	Nyhetsarkiv 2010

Nyhetsarkiv 2010

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2008	2009

December

Arla Foods och Hansa-Milch i samtal om fusion
Arla Foods styrelse föreslår en fusion med den tyska kooperativa mejeriföreningen Hansa-Milch. De båda företagen har en ambition att växa på den tyska marknaden med 80 miljoner konsumenter. Tillsammans anser Hansa-Milch och Arla Foods att de skapar ett mycket starkt erbjudande till tyska kunder och konsumenter.

Russian dairy market takes on multinational flavour
In recent years the Russian dairy market has posted some impressive growth rates – expanding 22 per cent in 2007/2008 according to Euromonitor.
Attracted by the prospect of such high growth and good volumes, multinationals have begun to make their move on the market i.e. the Danone merger with Unimilk and the PepsiCo acquisition of Wimm-Bill-Dann.
PepsiCo will become the biggest player in the Russian dairy market with a 12.5 per cent share and Danone and Unimilk will be in second place with 7.8 per cent. The third biggest brand owner in the market, Ostankinsky Molkombinat, will stand some way behind the top two with a 1.8 per cent share.

Internetauktion allt viktigare måttstock
Fonterras internetauktion för industriprodukter – Global Dairy Trade – påverkar Arla och ägarna i allt högre grad, läser vi i Ägarbladet. Den nya zeeländska mejerikoncernen Fonterra började auktionera ut helmjölkspulver via Internet i juli 2008. Sedan dess har utbudet av olika produkter vuxit. Auktionerna genomförs under namnet Global Dairy Trade – GDT. Internetauktionen har hundratals registrerade kunder över hela världen och utbudet motsvarar cirka 40 procent av världsmarknaden för industriprodukter.

Gefleorten stödjer Milko
Gefleortens mejeri ligger i startgroparna för att stödproducera åt Milko. Det handlar om en investering på 8,5 miljoner kronor och ett tiotal nyanställningar, berättar Per Blomquist, vd för mejeriet för Mål och Medel. Den stödproduktion som Gefleorten ska svara för innebär en utökning av den egna produktionen med cirka 50 procent. Milko kommer att leverera mjölkråvara till Gefleortens och cirka 16 miljoner kilo per år skall produceras med Milkos varumärke på.

EFSA and industry exchange views on guidance on gut and immune function health claims
Nearly 200 (9 from Sweden) representatives from the food and drink industry, academia, Member States and the European Commission, attended a meeting in Amsterdam to discuss with EFSA experts the scientific requirements for health claims related to gut and immune function. The meeting addressed and provided further clarification to two main questions: which claimed effects are considered beneficial for human health; and which studies or outcome measures are appropriate for the substantiation of health claims. The meeting was also watched live by more than 2,500 viewers.
In the area of gut and immune health claims, the meeting offered EFSA experts the opportunity to further explain the general approach used in the assessment of the claims and provide clarifications on issues raised during the consultation and at the meeting. The discussions also showed there were many commonly held views, both amongst participants and EFSA experts, for instance on how to substantiate health benefits related to gut function, such as regularity, and defence against gut infections. In other areas such as claims related to immunity and claims on health effects of gut bacteria, the meeting was a good opportunity to exchange views on how to demonstrate the health benefit.
Concluding the meeting Professor Albert Flynn, Chair of EFSA’s Panel dealing with Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) said: ”Today, we heard in detail the challenges applicants face when preparing applications for health claims. This meeting has been very helpful for us in developing more detailed guidance.”
In her closing remarks, Dr. Juliane Kleiner, Co-ordinator of EFSA’s NDA Unit said that EFSA will update its guidance on the scientific requirements for health claims related to gut and immune functions early in 2011, taking into consideration the discussions at the Amsterdam meeting and all comments received during the on-line consultation launched in September 2010 in preparation for the meeting. A full report of the meeting will also be published on EFSA’s website in the coming months.
This meeting, and the on-line consultation, are part of EFSA’s commitment to pursue dialogue with stakeholders to further explain how it carries out its work and to provide applicants with additional guidance on the preparation of health claims applications in selected areas. In the first months of 2011, EFSA will organise three more consultations on health claims related to:

Appetite ratings, weight management and blood glucose concentrations
Protection against oxidative damage; cardiovascular health, and
Bone, joint connective tissue and oral health

Meeting with stakeholders on scientific requirements for health claims related to gut and immune function - Webcast available

Yoghurtmannen fick bantat skadestånd
Han krävde 50 miljoner och fick två. Greken som blev affischnamn för turkisk yoghurt har nu fått sitt skadestånd.
– Vi fick ju lite rabatt från det första budet, kan man säga. Men två miljoner är mycket pengar det också, men en summa som vi har råd med, säger Anders Lindahl, vd för Lindahls mejeri till Aftonbladet.
När Minas Karatzoglis, 77, tidigare i år blev varse att en reklambild på honom prytt hinkar med turkisk yoghurt i Sverige i nästan tio år blev han kränkt.
Som plåster på såren ville han ha 50 miljoner kronor i skadestånd. En siffra som, när nu slutförhandlingarna är klara, stannade på någonstans mellan en och en halv och två miljoner kronor.
Nu påbörjar mejeriet nästa steg i reklamaffären – att få tillbaka sina utlägg av bildbyrån som sålde bilden på Minas Karatzoglis under falsk flagg.

Foodmark köper Fjällbrynt
Mejerikoncernen Milko säljer Fjällbrynt AB till Foodmark Sweden AB som är mest känt gentemot konsumenterna genom huvudmärket Rydbergs.
–Vi är mycket nöjda med affären. För det första blir både anläggningen och alla jobb kvar i Östersund vilket innebär att vi ser många framtida samarbetsvinster mellan vårt mejeri och deras anläggning som blir närmaste grannar. Dessutom innebär affären ett tillskott av likvida medel som behövs för att vi ska fortsätta utveckla det vi kallar Nya Milko säger Milkos vd Göran Henriksson.
Foodmarks vd Peter Sandgren utlovar fortsatt satsning på Fjällbrynts produkter messmör och mjukost.
– För oss är det viktigt att vårda de kvaliteter som anrika Fjällbrynt står för. Därför kommer vi inte heller flytta produktionen från Östersund. Här finns redan det vi behöver - mångårig kunskap om hur mjukost och messmör ska hanteras och förädlas. Vi behåller också Fjällbrynts produktionspersonal och får därmed garantier att Fjällbrynts hantverkskunnande lever vidare, säger Peter Sandgren.
Foodmark har en stark tro på Fjällbrynts fortsatta tillväxt och ser som sin ambition att mjukost åter kommer upp till marknadsandelar på minst 50 procent.
– För messmör och mesost är redan starkt förankrade produkter i Norrland. Utmaningen ligger i att stärka konsumentacceptansen längre söderut i Sverige, fortsätter Peter Sandgren.
Både Göran Henriksson och Peter Sandgren ser många möjligheter till framtida samarbeten mellan bolagen men vill inte gå in på detaljer på grund av affärshemligheter.
– Vi kan i dagsläget inte prata om specifika frågor, men redan nu vill vi slå fast att vi kommer att titta djupare på möjligheter för bl.a produktionssamarbete i någon form, säger både Göran Henriksson och Peter Sandgren.
Fakta om Foodmark Sweden AB
Omsätter idag cirka 450 MSEK och har 145 årsanställda med huvudkontor i Stockholm. Starkaste varumärket är Rydbergs som är marknadsledare inom majonäsbaserade sallader, kylda såser och dressing. Företaget ingår i den nordiska koncernen Agra AS, som är en marknadsledande livsmedelsproducent i Sverige, Norge och Danmark. Agra är sedan 125 år majoritetsägt av den norska familjen Heje. Koncernomsättningen är 3.300 MSEK.

Danone and Unimilk finalize merger creating the new leader for dairy products in the CIS area
Russia now Danone's largest market

Danone and Unimilk finalize merger creating the new leader for dairy products in the CIS area. Russia now Danone's largest market.
Danone and Unimilk have finalized the merger of their Fresh Dairy Product businesses in Russia and other CIS member countries.
The new entity, controlled by Danone with a 58% equity interest and in which former shareholders of Unimilk own 42%, is headed by a board of directors. Three of its members, including the Chairman, Andrey Beskhmelnitsky, represent Unimilk, and four members, including Bernard Hours and Pierre-André Terisse, represent Danone.
Filip Kegels, previously General Manager of Danone Fresh Dairy Products in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, is in charge of operational management.
Unimilk, a privately owned company, is Russia’s second largest manufacturer of dairy products and baby food. Established in 2002 it unites 28 production plants in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and 14,000 employees. The Company also sells its products in Kazakhstan. Unimilk owns the leading dairy brand in CIS “Prostokvashino” and has a strong brand portfolio in all market segments. Unimilk’s sales in 2009 amounted to €1 billion (+7% vs. 2008).
Danone, with 160 plants and around 80,000 employees, has a presence in all five continents and over 120 countries. In 2009, Danone recorded €15 billion in sales. Danone enjoys leading positions on healthy food in four businesses: fresh dairy products (n°1 worldwide), water (n° 2 on the packaged water market), baby nutrition (n°2 worldwide) and medical nutrition.

FrieslandCampina to invest in efficiencies of scale and to close two
Dairy multinational Koninklijke FrieslandCampina N.V. plans to invest EUR 47 million to improve efficiency at its cheese plants in Workum, Marum, Balkbrug, Gerkesklooster and Leerdam. The cheese plants at Varsseveld and Leerbroek will be closed. The number of staff at the plants Marum and Gerkesklooster will be reduced. All sites are located in the Netherlands. These measures will result in the loss of a total of 159 jobs and create a further 52 new positions. Staff at the affected plants were told of the plans this afternoon. The employee representation bodies have been asked for advice and the relevant trade unions have also been notified.

