
Erik Gumabon slutar som vd i Milko. Han blir från och med den 1 november ny vd och koncernchef i detaljhandelskedjan Hemtex. Milkos styrelse har mot denna bakgrund inlett rekryteringsprocessen av ny vd och besked om efterträdare väntas inom kort.
- Under mina snart två år i Milko har vi vänt ett negativt resultat till ett positivt, lanserat en tydligare regional och närproducerad profil på marknaden samt ändrat fokus från olönsamma lagrade mejeriprodukter till lönsamma färskvaror. Detta samtidigt som vi arbetat intensivt med att ta ner företagets kostnadsmassa, säger Erik Gumabon.
- Det nya uppdraget i Hemtex bjuder på nya spännande utmaningar. Dessutom flyttar jag och familjen tillbaka till västkusten efter några år i Stockholm, avslutar Erik Gumabon.
Styrelsen sammankallades i måndags kväll för att informeras om Erik Gumabons begäran om entledigande från vd-posten.
- Erik Gumabon har bedrivit ett omfattande förändringsarbete för att öka lönsamheten i Milko. Det har han lyckats med, även om mejerimarknadens tuffa utmaningar består. Från styrelsens sida har vi riktat ett stort tack för betydande och förtjänstfulla insatser och arbetet med att rekrytera ny vd tar nu vid, säger Milkos styrelseordförande Per Åsling.

Trendig mjölk

Den etniska trenden har nu nått den tidlösa mjölken. Milko lanserade nyligen Landskapsmjölk och moderniserade ”looken”. Resultatet blev en etnochic design med tydlig koppling till svensk folkkonst och tradition, en trend som även syns i dagens mode.
-Det är en blandning mellan tryggt gammeldags och ett modernt språk, säger Anna Romson som stått för designen. Eftersom jag själv är född i Mora kom jag ganska snabbt att tänka på hemslöjden som känns extra stark i Dalarna och egentligen i hela Milkos område. Jag hämtade inspirationen i folkdräkternas färg och mönster.
De olika mjölkförpackningarna med Värmlandsmjölk, Dalamjölk och Landskapsmjölk har alla dekorer som är hämtade från band och broscher i folkdräkter som härstammar från Värmland i söder till Jämtland i norr.
-Vi vill peka på vårt ursprung och att våra naturliga produkter står för något genuint svenskt, säger Kerstin Maripuu, marknadschef på Milko. Att dricka mjölk är typiskt svenskt och nu garanterar vi att vår mjölk kommer från kor och bönder i ett visst landskap, att den är närproducerad. Mönstren kommer också från tyger och smycken som har sitt ursprung i de landskap där våra kossor betar.

Tio varslas på Frödinge mejeri
Frödinge Mejeri varslar tio anställda om uppsägning, uppger Vimmerby tidning. Orsaken är minskad försäljning.
Frödinge Mejeri har i dag drygt 180 anställda och tillverkar framför allt ostkaka, pajer och tårtor vid anläggningen i Frödinge utanför Vimmerby.
Mejeriet har märkt en hårdare konkurrens, men målsättningen har också varit något för högt ställd enligt Vd:n Karin Brynell

Tetra Pak launches intelligent beverage pasteurizer that combines economy with ecology
The new generation of Tetra Therm Aseptic Drink pasteurizers enables beverage producers to cut water consumption by up to 80%, energy by up to 30% and product losses by up to 30%, compared to other solutions on the market. This gives higher operational efficiency and lower environmental impact. Thanks to the introduction of an advanced automation system, the new generation units secure operational efficiency and life-cycle performance.
In addition to self-diagnostics, the new generation pasteurizers - which are suitable for juices & nectars, still drinks, tea drinks and enhanced water, including new "wellness" drinks with high value-added sensitive ingredients - include a range of other advanced automation features. For example, the units will automatically identify deviations in process parameters, enabling immediate operator action to maintain optimized operation. And they will provide automatic notification of every maintenance requirement - helping all but eliminate costly, unplanned production stops.
The new pasteurizer is also compatible with the Tetra PlantMaster control system that enables additional intelligence functions such as full traceability, with unit history, batch control and review of all previous actions. These are important aspects that cut the risk of human error and contribute to food safety.
A new balance tank, heat exchangers and deaerators sharply reduce water and energy consumption as well as product loss. Energy consumption is further cut thanks to improved energy recovery through double hot-water circuits.

Danone Testing Powder-Form Yoghurt in Brazil;
Considering Powder-Form Probiotic Products
As part of its plans to pursue its growth in emerging markets and increase its portfolio of "affordable" products, Danone said that it is currently testing yoghurt in powder form in the Brazilian Nordeste region, which represents a cheaper alternative for consumers.
According to Emmanuel Faber, Danone's Co-Chief Operating Officer, who gave a presentation at an investor meeting in Boston yesterday, the product has already received strong consumer acceptance.
He argued that Danone soon expects be in the unique position of being able to offer the benefits of probiotics to consumers who cannot afford or easily get hold of fresh dairy products.
"One day probably, we will also be able also to dry-freeze probiotics, put them into powder form. Their benefits would be revived again after being associated with a liquid", stated Faber.

Conference to debate saturated fat in dairy
A one-day conference will debate the latest science on milk fat and policy options for reducing – or taxing – the levels of saturated fats on dairy.
A raft of scientific studies have linked saturated fat to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Dairy products are a major source of this fat in the diet – but of other important nutrients too.
The conference, organised by European Dairy Association (EDA) and the Danish Dairy Board (in co-operation with the Danish Agriculture and Food Council) will take place in Brussels on 25th September.
Key topics of discussion will be:
* The latest science on milk fat
* The relevance and policy options for saturated fat.
* The proposed introduction of a saturated fat levy in Denmark.
More information is available at http://www.sfc2009.com

Arlas halvårsresultat
Halvårsresultatet på 263 miljoner danska kronor (383 miljoner svenska kronor) påverkas positivt av ett sparpaket på 1 miljard danska kronor som går enligt planerna, lägre räntekostnader, samt intäkter från starka och uppskattade varumärken. Arlas omsättning har minskat med drygt 2 miljarder danska kronor, varav 1,7 miljarder beror på lägre intäkter när brittiska pund och svenska kronor förlorat i värde omräknat till koncernvalutan danska kronor.
Negativa faktorer som påverkar halvårsresultatet är också en minskad försäljning när lågkonjunkturen gör att konsumenter över hela världen handlar mindre och billigare, en stark prispress på mejeriprodukter samt en hård konkurrens mellan butikskedjor inom lågprissegmentet.
Arlaintjäning utgör det fulla värdet på all betalning för mjölken

Grottosten bakom expansion
Försäljningsframgångarna med Grottosten har gett Inger von Corswant på Stafva gård på Gotland blodad tand och nu står Stafva gård inför en investering i 20 miljonersklassen när ett nytt mejeri håller på att byggas, en satsning som innebär en mångdubbling av produktionen. Det nya mejeriet har en yta på 1 800 m² och det är betydande ökning för mejeriet. Kapaciteten är större än vad gårdens mjölkbesättning kan producera i dag.

Världsunik juice gör svenskarna mindre förkylda

Skånemejerier lanserar i september en världsnyhet – förkylningsjuicen Bravo Friscus. Det är världens första probiotiska juice, som stärker immunförsvaret med vetenskapligt bevisade positiva effekter vid förkylningar. De kliniska testerna har otvetydigt visat ett mycket bra resultat, säger docent Corrado Cilio, forskare på Lunds universitet och verksam som barnläkare på UMAS i Malmö.
Det är lundaforskarna bakom ProViva som tagit fram två bakterier som i kombination ger denna verkan vid regelbunden konsumtion. Skånemejerier och Probi har sedan tillsammans utvecklat den nya patentsökta juicen. Skånemejerier blir först i världen med att använda dessa bakterier i en produkt och forskningsföretaget Probi diskuterar just nu en introduktion i ett större antal länder.
Bravo är 100% naturlig fruktjuice och är Nordens största juicemärke. Det enda som läggs till i Bravo Friscus är de två patenterade probiotiska bakterierna; Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 och Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL 9. Bakterierna har i ett flertal vetenskapliga studier visat positiva effekter på olika delar av immunförsvaret.
- Ett regelbundet intag av dessa bakterier har i studier visat sig ge kortare förkylningsperioder samt väsentligt lindrigare symptom under förkylningsförloppet, säger Lena Nyberg, ansvarig för kost och hälsa på Skånemejerier.
Lanseringen har föregåtts av många års arbete på forskningsföretaget Probi i Lund, där ett bibliotek av probiotiska bakterier har sammanställts. Ett urval av dessa bakterier har genomgått en klinisk pilotstudie i Göteborg. Hypotesen var att olika stammar påverkar immunförsvaret på olika sätt som t ex kortare sjukdomsperioder eller minskade symptom. Baserat på resultaten från pilotstudien valdes de två aktuella stammarna ut.
- En större klinisk studie har därefter genomförts i Lund och Uppsala med goda resultat, berättar Probis forskningschef Niklas Larsson. Bakteriekombinationen gör att konsumenten blir fortare frisk från sin förkylning och får minskade symptom.
2008 genomfördes ytterligare en stor klinisk studie i Berlin i Tyskland med 310 försökspersoner.
Studien övervakades av läkare som kontrollerade graden av 13 olika symptom samt längden av sjukdomsperioderna. Enligt försökspersonerna som blev förkylda hade bakterierna en mycket god eller god effekt på 70 % av dem.
- Resultatet är otvetydigt mycket bra, säger Corrado Cilio, barnläkare och docent i immunologi på Universitetssjukhuset MAS. Jag har tagit del av Probis bakomliggande forskning och de kliniska studierna, som alla är genomförda på ett korrekt sätt och med hög vetenskaplig nivå. Den visar att bakterierna stärker kroppens försvar och mildrar och förkortar förkylningar.

Augusti

EU dairy industry is losing market share
The EU dairy industry can be characterised as innovative and a global player, but it is losing market share since the world market is growing faster than European exports. The improvement in labour productivity and the growth in value added compensate for the loss in market share. Companies in the EU innovate mostly on products and less in marketing, organisation and process. Product innovations are mostly done on varieties, but also very important are innovations on new ingredients (in functional foods). SMEs as well as large companies, including the packaging and ingredients industry, all contribute to innovation. In the large majority of countries labour productivity has improved.
The EU dairy industry is very dominant in the world market and the export value is increasing, but the world market grew faster last year than the EU could meet. New Zealand profits most from the increasing world market demand.
These conclusions are found in a study that LEI Wageningen has carried out for the European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry.
This report is, together with Administrative burdens in de the European food industry, part of the report Food legislation and competitiveness in the EU food industry; Case studies in the dairy industry.

Svensk Mjölk stämmer Lindahls
Svensk Mjölk har lämnat in en stämningsansökan i Marknadsdomstolen mot Lindahls Mejeri. Lindahls säljer ett »Äkta Smör« tillverkat i Holland i en förpackning som är mycket lik Svenskt Smör.
Förpackningen har liknande färger, guldfolie, en svartvit ko och framför allt ett typsnitt i ordet smör som är näst intill identiskt med typsnittet i Svenskt Smör.
– Vi anser att Lindahls medvetet försöker rida på den kännedom och trovärdighet som vi byggt upp för Svenskt Smör. Vår ambition är att få ett beslut om att Lindahls måste upphöra med all marknadsföring och försäljning av sitt smör med nuvarande förpackningsdesign, säger Kristofer Myrevik, chef för marknadskommunikation på Svensk Mjölk.
Inför stämningsansökan har Svensk Mjölk genomfört ett antal undersökningar bland konsumenter. Dessa visar att det finns en mycket stor förväxlingsrisk mellan Lindahls smör och Svenskt Smör.
Undersökningarna visar också att Svenskt Smör har en mycket stark kännedom hos svenska konsumenter, hela 97 procent, vilket är unikt.
– Förtroendet för vår produkt är också mycket starkt.
Varumärket Svenskt Smör ägs av Svensk Mjölk och tillverkas, marknadsförs och säljs på licens av Arla, Norrmejerier och Milko.

A Global Nielsen Consumer report - 1st Half, 2009
Nielsens senaste rapport The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey ger inblick i konsumtionsvanor och konsumenters förtroende för arbetsmarknaden, privatekonomi och vilja att spendera pengar, världen över.

Electronic tongue could aid sweetened formulations
Scientists have developed an ‘electronic tongue on a chip’ to quickly and accurately identifies sweetness, giving manufacturers an inexpensive quality control tool.
The development boasts 100 per cent accuracy over the full range of natural and artificial sweet substances, including 14 common sweeteners, according to findings presented at American Chemical Society's 238th National Meeting.
According to the developers, led by Kenneth Suslick from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the “sensory sweet tooth” could be a simple quality control test to ensure a consistent, predictable flavour for soft drinks, beer, and other beverages.
The new sensor, reportedly about the size of a business card, can also identify sweeteners used in solid foods such as cakes, cookies, and chewing gum, said the researchers.