November

Intelligent kylteknik i mejeriindustrin återkommer
I april genomförde Mejeritekniskt Forum och Svenska Kyltekniska föreningen ett symposium med titeln ”Intelligent kylteknik i livsmedelsindustrin med betoning på mejeriindustrin”. Symposiet, som genomfördes i Malmö, blev snabbt fulltecknat.
Syftet med symposiet var att informera om utvecklingarna och utmaningarna i branschen från isstackstiden till dagens teknik med nya komponenter, ködmedier och köldbärare. En rapport från symposiet hittar du här.
— Vi planerar att göra ett nytt likande symposium i Stockholm i april 2011, säger Pontus Holmström, välkänd profil bland mejerifolket.

Falköpings Mejeri säljer Klings Glace
Falköpings Mejeri har efter 19 års ägande sålt dotterbolaget Klings Glace som de senaste åren har gått med förlust, skriver Land Lantbruk. Men bolaget hålls på sätt och vis inom familjen; ny ägare är nämligen mejeriets VD Thomas Andersson.
Köpeskillingen blev 9 miljoner kronor och VD för Klings blir Thomas Anderssons sambo Lottie Ivarsson som har ett förflutet som säljare.

Coop börjar med Änglamark ekologisk mjölk
Coops butiker i Stockholm, Uppsala och Gnesta börjar i vecka 49 sälja mjölk och fil under varumärket Coop Änglamark.
Produkterna levereras av Milko och mjölkråvaran kommer från kor hos bönder som levererar till Grådö mejeri i Hedemora. Korna får röra sig fritt ute under större delen av året och äter foder som odlas utan konstgödning och kemiska bekämpningsmedel.
De produkter som lanseras i vecka 49 är standardmjölk, mellanmjölk, lättmjölk, filmjölk och A-fil. Lanseringen i Stockholm, Uppsala och Gnesta är ett test. Ambitionen är att lansera produkterna i hela Sverige under 2011.

Lactalis' 1.4 billion-euro takeover bid for Yoplait rejected
Lactalis' 1.4 billion-euro takeover bid for Yoplait has been rejected by the yoghurt brand's owners - private equity firm PAI Partners and Sodiaal.
Both firms reportedly rejected Lactalis’ offer as they are seeking a more "international" partner to ensure the future of Yoplait in emerging markets. They also were reported as saying that Sodiaal would like to keep an interest in the business and that Lactalis' bid undervalues the company.
Lactalis said that it was willing to involve Sodiaal in Yoplait's development, especially in brand management. Moreover, Lactalis said that, under its ownership, Yoplait would be ensured growth in countries where it does not operate backed by Lactalis' distribution networks.
Other companies linked to a possible acquisition of Yoplait are General Mills of the US, which owns the Yoplait franchise in North America, Bright Food of China and Nestle.

Valio set to take probiotic juice global
Finnish dairy and ingredients supplier Valio is planning to expand the reach of its probiotic juice Gefilus as interest in the sector intensifies. The company confirmed it will soon expand the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG-fortified product beyond the Scandinavian markets it has thus far concentrated on. “It’s clear that suddenly there’s a lot going on in this field,” Kalle Leporanta, export manager at Valio dairy innovative concepts and technologies told New Nutrition Business.

IDF – World Dairy Situation 2010
The IDF World Dairy Situation 2010 has incorporated several changes designed to make it more usable and relevant to decision-makers and dairysector stakeholders concerned with continuously changing global dairy market conditions. It is also easier to use and reference thanks to its new innovative layout. This updated edition is the result of close collaboration between experts and key organisations around the globe and within the IDF. Its contents, including statistics on production, consumption and trade in all regions of the world, as well as specific observations from IDF member countries, will help the reader to better understand and deal with the many challenges and opportunities facing the global dairy market. Many of these are driven by population and income growth, consumer health concerns and changing dietary patterns worldwide. This publication is available from: www.fil-idf.org

Chinese milk industry still recovering from melamine crisis
The GAIN Report forecasts Chinese milk production will continue modest growth in 2011, up five percent to 30.5 million metric tons. Local producers are slowly rebuilding the Chinese dairy herd following the melamine crisis, when 15 percent of China’s dairy cows were taken out of production due to weak demand. While Chinese milk production is on the rise, growth is being hindered this year by additional detections of melamine in Chinese milk powder, animal disease, and comparatively low animal productivity. Output will remain below pre-melamaine levels of more than 35 million tons in 2008 for the foreseeable future. (GAIN: USDA’s Global Agricultural Information Network)

Brittisk smörproduktion samlas i Westbury – Götene påverkas
För att effektivisera produktion och distribution samlar Arla UK från och med augusti 2011 all sin tillverkning av smör i den engelska staden Westbury. I slutet av 2012 ska hela omflyttningen vara genomförd. Det kommer att ge bättre ekonomi och en sänkning av energikostnaderna vid produktionslinjen för Arlas brittiska smörvarumärken. Beslutet får inverkan på produktionen i Settle, Varde i Danmark och i svenska Götene.
I och med beslutet att samla smörproduktionen i Westbury kommer 60 nya arbetstillfällen att skapas på mejeriet i Westbury. Nya maskiner kommer också att köpas in för att utveckla en effektiv produktion och förpackning av smör. De tre mejerier som tidigare stått för produktion och förpackning av smör till den engelska marknaden – Settle, Varde och Götene – påverkas i olika grad av förändringen.
I Götene påverkas en process- och förpackningslinje när tillverkningen av produkter flyttas. Under tiden fram till 2012 kommer man i Götene att arbeta med att hitta alternativ produktion.
– Hur det kommer att se ut i slutet av 2012 är svårt för mig att uttala mig om idag. Förhoppningsvis har produktionsvolymer tillkommit som kompenserar för de 12 000 ton som då flyttas till England, säger Bosse Skatt, mejerichef smör i Götene.

Tetra Pak launches new ultra-efficient UHT unit for premium quality dairy products
Tetra Pak announces the launch of its new Tetra Therm Aseptic VTIS, a direct heating unit for UHT dairy production which incorporates innovative design to deliver significant efficiencies. Thanks to instantaneous heating and cooling, Tetra Paks direct UHT technology minimizes thermal impact on the product, thus enabling premium quality.
The unit gently treats heat-sensitive products such as milk, enriched milk, cream, ice cream mixes, other dairy desserts and soy milk products whilst cutting operating costs by 15% compared to the previous generation of direct UHT systems.
The new Tetra Therm Aseptic VTIS unit:
•Cuts products losses by up to 40% compared to current industry standards
•Boosts running time up to 60 hours
•Reduces heat load to minimize impact on properties such as taste and colour
•Offers the highest operational efficiency of any direct UHT system on the market

IDF launches common carbon footprint methodology for global dairy sector
All sectors are being challenged to quantify and reduce their carbon footprints, or emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and businesses in agriculture and food production are no exception. As part of the dairy sector’s action agenda on climate change, the IDF has now published ‘A Common Carbon Footprint Approach for Dairy – The IDF Guide to Standard Lifecycle Assessment Methodology for the Dairy Sector’.
This new methodology, based on the best available science and current international standards, will allow stakeholders in the dairy sector worldwide to produce consistent and comparable data on their carbon footprint. Such robust measurement will enable effective management and reduction of GHG emissions within the sector.

Oktober

Arla vill köpa Sundsvalls mejeri av Milko men får nej
Arla önskar omgående starta förhandlingar med Milko om ett köp av Sundsvalls mejeri. Arla har i sin analys kommit fram till att det är viktigt att mejeriet finns kvar.
Milko har tydligt aviserat att de tänker lägga ned aktuell mejeriproduktion. Arlas analyser visar att Sundsvalls mejeri ligger strategiskt rätt bland annat med tanke på antalet nya mjölkbönder som har anslutit sig till Arla.
– Arlas ambition är att vara hela Sveriges matinspiratör och därför vill vi också utveckla vår produktionskapacitet. Vår utgångspunkt är att det är ekonomiskt försvarbart att ha mejerier i områden där det finns många konsumenter, säger Christer Åberg, vd Arla Sverige.
Arla har redan fått ökade mjölkvolymer genom många nya mjölkbönder i Hälsingland. Bedömningen är att denna mjölkvolym fördubblas då både bönder i Hälsingland och Medelpad visat sitt intresse för Arla.
– Vi är beredda att investera och ta lokalt ansvar för mjölkproduktion, arbetstillfällen samt kund- och konsumentrelationer, säger Christer Åberg.
Arlas önskan är att snarast möjligt överta produktionen vid Sundsvalls mejeri.
Milko säger nej, enligt Sundsvalls Tidning. - Ett fientligt bud, säger Milkos ordförande Lars Reyier. Säljer vi mejeriet i Sundsvall till Arla kan vi lika gärna lägga ner Milko, konstaterar han vidare.

Scientists create biogradable styrofoam from milk
US scientists have used the protein in milk and clay to develop a new lightweight biodregradable styrofoam material which they claim could be a substitute for traditional foamed plastics.
The research was led by David Schiraldi of Case Western Reserve University who told DairyReporter.com: “This is a product option for companies looking for a green, biofriendly material. The process itself is also very friendly, in that the only effluent is water vapour.”
The results of the study, recently published in Biomacromolecules, shows that a material produced using cows’ milk is both biodegradable and strong enough for commercial uses with almost a third of the material breaking down within 30 days.

Arla Foods to Increase Milk Production Capacity at Leeds Dairy
Arla Foods plans to increase production of 'Cravendale' milk at its dairy in Stourton, Leeds, with a
Arla says that it will install a new dedicated Cravendale bottle blowmoulding machine to complement two existing ones - a move, which is expected to increase the site's storage capacity for blown bottles.
Thanks to the investment, the company hopes to produce about 50 million more litres of milk at the dairy once the new blowmoulder is operational in March 2011.

Gefleortens mejeriförening nyanställer tio personer
– Det handlar om legoproduktion för Milko. Vi ökar från 33 miljoner till nästan 50 miljoner kilo mjölk per år, säger vd Per Blomquist till GD.se
Milko lägger ner produktionen på mejeriet i Sundsvall. Tillverkningen delas upp på Grådö och Gefleortens mejeri i Gävle. Det innebär en nästan 50-procentig produktionsökning inom mjölk-, fil- och gräddsegmentet i Gävle, uppger Per Blomquist.
Produktionen startar vecka sex nästa år och förutsätter nya investeringar på 8–9 miljoner kronor för nya kylrum, emballagelager och tomgodslager samt en ny mjölksilo för att kunna hålla Milkomjölken separat.
– Legoproduktionen är värd 60 miljoner kronor per år. Räknat på ett femårigt kontrakt är det 300 miljoner kronor i ökad intjäning för mejeriföreningen. Det innebär att vi kan öka avräkningspriset till våra medlemmar, säger Per Blomquist.
Milko lägger även ner produktionen i Karlstad och tillverkningen tas över av Falbygdens mejeri.
I dag har mejeriet i Gävle ett 80-tal anställda. Inför produktionsutökningen i februari kommer ett tiotal personer att nyrekryteras.
Gefleortens diskuterar även andra former av samarbete med både Milko och Falbygdens mejeri.

Danone-Unimilk JV Expected to Be Finalised Before End of Year
Danone has received regulatory approval to merge its Fresh Dairy Products operations with those of Unimilk in 4 of the 5 CIS countries where Danone-Unimilk operates. Danone holds a 57.5% stake in the joint venture.
Danone expects the transaction to be finalised before the end of 2010.
Danone announced the merger of its Fresh Dairy Product businesses in the CIS area with those of Unimilk in June this year.
Danone CEO Franck Riboud has identified the CIS as a major growth area for his company, as countries like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus have a lot of potential for more per-capita fresh dairy product consumption.
Riboud also views Unimilk as a very complimentary business given its portfolio of traditional dairy and baby food products. He also said that he sees significant access to white space as Unimilk also has a good presence in eastern Russia, whereas Danone is stronger in the western part of the country.
Riboud said that he expects 10% additional sales in the next 3 years in Russia thanks to synergies with Unimilk.
Danone-Unimilk is expected to account for around 21% of the total market in Russia.

German Dairy Touts Sleep Properties of "Nacht-Milchkristalle"
German dairy company, Milchkristalle, has submitted a patent application for a process for producing "Nacht-Milchkristalle" (night milk crystals) from milk. The crystals are designed to be added to warm milk to aid sleep. Milchkristalle says the milk from which the crystals are isolated is harvested during the night hours has much levels of melatonin. The noctural milk is more expensive because additional light is required during the day and special feed is required. Tony Gnann, CEO of the company, claims the natural melatonin is more effective than that produced artifically because, "of the linkage of melatonin and lactose. This combination passes the blood-brain-barrier more easily. Indeed, studies have shown that is more effective to give synthetic melatonin with milk."
The product has been launched in Austria and Germany and Milchkristalle says it has received requests from the U.S., Indian and Israel.

Östgöta Mjölk och Skånemejerier letar efter mejeri
Östgöta Mjölk och Skånemejerier investerar i Östergötland, både för att säkra den lokala mjölken och jobben i Östergötland.
- Vi har börjat se oss omkring efter lämplig plats för ett nytt mejeri, och planerar för expansion de kommande åren - åtminstone 50-60% av färskmjölksmarknaden i Östergötland bör vara lokal, säger Björn Sederblad, VD på Skånemejerier.
Stärkta av framgångarna med Hjordnära ekologiska mejeri, som ständigt slår nya försäljningsrekord och har svårt att få mjölken att räcka till den stora efterfrågan, fortsätter Skånemejerier satsningarna på lokala alternativ.

FrieslandCampina is to build a new Research & Development Centre
The global dairy company, Royal FrieslandCampina, is to build a new Research & Development Centre on the campus of Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre). The Centre will be a completely new building with research facilities, laboratories, pilot plant and offices. The plan is to occupy the new FrieslandCampina Research & Development Centre in the second half of 2012.
It had already been announced in May 2010 that FrieslandCampina planned to concentrate most of its Research & Development operations in the Netherlands in Wageningen, making Wageningen FrieslandCampina’s global knowledge and innovation centre. Ultimately, just over 350 people will be employed at FrieslandCampina in Wageningen. They will collaborate with local research centres and marketing departments in various markets in Europe, Asia, Africa and America (ingredients).
The new building will be constructed at the southern end of the Wageningen University & Research campus, covering an area of around 15,000 m2. The building will offer 3,300 m2 in laboratory space, a pilot plant of 1,800 m2, a test bakery and space for general and technical support plus 5.000 m² office space. The new centre will also house the Experience Centre, where products can be tasted, smelled and touched. ‘All the goodness of milk’ should be reflected throughout the building.

Latest edition of EDA's Major Issues out
The main topics are, Dairy Prices Recovery after a Historic Low, Trade and Economic Policy and Food and Environment Policy.
The Major Issues, covering the 1st Semester of 2010, is available in English, French and German on our website. It resumes the evolution of the main dossiers influencing the activity of the European dairy industry during that period. Get it here.
EDA is the association of the European dairy industry working on their common interests towards stakeholders such as the EU institutions the Commission, Parliament, Council of Ministers, Economic and Social Committee… and the international bodies the Codex Alimentarius, the World Trade Organization....
EDA is the platform for the European dairy industry to work together on main items like policy developments on nutrition and health, on food safety, on sustainability and on market management as part of the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

Arla planerar för nytt mejeri i Göteborg
Tillväxtstrategin för Arla i Sverige de kommande fem åren innebär bland annat fortsatta effektiviseringar. Den svenska affärsledningen har därför fattat ett inriktningsbeslut kring flera åtgärder för att fortsätta utveckla Arlas produktions- och logistikstruktur. Genomförs strukturförändringarna fullt ut, innebär det mellan 60 och 100 miljoner i kostnadsbesparingar per år. Det som föreslås är att dels investera i mejerikapacitet i Göteborgsregionen, dels att flytta färskvarucentralerna i Örebro och Linköping till mejerierna i Stockholm (Kallhäll) respektive Jönköping.
Efter en omfattande analys kommer Arla nu att utreda två alternativ – att antingen modernisera befintlig anläggning i Göteborg, eller att bygga ett nytt mejeri i Göteborgsregionen och därmed lägga ned/sälja den gamla anläggningen.
Beslut om alternativ fattas av Arlas koncernstyrelse senast kring halvårsskiftet 2011 för att ge effekt under 2013. Befattningar i Göteborg som ej rör produktionen omfattas inte av nuvarande utredning.
När det gäller färskvarucentralerna så inleds nu fackliga förhandlingar för att gemensamt utforma en hållbar plan för förändringarna. Avsikten är att påbörja flytt av produkter under 2011 och att nuvarande terminaler i Örebro och Linköping stängs under 2012.

Arla Foods is to streamline its production of sliced cheese
The company has announced it will concentrate production at dairies in Götene Sweden, Nr Vium in Denmark, and in Tychowo in Poland.
Furthermore, the company said that 32 employees at the company's dairy in Taulov, Denmark, will be made redundant as the sliced cheese department will be closed down. Redundancies will also take place at the dairy in Nr Vium, Denmark and in Götene, Sweden.

Elopak introduces its latest innovation Eco™
Through carton design and processing efficiencies Eco™ is an environmentally sound package, with score lines creating an original shape and ergonomic handling function – together with cost savings of 2-5%. The Eco™ Activator, which activates the score lines, demands minimal investment and installation requirements while providing total flexibility of operations. With an green image Eco™ is positioned to be the preferred package for products with key environmental benefits and messages. Through the use of lighter board and cap, Eco™ gives an improved CO₂ footprint. A CO₂ saving of up to 10% is achieved during the production, transport and use of Eco™. With fewer raw materials, production waste is also reduced.
Eco™ is available in standard cross section 70x70, 1000ml, B style cartons and comes only with a screw cap. It is linked with the Elo-Cap™ UE light which at 2.07g is the lightest cap in Elopak’s range, however, other closures within the Elo-Cap™ U family are available. Eco™ will be available in flexo, super flexo and UV flexo print and will work with most of the Elopak secondary packaging solutions currently in use.

Chr. Hansen launches cultures for perfectly healthy drinking yoghurts
Two years of thorough research and development now result in the first range of cultures specifically for drinking yoghurt
Chr. Hansen now introduces a series of YoFlex® and probiotic nu-trish® cultures specifically developed to manufacture drinking yoghurt, one of the fastest growing sectors of the dairy market according to www.dairyfoods.com (global sales of yoghurt drinks topped 7.2 billion liters in 2008 – and the trend is rising).
The new products make it possible to ensure optimum quality in terms of smoothness and a pleasant mouthfeel, with the potential of removing starch/thickeners, which are currently used, at extra cost for the producer, in the majority of drinking yoghurts.
Available in three different flavor profiles the cultures “Mild”, “Classic” and “Twist” make it easier for dairy producers to meet consumer expectations by enabling production of low fat products with a short ingredient list, which are tasty, smooth and with probiotic health benefits from Bifiodobacterium BB-12®.

Tetra Pak in Wrexham set to close with 150 job losses
Tetra Pak is considering ceasing production at its Wrexham factory, becoming a finishing warehouse A cartons factory plans to stop production with the loss of 150 jobs in Wrexham, says BBC.
Packaging giant Tetra Pak said the decision was "extremely difficult" but hopes to keep 135 out of 265 jobs in part of the business and by creating a warehouse.
In a statement, the company - which has more than 21,000 workers worldwide - said it was starting a consultation on job losses at Wrexham industrial estate, where it has its UK headquarters.
Market changes included products being offered in other packaging formats. Tetra Pak said it had been able to make up the losses by supplying export markets, including Russia and the Middle East, but these were now able to support themselves from 2011.