EFSA publishes guidelines on “active” and “intelligent” substances in food contact materials
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published guidelines for industry on how to submit applications for the safety assessment of active and intelligent substances in materials which are intended to come into contact with food.
In general terms, active food contact materials absorb or release substances in order to preserve or improve the condition of packaged food or extend its shelf life. Intelligent food contact materials monitor the condition of packaged food or the surrounding environment, providing information on the freshness of the food.
Regulation (EC) n° 450/2009 lays out an authorisation process for the use of new active or intelligent substances in food contact materials. The legislation foresees that manufacturers requesting such an authorisation must first submit an application for the assessment of the safety of the relevant substance(s) to EFSA.
The guidelines specify which aspects EFSA will take into account when assessing the safety of active or intelligent substances - for example, their toxicological properties and the extent to which they, or their breakdown products, may transfer into foods.
The document also sets out the types of data that EFSA needs to conduct its safety assessments such as information on the physical or chemical characteristics of the relevant substances, how they are manufactured and their intended uses.
The guidelines were adopted by EFSA’s expert panel on food contact materials, the CEF Panel, on 21 July following a public consultation.
Guidelines on submission of a dossier for safety evaluation by the EFSA of active or intelligent substances present in active and intelligent materials and articles intended to come into contact with food

Major investment for Danisco in the fast-growing cultures market
Frozen cultures capacity to be increased by more than 2000 tonnes
Danisco has announced investments totalling 60 million euros that will add more than 2,000 tonnes to its existing cultures production capacity over the next three years. These investments will meet growing global demand for frozen and freeze-dried Direct Vat Inoculants (DVI) and reinforce Danisco’s leading market position as a cultures supplier.
The additional capacities will be located both in North America, where Danisco is transforming a former enzyme production unit from its Genencor Division into a cultures plant, and in Europe.
With 9% sales growth and 23% profitability growth compared to last year, Danisco Cultures Division is experiencing rapidly increasing market demand as more dairy manufacturers convert from traditional bulk starter cultures to the more reliable DVI solutions.
The steep demand growth curve is also fuelled by the continuous rise of the health & nutrition market, particularly for probiotic cultures in both dietary supplements and functional foods, the development of natural food protective solutions as well as the mainstream trend towards more natural and sustainable products as cultures benefit from consumer friendly labelling.

Nästa halvår blir extremt tufft
Den ekonomiska krisen slår just nu hårt mot Arla och kommer att påverka Arlas verksamhet även nästa år. Resten av 2009 blir extremt tufft för hela mejeribranschen. Risken är stor för att det kommer att påverka mjölkpriset till Arlas medlemmar. Det beskedet fick Arlas styrelse av koncernchefen Peder Tuborgh på sitt senaste möte. Han underströk också att den ekonomiska pressen fortsätter under 2010.
– När vi presenterade Arlas stora sparplan i april hoppades vi att det skulle räcka med att bita ihop en tid och att det sedan skulle komma signaler som tydde på att marknaden var på väg upp igen. Men vi letar fortfarande efter konsumenternas optimism.
– Däremot märker vi att detaljhandeln över hela världen slåss om marknadsandelarna. Det negativa överskuggar just nu det positiva. Jag är orolig för att mjölkpriset kan komma att drabbas, säger Peder Tuborgh. Priskriget och prispressen på mjölkprodukter har kommit till Danmark, Sverige och andra länder. Och det bekymrar Arlas ledning.
– Enkelt uttryckt är lösningen på situationen antingen en stigande efterfrågan eller mindre utbud av mejeriprodukter på världsmarknaden. Vi kan inte kontrollera de tuffa marknadsmekanismer som härskar just nu, fortsätter koncernchefen.

Multi-lane checkweigher
Significant cost and space savings are two benefits claimed for a new multi-lane checkweigher by manufacturers Ishida Europe.
The company said the checkweigher, which can be supplied with up to six lanes, can handle the same volumes as several individual machines, as well as being ideal for stick and flow-wrap packs of confectionery, coffee, tea or milk powder.
The maximum speed per lane is 150 packs per minute. Depending on the pack length and local weights and measures regulations, this means the six-lane models can run up to 900 packs per minute.

Listeria risks from high pressure cleaning
Food plant managers have been cautioned that washing down floor drains with high-pressure equipment could make it easier for Listeria monocytogenes to transfer from the outlet back onto the processing line.
The study by researchers from the Food Safety Consortium at Kansas State University said their previous work had already established that open floor drains in processing facilities can harbour bacteria.
But latest research has found that aerosols “generated by the washing can transfer the bacterial cells away from the drain as intended but onto surfaces where food is being processed a few feet above the floor”, said study author Jasdeep Saini.

Gouda’s 800-year-old secret could benefit flavour for all dairy
German scientists have reportedly cracked the secret of Gouda’s complex, long-lasting flavour, and this could lead to developing more flavourful cheeses and other dairy products.
Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, German scientists report that six gamma-glutamyl peptides that appear to be mainly responsible for the so-called ‘kokumi sensation’ behind Gouda.
“As these gamma-glutamyl peptides might have important implications also to the taste profile of other dairy products, studies on the biogeneration of these kokumi peptides during cheese ripening are currently in progress,” wrote the researchers, led by Thomas Hofmann from the Technical University of Munich.
Gouda was first perfected by farmers in the village of Gouda in Holland about 800 years ago. According to background information in the journal, although many studies over the last three decades have attempted to elucidate the compounds responsible for the complex, long-lasting characteristic taste of the popular cheese, known as the “kokumi sensation”, the answers have eluded researchers until now.

Benecol smoothie courts younger cholesterol-lowering market
McNeil Nutritionals has launched a Benecol smoothie in the UK and Ireland in a bid to reach a younger audience with a product it will market on dual benefits – plant stanol-derived cholesterol-lowering and its fruit content.
The product will retail for about €4 per bottle – a slight mark-up on non-fortified smoothies from major brands such as innocent – with 45-55-year-olds the prime market, according to McNeil Nutritionals, the licensed marketer of Benecol products in the UK and Ireland as well as Belgium.

Facebook and Twitter for a closer relationship with consumers
Symrise places a great deal of importance on consumer research: the aim of the company’s Market & Consumer Research division, for instance, is to identify trends, develop new product concepts and review existing concepts. The company has now established an innovative new subdivision devoted solely to social media.
“You can’t study today’s consumers using yesterday’s methods,” says Dr. Dag Piper, Global Director Sensory & Consumer Sciences at the fragrance and flavorings manufacturer Symrise. In Dr. Piper’s philosophy, “yesterday’s methods” refer to techniques such as traditional surveys of classic focus groups - a company asks the questions and the consumer answers. The results that this method yields are frequently lacking in creativity and fail to reflect all relevant consumer demands.
The internet’s social media paint a very different picture, however: twitter, facebook, studiVZ, myspace and countless other online communities allow users to exchange ideas with each other freely, directly and with no hierarchy. New topics are introduced extremely fast; users make comments on, ponder and forward these new topics just as quickly. Companies can anticipate authentic, emotional responses from consumers to their rational questions. Initial Symrise studies on the subjects of citrus and healthy eating have already shown that the information drawn from a strategic analysis of peer-to-peer communication is far more meaningful for qualitative consumer research than information yielded by previous methods.
Symrise is now integrating these new methods and media as a fixed component of the company’s existing market and consumer research infrastructure. “The classical methods are still justified for addressing specific issues, of course,” Dr. Piper admits. “But the earlier and more direct our efforts to investigate consumer demands, motivations, perceptions and needs, the better. We can’t ignore new media and media formats when conducting consumer research. They offer us authentic, unfiltered consumer feedback – the potential here is simply immense.”

Juli

Skånemejeriers eldar flis
Skånemejerier i Kristianstad, där man tillverkar ost, skall gå över till biobränsle. Från och med hösten 2009 kommer man att elda med flis i stället för med olja. Tack vare denna satsning minskar företaget klimatpåverkan med drygt 90 %.
Med flis som värmekälla kan mejeriet helt räkna bort sina CO2-utsläpp från ångproduktionen. Flis är ett biobränsle från skogsindustrin. Träden använder koldioxiden i luften för att bygga upp sin biomassa som sedan frigörs när den eldas upp. Summan blir noll till skillnad från ett fossilt bränsle som tas upp från depåer i jordskorpan.
- Vi får nästan en klimatneutral ost, konstaterar Skånemejeriers platschef i Kristianstad, Göran Nyström, som påminner att elproduktionen ännu inte är 100 % klimatneutral.

Danone to resubmit EU probiotic health claims
Danone, the French dairy giant, will resubmit withdrawn gut and immunity probiotic health claims to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), after receiving guidance from the European Union’s head science body.
Danone withdrew from the process three article 13.5 emerging and proprietary science gut health and immunity claims in April, stating at the time it sought further guidance from EFSA at its stakeholder’s meeting in June.
The three withdrawn article 13.5 claims are:
• Improves digestive comfort (Activia)
• Improves slow transit (Activia)
• Helps to strengthen the body’s natural defences (Actimel)

Entremont in Talks with Lactalis and Sodiaal; Merger Expected in Early 2010
Europe's leading producer of emmental Entremont Alliance is seeking to join forces with either Lactalis or Sodiaal.
The company is hoping to reach a preliminary agreement with one of the dairy firms by the end of August.
In a recent interview with the French media, Entremont's President Christian Mazuray said that he had not yet received a 'serious' offer and that he was expecting merger talks to be completed by early 2010.
Entremont works with over 6,000 milk producers and accounts for approximately 30% of total milk produced in Brittany. The company has a workforce of about 4,180. Entremont belongs to holding company Unifem, which is 63.5%-owned by Albert Frère of Belgium and 33.5%-owned by French agricultural cooperative Unicopa.

Up to 4 % More Cottage Cheese with MaxiCurd™
DSM Food Specialties has announced a new application for its successful granulated protein hydrolysate, MaxiCurd™. Cottage cheese manufacturers can now benefit from the increased yield and curd strengthening properties of MaxiCurd, and still create a product of exceptional texture, flavour and mouthfeel. MaxiCurd also gives manufacturers greater flexibility by enabling the use of regular skimmed milk when supply of fresh milk is limited, and so delivers further cost savings.
MaxiCurd achieves this improved yield by enabling manufacturers to use a higher pasteurisation temperature without comprising the desired quality and eating enjoyment of the cottage cheese. It works by binding with the whey protein-casein complexes during renneting to stabilise the curds and deliver a consistently firm, high quality cottage cheese. Without MaxiCurd the curds are very weak; leading to excessive losses during handling and an overly soft texture in the final product.

World's First Camel-Milk Chocolates Going Global
Dubai's Al Nassma, the world's first brand of chocolate made with camels' milk, is in talks to expand into new Arab markets, Europe, Japan and the United States, its general manager said on Tuesday.
Al Nassma is also in talks with British department store Harrods and San Francisco's Chocolate Covered to sell its products.
Founded and owned by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Al Nassma was formally established in October last year and aims to produce 100 tonnes of premium camels' milk chocolate a year.
With 3,000 camels on its Dubai farm, the company sells chocolates through its farm-attached store as well as in luxury hotels and private airlines. It plans to launch an online shopping facility within a month, Van Almsick said.

Global Dairy Market Turmoil Left Little Room for Major Consolidation in 2008-2009; Market Conditions to Put Many Companies to the Test in 2009-2010
No major changes have taken place in this year's global Dairy top-20 compared to the previous one. The main event of recent years—the merger between Friesland Foods and Campina—was already incorporated into last year's rankings, and the market turmoil of the last 12 months apparently left little room for major consolidation initiatives.
The next 12 months will likely paint a different picture, as the current market circumstances are putting many companies to the test. The recent demise of Dairy Farmers of Britain in Europe was the main example, but similar solutions may have to be created for other European processors.
Probably the most interesting transaction by a dairy company in 2009 to date was the cross-continental acquisition of the European soy drinks business Alpro by US liquid-milk specialist Dean Foods. The transaction did not affect Dean’s position in the top-20 since this ranking focuses on dairy sales. It does, however, put Dean back on the European retail landscape after earlier unsuccessful attempts in Spain at the beginning of the decade.
The bottom of the chart is the most dynamic part of the ranking. The year 2008 marked the first entry of a Chinese company into the top-20. Given its strong growth in recent years, Mengniu will probably move rapidly towards the top-10. Last year’s melamine crisis proved to be only a temporary dent in the company’s impressive growth pattern.
Next year’s edition will finally see a German company move up the ranking to a spot that does justice to that country’s large domestic market. Assuming Nordmilch and Human Milchunion will bring their ambition to merge to a successful conclusion, they will probably end up close to the number 10 spot. Given the relatively unconsolidated nature of the German market, anti-trust related divestments will probably be less severe than in the case of FrieslandCampina.
The most active consolidators in the last 12 months were Lactalis, Arla Foods and Saputo. Lactalis acquired in France, Croatia, Switzerland, Poland and Romania. It also acquired Numico’s babyfood assets that had to be divested over of anti-trust issues in France and the Benelux. Arla Foods gained a significant foothold in the Netherlands by acquiring the Nijkerk plant of Friesland Foods and also initiated several acquisitions and alliances in Scandinavia and France. Saputo acquired Alto and F&A Dairy of California in the US and Neilson dairy in Canada. (Source: Rabobank International)

Combining a Prebiotic Fibre and a Probiotic Strain May Reduce Allergic Responses to Cow’s Milk
A supplement combining a prebiotic fibre and a probiotic strain may reduce allergic responses to cow’s milk, when used in conjunction with small amounts of whey, says a new study. Mice fed the synbiotic mixture and undergoing oral sensitisation with whey displayed less allergic skin response and a decreased anaphylactic reaction, compared with whey-sensitised mice not receiving the supplement, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutrition.