September

Norrmejerier investerar för mer biogas - Umeå mejeri ska bli helt fritt från fossila bränslen
Norrmejerier vill göra mejerianläggningen i Umeå helt fri från fossil energi. Som ett led i detta investerar man nu 23 miljoner kronor i en ny ångpanna på Umeå mejeri och en egen anläggning för rening av fosfor. Med dessa två satsningar kommer man att kunna få ut maximal kapacitet av sin biogasanläggning.
− I och med dessa investeringar skulle mejeriet i Umeå kunna hämta det mesta av sin energi för ångproduktion genom biogasen eftersom vi nu möjliggör en ökad biogasproduktion och vid behov stötta ångproduktionen med grön el säger Norrmejeriers miljöansvarige Camilla Wolf-Watz.
I Biogasanläggningen i Umeå produceras idag ånga motsvarande ca 13 000 MWh/år som ersätter ca 1200 m3 olja till driften av Umeå mejeri. Energin utvinns genom så kallad rötning av vassle som är en restprodukt från osttillverkningen och andra restprodukter från den övriga mejeriproduktionen.
En av de svårigheter som finns med energiutvinning från vassle är att den innehåller fosfor som hamnar i avloppsvattnet som därför måste renas vilket tidvis utgör en hård belastning på kommunens reningsverk. Norrmejerier har därför beslutat att bygga en egen reningsanläggning för fosfor och tar därmed hand om större delen av sitt eget fosforutsläpp för att säkerställa att man håller sig under de gränsvärden som finns även vid en utökad biogasproduktion.
− Med den vassle vi får från Umeå mejeri samt de volymer som transporteras ner från Burträsk uppskattar vi att vi har en potentiell energiökning med ca 50 % om all denna vassle kunde rötas, säger Camilla Wolf-Watz. Då skulle vi kunna bli helt fria från fossil energi på Umeå mejeri på samma sätt som vi redan i dag är på anläggningen i Luleå där vi har bytt ut olja mot lokalt tillverkad pellets.

Skottorps säteri och Skånemejerier skapar ”slottsmejeri” - för lansering av cheddar- och slottsost
Skånemejeriers styrelse har beslutat att investera i uppbyggnaden av ett slottsmejeri på Skottorps Slott i Halland. Tanken är att bygga om det gamla vackra kostallet på slottsområdet, till en modern funktionell mejerilokal.
- I den här miljön ska vi bland annat tillverka Cheddarost enligt de gamla traditioner som finns i området, där det sedan urminnes tider har tillverkats fantastiska ostar. Det blir lokala varumärken som produceras av den mjölk som kommer från närliggande gårdar. Vi tror att en lokal Cheddarost från Skottorps slott kommer att bli mycket intressant för marknaden, konstaterar styrelsens ordförande Anders Olsson.
Skånemejerier bildar tillsammans med Skottorps Säteri AB, samt mjölkproducenten Lars – Inge Gunnarsson, ett samägt bolag, där Skånemejerier kommer att äga 50 procent av aktierna.
Produktionen ska bedrivas på slottsområdet när det nya mejeriet står klart i april nästa år.
Det är Skånemejerier som med sitt breda kunnande inom mejerinäringen kommer att ansvara för uppbygganden och utrustningen av mejerilokalen. Till en början blir den årliga produktionen 150 ton Cheddarost samt 150 ton Slottsost.
Skottorps slott, som ligger i Halland, mellan Båstad och Laholm, har anor från 1670-talet. Det uppfördes av Frans Joel Örnestedt, efter ritningar av Nicodemus Tessin den äldre. Den 6 maj år 1680 gifte sig Karl XI med Ulrika Eleonora från Danmark, på Skottorp Slott.
De nuvarande ägarna Ingmarie och Thomas Müller-Uri, bedriver bland annat konferens och restaurangverksamhet på slottet och har ägt slottet i fem år.
- Det har varit vår dröm att få starta ett eget mejeri på Skottorps Slott och få förena de gamla fina traditionerna med dagens moderna livsmedelsprocess. Vi bygger ett medelstort mejeri som kommer att ha såväl ett gammaldags produktionssätt, som det moderna och effektiva. Vi hoppas att Skottorp ska bli ett stort besöksmål för matintresserade människor, säger Ingmarie Müller–Uri, som har många års erfarenhet från kvalificerade jobb inom den svenska mejeriindustrin.

Tetra Pak extends FSC™-labelled beverage cartons to customers in Sweden, Denmark and Belgium
Tetra Pak announces that the company plans to offer beverage cartons bearing the label of the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) to customers in Sweden, Denmark and Belgium.
Tetra Pak is aiming to supply Swedish customers with about 600 million and Danish customers with 270 million FSC-labelled packages in 2010. In Belgium, starting with retailer Colruyt, the company plans to offer 700 million FSC-labelled packages. And in Italy, starting this month, the farmers’ cooperative Valfrutta, will packs its smoothies and nectars in FSC-labelled Tetra Brik® Aseptic packages in a variety of sizes.
The launch of FSC-labelled cartons in these three countries follows similar moves in markets such as China, France, Germany and the UK, marking another step towards Tetra Pak’s goal of having all its packages bear the FSC label. The FSC label, today considered the highest standard for the sustainable sourcing of wood fibres, aims to assure consumers that the wood fibres in the package are traceable all the way through the supply chain and that the paperboard used in the package comes from FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources.

Nano-composites to gasketed plate heat exchangers can reduce milk fouling
The application of nano-composites to gasketed plate heat exchangers can reduce milk fouling and cut cleaning time of the equipment by up to 80 per cent, according to new research.
The study from the University of Bremen in conjunction with GEA Ecoflex found that that heat exchanger surfaces treated with the coating had low surface energy – and therefore wettability. This led to a greater resistance to the build up of oils and waters – so-called hydrophobic and oleophobic effects - in the equipment, said the paper published in the journal Food and Bioproducts Processing.
The researchers noted there were “significant differences” between the coated and uncoated plates – with the coated surfaces showing a reduced deposit build-up in comparison with the uncoated stainless steel plates. Polyurethane-coated plates had the thinnest deposit layer.

Pannkakssmet skapar jobb i gammalt mejeri
Det gamla mejeriet i Kågeröd, tidigare hemvist för Medipharm som slog igen 2008, används nu för tillverkning av färdig pannkakssmet, skriver Helsingborgs Dagblad.
Det är nystartade Lundaföretaget United Pancakes som lanserar pannkakssmet baserad på havremjöl efter en idé som tagits fram av Landskronaföretaget Oatlys grundare, professor Richard Öste. Han driver projektet via forskningsbolaget Aventure i Lund.
Fabriken i Kågeröd ägs i dag av danska Fipros som arbetar med legotillverkning av livsmedels- och läkemedelsprodukter.

Frödinge Mejeri varslar tio
Tio anställda riskerar att mista jobbet när Frödinge Mejeri tvingas lägga ett varsel, skriver Vimmerby Tidning. Karin Brynell är vd för Frödinge Mejeri som varslar tio av de drygt 180 anställda. – Vi har lagt ett varsel på tio anställda i produktionen, bekräftar Karin Brynell, vd för norskägda Frödinge Mejeri. Hon förklarar att företagets agerande framför allt är en följd av försäljningsläget.

Research project aims to replace saturated fats in milk
The University of Reading in the UK has been awarded a grant of almost £300,000 to research ways of reducing the saturated fat content of milk without increasing trans fat production.
Funding for the three year project is coming from the Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC), which supports bioscience research into the development of healthier foods.
Scientists at the University of Reading will be using the grant to explore the potential of feeding cows with oilseeds and novel types of fat in order to replace saturated fats in dairy products with healthier fats.

China arrests six in latest melamine milk powder scare
Executives at another Chinese dairy company have been arrested for allegedly producing milk powder tainted with the industrial contaminant melamine.
According to media reports, seven people have been arrested in connection with the discovery of 26 tonnes of tainted powder at the Jinfulia Dairy Company, based in Yangquan city, Shanxi province. Among the arrested was the general manager at the plant.
State media reports indicate that the milk powder in question was from the same batch that should have been destroyed following the 2008 scandal, which resulted in 300,000 cases of illness and six deaths.

Utbyggnad i Burträsk planeras
Nu har Norrmejerier avslöjat hur utbyggnaden av mejeriet i Burträsk kommer att se ut. Mejeriet ska ligga mitt i byn och kommer att producera dubbelt så mycket ost.
Vid ett offentligt möte i Burträsk i onsdags kväll visades skisser på det planförslag som måste upprättas och godkännas av kommunens byggnadsnämnd.
Blå huset i centrala Burträsk ska rivas och ersätts av en industribyggnad som gör det möjligt att fördubbla produktionen av Västerbottensost.
Tidigast i juli nästa år kan utbyggnaden av mejeriet i Burträsk ta sin början.
Se inslaget på SVT Play

Arla Foods UK köper in sig i brittiskt mejeri
Westbury Dairies Limited har Storbritanniens mest moderna anläggning för produktion av skummjölkspulver och smör till industrimarknaden. Arla Foods UK, Arlas brittiska företag, får en minoritetsandel, medan resten av det nya joint venture ägs av Milk Link och First Link. De tre företagen kommer att arbeta tillsammans för att ytterligare öka kapacitetsutnyttjandet på anläggningen.

Klart med placering av Arlas nya englandsmejeri
Arla Foods har tidigare meddelat att GBP 150 miljoner ska investeras i att bygga världens första mejeri med kapacitet för en miljard liter dryckesmjölk. Nu bekräftar Arla Foods UK att en yta om 35 hektar (350 000 kvm) har säkrats vid Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, nordväst om London. Där ska det nya mejeriet byggas.