YoCream announces High Culture™ Frozen Yogurt with HOWARU® premium probiotics
The first soft serve frozen yogurt in the US with beneficial probiotics clinically proven to strengthen the body’s natural digestive system
YoCream announces new High Culture™ Frozen Yogurt with HOWARU® premium probiotics, the first soft serve frozen yogurt in the US with beneficial probiotics clinically proven to strengthen the body’s natural digestive system. YoCream International, Inc. (YOCM), with headquarters and a dairy and manufacturing facility in Portland, OR, is a pioneer and leading producer of frozen yogurt, desserts and beverages in the US.

Christer Åberg ny chef för Arla i Sverige

Christer Åberg blir ny chef för Arla Foods Sverige. Christer kommer från en position som verkställande direktör för det börsnoterade livsmedelsbolaget Atrias svenska dotterbolag Atria Scandinavia AB, som han haft sen 2006.
Arbetet har under de senaste åren präglats av mycket snabb tillväxt främst genom förvärv men även genom organisk tillväxt. Dessförinnan var Christer i 16 år inom Unilever-koncernen, bland annat som verkställande direktör för Unilever Home & Personal Care i Norden, samt i ledande befattningar i Mellanöstern och Europa.
Christer fyller i år 43 och är bosatt i Södertälje tillsammans fru och tre barn. Hela familjen delar ett stort sport- och friluftsintresse.
Christer Åberg kommer att tillträda sin nya tjänst senast den 1 januari 2010.

Tetra Pak launches easy-to-use Tetra Brik Edge
With a larger screw cap and low opening force, Tetra Brik Edge is easy to use whether you are young or old
Tetra Pak today announces the global launch of Tetra Brik Edge, the packaging solution for chilled liquid dairy products designed for consumers of all ages, from children to elderly consumers.

The 34 mm diameter SimplyTwist screw cap on Tetra Brik Edge requires a low opening force, designed to be easy to open, pour and reseal for everyone. The large diameter of the closure is also ideal for smooth pouring of thicker dairy products such as cultured milks and drinking yoghurts as well as milks and flavoured milks. The angled top makes it easier to grip the cap, there is more space for the hand and fingers and, when pouring, the latest addition to the best selling Tetra Brik range doesn't need to be lifted high.
In addition to the consumer research normally conducted when developing new packages, Tetra Brik Edge was tested and developed according to the SRA's internationally renowned methodology. In recognition of the excellent performance of the new package to those with limited hand function, Tetra Brik Edge has been designated "Package of the Year" by the SRA.
The functional benefits of the sloping top panel and package's shape add an eye-catching appeal to Tetra Brik Edge, making it an excellent vehicle for branding. The sloping top provides extra space for additional messages. The package's higher top edge also acts as a support and facilitates stackability. For example, when stacked in a returnable roll container, the top of the Tetra Brik Edge package fits into the bottom folds of the package above it in a jigsaw effect. This results in an efficient use of space, allowing four layers to be stacked.
Tetra Pak also developed an easy-to-carry, eye-catching distribution/display unit for the Tetra Brik Edge. This shelf-ready packaging uses approximately one third less material than those used for other similar packages and can be placed directly in the chiller, minimising labour and stock cost in the supermarket. Because the brand can be printed directly on the package, it is easier to identify in the warehouse which facilitates stocking products on the shelves.
Milch-Union Hocheifel eG, which has been the UHT-milk market leader in Germany for four decades, chose Tetra Brik Edge 1000 ml to enter the chilled dairy market in October. 2008. The package is
Tetra Brik Edge is produced at a capacity of 7000 p/h on the Tetra Pak C3/Flex XH packaging line, providing a cost-effective production solution, ideal for both larger and smaller dairies.

Metabolic navigator: a new tool for product innovations in fermentation
NIZO food research has developed a navigator for bioconversions, an instrument which facilitates the development of biological ingredients and helps to improve industrial and food related fermentation processes.
The food & fermentation industry can now harvest the fruits of the genomics revolution in biological sciences. Sequencing entire genomes of production bugs and starter cultures is not an academic exercise anymore and has become a routine type of analysis. NIZO food has developed a metabolic navigator. This is a computer program that predicts all known metabolic conversions in microorganisms. This tool facilitates the development of biological ingredients and helps to improve industrial and food related fermentation processes.
Food grade bacteria are being used in food & fermentation industry for preservation, to add flavour & texture and for biofortification with health ingredients. Almost all these functionalities are directly linked to the metabolic activities of the fermenting microbes. Metabolic functions of microbes of interest can be extracted from the genome sequence using state-of-the-art computer software programmes (bioinformatics tools). The newly developed metabolic navigator integrates all knowledge of these microbial metabolic functions into easy accessible metabolic roadmaps. These customized roadmaps can be applied for (i) improving biomass & ingredient yield, (ii) quality control of the production medium and (iii) discovery and exploitation of new functionalities of starter cultures. According to Eddy Smid, senior scientist at NIZO and project leader, the metabolic navigators are now ready for routine application in the food fermentation research.

Laktosfri mozzarella
FoodMonitor har besökt mässan TUTTOFOOD i Milano, där hälsa och innovation stod i centrum i många montrar. Ostproducenten Sanguedolce lanserade t.ex. den första laktosfria mozzarellan. Enligt en patenterad process separeras de ingående sockerarterna vid produktion. ”Produkten är ett resultat av det stigande behovet, dvs antalet laktosintoleranta”, kommenterade en representant för företaget.

Tetra Pak acquires Scanima A/S Mixer Division
Tetra Pak announces that it has acquired the assets of Scanima A/S Mixer Division from Denmark-based Scanima A/S, a leading partner in the world of high-quality mixing solutions and spiral solutions – freezers, chillers, proofers and steamers.
The acquisition will provide Tetra Pak with efficient and accurate mixing equipment that ensures a higher and more uniform product quality and increases turnout capacity, particularly for complex ingredients used in the manufacture of high-quality foods such soups, sauces, dressings and beverage products. There is a growing global demand for these types of formulated food products, dry as well as liquid.
“Said Sam Strömerstén, President Tetra Pak Processing Systems: “Scanima mixing technology is considered one of the benchmarks for innovative mixing solutions worldwide and strengthens our end-to-end processing solutions offering. When combined with Tetra Pak’s extensive product portfolio and global organisation we will enable our customers everywhere to meet the increasing demands for formulated products.”
According to the terms of the agreement between Tetra Pak and Scanima A/S, 58 employees will be transferred to the newly formed company Tetra Pak Scanima A/S. (The Scanima Freezer Division will continue to operate under the company name of Scanico A/S.)

Juni

Asia and UHT milk to lead strong growth in aseptic packaging
The global market for aseptically packed products is forecast to climb steeply to 2013 both in terms of pack numbers and volume with strongest growth forecast in Asia, according to a newly published report.
The findings, taken from an industry study entitled “Global Aseptic Packaging” by Zenith International and Warrick Research, projects a sharp increase in aseptic pack numbers – estimated to rise 47 percent from 187bn in 2008 to 265bn by 2013.
Volumes are also likely to see buoyant growth, rising 31 percent from 86bn litres in 2008 to 113bn litres in 2013.

Canadian cheese recall justified after listeria outbreak
A Canadian regional government acted correctly in launching a mass recall of cheese during a listeria outbreak last year but has faced stinging criticisms over its food inspection regime.
Provincial ombudsman Raymonde Saint-Germain delivered her verdict this week following incidents of cheese contamination in Quebec in the summer of 2008 that sickened 30 and were linked to two deaths.
The report found that the province’s agriculture, food and fisheries ministry (MAPAQ) was right in recalling and destroying all cheese products by two processors at the centre of the food scare, as well as all other products that had come into contact with them at over 300 retail outlets.

Milko vill locka ut konkurrenterna på banan
Nu vill mejerikoncernen Milko locka Arla och alla de andra mejeriföreningarna i landet ut på banan för att de tillsammans skall rita om den svenska mejerikartan, skriver NWT.
Vi måste hitta en långsiktigt lösning för mejeri-Sverige. Klarar vi inte detta får alla problem: föreningarna, mjölkbönderna, kunderna och konsumenterna, säger Per Åsling, styrelseordförande i mejerikoncernen , Milko.
Vi hoppas verkligen att Arla och de andra mejeriföreningarna deltar i sommarsamtalen. Annars blir det stor dramatik i mejeri-Sverige, säger Erik Gumabon, VD i Milko.
Vi hoppas verkligen att Arla och de andra mejeriföreningarna deltar i sommarsamtalen. Annars blir det stor dramatik i mejeri-Sverige, säger Erik Gumabon, VD i Milko. [Förstora]
Per Åsling, styrelseordförande i Milko, säger att det är den enskilde mjölkbonden framtid som står i fokus.
– Det är inte rimligt att fortsätta föreningarnas priskrig i kampen om en attraktiv plats i butikshyllorna. Vi måste hitta en långsiktig lösning för mejeri-Sverige. Dagens situation kräver ett prestigelöst mejerihandslag, tillägger han.
– I en tid när mejeriföretagen pressas från två håll, prisdumpning och fallande världskonjunktur, är det mer än hög tid att en ny och bondevänligare mejerikarta utarbetas.
Milko:s styrelse har gett koncernledningen uppdraget att under sommaren föra samtal med samtliga mejeriföreningar i landet.

Buffalo Calf Cloned in India
Scientists at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Haryana, India have successfully cloned a buffalo calf for the second time in the world. The institute had this February cloned the world's first buffalo calf. The second calf named Garima is healthy, scientists said. The calf was born through a caesarean operation that went for nearly an hour,' Rameshwar Singh, official spokesperson of the institute, said.
'Last time we took the donor cell from the ear of the mother buffalo but this time we have taken it from the foetus,' he said. 'The newly-born cloned calf is normal and healthy and weighs 43 kg. However, we have kept it in the ICU (intensive care unit) under the continuous supervision of our scientists. This time we do not want to take any chances.' The first cloned calf died within a few days after suffering from a lung infection. 'This is the world's second cloned buffalo calf and the first one was also cloned here,' Singh said.

Tetra Pak Dairy Index
The Tetra Pak Dairy Index is a biannual report which is designed to help dairy producers identify new opportunities for growth, while offering all industry watchers information on the latest facts, figures, and trends related to the global dairy industry.
The data contained in this report is collected from a variety of Tetra Pak and external sources and analysed by Tetra Pak’s dairy market experts. The Tetra Pak Dairy Index also includes Tetra Pak’s analysis of the industry based on its day-to-day work with dairy customers, governments, non-governmental organisations and local communities around the world to support every aspect of the dairy value chain.
Download the Tetra Pak Dairy Index (PDF, 1MB)

Ny landbrugs- og fødevareorganisation er en realitet
Landbrugsraadet traf tidligt på aftenen onsdag den 3. juni 2009 den endelige beslutning om at etablere den nye organisation, Landbrug & Fødevarer. Mejeriforeningen tilslutter sig organisationen pr. 1. juli.
Formaliteterne kom i går endeligt på plads, og alle parter i den store landbrugs- og fødevarefusion nikkede til hinanden. Det stod klart, efter at Dansk Landbrug i går som de sidste holdt ekstraordinært delegeretmøde, og Landbrugsraadet holdt sit årsmøde og sagde ja til etableringen af den nye fælles organisation Landbrug & Fødevarer.
Mejeriforeningen fusionerer ikke ind i organisationen, men tilslutter sig derimod Landbrug & Fødevarer. I praksis vil en stor del af Mejeriforeningens nuværende aktiviteter derfor blive overflyttet til Landbrug & Fødevarer.
Mejeriinteresserne varetages blandt andet af et Mejeriudvalg, som skal udpeges i den nærmeste fremtid.
”I mejeribruget har vi tradition for at stå sammen om erhvervets specielle forhold, kvalitet og samfundsmæssige betydning. Dette sammenhold kan med denne model bevares, samtidig med at vi ser muligheder for at styrke erhvervets samlede interessevaretagelse gennem Landbrug & Fødevarer,” udtaler Mejeriforeningens direktør Michael Stevns til månedsmagasinet mejeri.
Mejeriforeningen vil fortsat eksistere som selvstændig organisation, men skal løse færre opgaver. Nogle af de fortsatte arbejdsopgaver bliver varetagelse af Mejeriforeningens formue og administration af varemærker som fx LURPAK-mærket.

China's New Hope Invests USD 14.6 Mln in Dairy Business as it Seeks to Become Nation's Leading Producer of Fresh Milk
New Hope is planning to invest approximately RMB 100 million (about USD 14.6 million) in its dairy operations, said the Group's New Hope Group Board Chairman Liu Yonghao.
The lion's share of the investment will go towards the company's new pasture, scheduled to open in Shilin, in the Yunnan Province, next week. It is understood that the new pasture will add 3,000 dairy cows to the company's herd.
Another part of the investment will be used for research on new product development and food safety testing.
Yunnan's dairy industry has only just started to recover from last year's melamine crisis. New Hope believes it is in a good position to cater for the growing demand for milk products, and, thanks to its focus on quality, the Group said not only will it strengthen its milk production, but will also ensure sufficient supply.
According to industry data, from 2005 to 2008, the consumption of liquid dairy products in China grew by a compound annual growth rate of 13.4%, reaching a record high of 27 billion litres in 2008.
Liu Yonghao recently told reporters that domestic expansion in the group's core agriculture business would be the focus of its investments. The Xuelan dairy project, therefore, is in line with the group's strategy, which also includes the target of becoming China's leading producer of fresh milk in by 2014.
He added that New Hope's sales this year could amount to RMB 55 billion, an increase of 10 billion year-on-year.