Danone to Focus on Russian and US Fresh Dairy Product Markets in 2011
Danone is expecting to grow its sales of fresh dairy products, a segment which accounted for 57% of the company's sales in 2009, and intends to prioritise the Russia-CIS and US markets in 2011.
In Russia, Danone is in the process of merging fresh dairy product business with Unimilk. Danone-Unimilk is expected to account for around 21% of the total market in Russia and Danone would hold a 57.5% stake in the new entity.

Cross-linked milk protein may reduce allergy concerns
Cross-linking milk proteins could reduce their digestibility, leading to increased satiety, and reduced allergic reactions, according to new research from Finland.
The study, published in Food Hydrocolloids, suggests using fungal or microbial enzymes to link the milk protein beta-casein could change its physical properties, so enhancing its functional characteristics.
“The results demonstrated that enzymatically cross-linked beta-casein was stable under acidic conditions and was more resistant to pepsin digestion when compared to non cross-linked b-casein,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr. Maija-Liisa Mattinen, from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
The authors stated that their findings could have “high impact on the development of novel food structures with improved properties such as good satiety, controlled energy intake and digestibility.”

Tivoli-mejeri lukker
Mejeriproduktionen på Nimb i Tivoli midt i København stopper, men produkterne forsvinder ikke fra hylderne, skriver Landbrugsavisen.dk. Produktionen fortsætter hos Øllingegaard mejeri, oplyser Food Supply.
"Det har været et spændende samarbejde, hvor der har været plads til at tænke i nye baner. Øllingegaard Mejeri vil bestemt trække på de erfaringer, vi har fået, og bevare vores status som en af Danmarks mest innovative økologiske fødevareproducenter," siger Øllingegaards marketingschef Peter Hansen til nyhedssiden.
Mejeridriften på Nimb indstilles ved udgangen af september, og Tivoli vil bruge den nærmeste fremtid på at beslutte, hvad der skal ske med faciliteterne.
Gourmetmejeriet blev skabt i et samarbejde med Øllingegaard mejeri, som leverer råvarerne, APV, som stod bag mejeriudstyret og Chr. Hansen A/S som leverandør af mælkesyrebakterier.

Arlas halvårsresultat
Arla Foods presenterar ett resultat för det första halvåret 2010 på 697 miljoner danska kronor (917 miljoner svenska kronor) och en omsättning på 23,8 miljarder danska kronor (31,3 miljarder svenska kronor). Både omsättning och intjäning steg, men en höst med utmaningar är i antågande.
Högre priser på världsmarknaden, positiv valutautveckling samt kontroll över kostnaderna, det är huvudorsakerna till att Arla Foods under årets första sex månader har kunnat höja den löpande utbetalningen till medlemmarna och samtidigt presentera ett halvårsresultat på 697 miljoner danska kronor. Under 2009 var halvårsresultatet 263 miljoner danska kronor (383 miljoner svenska kronor) och nettoomsättningen var 22,3 miljarder danska kronor.
All mjölk som de svenska och danska medlemmarna har levererat till Arla under det första halvåret 2010 har gett en intjäning till medlemmarna på 3,27 kronor per kilo mot 2,91 kronor för 2009.

New Combibloc carton pack with 28 per cent less CO₂
Combibloc EcoPlus the latest innovation from SIG Combibloc. combibloc EcoPlus is an aseptic carton pack for liquid food that cuts down CO₂ by 28 per cent compared to a 1-litre carton pack of the same format, thanks to a special new cardboard composite. This reduction in CO₂ has now been confirmed by an independent, critically reviewed lifecycle assessment conducted by the Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung (IFEU/Institute for Energy and Environmental Research) in Heidelberg, Germany. combibloc EcoPlus contains more than 80 per cent wood fibre, which is obtained from wood, a renewable resource. Milch-Union Hocheifel eG (MUH) is to be the first company in the world to launch combibloc EcoPlus. MUH, one of the biggest manufacturers of long-life dairy products in Europe, will initially be offering UHT milk in a range of fat content grades in combibloc EcoPlus, providing a plus for the environment.

Råmælk til ost i Danmark?
Mange små danske mejerier går imod discountbølgen og vil starte produktion af såkaldte gourmetoste med et unikt smagsmønster.
I praksis er det oste baseret på råmælk. Det vil sige mælk, der ikke er pasteuriseret (varmebehandlet).
Brugen af den slags råvarer er forbudt i dag, men efterhånden udbredt i f.eks. Frankrig. Og hidtil har risikoen for at blive syg efter at have spist ost baseret på den rå mælk været en barriere for den slags kvalitetsoste.
Flere og flere mindre mejerier med stormejeriet Arla i førerrollen håber snart, det bliver muligt at lave ost af råmælk.
Hvis myndighederne giver grønt lys, vil der inden for en overskuelig fremtid dukke adskillige danske råmælksoste op på markedet, skriver bladet Mejeri.
I juni indsendte Arla Foods en formel ansøgning til Fødevarestyrelsen om dispensation til at producere en fast, gul ost af upasteuriseret mælk på Tistrup Mejeri ved Skive.
Og mens Arla venter på svar, melder flere danske mejerier sig nu på banen: Det er Sønderhaven Gårdmejeri, Knuthenlund Gods og Osted Mejeri. De arbejder alle med konkrete planer om at starte produktion af råmælksost.
Dertil overvejer yderligere fem mejerier en produktion på længere sigt. Det er Them Andelsmejeri, Naturmælk, Ingstrup Mejeri, Thise Mejeri og Tebstrup Gedeosteri.

New strategy identified to fight bacterial cheese contamination
Scientists have identified a way of using a virus to control levels of the Clostridium tyrobutyricum bacteria in cheese to prevent spoilage and minimise product waste.
Originating from the silage that cows eat, C. tyrobutyricum is a significant problem for cheese makers, especially manufacturers of hard or semi-hard cheeses. Even small amounts can produce butyric acid, which gives off a rancid taste, and result in an excess build-up of carbon dioxide causing cracks to emerge.
Writing in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, scientists from the Institute for Food Research (IFR) claim to have identified and characterised a microorganism that specifically attacks the contaminant.
They concentrated their work on a bacteriophage (a type of virus that infects bacteria) called ΦCTP1. This produces a protein, called an endolysin, which recognises C. tyrobutyricum and breaks open its cells from the inside.

Lunnarps mejeri - firar 50 års jubileum
Mejeriet i Lunnarp byggdes 1960 och har sedan dess byggts till i omgångar. Anläggningen är nu drygt 40 000 kvadratmeter och här arbetar cirka 150 personer. När mejeriet startades tillverkades smör i anläggningen. Idag är det fruktdryckerna Bravo och ProViva som är de stora produkterna, som tillsammans svarar för 75 procent av produktionen i Lunnarp.
Den allra största produkten är Bravo. Mer än en miljon liter Bravo Juice rullas varje vecka ut från mejeriet. Därefter kommer ProViva som mejeriet producerar cirka 500 000 liter av varje vecka. Sedan ett år tillbaka tillverkas här även Bravo Friscus; en världsunik juice med dubbel bakteriekultur, som stärker kroppens naturliga försvar.

Augusti

Klart för Arlas nya jättemejeri i London
Arla Foods styrelse har gett grönt ljus för en investering på 1,8 miljarder kronor (1,4 miljarder danska kronor) för att bygga världens mest effektiva mejeri för produktion av dryckesmjölk. Samtidigt överväger Arlas brittiska leverantörer att öka sina investeringar i den brittiska verksamheten.
Mejeriet kommer att bli det största och mest teknologiskt avancerade mejeriet för dryckesmjölk i världen, vilket ger Arla Foods möjlighet till fortsatt tillväxt på den brittiska marknaden för dryckesmjölk. Det nya mejeriet ska byggas strax utanför London, och får en kapacitet på en miljard kilo mjölk. Det innebär att mejeriet kommer att kunna förse drygt 11 miljoner invånare i London-området med mjölk varje dag.

Fakta om det nya mejeriet		Fakta om Arla Foods i Storbritannien
• Mejeriet byggs i två etapper. Den första förväntas stå klar under 2012, den andra under 2014. • Mejeriet förväntas ha cirka 500 medarbetare inom produktion, distribution och administration. • Investeringen beräknas vara intjänad inom 6 år. • En invägning på en miljard kilo motsvarar mjölkproduktionen från ungefär 100 000 kor. • Det nya mejeriet blir det mest effektiva i Arlakoncernen. • Investeringen är en del av Arlas tillväxtstrategi och finansieras via Arlas kassa och genom lån.		• Arla Foods väger i dag in cirka 1,8 miljarder kilo mjölk. • Arla har redan mejerier i Lockerbie (Skottland), Stourton (nära Leeds i mellersta England) Oakthorpe, Hatfield och Ashby (i södra England). • Redan under 2008 meddelade Arla att det är en del av koncernens strategi att bli Storbritanniens ledande mejeri. • Just nu är den största delen av Arlas produktion i Storbritannien dryckesmjölk och filtrerad mjölk (Cravendale®), men Arla producerar även grädde, crème fraiche, och cottage cheese. Dessutom säljer Arla de importerade varumärkena Lurpak®, Castello® och Anchor® till brittiska konsumenter.

Skånemejerier och Wernersson Ost bildar gemensamt bolag för storhushåll
Wernersson Ost, som ägs av den norska mejerikoncernen Tine, bildar ett gemensamt försäljningsbolag tillsammans med den svenska mejerikoncernen Skånemejerier. Genom det nya bolaget lägger man en stark grund för att bli en betydande aktör på den svenska storhushållsmarknaden.
Skånemejeriers omsättning är med 3 miljarder kronor medan Wernersson Ost omsätter drygt 600 miljoner kronor.
Det nya bolaget inom storhushåll får en affärskår på 13 personer och en produktiportfölj bestående av 500 artiklar.

Coca-Cola Enters into Indian Dairy Drink Market
The latest offering, Maaza Milky Delite is a blend of juicy mangoes and milk developed especially by Coca-Cola India in its Research & Development Laboratory in Gurgaon. Maaza Milky Delite is made out of mango pulp blended with milk.
Maaza Milky Delite is being made available in a 200 ml slim tetra pack, and has been affordably priced at Rs 15. The latest innovation by Coca-Cola India is targeted at teenagers and young adults who are on the lookout for a refreshing milky mango juice drink.

Danisco acquires South African Research Solutions
Danisco has acquired the shares in the company Research Solutions in Cape Town, South Africa.
Research Solutions is a South African based company with expertise in offering customised ingredients solutions, in particular to the dairy industry.
Research Solutions is situated very close to Danisco’s production and sales facility in Cape Town and will be integrated into this facility.
Danisco has a total of 61 employees in South Africa, located in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Danisco established its first presence in South Africa in 2000.

Skånemejerier köper Lindahls
Skånemejerier i Malmö köper mejerikoncernen Lindahls Holding AB i Jönköping, där Lindahls Mejeriprodukter ingår. Affären innebär inga personella förändringar.
Mejeriaffären antas uppgå till minst ett par hundra miljoner kronor, skriver Jönköpings-Posten.
– Vi nämner inga siffror, men det här är en mycket stor affär. Vi ville ha Lindahls eftersom vi ser en stor potential i företaget, säger Anders Olsson, styrelseordförande i Skånemejeriers ekonomiska förening, till tidningen.
Affären innebär inga personella förändringar. Lindahls mejeri är mest känt för sin yoghurt.

Arla udvider i USA
Arla udvider nu sit mejeri i Hollandtown, Wisconsin for at kunne følge med de amerikanske forbrugeres stigende ønske om kvalitetsoste i ’premium’-klassen. Udvidelsen står klar i forsommeren 2011 og skal sætte endnu mere tryk på salget.
I en tid hvor USA har været hårdt ramt af finanskrisen, er Arla’s amerikanske salgskurver fortsat opad. Sidste år steg Arla’s salg i USA med 10 procent, og halvvejs inde i 2010 ligger salgsvolumen 20 procent over samme periode i 2009.
70 procent af Arla’s produkter til USA produceres på Arla’s to amerikanske mejerier i Muskegon, Michigan og Hollandtown, Wisconsin, mens 30 procent importeres fra Arla’s mejerier i Danmark. Mejeriet i Hollandtown udvides nu for at følge med det voksende salg.

Skånemejerier köper in sig i Östgöta mjölk
Skånemejerier köper 91,1 % av Östgöta Mjölk. Återstående aktier ägs liksom tidigare av de sju gårdar som startade företaget. Med det utvidgade ägandet skapas förutsättningar för att i snabbare takt möta efterfrågan av ett breddat produktsortiment – och skapa nya lokala produkter och förbättringar för både handlare och konsumenter.

Arla appoints project director for 1bn litre 'super dairy'
Arla Foods has appointed a project director to oversee the construction of its much-anticipated 1bn litre 'super dairy' in Greater London.
Jakob Wielandt Nielsen - who has worked for Arla for more than 20 years - will be responsible for finalising the design of the dairy, appointing contractors and overseeing its construction and installation.
His most recent position was production and technology development director in the global categories and operations business group at Arla’s head office in Aarhus, Denmark.

Skånemejerier bildar joint venture med världsledande mejeriföretaget Danone
Skånemejerier meddelar att Danone förvärvar 51% av dotterbolaget ProViva AB.
Enligt avtalet köper Danone 51% av aktiekapitalet i ProViva AB. Samägandet träder i kraft i slutet av 2010, och Danone kommer successivt att öka sin ägarandel. Planen är att ProViva inom en 11-årsperiod ska övergå helt i Danones ägo.
ProViva, som byggt sin framgång på svensk forskning, är ett mycket starkt varumärke med hög lönsamhet. Företaget har rönt stora framgångar på den nordiska marknaden och slår ständigt nya försäljningsrekord. Bolaget omsätter 364 MSEK (2009) och står för 21 % av värdet på den kylda fruktdrycksmarknaden i Sverige.

Konkurrensverket lägger ned Arlautredning
Den 2 juli 2010 beslutade Konkurrensverket att lägga ned sin undersökning om huruvida Arla följer följer konkurrenslagstiftningen på den svenska marknaden. Det är knappt 15 månader sedan som Konkurrensverket gjorde oanmälda besök på Arlas kontor i Stockholm och Viby och därmed startade sin granskning. Den 2 juli beslutade Konkurrensverket att lägga ned undersökningen som prövat om Arla följer konkurrenslagen på den svenska marknaden.

Unilever Acquires Diplom-Is Operations in Denmark
Unilever has today signed an asset purchase agreement with the Norwegian dairy group TINE, to acquire the activities of Diplom-Is in Denmark, as of 30th September 2010. The value of the transaction is undisclosed.
TINE owns and operates Diplom-Is in Norway, Sweden and Denmark – and is now selling its Danish Ice Cream operations to Unilever, incorporating 30 employees and five local distribution centers in Denmark.
Unilever’s Ice Cream/Frisko history in Denmark dates back to 1930 and is one of Denmark's leading Ice Cream players with a brand portfolio of well known brands like Magnum, Cornetto and Carte d’Or.

Vinamilk Building 400-Million-Litre-Per-Year Milk Plant
Vietnam's Vinamilk has reportedly started construction on a USD 120 million milk factory in the southern Binh Duong province.
The new plant will have a capacity of 400 million litres of milk a year when it becomes operational in late 2012.
The capacity is scheduled to be doubled to 800 million tons a year by 2017.
Vinamilk is the largest dairy product maker in Vietnam by sales

GEA records double-digit growth in order intake
In the second quarter of 2010, GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft’s order intake increased by 12.7 percent year-on-year to EUR 1,167 million (previous year: EUR 1,036 million) – its highest level since the outbreak of the financial and economic crisis. At EUR 1,065 million, revenue in Q2 was up 13.5 percent on the first quarter of 2010 and thus only 3.5 percent below the prior-year quarter.

Dairy Research Institute Created to Increase Research
Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announce the creation of the Dairy Research Institute™, a non-profit organization that will provide a forum for the industry to identify major research needs to support dairy industry innovation and grow dairy sales.
The Dairy Research Institute builds upon dairy producers, processors and manufacturers efforts to work together pre-competitively through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy that was formed in 2008. The Institute is comprised of leadership from the dairy industry, scientific community, academics, government and other organizations to plan and fund leading-edge dairy research in the areas of nutrition science, product development and sustainability.

Juli

Milko stänger I Karlstad och Sundsvall
Sammanlagt 173 personer förlorar jobbet när Milko stänger mejerierna i Karlstad och Sundsvall för att spara pengar. Orsaken till nedläggningen är att det kooperativa företaget i dag inte klarar av att betala konkurrenskraftiga priser till mjölkbönderna, förklarar ledningen. Därför måste kostnaderna minskas. I detta ingår samarbete med Falköpings mejeri.
-Vi måste ta en del mindre trevliga beslut för vår personal, sade Milkos ordförande Lars Reyier vid en presskonferens.
-Samtidigt är det helt nödvändiga beslut att stänga dessa två mejerier. Genom de här åtgärderna hoppas vi återvinna medlemmarnas förtroende. Vi har haft oro i medlemsleden på grund av att vi inte har kunnat betala ett konkurrenskraftigt avräkningspris.

Changing demographics will provide growth opportunities for dairy industry, says Tetra Pak
Changing demographics will have an impact on the types of dairy products people consume and how they consume them, providing new growth opportunities for the dairy industry, according to the latest edition of the Tetra Pak Dairy Index.
Ageing populations, urbanisation and an emerging global middle class are driving demand for new types of liquid dairy products* (LDP) in both developed and developing countries, reports the Tetra Pak newsletter, which tracks worldwide facts, figures and trends in the global dairy industry. Among the trends the report details are:

Ageing population drives demand for healthy products
Urbanisation changes consumer preferences and impacts distribution of LDP
Emerging middle class enjoys new purchasing power

Worldwide consumption of milk and other LDP is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4% from 2009 to 2012 — reaching 283 billion litres. This is up 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous forecast of 2.2% CAGR. Worldwide LDP consumption increased year-on-year by 1.8% to 264 billion litres and demand has continued to be strong through the first half of 2012.

IDF keen to make its renewed dairy nutrition website a global sciencebased source of reference
IDF has launched a refreshed version of its Dairy Nutrition Website using latest web technologies to further knowledge of milk and milk products and their positive benefits on nutrition and health. The user friendliness of the website has been improved with the possibility to sign up for a newsfeed (via RSS technology). In addition, the IDF Dairy Nutrition website is now also connected to ‘social networking sites’ such as Facebook, Twitter and many others. Another major feature is the optimized search function. All these new features will enhance the service to the visitors in the most customer friendly way. The aim of the renewed dairy nutrition platform remains to provide sciencebased information on milk and milk products and their role in nutrition and health.

Camel Milk May be Coming to Europe Soon
Hard on the hooves of cow's and goat's milk, European grocery shelves may soon be invaded by milk from that proverbial ship of the desert, the camel.
An animal famous for bad breath and ill humour might seem an unlikely source of liquid to lubricate a bowl of breakfast cereal or froth up a latte, but promoters from the United Arab Emirates say it is healthy -- and almost like mother's own.
"People with lactose intolerance can drink it with no problem, unlike cow's milk, it doesn't cause protein allergies, and it's high in insulin," said Ulrich Wernery, the scientific director of Dubai's Center for Veterinary Research Laboratory.
Similar in taste and appearance to cow's milk, he said camel milk is closer in composition to human milk, making it a healthier option than cow milk.
Camel milk also is high in vitamin C, which Wernery said explains its importance to Bedouins, Arab desert nomads, who historically lacked fruits or vegetables in their diet and have been drinking camel milk for generations.
The European Commission recently approved plans for screening camel milk, and will send an EU panel to inspect the UAE's two dairy farms producing camel milk -- Al Ain Dairy, with "Camelait", and the Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products' "Camelicious", found in most UAE grocery stores.
Wernery expected EU permission to export, which if granted could have the UAE shipping camel dairy next year, to open doors to U.S. and Canadian markets as well as China and Hong Kong.
But camel milk comes at a price. In the UAE, its costs about about 4 dirhams ($1.09) more per litre than cow's milk.
"Cows produce more milk than our camels -- about 50 litres daily, while our camels make 10-15 litres," Wernery, who is affiliated with Camelicious, said.
"But they developed good dairy cows over many years. We are trying to breed good (camel) milking stock, but it will take some time."
Camelicious produces 5,000 litres a day, far less than even one percent of daily European milk consumption. For now, he said, UAE farms can target only specialty health stores.
If the milk does hit Europe's dairy aisle, he said, consumers would also find camel chocolate, cheese, and ice cream.