Maj

Danone Says Rights Issue to Fund Growth in Downturn
Danone's planned 3 billion euro ($4.2 billion) rights issue will help it snap up smaller rivals hurt by the financial crisis and aid its growth through the downturn, group executives said on Tuesday.
The French food group said late on Monday it planned to launch a sale of new shares to existing shareholders in coming days, subject to internal and regulatory approvals, sending its shares more than 7 percent lower.
Some analysts were surprised by the size of the issue and cautioned the benefit of the move could be wiped out if minority shareholders in Spain sell their stock to Danone.
"This call to the market aims to enhance the group's financial and strategic flexibility," Oddo Securities analyst Pierre Tegner said, adding the amount was "a little over the top, particularly since the market will not be able to ignore the value of minorities in Spain," estimated at 2.3 billion euros.
Danone, the world's biggest yoghurt maker, said its first rights issue in 22 years would mainly be used to cut net debt which reached 11.26 billion euros at the end of 2008 after its 12.3 billion purchase of Dutch food maker Numico in 2007.
The move will help Danone "travel through the more difficult macroeconmic times of the next several quarters and half-years and still continue to build the momentum of the growth model," co-Chief Operating Officer Emmanuel Faber said.
The economic downturn could provide opportunities to buy rivals hit by tough trading conditions, Faber told a conference call with analysts, adding that deals would be worth tens or hundreds of millions of euros and no more.
"There's absolutely no plan for any major acquisitions in the coming weeks or months," he said. Danone planned to be a "proactive contributor" in the consolidation of the medical nutrition industry over the next few years, he added.
Danone aimed to expand its dairy business in countries with significant growth potential. Acquisitions were not likely in the near future in its bottled water business.

Premier Is solgt til Erhvervsinvest
Nestlé Norden har indgået aftale med Erhvervsinvest om salg af Premier Is. Premier Is blev grundlagt i 1927 og er den ældste isvirksomhed i Danmark. Virksomheden er en af de førende udbydere af iskremprodukter. Premier Is har i 13 år været ejet af den schweiziske fødevarekoncern Nestlé, men Nestlé Norden har besluttet at fokusere på sine andre lokale kerneaktiviteter.
Erhvervsinvest har nu indgået aftale med Nestlé Norden om køb af Premier Is og har desuden licens til at fortsætte Nestlés internationale brands indenfor issortimentet i Danmark.

Dangerous Cheese Hunt

Cheese rolling, an ancient ‘sport’ where dairy-mad daredevils charge down a 60 metre slope to chase a 3.5kg wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, is thought to date back 200 years and continues to create global fascination along with the occasional injury.
Visit http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/

Danone plans new innovation centre to open in Utrecht Science Park in 2012
Danone intends to make a significant investment to strengthen its Research and Development presence and expertise in Specialised Nutrition (Baby Nutrition and Medical Nutrition) in The Netherlands. It plans to integrate its Dutch-based R&D activities in a new innovation centre in Utrecht. The opening of the new centre is planned for 2012.
The project to open a new integrated centre for R&D in 2012 will mean the transfer of activities in Research and Development from the four existing Dutch sites.

USDA looks to organic supply welfare in new dairy study
A study is underway in the US to offer what researchers claim will be the most comprehensive insight yet into the impacts of organic farming on the health of livestock in attempts to ensure better practices for suppliers.
Professor Pamela Ruegg of the University of Wisconsin will head the research, which forms part of a US department of Agriculture (USDA) focus on wider organic production, to identify key areas related to cattle management and livestock health.
“The most important focus is to identify practices that help farmers optimise animal health and well being,” she states. “Control of mastitis, production of high quality milk and management practices that contribute to enhanced animal well being are all of interest to us.”
Ruegg said that over the next 18 months, the research team is expected to perform 300 visits to farms to study current production techniques. The researchers say they have already completed three farm visits in Wisconsin, with similar testing beginning across New York and Oregon in the coming weeks.
Ruegg says that with US Organic standards related to production already in place, her team will look to determine general farmer practice in ensuring dairy animal health.

Skånsk ekomjölk till Danmark en groda
På Skånemejeriers stämma den 27 april i år berättade Björn Sederblad för medlemmar och press om en ny affär i Danmark som krävde mer ekologisk mjölk från Skånemejerier. Det handlade om fem miljoner kilo mjölk som skulle levereras från Skånebönderna till Lögismose mejeri. Där skulle mjölken förädlas och säljas till en hemlig dansk kund, skriver ATL.
Enligt Skånemejeriers vd Björn Sederblad är affären med ekomjölken "ett missförstånd hela vägen".
- Vi har inte ett kilo ekologisk mjölk hos Lögismose. Vi är inte inblandade i deras affär med en dansk kund.

Mejerividen.dk – ny hemsida från Mejeriforeningen
Hemsidan vänder sig till studenter och lärare som ägnar sig åt studier inom mejeriområdet. Länk www.mejerividen.dk

Bunge to Acquire Raisio's Margarine Business
Bunge and Raisio have signed an agreement on the sale of Raisio’s margarine business to Bunge. Bunge Limited is a global company that specialises in foods, the processing and sale of agricultural commodities, as well as fertilizers. The value of the transaction is EUR 80 million. The transaction will also make Bunge a new and significant Benecol partner for Raisio.
The transaction will require the approval of the competition authorities. The duration of authority processing will determine the timing of the transaction, which is currently expected to take place in the third quarter. The buyer will pay the acquisition price in cash. After tax and expenses the sales profit from the divestment is expected to be some EUR 42 million. Raisio’s equity ratio is estimated to be about 72 per cent after the transaction.
The transaction encompasses the margarine plants in Finland and Poland, as well as several brands, the best known being Keiju, Makuisa, Masmix and Pyszny Duet. Bunge will also have a licensing agreement concerning the Sunnuntai and Carlshamn Mejeri brands. Around 330 of Raisio’s Finnish and Polish employees will be transferring to Bunge.
Bunge Limited (www.Bunge.com) is a leading global agribusiness and food company founded in 1818 and headquartered in White Plains, New York. Bunge's over 25,000 employees in over 30 countries enhance lives by improving the global agribusiness and food production chain. The company supplies fertilizers to farmers in South America, originates, transports and processes oilseeds, grains and other agricultural commodities worldwide, produces food products for commercial customers and consumers and supplies raw materials and services to the biofuels industry. The main product groups in the Bunge's foods division are margarines, bottled vegetable oils and mayonnaise. The Group's consolidated net sales in 2008 totalled USD 52.6 billion (EUR 39.6 billion). The company has a strong market position in bottled vegetable oils in Europe and also in margarines in Poland and Germany.

Svensk valuta hjælper mejeri
Den lave svenske kronekurs har hjulpet Skånemejerier ind på det danske marked, hvor den billigste mælketype nu sælges i Dansk Supermarkeds butikker, skriver Ritzau.
I halvanden uge har danskerne kunnet købe frisk svensk minimælk fra Skåne i landets 400 Netto-butikker, i de 80 Føtex- og i de 14 Bilka-varehuse, men Arla afviser, at det er starten på en ny mælkekrig.
Det er første gang, svensk mælk fylder op i de danske kølemontre, og indkøbsdirektør Claus Ravnsbo fra Dansk Supermarked oplyser, at detailkoncernen foreløbig regner med at sælge 25 millioner liter svensk mælk det næste års tid, og med udsigt til, at det svenske sortiment udvides i de danske butikker.
Det er fra Skåne Mejeriernes anlæg i Malmø at mælken nu dagligt distribueres via Dansk Supermarkeds fødevareterminaler i Køge, Vejle og Nr. Snede.

World's food safety labs ready to detect melamine
Most laboratories worldwide are capable of detecting melamine in food, according to a new study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Levels of the harmful substance in food samples were measured accurately by more than 70 per cent of the laboratories taking part in the study. The results suggest that the global response to last year’s contaminated milk scandal in China has been effective, according to JRC.

Satsar 20 miljoner på nytt mejeri
När Stafva gård 2003 satsade en 600 000 kronor på småskalig osttillverkning i gamla pannrummet kallade Patrik von Corswant det för ett högriskprojekt. Nu investerar Stafva 20 miljoner kronor i ett nytt gårdsmejeri, skriver Helagotland.se.
Det blir ett tvådelat mejeri, med en del för produktion och en för besökare. I entrén kommer besökaren att mötas av ett mjölkliknande vattenfall. Man går sedan en trappa upp och genom glasade väggar kommer man att kunna följa produktionen.
På övervåningen finns även försäljning av mejeriprodukter, men även kafé och restaurang för besöksgrupper. Genom glas i restauranggolvet kommer man att se rätt ner i ostlagret.
Ett besök på Stafva ska ge en möjlighet att följa produktionen från kohagen till ostlagret. Gårdsmejeriet blir ett av få i landet som kan visa upp hela kedjan.
Med det nya mejeriet nära tiodubblas produktionen av ost. Nuvarande ystkar på 500 liter kompletteras med två nya på 1 500 liter vardera. All mjölk från gårdens 80 kor kommer att gå åt i den egna produktionen, så vid årsskiftet sade gården upp avtalet med Arla. Ännu ett tag rullar mjölkbilen till Visby, men snart kommer mjölken att ledas direkt i rör från ladugården till det nya mejeriet.

Arla vill satsa på biogas
Arla vill gå över till biogas vid anläggningen i Visby, uppger SR Gotland.
Arlas mejeri i Visby köper i dagsläget olja och el för 21 miljoner kronor om året. Förhoppningen är att kunna ersätta hälften med biogas och därmed gynna både miöjön och den egna plånboken.
Arla Foods har inlett förhandlingar med Biogas Gotland AB. Det sistnämnda företaget vill dock först bygga klar sin anläggning i Alva för att testa tekniken. Skulle det bli aktuellt att leverera till Arla kommer Biogas Gotland förmodligen att bygga en anläggning även i Bro.

Åsens Lantmjölk i ny förpackning
Åsens Lantmjölk är väldigt uppskattad för sin smak och sin praktiska förpackning. Nu lanserar Skånemejerier en efterlängtad 1-litersflaska, samtidigt som hela produktserien får ny design.
Det speciella med Åsens Lantmjölk är att den inte är homogeniserad. Det innebär att fettpartiklarna inte har slagits sönder och finfördelats. För att fördela dem i mjölken innan man dricker den är det därför viktigt att skaka förpackningen varsamt.

Danskar byter besvärligt skruvlock
Under de senaste månaderna har kritiken varit massiv mot skruvlocken som danska Arla använder på sina mjölkkartonger på Själland, de sitter hårt och förpackningarna är svåra att öppna, skriver Packnet.se. Därför ska nya och mer lätthanterliga lock utvecklas, men först till hösten får de danska mjölkkonsumenterna förpackningar som är lätta att öppna.
Under de senaste veckorna har alla Arlas mjölkförpackningar som har de aktuella skruvlocken levererats med några ursäktande rader och informationen att locken ska bytas ut så snart som möjligt.
Förpackningarna, som är Tetra Rex takåsförpackning, konverteras och fylls vid Arlas mejeri i Slagelse och säljs sedan en månad på Själland. I övriga delar av Danmark säljs en snarlik förpackning från en konkurrerande producent, förpackningar som hittills inte vållat några problem.
Bytet av skruvlock innebär modifieringar av maskinlinjerna vid mejeriet, och Arla Danmark svarar för dessa förändringar liksom utvecklandet av en förändrad förslutning.
Även tidigare har mjölkförpackningarna som Arla levererar på Själland varit föremål för klagomål från konsumenterna, då en förslutning med en oblat med dragring under skruvlocket användes. Denna slopades dock strax efter påskhelgen och ersattes av det tätare skruvlocket - som även det möttes av kritik och nu alltså ska få en ersättare.

Holländskt mejeri blir del av Arla
Arla Foods kan från och med den 4 maj officiellt överta mejeriet i Nijkerk från Royal FrieslandCampina i och med att alla relevanta myndigheter har godkänt överenskommelsen. Med lokal produktion av färska mejeriprodukter i Holland har Arla Foods nu fått en femte kärnmarknad, utöver Sverige, Danmark, Storbritannien och Finland.
Med godkännande från EU-kommissionen, de holländska konkurrensmyndigheterna (NMa) samt Friesland Nijkerk Works Council övertar Arla Foods mejeriet Friesland Foods Fresh Nijkerk från det nyfusionerade Royal FrieslandCampina. I samband med detta byter mejeriet namn till Arla Foods B.V. i Holland.
Mejeriet producerar hela sortimentet av färska mejeriprodukter för den holländska marknaden, bl a under det lokalt välkända varumärket Friesche Vlag, som Arla Foods samtidigt har licens för i minst 10 år. Som en del av avtalet ska Royal FrieslandCampina dessutom försörja mejeriet med mjölkråvara fram till 1 januari, 2017.

Nyt mejeri på LIFE
Torsdag 14. maj 2009 er der indvielse af det nye mejeri: Pilot Plant på Institut for Fødevarevidenskab, Rolighedsvej 30, Frederiksberg.
Mejeriet skal styrke undervisning og forskning i mejeriteknologi og procesteknologi og er blevet til i samarbejde med mejeriindustrien, ingrediensindustrien og udstyrsindustrien.
Programmet er som følger:
13.30 Seminar om Pilot Plant i fremtidens forskning og uddannelse. Seminaret er i aud. 3-03
14.30 Indvielse af ny Pilot Plant
15.00 Åbent hus og smagsprøver i Pilot Plant
Alle er velkomne, men der er begrænsede pladser så husk tilmelding på ifv@life.ku.dk senest 6. maj 2009.

New version of Tetra Tebel Casomatic
Tetra Pak launched a new version of Tetra Tebel Casomatic which enables cheese producers to achieve superior and more consistent product quality without compromising food safety – while reducing operating costs and minimising their environmental impact.
Tetra Tebel Casomatic SC 7 is self adjusting for optimal performance during its whole life cycle. Uptime can be increased due to improved hygienic condition of the production. This enables customers to produce cheese and whey more efficiently than ever before.
With the new model fresh water consumption during production and product waste after a full production cycle can be reduced compared to the previous generation. This means large savings reduced cleaning and waste-disposal costs and less impact on the environment.
•Downtime cut by more than 40 percent i.e. CIP-downtime is reduced to only 1.5 hours for a 4 column unit, allowing longer production runs. Due to its new machine design CIP cycles are shorter and less energy and chemicals are wasted.
•Increased hygienic conditions of whey that Tetra Pak can now guarantee coliform counts below 10 cfu/gram (colony forming units) and high thermo-resistant bacteria counts below 1000 cfu/ml even after 22.5 hours of continuous production, ensuring whey quality suitable for high-end whey processing applications.
•30 percent improvement in weight accuracy meaning the weight accuracy has been increased to a variation coefficient even below 0.7, resulting in less cheese cut-off and overweight given away at cheese packaging.
•Reduced product waste by around 95 percent by efficient design of the module results in less waste at the end of a production run. This means regained product value, less cost and effort for waste handling and module cleaning, and increased production uptime.
•Decreasing water consumption enables customers to reduce the consumption of fresh water in production by around 65 percent and the total water consumption – during both production and CIP – will be around 60 percent less.

New evaluation model for food process systems to improve production flow and minimize waste
Researchers from Sweden have developed an evaluation model for food process systems to improve production flow and minimize waste that is based on a Japanese philosophy.
Researcher Karin Östergren, of Lund University and The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, told FoodProductionDaily.com that the model is a simultaneous evaluation of environmental impact and efficiency.
She said that food production is a source of large environmental impact and reducing this can to a large extent be achieved by choice of ingredients but also by environmental efficient processing and management.
Some of the advantages for using the tool to evaluate process efficiency and environmental impact include identifying bottle necks and identifying critical areas of environmental impact. It can also be used in existing process lines as well as a tool for developing new process lines.
The model is not available to buy as a service or as a software package as Östergren said the intention was just to develop a methodology.
However, this method can be applied to any food production process.

April

Enkäten - resultatet
Enkäten som genomfördes för ett par veckor sedan är nu sammanställd, se här. Styrelsen har granskat resultatet noga och kommer att använda detta i den fortsatta planeringen. Styrelsen tackar alla som ställt upp och lämnat synpunkter.

Svårt trängt Milko satsar sig ur krisen
Milko är i kris efter att strategin att sälja mer färskvaror misslyckats och skulderna ökat rekordsnabbt. Föreningens överlevnad hänger nu på bankernas välvilja och på en dyrare "Landskapsmjölk", skriver Land Lantbruk.
Med drygt en vecka kvar till stämman ser det dystert ut för Milko. Förra året försvann pengarna snabbt ur företaget. När 2008 var slut var 105 miljoner kronor taget av checkräkningskrediten, nästan 9 miljoner i månaden i snitt. För att klara krisen har föreningen dess utom tagit en extrakredit på 45 miljoner kronor samtidigt som de obeskattade reserverna på 96 miljoner kronor i stort sett är borta.
- Vi har gått igenom strategin med banken och vi har en bra dialog, lugnar Milkos VD Erik Gumabon. Vi har fortfarande vårt insatta kapital, vi har lån, men vi är inte speciellt oroliga över det hela.

Danone Temporarily Withdraws European Health Claim Applications
Danone has confirmed it has temporarily withdrawn applications to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to make health claims for its products Actimel and Activia.
Agnes Berthet-d'Anthonay, spokeswoman for the French dairy and bottled water giant, said the withdrawal was due to a decision by the European food safety watchdog to hold a meeting with applicants on June 15 regarding recent developments on health claims. The withdrawn claims, made under Article 13.5, are believed to relate to purported benefits in terms of improvements to digestive comfort and slow transit for Activia, and Actimel claims to strengthen the body’s natural defences.
Ms Berthet-d'Anthonay said: “We will resubmit the claims once we have a clearer idea of what the guidelines are”. She added that Danone was not alone in taking such action.
She said the company remained confidant about its claims, citing 24 studies on Actimel and 16 on Activia.
Products making health claims are key to Danone's strategy, particularly in its dairy division which accounted for more than half of the group's revenue in 2008.

Biosensor allows rapid testing of L. monocytogenes in food – study
US and Indian scientists have developed a new biosensor for use in a faster, more sensitive test for detecting the deadliest strain of Listeria food poisoning bacteria, according to an article in the current issue of Analytical Chemistry.
The researchers note that numerous fast, highly effective tests already are available for five of the six known species of Listeria, which use antibodies that signal the presence of the bacteria. However, they claim that no rapid, sensitive tests are available for detecting Listeria monocytogenes.
The scientists explained that their biosensor uses heat shock proteins instead of the antibodies used in other tests, and they said the results of their study showed that their sensor was faster and more sensitive at detecting the bacterium than antibody-based tests, with a microbe capture rate up to 83 per cent higher than antibody-based tests.
Title: Targeted Capture of Pathogenic Bacteria using a Mammalian Cell Receptor coupled with Dielectrophoresis on a Biochip. Authors: Koo, OK; Liu, Y; Shuaib, S; Bhattacharya, S; Ladisch, M; Bashir, R; Bhunia, A.

X-ray can alleviate portion control dairy difficulty - manufacturer
An X-ray inspection system range already used in dairy production to alert against potential contaminants can also offer manufacturers applications in portion control to cut down on waste, claims its manufacturer.
Mettler-Toledo says its Safeline product, which has been on the market for a number of years, can be adapted for various different dairy applications like ice creams and butter to better ensure a product is contaminant-free and sold at the correct weight.
The manufacturer claims that it continues to work with manufacturers to design inspection systems and conveyors that can be tailored for use with existing production lines and cutting technology.
According to Mettler-Toledo, cutting can be a particular problem for dairy products like cheeses, which, in the case of varieties like emmental, have holes that can distort product mass and measurement.
A spokesperson for the manufacturer told DairyReporter.com that Safeline’s detection abilities can be used to analyze a wheel of cheese and more accurately determine through X-ray, where to slice to control weight, reducing product giveaway.
“Holes within cheese can pose a problem for accurate measurement of weight and our mass detection can easily ‘see’ the holes,” stated the spokesperson. “Cheese has a tendency to settle at high production speeds. With our systems, this does not pose a problem for accurate mass detection.”
As part of the design, Mettler-Toledo says the system can also be programmed to automatically reject portions of product that may be under or oversize from reaching the market.
The group said that further portion control developments were not its top priority at present though, with safety being a key driver for ranges like Safeline in regards to product contamination.
“Stainless steel is extremely difficult to detect, and our systems do an outstanding job of this, as well as stone, glass, bone, and other metals,” stated the company spokesperson.

250 jobb ska bort från Arla
Arla ska minska sina kostnader med en miljard danska kronor under 2009. Det innebär bland annat att 300 administrativa tjänster försvinner. Det är marknadssituationen för mejeribranschen över hela världen som nu tvingar Arla in i en mycket hård sparplan. Arlas intjäning och därmed betalningen till ägarna är under stor press. Det tvingar Arla till extraordinära åtgärder. – Efter tre månader in på det nya året är Arlas budget hårt pressad. Minskad försäljning och fallande valutakurser på pund, dollar och den svenska kronan är huvudförklaringen. Och marknaden visar inga tecken på förbättringar under resten av året. Vi måste därför i tid verkställa ett sparprogram, som innebär att en rad projekt får vänta. Vi skjuter upp vissa investeringar, vi minskar våra inköpskostnader och vi måste också friställa medarbetare, säger koncernchefen Peder Tuborgh. De samlade besparingarna förväntas bli en miljard danska kronor och innebär samtidigt att 250 medarbetare förlorar sina arbeten och att 50 lediga tjänster inte tillsätts. Eftersom Arlas produktionsanläggningar kör på full kapacitet kommer uppsägningarna att ske bland tjänstemännen huvudsakligen i Århus, Stockholm, Leeds samt i övriga världen.

Polysaccharides may give edible coatings for cheese
The days of cheeses coated with synthetic substances may be drawing to a close as new research suggests that natural polysaccharides may provide edible coatings for household favourites.
Galactomannan from Gleditsia triacanthos was found to give the best cheese coating properties and prevented mould growth, according to findings in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (JAFC).
“The present work can serve as a guide for the use of new coatings for cheese as alternatives to synthetic coatings and may also be a guide for the study of future new materials for this purpose,” wrote lead author Miguel Cerqueira from the Universidade do Minho in Portugal.
In collaboration with researchers in Brazil, the Portuguese researchers studied three different polysaccharides from non-traditional sources to coat cheese: Galactomannan from Gleditsia triacanthos, chitosan, and agar from Glacilaria birdiae.
“The cheese studied in this work is a cylindrical, yellow, and semi-hard cheese; it is sold unpackaged, covered with a synthetic/ antibiotic coating, and under normal storage conditions, it suffers excessive water loss,” explained Cerqueira. “The present work evaluates the possibility of using functional polysaccharides as coatings on semi-hard cheese.”

Land O’Lakes targets healthier formulation with process cheese
Land O’Lakes has introduced a reduced fat, reduced sodium process cheese designed to aid manufacturers in improving the health profile of their products, without compromising taste or functionality.
Food manufacturers have been increasingly reformulating to reduce sodium, saturated fat and sugar on the back of consumer demand for healthier products, but the challenge has been to retain acceptability of flavor and mouthfeel, as well as the same functional performance of the original product.
Land O’Lakes hopes to tap into this trend with a process cheese that contains 50 percent less fat and 35 percent less sodium than traditional process cheese. But the company said its real success has been in producing the right texture and melting characteristics.

Fler besparingar i Arla väntas
Nedgången i den globala ekonomin fortsätter. Det drabbar även Arla Foods, och koncernchefen Peder Tuborgh varnar nu för att företaget tvingas till ytterligare besparingar. Den ekonomiska krisen påverkar Arla med minskad försäljning som följd – en försäljning som ligger klart under förväntade nivåer efter årets tre inledande månader. Peder Tuborgh räknar därför med att Arla tvingas till ytterligare besparingar inom kort.

Fonterra enters Egypt with new partnership with Arab Dairy
Fonterra announces that it has signed an agreement with Arab Dairy Products Co., one of the leading dairy companies in Egypt, to manage the franchising, processing and distribution of Anchor throughout Egypt.
The partnership includes the manufacture, packing and marketing of Anchor triangle processed cheese and jar cheese, as well as the future distribution of Anchor milk powder products.

Milk and juice consumption hike stimulates growth, claims Tetra Pak
Packaging and processing equipment supplier, Tetra Pak, said it is optimistic about continued growth in the food and drink sectors it operates in despite the difficult global economy.
The company’s CEO Dennis Jönsson, in announcing net sales of €8.8 billion for 2008, said that consumption of basic nutritional food products such as milk and juice continues to grow, which in turn is fuelling the packaging business.
“With our current strategy, investments to meet market needs and drive to continuously improve quality and operational efficiency we are well positioned to support our customers to remain competitive,“ he continued.
He said the group’s sales were up five per cent from 2007 in comparable terms, with the packaging side achieving €7.8bn worth of sales last year - an increase of 4.5 per cent over 2007 – and he added that the sales of processing systems reached €949m, up 9.3 per cent over the previous year.
The company said that continuing growth in Central and South America, the Middle East, China, South and Southeast Asia and also in North America and Southern Europe drove the increase on the packaging front, while the processing side of its business benefited from new sales generated by the acquisition of two specialist food processing firms as well as sales growth in virtually all regions.

Skånemejerier levererar till Dansk Supermarked
Snart går skånsk mjölk över sundet. Enligt uppgift till ATL är minimjölken av Dansk Supermarkeds eget märke Engholm och det rör sig om 25 miljoner kilo mjölk som Skånemejerier ska producera åt den danska koncernen. Det utgör en fjärdedel av den totala produktionen på Skånemejeriers mejeri i Malmö.

Ursprungsmärkt skånsk mjölk
Som första större mejeri i Europa har Skånemejerier infört en ursprungsmärkning på sina mjölkförpackningar. En sifferkod anger detta ursprung, och konsumenten kan via Internet ta reda på varifrån mjölken kommer.
De första förpackningarna som får märkningen är Åsens lantmjölk, en icke homogeniserad mjölk producerad av mjölkbönder på Söderåsen och tappad på tvåliters plastdunkar av formblåst HDPE.