UK dairy sector eyes energy saving pasteurisation alternative to extend milk shelf-life
Ultraviolet light technology will be touted as an environmentally friendly alternative to heat pasteurisation for milk in an Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA) report due in the coming weeks.
Dairy UK, in collaboration with the Carbon Trust, recently held workshops to discuss alternatives to the energy consuming thermal process used for milk pasteurisation. Dairy UK environment manager Fergus McReynolds told DairyReporter.com that the most viable substitute could be UV pasteurisation.
This alternative subjects milk to precise frequencies of wave lengths of light to interact with DNA and stop its ability to reproduce. The advantages and drawbacks of the new technology have been seen by this publication ahead of the IEEA’s report.

Juni

Norwegian Dairy Firm TINE Expanding
Leading Norwegian dairy company TINE recently provided an update on its expansion projects.
The company said that its new dairy at Jæren, Rogaland, which will replace the four dairies at Voll, Kleppe, Nærbø and Vikeså, is expected to be ready in the autumn of 2011.
"The plant will cost NOK 1.4 billion and will be among the Nordic countries’ most modern, environmentally-friendly and future-oriented dairies", said TINE.
"The new dairy will give TINE higher productivity and profitability. The dairy will have a raw material base of about 200 million litres of milk per year", added the company.
The Jæren plant will produce white cheese, butter and margarine. The plant will also process whey.
TINE also provided an update on its fat and whey products facility in Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag.
The company said that further to a review of the project, a decision was made in 2009 to conduct a stage-by-stage development of the Verdal dairy, beginning by investing NOK 0.6 billion in a new fat processing plant. The investment is connected with a previous decision to consolidate the production of fat, dried products and concentrates in Eastern and Central Norway.
The company commented: "TINE ’s future strategy for whey processing is based on the fact that whey and its constituents are mostly dried and used in food. This will take place by building drying facilities for whey proteins and permeate in Verdal and at the new dairy at Jæren".
"Our cooperation agreement with Arla Foods Ingredients on marketing and sale of whey products continues as already decided. As a direct consequence of the above restructuring, the Tolga dairy was sold in the autumn of 2009", explained TINE.
TINE also said that work is well underway with regards to the construction of a warehouse at its main facility in Eastern Norway at Kalbakken.
The new warehouse will have a high degree of automation and will cost NOK 1.2 billion.
Moving forward TINE also said: "During the period 2010-2012 investments will be made in a new refrigeration plant and load-bearing system at the Tunga dairy outside Trondheim. Work has also been done on plans for relocating the TINE dairy in Bergen to a more practical site outside town. In that connection, TINE purchased some land near Flesland Airport outside Bergen in early 2010".
TINE ’s dairy business in Norway takes place in five regional dairy companies with a total of 44 dairy facilities and five terminals scattered across the country. TINE ’s dairy business processed a total of 1.26 billion litres of milk in 2009 (1.28 billion litres in 2008). This resulted by and large in 388 million litres of fresh milk (394 million litres in 2008), 74 200 tonnes of cheese (72 000 tonnes), 21 500 tonnes of butter and margarine products (20 900 tonnes) plus 47 million litres of yoghurt products (44 million litres).

Danone and Unimilk join complementary strengths to found a high-profile dairy leader in Russia and the CIS
Danone and Unimilk announce the signature of an agreement to merge Danone’s Fresh Dairy Product businesses in the CIS area with those of Russian company Unimilk.
Spanning operations in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, the merger covers all dairy products. It will make Danone- Unimilk the leader for dairy products in the CIS area as a whole, and particularly in Russia, where it will account for around 21% of the total market and hold strong positions in high-value, high-growth segments.
The new entity will generate annual sales of approximately €1.5 billion* and count over 18,000 employees. It will be chaired by Andrey Beskhmelnitsky, current CEO of Unimilk, while Filip Kegels, current General Manager of Danone Fresh Dairy Products in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, will take charge of operational management.
Danone-Unimilk will draw strength from the tie-up between two fast-growing and highly complementary businesses offering:
-A complementary geographical presence, with Danone operating mainly in western Russia, while Unimilk has a higher profile to the east;
-Complementary product ranges: Danone’s strength in the value-added health segment will round out Unimilk’s strong positions and powerful brands in core markets;
-Complementary distribution networks: Danone’s access to modern trade will be matched by Unimilk’s strength in proximity distribution;
-Complementary strengths in production, with Danone contributing expertise built up as the global expert in making dairy products since 1919, while Unimilk covers the whole of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus with 28 production sites.
These complementary features will give the new entity the benefit of significant sales and cost synergies. They will also position Danone- Unimilk extremely well to take advantage of strong growth momentum in the region's dairy product market, and to accelerate it in the years ahead.
Danone will control 57.5% interest in the new entity, while the current shareholders of Unimilk will hold 42.5%. The transaction will be carried out principally through a contribution of assets, supplemented with a cash purchase of shares by Danone. Danone’s net financial debt will increase by €1.3 billion principally as the result of the value of the put options which will be granted to the current shareholders of Unimilk. These options will allow them to dispose part or all of their shares in the new entity, Danone being able to hold 100% of these shares in 2022. The operation will be accretive to Danone earnings per share starting in 2011.
This transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals in the countries concerned. Closing is currently expected to take place towards the end of 2010.

Arla Foods Ingredients Begins Production of New Infant Nutrition Protein
The world's first commercial production of a unique milk protein present in human milk is officially underway at Arla Foods Ingredients.
The outcome of a long-term research project, osteopontin (OPN) is extracted from bovine milk using a patented process. After several years of pilot production, the completion of process documentation has enabled the step up to industrial-scale processing.
OPN is a key component of human milk, which contains around 140mg a litre. The content of OPN in bovine milk, from which most infant formula is made, is just 20mg.”The fact that there is so much more OPN in human milk than bovine milk provides a simple argument for adding it to infant formula. It can be used to make infant formula more like human milk in terms of nutritional profile,” says Peter Wejse, project manager.
Due to the tiny quantity of OPN present in bovine milk, some 30 tonnes of whey are required to extract one kilo of the speciality protein. The whey then goes on to further processing. ”In extremely simple terms, what we do is take the needle out of the haystack without damaging the needle or the haystack,” Wejse explains. OPN is currently sold to infant nutrition manufacturers in Asia. The protein is also believed to be beneficial in relation to dental health.

New Strategic Plans from FrieslandCampina
Dairy multinational Royal FrieslandCampina, which has its own production plants in 24 countries and markets its products in more than 100 countries, has announced its new strategic plans and priorities for the coming decade. The new strategy envisages growth in dairy based beverages, branded cheeses and infant & toddler nutrition ingredients. These growth targets apply both to new and existing markets in Europe, Asia and Africa. The company also wants to grow in Europe through the sale of dairy products for the catering, bakery and professional kitchen (food service). FrieslandCampina is working to further improve its ingredients product range for the food industry by responding to the specific wishes of its clients. The company also wants to improve energy efficiency throughout the dairy chain and reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions. The new strategy will therefore add extra value to the milk supplied by FrieslandCampina’s member farmers.

Top German dairy producer plans merger
Directors of Germany’s largest dairy company, Nordmilch, and Humana MilchIndustrie have proposed a merger to aid survival in a competitive international market.
The joint operation should be given the go ahead in January 2011 after approval from the German Federal Cartel Office and consent of the parent cooperatives’ representatives.

Valio Opens 40 Million Euro Butter Plant
Finnish dairy company Valio has opened a new butter plant in Seinäjoki, Finland. Viewed by the company to be the most modern butter plant in the world, the facility cost a total 40 million euro. It is understood that the plant will manufacture 100,000 tons of dairy products annually.

IDF Elie Metchnikoff Prize 2010 winners from Finland, USA and Ireland awarded
The winners of the IDF Elie Metchnikoff Prize were announced at the Award Ceremony at the IDF Symposia on Science and Technology of Fermented Milk and on Microstructure of Dairy Products in Tromsö, Norway, on 9 June 2010. The IDF Elie Metchnikoff Prize 2010 was awarded in three categories: Nutrition and health, Biotechnology and Microbiology. And the winners are…

Nutrition and health
Prof. Seppo Salminen & Prof. Erika Isolauri, Finland Probiotics in dairy products - novel tools to fight Western life-style diseases Their discoveries focus on probiotics and fermented milks influencing gut microbiota and its interactions in a health and nutrition promoting manner. The discoveries demonstrate that probiotic-supplemented perinatal dietary counselling could be a safe and cost-effective tool in addressing allergic, inflammatory disease and the metabolic epidemic.

Biotechnology
Prof. Todd R. Klaenhammer, USA Industrial application of molecular genetics to food grade lactic acid bacteria His discoveries focused on industrial application of molecular genetics to food grade lactic acid bacteria. His groups’ research efforts have focused on (i) design of novel genetic strategies to provide bacteriophage resistance to dairy starter cultures; (ii) discovery and characterization of bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria; and (iii) use of genomic approaches to investigate the functional properties of probiotic lactobacilli and examine the role of the dairy environment on the expression of key traits.