Full produktion i Falkenberg
På Falkenbergs mejeri går produktionen för fullt, trots lågkonjunkturen, skriver Hallands Nyheter. Delvis med dansk hjälp, för sedan december kommer delar av råvaran, mjölken, från Danmark.
– Det går bra för hushållsosten. Kanske för att den passar bra i budgettider. Många barnfamiljer köper den och de tycker väl att det är en bra ost till bra pris, säger Kjell Ek, mejerichef på Falkenbergs mejeri.
En annan anledning kan vara att det inte finns någon direkt konkurrent när det gäller hushållsost. Falkenbergs mejeri är Sveriges största tillverkare. De konkurrenter som finns jobbar med mycket mindre kvantiteter. Härifrån exporteras även en hel del till Ryssland, Spanien och Finland.
Falkenberg, som omsatte 900 miljoner kronor i fjol, tillverkar både den kända hushållsosten men även ”blockosten”. Den senare förädlas sedan av andra producenter för att till slut bli pizzaost och gratängost. Till skillnad från hushållsosten är konkurrensen stor när det gäller blockost. Där finns de stora konkurrenterna i länder som Holland och Tyskland.

Omega-3 Doesn’t Heal Hearts
For patients who have suffered a heart attack dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids added to optimal medical therapy offers no additional benefits, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 58th annual scientific session. ACC.09 is the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, connecting cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists to the latest and most innovative findings in cardiovascular science.
The OMEGA trial found no significant differences in the rates of heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death or death from any cause among patients assigned to guidelines-based optimal medical care alone or optimal medical care plus omega-3 fatty acids. The findings contradict those of previous studies, which suggested that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids improves long-term survival. However, those studies were conducted when treatment for heart attack, or myocardial infarction, was less advanced than it is today.

Amoeba Major Source of Salmonella, Scientists say
Scientists at Liverpool, in collaboration with the Institute for Animal Health, have shown that Salmonella use a secretion system to protect themselves inside amoeba - a single-celled organism living on land and in the water. The research suggests that amoeba may be a major source of Salmonella within the environment and could play a significant role in transmission of infection to man and animals.
Salmonella uses a system, called SP12 type III, which acts as a bacterial machine inside organisms and causes disease in humans, animals and plants. The system employs a 'syringe-like' mechanism to inject bacteria into cells that would normally release compounds to rid the body of harmful substances. This system changes the structure of the cell and prevents these compounds from coming into contact with pathogens and destroying them.
Dr Paul Wigley, from the National Centre for Zoonosis Research, based at the University's Leahurst campus, explains: "Salmonella has managed to survive extremely successfully in the environment, finding its way into our food and causing illness, despite the body's best efforts to fight it off. We found that it uses a system which operates in the human immune system as well as inside amoeba living in the environment. This system essentially protects Salmonella within cellular compartments, called phagosomes, where it can survive and multiply.
"Its ability to survive in amoeba is a huge advantage to its continued development as it may be more resistant to disinfectants and water treatment. This means that we need to work to understand ways of controlling amoeba in water supplied to animals and prevent it acting as a 'Trojan Horse' for Salmonella and other pathogens."

Complete Filtration Resources comes to Europe
A US supplier of filtration equipment for processing milk or whey proteins and recovering cheese brine hopes to push further into the European market with new offices for technical support and production in the bloc.
Complete Filtration Resources (CFR) says that the inauguration of a European divisional office in London, along with manufacturing operations in Italy, will allow the company to supply demand for filtration products geared to the changing needs of dairy groups.
According to the manufacturer, which has already been operating in Eastern Europe for two years, the new offices will allow offer technical support for European demand in Ultrafiltration (UF), Nanofiltration (NF), Microfiltration (MF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology.

Mars

Dairy prices have been cut by more than half during the last few months to a five-year low
Dairy prices have been cut by more than half during the last few months to a five-year low and may have struck a trough but any significant rebound is unlikely until global economies start to revive.
"I think there do seem to be some signals that we have reached the bottom but I wouldn't go as far as to say we are going back on an upward trend," Rabobank dairy analyst Mark Voorbergen said.
"The only thing that will really change prices is when demand picks up and that will be strongly linked to the overall economic trend," he added.
A dairy price index published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) fell to 114.3 last month, less than half its late 2007 peak of 268.6 and the lowest level since February 2004.
"The dairy market went through an unprecedented price spike (in late 2007) but has been in freefall since last summer," FAO senior commodities economist Merritt Cluff said.
"I don't think it will go much lower than this but there is scope for it to go lower," he said, adding prices remained far above a trough in 2002 when the index tumbled to 71.7.
Analysts said the sharp rise in prices in 2007 prompted some dairy farmers, particularly in the United States, to boost production. Demand has been weakened by the economic downturn with key importers such as Russia cutting purchases.
Russia emerged as a major importer of products such as cheese in the 1990s as livestock numbers fell in the aftermath of the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Rabobank's Voorbergen said stocks of cheese had built up in Europe with export demand curtailed by the economic downturn.
He noted consumption was also hurt by high retail prices.
"Retail prices in dairy are still relatively high although at the wholesale level prices are coming down quite rapidly," Voorbergen said, adding processors were trying to recapture margins which were squeezed during the 2007 price spike.
Analysts said dairy farmers, particularly in the United States, had responded to the drop in prices by culling more cows.
"Supply is gradually contracting in line with demand," Voorbergen said.
The drop in prices has prompted widespread protests from dairy farmers across the European Union and led to the reintroduction of support measures such as export refunds early this year to boost domestic prices.
"The EU since the beginning of the year has been selling product at subsidised rates on world markets and that has helped to drive (international) prices down," FAO's Cluff said.
The European Commission, in a report this week, said in the short term the dairy sector should continue to be dominated by the consequences of the economic crisis.
"The pronounced decline in the prices of dairy products during the most recent months is expected to induce a substantial fall in the producer price of milk in 2009," the report said.
"This should lead to a slight contraction in EU milk production over the short term."
EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said last week all available steps would be taken "to keep the boat floating in the dairy sector".
"I'm always cautious to predict anything but I do think there's a light at the end of the tunnel," she said. "And it's not a train coming."

Protein drinks expanding despite health scepticism
Milk and fruit drinks enriched with proteins are growing beyond niche market of exercise junkies by broadening into other functional areas like satiety and clinical nutrition, according to Zenith International.
While potential is thought to be strong for the segment, with innovation including smoothies and juice products fortified with supplementary proteins like whey, there is strong competition in a congested functional market, said the analyst.
In the group’s latest report, public scepticism of some health claims as seen was one of the major challenges facing manufacturers of ready to drink protein beverages. The group stated that besides creating a product with strong taste, evidence backed health benefits were therefore as important to the industry.

Edible film may kill bacteria in refrigerated foods
Lactoperoxidase (LPS) incorporated edible film has good potential for bacterial inhibition use in refrigerated foods as well as meat, poultry and seafood, claims a new study in the journal, Food Microbiology and Safety.
Antimicrobial edible films and coatings have received attention since they have a good potential to delay microbial spoilage of food and to reduce the risk of surface contamination of food by microorganisms.
According to the researchers, incorporation of biopreservatives, especially bacteriocins and antimicrobial enzymes, as well as plant extracts into edible films have gained significant interest in the food industry due to their greater acceptance by the increasing number of consumers seeking ‘natural’ products.
The authors of the study said that the enzyme, LPS, which is often used to improve the microbial quality of milk and cheese, has a broad antimicrobial spectrum, and they added that the concept of using the enzyme in antimicrobial packaging is quite novel.

Nedläggningshotat mejeri kan få ny ägare
Landstinget vill lägga ned det kända mejeriet på Rösta i Ås, skriver Östersundsposten.
– Jag hoppas vi kan fortsätta. Vi behöver det verkligen, säger Bodil Cornell vid Eldrimner.
Eldrimner är det nationella resurscentrat för mathantverk i Sverige och det ligger i Ås. När Eldrimner ordnar kursdagar och matmässor brukar ostkaren på Rösta mejeri vara omringade av kursdeltagare som tittar på, rör om och lyssnar till någon inbjud en expert.
Därutöver har mejeriet fungerat som affär med ägg, ost och andra produkter.
Landstinget är ansvarigt för mejeriet eftersom det byggdes upp som del i hushållsutbildningen vid Rösta. Men nu har mejeriet hamnat på listan över verksamheter som ska läggas ned.
– Det är tråkigt, men vi hoppas att vi kan fortsätta och hitta en väg för det nationella resurscentrat att ta över verksamheten, säger Bodil Cornell, verksamhetsledare vid Eldrimner.

Kogödsel kan värma Gäsene mejeri och ett 50-tal villor
Under snart ett år har lantbrukare i Herrljunga och Vårgårda diskuterat hur man ska kunna framställa biogas av flytgödsel. I klartext handlar det om skit och urin från nötkreaturen.
Teknik att klara det finns idag och troligen även ekonomi att göra det. Genom rötning bildas biogas som sedan kan ledas till värmepannor och liknande. Gasen kan även ledas till tankställen för miljöbilar.
I Gäsene är det fyra gårdar som är intresserade att samverka i någon form. Största gården är Fröstorp med över 300 mjölkkor. Den ägs av Kjell-Åke Karlsson, tillika ordförande i Gäsene mejeri.
Om det blir verklighet av planerna nu är oklart. Det hela är på ett mycket tidigt skede, inte ens ett riktigt projekt ännu. Men det lär det bli inom länsstyrelsens landsbygdsutvecklingsprogram. I projektstarten ligger ansvaret på hushållningssällskapet i Sjuhärad.

The next generation of Oxybaby®
The latest version 6.0 of the Oxybaby® analyser from Witt now contains a number of revised features: The cordless device for checking modified atmospheres in food packs is now equipped with a larger display and additional buttons for easier operation.
There are innovations on the inside too: normally used as an alternative to stationary devices for sample checking, it can now store considerably more data sets.
If the measuring needle or filter is blocked, the device now attempts a measurement using its variably controlled pump action. If this fails, a corresponding message is sent to prevent faulty measurements. The interface connection has also been simplified: a single USB port now transfers data transfer and charges the battery.
The 600g featherweight Oxybaby® is available in two versions. The concentration of O₂ or CO₂ in the product is measured using a measuring needle and sealing patches. Thanks to the low sample gas requirement, even the smallest of packs can be reliably tested. Convenient software for data evaluation is included as an option.

Arla vill köpa holländskt mejeri
Arla har lagt ett bud på färskvarumejeriet Friesland Foods Fresh, som accepterats av ägaren holländska Royal FrieslandCampina. Går affären i lås blir Arla nummer två på den holländska marknaden för dryckesmjölk.
Mejeriet ligger i Nijkerk centrala i Holland och säljer årligen 370 miljoner kilo mjölk som kommer från Royal FrieslandCampinas bönder.
Först ska överenskommelsen godkännas av EU:s konkurrensmyndigheter, som i samband med sammanslagningen av Friesland och Campina för några månader sedan, ställde som villkor att delar av företagets konsumtionsmjölksproduktion för den holländska marknaden skulle avyttras.
Med ett köp av Friesland Foods Fresh kommer Arla att få en lokal produktion i Holland med cirka 500 nya medarbetare, ett sortiment baserat på dryckesmjölk och bli nummer två på den holländska marknaden i kategorin dryckesmjölk.
– Till en början var Holland inte definierat som kärnmarknad i Strategi 2013 eftersom våra möjligheter i landet beror på om vi får köpa Friesland Foods Fresh. Men går köpet igenom kommer Holland helt klart att få statusen som en av Arlas kärnmarknader tillsammans med Sverige, Danmark, Storbritannien, Finland, Tyskland och Polen, säger Peder Tuborgh.
Friesland Foods Fresh har i dag cirka 30 procent av den holländska marknaden för konsumtionsmjölk, och cirka 50 procent av private label marknaden för kundernas egna varumärken. Men Arla Foods har större ambitioner på den holländska marknaden.
Det är en av Arla Foods största konkurrenter, Royal FrieslandCampina, som nu kommer att få möta Arla på sin hemmamarknad:
Friesland Foods Fresh hade 2007 en omsättning på omkring 215 miljoner euro, och förvärvet inkluderar förutom verksamheten för konsumtionsmjölk även mark, utrustning och varumärkena Breaker, Milk&Fruit och Melkunie.

Östgöta Mjölk – ny aktör
Östgöta Mjölk är ett samarbete mellan sju stora gårdar, alla med frigående kor året runt.
Gårdarna finns i Östergötland och norra Småland – Gammalstorp, Flytthem, Karlslund, Kättestad, Marås, Odensviholm och Ogestad. Gårdarnas samlade kapacitet är 25 miljoner liter mjölk om året. Eller 70 000 liter om dagen.
Vid lanseringen erbjuder Östgöta Mjölk standard-, mellan- och lättmjölk. Samtidigt blir det en hel del grädde (över) vid produktionen. Den erbjuds i förpackningar från 2,5 dl upp till 20 liter.
Inledningsvis kommer Östgöta Mjölk att tappa sin mjölk hos Emåmejeriet i Hultsfred.

Skånemejerier varslar 25
Skånemejerier i Malmö har i dagarna varslat 25 personer. Orsaken är att företaget förlorat affärer till detaljhandelskedjorna Axfood, Bergendahls och Netto det senaste året - och nyligen även Coop, som inom några veckor byter ut delar av Skånemejeriers sortiment mot Arlas.
- Det sortiment som vi förlorat hos Coop består bland annat av färsk mjölk, grädde och filmjölk som främst produceras på mejeriet i Malmö, varför vi tvingas ta till åtgärder där allra först.

Tankar på att starta ett lokalt mejeri i Växjö
När mjölkpriserna sänks och den ekonomiska situationen för mjölkbönderna blir tuff så väck tanken på att starta ett lokalt mejeri i Växjö.
– Det vore fel att inte undersöka möjligheterna, säger redovisningskonsulten Mats Löfgren, som fått flera bönder i regionen att börja diskutera frågan, till Smålandsposten.
– Jag har en del mjölkbönder som kunder och har tydligt sett effekterna av att behöva producera mjölk till en betalning som är lägre än produktionskostnaden. Efter Arlas senaste prissänkning är frågan var gränsen går? Snart kan det bli Ebberöds bank, säger Mats Löfgren till Smålandsposten och betonar att han inte själv har några tankar på att bli mejerist.

Gooda, Gouda! Solving the 800-year-old secret of a big cheese
Almost 800 years after farmers in the village of Gouda in Holland first brought a creamy new cheese to market, scientists in Germany say they have cracked the secret of Gouda’s good taste. They have identified the key protein subunits, or peptides, responsible for the complex, long-lasting flavor of the popular cheese. That discovery could lead to development of more flavorful cheeses and other dairy products. Their study is in the current issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2009, Volume 57, Issue 4, Pages 1440-1448, doi: 10.1021/jf803376d, “A Series of Kokumi Peptides Impart the Long-Lasting Mouthfulness of Matured Gouda Cheese” Authors: S. Toelstede, A. Dunkel, T. Hofmann

New Test For Detecting Fake Organic Milk
Scientists in Germany are reporting development of a new, more effective method to determine whether milk marketed as "organic" is genuine or just ordinary milk mislabeled to hoodwink consumers.
In the study, Joachim Molkentin and colleagues point out that organic milk has soared in popularity in many countries. Sales in Germany, for instance, rose by almost one-third between 2006 and 2007. Consequently, crooks may take advantage of the situation by marketing increasing quantities of fake organic milk. That situation created a need for better tests to detect the fraud.
To address the issue, the scientists developed a test based on an analysis of milk fat for the ratio of stable isotopes of carbon. They used it to identify milk samples from cows raised on feed containing a higher ration of maize. Such a feeding regimen is typical of conventional milk production.
Organically raised cows are fed less maize but more pasture feed. In addition, the team identified a significant difference in the alpha-linolenic acid content of milk fat between organic and conventional milk samples. Organic milk typically has a higher alpha-linolenic acid content than conventional milk.

Packaging ink migration ruling challenged
Tetra Pak said it is appealing a ruling by an Italian judge who sentenced both the global packaging equipment supplier and food giant Nestle to pay compensation to a party based on the presence of a packaging chemical in baby milk, FoodProductionDaily.com writes.
According to the ANSA news agency, the Sicilian court ruled that Nestle Italia and Tetra Pak International were responsible for the ‘psychological prejudice’ suffered by the parents of two girls when they became aware that the infant formula their daughters had consumed was contaminated by IsopropilThioXantone (ITX).
Italy’s food safety regulators detected ITX in some batches of Nestle baby milk in 2005, sparking a massive recall at the time. The packaging had been produced by Tetra Pak, and the ink curing agent was found to have migrated from the carton into the milk
Linda Bernier, director of corporate PR for Tetra Pak, told FoodProductionDaily.com that the company was restricted in the comments it could make as the appeal case is pending but she stressed that seven other similar cases brought by plaintiffs in the intervening years were dismissed as groundless by the judges in question.
She said that Tetra Pak no longer uses the chemical ITX for its food packaging, and has switched to printing methods that do not use photo initiators, even thought the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) concluded at the time that ITX posed no danger to human health at the levels found in the products.

Patented: Cultured Dairy Products and Methods of Manufacture
The present invention is directed to cultured dairy products and more particularly to cultured cream cheese compositions which are prepared without a whey-separation step and which have reduced levels of cultured dairy materials. The present invention also relates to methods of making such cultured dairy or cream cheese products. The cultured dairy or cream cheese products contain a considerable quantity of non-cultured dairy material (generally greater than about 60 percent, and preferably about 70 to about 80 percent, of the total dairy protein).
Inventors: Sweley; Jess C.; (Omaha, NE) ; Smith; Gary F.; (Glenview, IL) ; Apel; Lisa J.; (Evanston, IL) ; Kincaid; Carrie M.; (Evanston, IL) ; Kalamas; Thomas M.; (Castorland, NY) ; Cha; Alice S.; (Northbrook, IL) ; Barton; Dawn J.; (Evanston, IL), Applicant: KRAFT FOODS GLOBAL BRANDS LLC, Publication Date: 19/02/2009, Application Number: 20090047386

Arla startar produktion av vassleproteiner i USA
Att etablera lokal produktion av vassleproteiner i USA stod högt på prioriteringslistan när Strategi 2013 presenterades för några månader sedan. Nu har Arla Foods Ingredients skrivit under ett avtal om samarbete med det amerikanska mejeriföretaget Green Meadows Foods.
- Vi räknar med att produktionen kan starta till sommaren. Att vi nu på allvar kommer in på världens största marknad för vassleproteiner ger oss helt nya möjligheter, säger Henrik Andersen, direktör i Arla Foods Ingredients.

Februari

Dairy Giants Reject Growth Hormone
Consumer concerns about a synthetic growth hormone used in milk production have prompted two leading food producers in the United States – General Mills and Dannon – to reformulate their dairy product lines, DaryReporter.com says. It is a decision that will have immediate implications on the dairy market as a whole, but could also mark a turning point in the use of new technologies in food production in general.
rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin), a synthetic hormone that promotes milk production in cows, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993. Since then, it slipped into the milk supply chain in the country, used as a means to improve production capacity and efficiency.
Both General Mills and Dannon said their commitment to move away from milk sourced from rBST-treated cows is a direct result of consumer demand. “This is largely a result of our contact with consumers – when they call or write to us we react to what they have to say,” Dannon said.
Together, the two companies claim around two thirds of the entire US dairy market. Their rejection of a technology that has been approved as safe by FDA will essentially wipe out its use in the large part of the dairy market.

Central Kenya Dairy on Youtube
Central Kenya Dairy, a dairy association in Kenya whose experience describes the set-up of partnerships in order to improve the dairy production quality, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQUYvTHXfrw

The European Dairy Energy Website
The European Commission has funded a project that provides information to dairy farmers on achieving energy efficiency – which could ultimately also bring down costs for dairy product manufacturers.
To achieve a long term sustainable supply of energy for electricity, heating, cooling, fuel, industrial processes and food, we need to radically reduce our use of fossil fuel and uranium. At the site www.dairyenergy.eu you can discover how to cut your energy costs by up to 50%, discover why some farmers use up to 75% less energy than others, get free and practical information on energy saving practices, devices and technology, tap into renewable sources of energy and reduce your dependence on expensive fossil fuel based energy and share opinions, advice and knowledge with dairy farmers and energy experts throughout Europe.

Uppländsk mjölk under eget varumärke
Sju uppländska mjölkproducenter lanserar sin mjölk under det egna varumärket Sju Gårdar. Produktionen är certifierad enligt Krav och Svenskt Sigill och utgör en femtedel av all uppländsk ekomjölk. De sju gårdarna samarbetar med Gefleortens mejeri samt med Milko och mjölken kommer bara att säljas i Uppland.
– Förutsättningar finns att mjölken från dessa sju gårdar kan klimatcertifieras, när regelverket är klart efter halvårsskiftet 2009, säger Sören Persson, Svenskt Sigill, som tar fram reglerna tillsammans med Krav.

JO Bolaget upphör
Arla siktar på att öka juiceförsäljningen i Norden. För att nå målsättningen har en ny nordisk organisation skapats, vilket innebär att svenska JO Bolaget ändrar namn till Rynkeby Foods, som sedan tidigare finns som företagsnamn i Danmark. I och med den nya organisationen skapas även nya möjligheter till samordning, vilket sparar pengar. De svenska varumärkena JO®, God Morgon ® och Sagolika® kommer att finnas kvar efter namnbytet.

Boxholms mejeri satsar
Boxholms mejeri storsatsar under det kommande året. Bland annat ska lokaler byggas ut och nyanställning ske, skriver Dagens Industri.
Boxholms mejeri planerar att under våren öka kapaciteten med 25 procent och nå en årstakt på 2100 ton.
För att uppnå detta kommer företaget nyanställa. Dessutom ska lokaler byggas ut, en tredje ystningstank och saltningsbassänger installeras.

Ökad optimism på Värmlands mejeri
Nu investerar den tyske affärsmannen, André Yasemin, ytterligare i Värmlands Mejeri i Värmland Nysäter. Mejeriet tillverkar turkisk yoghurt. Nya maskiner är på väg till mejeriet.
– Vi vill utöka produktionen och tillfullo utnyttja mejeriets kapacitet, men problemet är svårigheterna att få fatt på mjölk till rätt pris, säger Hakki Aybar, vd i tyska grossistföretaget Yayla, som ägs av André Yasemin, till NWT.
I dag är produktionen vid mejeriet igång två dagar i veckan. Det motsvarar inneliggande order. Det mesta exporteras till Tyskland.
Nu visar det sig att efterfrågan på turkisk yoghurt ökar kraftigt i Sverige och Finland. Grossistföretaget Tilab i Karlstad är intresserade att utveckla de affärerna.
Problemet är att få lönsamhet i produktionen. Vidare att få rätt fetthalt på råvaran och slippa överskott av mjölk och grädde. I dag betalar Värmlands Mejeri ett pris på cirka fyra kronor per liter. Mjölken kommer från närliggande Guteruds gård, men går vägen via Milko.

Sensitive drinks: matching with the right PET bottle
Stimulating the sensitive drinks market by making it easier to package products in PET bottles: this is the goal for a new service offered by Sidel. The Group is assisting its customers in choosing the most suitable PET material and package shape for their beverages.
The Group offers customers its unmatched expertise with PET, its test equipment and the skills of its team in physics, chemistry and microbiology, helping identify the most suitable material and package to achieve the desired shelf life.
This service builds on Sidel’s existing PET package development offer. From bottle design to material selection, industrial feasibility testing and the control of mechanical performance, Sidel possesses well-recognized expertise in PET packaging development along with its knowledge of beverages.

Sensor designed to sustain frequent cleaning
A new inductive proximity sensor designed for metal object and machine part detection is high temperature, washdown and detergent resistant and is targeted specifically at applications in the food and beverage industry, claims Omron.
Omron USA, sais that the company’s new E2EH sensor can be used with bottling and filling machines, dairy industry clean-in-place applications, bakery ovens and other food and drink handling applications that require a wide temperature range.
The sensor has an in-built amplifier and can deliver maximum sensing capability in the 110-120°C range, as compared to the industry standard inductive proximity sensor range of 60-70°C.

Hindus Plan Cow Urine Drink to Rival Western Sodas
A hardline Hindu organisation, known for its opposition to "corrupting" Western food imports, is planning to launch a new soft drink made from cow's urine, often seen as sacred in parts of India.(Reuters)
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or National Volunteer Corps, said the bovine beverage is undergoing laboratory tests for the next 2 to 3 months but did not give a specific date for its commercial release.
The flavour is not yet known, but the RSS said the liquid produced by Hinduism's revered holy cows is being mixed with products such as aloe vera and gooseberry to fight diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
Many Hindus consider cow urine to have medicinal properties and it is often drunk in religious festivals.
The organisation, which aims to transform India's secular society and establish the supremacy of a Hindu majority, said it had not decided on a name or a price for the drink.
"Cow urine offers a cure for around 70 to 80 incurable diseases like diabetes. All are curable by cow urine," Om Prakash, the head of the RSS Cow Protection Department, told Reuters by phone

Milko lanserar Värmlandsmjölk
Efter den lyckade testlanseringen i Dalarna av Dalamjölk lanserar Milko både Värmlandsmjölk och Landskapsmjölk. Dalamjölken fortsätter att produceras med endast mindre ändringar i förpackningsdekoren.
Alla produkterna är närproducerade inom områdena och ursprungskontrollerade av Svenskt Sigill. Värmlandsmjölken 100 % garanterat mjölk enbart från bönder i det egna landskapet och den mjölken förpackas i Karlstad. Landskapsmjölken innehåller mjölk från gårdar i Ångermanland, Medelpad, Hälsingland och Jämtland och förpackas i Sundsvall.

Danone Ends the Sales of Beauty Yoghurt
French dairy brand Danone will end the sales of its beauty yoghurt Essensis in France. Entering the dermonutrition market appears to be more difficult than expected for the French leading food company.
Launched in February 2007, Essensis did not meet the success the group expected. Despite strong initial sales, volumes rapidly dropped. Danone even had to develop new flavours after market feedbacks pointed out excessive sugar sweetness. However, price appears as the key factor to explain the failure. Marketed as a premium product, Essensis was more expensive than other yoghurts. Furthermore, daily consumption was recommended for visible effects on the skin.

Carlshamn Mejeri släpper soygurtar
Carlshamn Mejeri släppte den här veckan åtta nya produkter. Det rör sig om matlagningsprodukter, drycker och företagets nyhet: Soygurt, skriver Resumes webbupplaga. Soygurt är en sojabaserad yoghurt.
– Vi går nu in i helt nya kategorier med varumärket Carlshamn Mejeri. Vi rör oss fortfarande i mejeriavdelningen, men vårt fokus framåt ligger på mjölkfritt mejeri vilket innebär produkter som har en bas av vegetabiliska råvaror såsom till exempel havre, soja eller rapsolja, säger Mette Krabbe Åkerlind, marknadschef på Raisio Sverige.

Dioxin Found in Milk from Dairy Farms in Northern Ireland
Milk from two dairy farms in Northern Ireland has been stopped from entering the food chain following test results that show dioxin levels above legal limits, the Food Standards Agency said last night.
Although breaching regulations, these levels of dioxin are much lower than those found in pork and beef affected by feed contamination last year. The risk to health from either drinking the affected milk or eating products made from the milk is extremely low.
The milk affected was distributed locally in Northern Ireland and also to the Republic of Ireland. The milk from these farms is usually mixed with milk from other farms before sale, so any finished product on the market is likely to be diluted and well within the legal limits for dioxins. The FSA is not calling for a withdrawal of any products from the shops but will continue to test and restrict the milk until it complies with the law.

Melamine in Milk Linked to Kidney Disease in Children - Study
A study of kidney disease risk in Chinese children who were exposed to milk contaminated with melamine is being published in The New England Journal of Medicine. It shows that exposure to melamine-contaminated powdered formula increased the risk of urinary stones by up to sevenfold, but the clinical relevance of these stones, which often produce no symptoms or laboratory abnormalities, is unclear.

New business unit sees the light of day
Arla Foods Ingredients has sharpened its focus on the market for permeate and lactose products, which have gained increasing importance in a food industry battling with high raw material prices.
The result is a new permeate and lactose business unit dedicated to developing more value-added products.

Januari

Gainomax god affär för Norrmejerier
Gainomax är en mjölkbaserad återhämtningsdryck som man helst ska dricka 5-30 minuter efter träning. 80 procent är mjölk. Resten är extra tillsatser av mjölkprotein och snabba kolhydrater. Norrmejerier kan själva producera mjölkprotein. Men för att få tillgång till tillräckliga kvantiteter köper man in huvuddelen från konkurrenten Arla. Norrmejerier omsätter drygt 1.6 miljarder kronor. Gainomax står idag för mellan 5-10 procent av den omsättningen. (PackMonitor).

Global health fears challenge unpasteurised cheeses
Cheese producers who use unpasteurised milk are facing tough times, DairyReporter says. Earlier this month, a report appearing in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report alleged a 2007 outbreak of the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni in the state of Kansas may have been linked to cheese made from unpasteurised milk.
Three months ago, authorities in the Canadian province of Quebec announced millions of dollars in aid to protect the region’s raw-milk derived cheese industry. A sector it says that was hit hard in 2008 by scares regarding cross-contamination of some cheeses with listeriosis.
Even in France, spiritual homeland of cheese varieties such as the geographically protected camembert, leading manufacturers have found themselves at odds with seemingly more traditional manufacturers over making the cheese. Fears over hygiene in relation to unpasteurised milk use have been a particular point of contention.
Groups like multinational Lactalis have turned to using thermised milk – which it says is a softer form of heat treatment - in its camembert, following health scares linked to potential contamination of unpasteurised cheese.

Arla kallar tillbaka standardmjölk med rester av diskmedel
Ett fåtal förpackningar med standardmjölk med 3 procents fetthalt (röd mjölk), producerade vid mejeriet i Göteborg, kan innehålla rester av diskmedel och ha nått konsumenter i Västsverige.
Felet upptäcktes vid lunchtid, och leveranserna stoppades. Dock hann cirka 300 förpackningar gå ut till butik. Butikerna är informerade och alla mjölkpaket ska ha plockats undan. Några enstaka förpackningar kan ha nått ut till konsument, och därför går Arla ut och varnar konsumenterna. Mjölken ska inte konsumeras, eftersom halterna av nitrat ligger över de tillåtna gränsvärdena.

Sanlu Ex-Chairwoman Gets Life Sentence in China Melamine Scandal; Two Other Defendants Given Death Penalty
The chairwoman of Sanlu Group, the dairy at the centre of China's melamine-tainted milk scandal, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for producing and selling fake or substandard products.
Tian Wenhua, Sanlu's former board chairwoman and general manager, was sentenced at the Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei Province. Two other defendants in the trial were given death sentences. Three other former Sanlu executives were given jail terms of between five years and 15 years, Xinhua news agency said.
At least six babies died from kidney stones after drinking melamine-contaminated formula in China and nearly 300,000 fell ill. Several companies were implicated in the scandal.

Lactalis' Roquefort Societe Protests Bush's 300% Hike on Roquefort Import Tax
The Bush administration's decision to triple duty on roquefort cheese to 300% as part of a long-running dispute with the EU over restrictions on imports of U.S. hormone-treated beef has alarmed French authorities who believe the act is 'unjustified' and hope that dialogue with the new Obama administration will help to solve the matter.
France’s main producer of the cheese Roquefort Société has strongly protested the US decision and believes that the victims will be the US consumers who will be forced to travel to Europe to get a taste of the world-famous cheese.
Roquefort Société, part of dairy producer Lactalis, is France’s leading producer of roquefort. The company owns several caves and accounts for around 60% of all national production. EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, or has a protected designation of origin.

EU May Hand Out Farm Cash for Dairy, Rural Internet
Europe's farm chief will propose spending part of the unused EU agriculture budget to help countries finance rural development projects, including support for dairy industries and improved internet access.
Speaking to bloc farm ministers, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said up to 1.5 billion euros could be handed out for certain schemes this year since policy reforms due to finance them would not kick in until 2010.
"The idea is that this money could be used in 2009, earmarked for rural projects, broadband and now including milk, to bridge the gap until the 'health check' comes into force," one EU official present at the regular minister's meeting said.

Falköpings Mejeri tappar största kunden till Arla
Falköpings Mejeri tappar sin största mjölkkund, Willys-butikerna, till mejerijätten Arla Foods. För de 80 anställda i Falköping kan det innebära uppsägningar.
- Vi får hitta nya kunder, säger VD Thomas Andersson, VD för Falköpings Mejeri. Han menar att det nu låga världsmarknadspriset på mjölk har betytt att Arla blir en hårdare konkurrent på svenska marknaden. Om Falköpings Mejeri skulle förlora all mjölkförsäljning till Willys från och med nästa år så innebär det att mejeriet tappar 30 miljoner liter mjölk om året, eller 70 procent av sin hela försäljning av konsumtionsmjölk.

EU to Reactivate Dairy Export Subsidies
The European Union will reactivate export subsidies for a series of dairy products to help struggling exporters compete better on the depressed world market, Europe's farm chief said on Thursday. Suspended since 2007, export subsidies would now be reinstated for butter, cheese and skimmed milk powder (SMP) via a series of regular tenders and trade bids, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said in Berlin. In June 2007, during a period of sustained high prices, the EU set export subsidies for all dairy products at zero for the first time, aiming to make EU dairy exports less attractive for producers and thereby ensure adequate domestic supply. Since then, however, increased world supply and reduced EU demand had forced internal prices down to close to or even below intervention levels, she said, with the financial crisis making things even worse for exporters in terms of raising credits.

Stram Arlabudget
Den pressade mjölkmarknaden och den ekonomiska krisen fortsätter att slå igenom på allvar. Arlas budget för 2009 blir stram, och noteringen till medlemmarna sänks från 341,4 till 303,5 svenska ören per kilo mjölk. Men företagets nya strategi ska föra Arla framåt.
Arla Foods styrelse har godkänt budgeten för 2009. Budgeten avspeglar företagets nya strategi med en skarp prioritering på utvalda marknader och produkter samtidigt som andra områden prioriteras ned.
– 2009 blir ett tufft år. Därför ska vi nu koncentrera oss på två saker: Vi ska fullfölja den strategi som vi har slagit fast och tror på. Samtidigt ska vi se över våra omkostnader och göra de besparingar som vi kan. Det är receptet för att ta sig igenom en svår period. Vi har med andra ord vägt de kortsiktiga utmaningarna mot de långsiktiga strategiska ambitionerna och kommit fram till en förnuftig balans utifrån målet att säkerställa den bästa möjliga lönsamheten för verksamheten, säger Peder Tuborgh, koncernchef för Arla Foods.
Nyckeltal:
• Budgeterad nettoomsättning: 47 miljarder danska kronor, vilket motsvarar 60 miljarder svenska kronor.
• Budgeterat nettoresultat 2009: 899 miljoner danska kronor (1 145 miljoner svenska kronor), vilket motsvarar 15 danska öre per kilo mjölk. (För 2008 var det budgeterade resultatet 900 miljoner danska kronor, en summa som i december 2008 nedjusterades till 600-700 miljoner danska kronor.)
• Arlanoteringen just nu: Med verkan från den 1 januari 2009 sänks Arlanoteringen till 303,5 öre per kilo (232,4 danska øre) för konventionell mjölk och 428,9 öre per kilo (300,3 danska øre) för ekologisk mjölk.

EU to Reactivate Dairy Export Subsidies
The European Union will reactivate export subsidies for a series of dairy products to help struggling exporters compete better on the depressed world market, Europe's farm chief said on Thursday.
Suspended since 2007, export subsidies would now be reinstated for butter, cheese and skimmed milk powder (SMP) via a series of regular tenders and trade bids, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said in Berlin. In June 2007, during a period of sustained high prices, the EU set export subsidies for all dairy products at zero for the first time, aiming to make EU dairy exports less attractive for producers and thereby ensure adequate domestic supply. Since then, however, increased world supply and reduced EU demand had forced internal prices down to close to or even below intervention levels, she said, with the financial crisis making things even worse for exporters in terms of raising credits.

Microscopic biological sensor detects Salmonella bacteria
A microscopic biological sensor that detects Salmonella bacteria in lab tests has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and university colleagues.
The sensor could be adapted to detect other foodborne pathogens as well. ARS engineer Bosoon Park at the Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit in Athens, Ga., and cooperators at the University of Georgia used nanotechnology to develop the biosensor. The detection method may have great potential for food safety and security, according to Park.
The biosensors that Park and his university colleagues developed include fluorescent organic dye particles attached to Salmonella antibodies. The antibodies hook onto Salmonella bacteria and the dye lights up like a beacon, making the bacteria easier to see.
ARS is a scientific research agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

FrieslandCampina becomes Royal FrieslandCampina
The new dairy company FrieslandCampina has been awarded the title ‘Royal’ (‘Koninklijk’). The company was informed of the award in a letter from Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and its official name will now be Koninklijke FrieslandCampina N.V.
“We are very delighted by Her Majesty’s announcement that we have been awarded the title ‘Royal’. We are very proud of the fact that, although our activities are global, our roots are in the Netherlands and go back to the end of the nineteenth century”, said Cees ‘t Hart, CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina.
Based on the figures of 2007 FrieslandCampina’s annual revenue will amount to 9.1 billion euros. The 17,000 member dairy farmers will jointly deliver 8.3 billion kilos of milk. The company will employ 22,000 people and has about 100 production and sales locations in 24 different countries.
FrieslandCampina will organise its activities in a structure comprising four business groups: Consumer Products Western Europe, Consumer Products International, Cheese & Butter and Ingredients. The product range consists of consumer milk, milk in powder and concentrated form, dairy drinks, yoghurts, desserts, cream, coffee creamers, baby and infant food, cheese, butter and ingredients.
Cees ’t Hart is the chairman of the Executive Board (CEO) of the new business. Other members of the Board will be: Kees Gielen (Chief Financial Officer), André Boudewijns (Chief Integration Officer), Piet Hilarides (Chief Operating Officer Cheese & Butter), Freek Rijna (Chief Operating Officer Consumer Products Western Europe), Theo Spierings (Chief Operating Officer Consumer Products International) and Frans Visser (Chief Operating Officer Ingredients). The head office will be located in Amersfoort (the Netherlands).

China Dairy Boss Pleads Guilty in Melamine Case
The chairwoman of a Chinese diary company went on trial on Wednesday (31 Dec) over a tainted milk scandal that has killed at least six children and made thousands ill. Tian Wenhua, 66-year-old former general manager of the now bankrupt Sanlu Group, pleaded guilty to charges of "producing and selling fake or substandard products", state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Tian appeared with three other company executives at a court in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei province. She risks a life sentance.
A group of parents whose children fell ill from drinking tainted Chinese milk have been detained by police apparently trying to block them from holding a news conference, one of the fathers said.
At least six children have died from kidney stones and more than 290,000 been made ill from the melamine-contaminated milk, battering already dented faith in China-made products and prompting massive recalls around the world.
One of the fathers, whose 13-month-old son suffers from severe kidney stones, said some parents, including himself, were taken to a labour camp on the outskirts of Beijing.
"We are under house arrest now, and they did not give us any reasons why they kept us here," the father told Reuters by phone. Five parents had been detained, but the rest of the group held a news conference on Friday, calling attention to the plight of the children.
A website created by anti-Sanlu protesters was blocked on Friday. It was not immediately clear why.
"The government said all the medical care is free, but when it comes to the local level, things change. I have already paid more than 50,000 yuan ($7,300) for the operation and cure," said the father, a migrant worker from Sichuan province.

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