Microbiology
Prof. R. Paul Ross, Dr. Catherine Stanton, Prof. Gerald Fitzgerald and Prof. Colin Hill, Ireland Mechanistic basis of LAB and probiotic functionality The research of this group has focused on the mechanistic basis of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and probiotic functionality. Their collaborative research has focused on exploitation and genetic improvement of LAB, ranging from applications in phage resistance and biopreservation to their incorporation and stabilisation in functional foods, to demonstration of efficacy and mechanistic studies in mammalian hosts.
“The excellent response and the high quality of submissions from countries competing for the award illustrate increasing research and development initiatives in the field of fermented milks. This very dynamic branch of the dairy industry thereby improves nutrition and health worldwide.” said Richard Doyle, IDF President.
The IDF Elie Metchnikoff Prize 2010 was created with the support of the following partners from the industry and other organizations: Yakult, Danone Research, Nestlé, Mead Johnson, DSM Food Specialties, YLFA International, Danisco, California Dairy Research Foundation and Chr. Hansen.

Tetra Pak launches OneStep technology for processing aseptic white milk
New technology shortens UHT milk processing time by up to 90 per cent, cuts operating costs by up to 50 per cent

Tetra Pak launches OneStep technology, a Tetra Lactenso™ Aseptic solution that incorporates UHT white milk production within a single, high-throughput process.
OneStep technology eliminates the need for pasteurisation, pre-treatment and intermediate storage. In one unbroken step raw milk is preheated, clarified, separated, standardised and homogenised, before undergoing UHT treatment and regenerative cooling, and then being transferred to two aseptic buffer tanks. This shortens processing time from as much as two days to just a few hours, cutting operating costs by up to 50 per cent compared with conventional solutions.
In essence, the innovation of OneStep technology is that it combines heat treatment, separation and standardisation into a single step, significantly simplifying and accelerating the production process.
In addition to shortening the time it takes to process raw milk, OneStep technology also incorporates aseptic buffering, enabling completely automated and continuous UHT operations, with fewer process steps and smaller hold-up volumes in the line.
“The whole process is far more efficient than conventional solutions, creating significant savings when it comes to operating costs and greatly reducing the environmental impact,” said Bengt Eliasson, manager, Tetra Pak Dairy Aseptic Solutions. “And because a lot less equipment and floor space are needed, capital costs are also lower. It adds up to greater efficiency at lower cost.”
Tetra Pak OneStep technology can reduce energy and water consumption by up to 35 per cent, and cut waste and effluent load by as much as 60 per cent, thanks to better accuracy in chemical use during Cleaning in Place (CIP). These savings are estimated to reduce the carbon footprint of the production process by around 40 per cent. Furthermore, the streamlined process cuts product loss by up to 30 per cent compared to conventional UHT solutions, thanks to fewer process steps and smaller hold-up volumes in the line.
With the ability to change the fat content of milk products without stopping production – and to run milk with different fat contents at the same time - OneStep technology provides outstanding aseptic line flexibility, enabling efficient production planning and high utilisation of filling machines - with up to 100 per cent availability.
Said Eliasson: OneStep technology gives customers a shortcut to UHT milk production, maximising both product quality and safety with hygienic design in every detail and full traceability and control of the line. And like all of our customised Tetra Lactenso dairy production solutions, our promise is backed by a validated performance guarantee.

Dansk særregel om aroma til mælkeprodukter ophævet
Den danske særregel om godkendelse af aromaer til mælkeprodukter er blevet ophævet fra den 23. maj 2010. Aromaproducenter og fødevareproducenter, der vil markedsføre mælkeprodukter på det danske marked, skal dermed ikke længere igennem en lang procedure for at få en særlig dansk godkendelse.
Selv om den hidtidige aromabekendtgørelse formelt også er ophævet sammen med særreglen, gælder de øvrige regler i bekendtgørelsen fortsat, indtil EU’s nye forordning om aromaer til fødevarer (forordning (EF) nr. 1334/2008) bliver gældende den 20. januar 2011.
Den nationale særregel på aroma-området er fra 1992 og handler om en godkendelsesordning for aromaer til mælkeprodukter.
Ophævelsen sker, fordi den Europæiske Fødevaresikkerhedsautoritet EFSA siden 1992 er kommet så langt i deres sikkerhedsevaluering af aromastoffer i fødevarer, at Danmark ikke længere anser særreglen for at være nødvendig.

Danone Undecided About Resubmitting Health Claims
French group Danone said it was undecided about resubmitting applications to regulators about health claims for two high-selling products in a case closely watched by investors.
The world's largest yoghurt maker in April withdrew applications for the benefits of Activia and Actimel, saying there was confusion about what kind of scientific evidence the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) required.
Health claims are keenly followed by investors because they are a powerful marketing tool and allow companies like Danone to charge more for well-differentiated products.
Several brokers had voiced concern the EFSA might reject Danone's health claims, a move that could hurt the group's image and stock price.
Activia, a yoghurt that Danone says aids digestion, and Actimel, a dairy drink it says helps strengthen the body's defences, had combined 2009 sales of 3.7 billion euros.
This is 43 percent of the sales of the fresh dairy division and 25 percent of global revenue.
The EFSA said after a technical meeting on Tuesday that it would provide applicants with additional guidelines on the scientific evidence it required.
It said it would pursue a dialogue "through on-line consultations and technical workshops to provide additional guidelines to applicants in selected areas, such as gut and immune function, antioxydants, satiety, and mental functions."
"It is too early to say if we will resubmit the applications but our intention remains to be able to reapply," a Danone spokeswoman told Reuters.
The industry had been hoping the EFSA meeting in Parma, Italy, would provide more clarity on an approval process which has been criticised as complex, bureaucratic and slow.
Danone submitted extra evidence last year about the claims it makes for Activia and Actimel but withdrew it in April.
One source close to the matter told Reuters that one encouraging development from the meeting was that EFSA would hold a workshop on gut and immune claims before the end of the year.
These health sectors are at the heart of the two applications Danone withdrew.
For Danone, the EFSA review process has not been a smooth road. In April 2009, it withdrew its applications on Activia and Actimel as there was confusion about what data the EFSA needed. Danone filed new applications covering the two products late last year and early this year.

Mintel yoghurt report: “Both health and indulgence”
The magic combination of health and indulgence continues to drive the market for yoghurts and chilled desserts, according to a new review by Mintel.
Mintel’s update on the global market for yoghurt, soy yoghurt and chilled desserts identifies a 9 per cent increase in product launches in the category over the past year, bolstered by strong demand in Europe.
Based on the top claims made on new product launches, the new data identifies a continued focus on low fat, additive free and organic, but Mintel cautions that indulgence should not be overlooked.

Bizerba: “The First Intelligent Slicer”
The integrated weighing function of the A 510 is the only one of its kind in the world: meat, sausage, cheese can all be weighed and cut exactly in line with the predefined weight. The Bizerba software continually compares the sliced weight with the target weight and regulates the slice thickness during the slicing process so that the target weight is achieved exactly.

Maj

FrieslandCampina to concentrate Research & Development in Wageningen
Royal FrieslandCampina intends to concentrate the majority of its Research & Development activities in the Netherlands in Wageningen. This concerns the activities that are currently taking place in Deventer, Tilburg and Wageningen. The organisation believes this decision will contribute to a strengthening of its innovative power. In these locations some 250 professionals work on research and product and process development for consumer dairy, cheese and ingredients.

SPX to Provide Norway's Largest Dairy Producer with Advanced Continuous Margarine and Butter Processing System
SPX Corporation announces that its Flow Technology segment has been awarded a contract valued at over $10 million to custom design and install a fully automated, continuous margarine and butter processing system at the new Tine Jæren plant insouthwest Norway. The system will utilize the technology of Gerstenberg Schröder, which SPX acquired earlier this year.
The new facility is being constructed by Tine BA, Norway's largest producer, distributor and exporter of dairy products.
SPX Flow Technology manufactures, engineers and installs components and turnkey solutions for the global food processing industry, leveraging its core product lines, including APV, Waukesha Cherry-Burrell and Gerstenberg Schröder. The fully automated system will be designed to enable Tine to continuously process both butter and margarine spreads in the same production facility. In addition, the system will be configured to deliver environmental benefits through low water and energy consumption.
Gerstenberg Schroder's end-to-end processing system will be designed to enable Tine to minimize the operational water consumption on the butter maker. The system will be built to capture most of the fluids used during the cleaning in place process, and thus reduce the costs and disruption of the disposal process versus systems that do not capture most fluids. Fluids will be preconditioned to the temperature required for the cleaning which can result in a reduction of cleaning time. These features, along with the fact that the electric motors are often controlled by a frequency converter, are expected to help minimize the plant's overall energy consumption.

NIZO develops objective tool for grading rim air in cheese
NIZO food research has developed a universal grading system. The commercial value of (semi)hard cheeses can now be judged in an objective way.
Rim air is considered a defect that diminishes the commercial value of cheese. In view of the many different methods that are used in the field to judge and grade rim air intensity, there is a need for an objective description of different intensities or grades of rim air.
NIZO has developed such an objective and universal grading system of ten grades of rim air ranging from none (1) at all to very bad (10). This new grading system is accompanied by a description in quantitative, physical terms. As a basis for setting up this grading system was a questionnaire addressed at cheese experts. In the questionnaire, the experts were asked to describe the grading criteria used in their daily practice, and to grade, according to their own criteria a series of photographs of cheeses exhibiting different degrees of rim air.
A dedicated computer tool was developed which uses the new grading system to produce an objective grade from the analysis of a photograph of the cross section of a cheese. According to Hans Tromp, this tool is meant as a source of objective information for judging the commercial value of a cheese. This will result in a more constant quality of cheese for the consumers.
The tool features a user-friendly interface. It was optimized to handle a wide range of photographic conditions. The software and support are available from NIZO.

World's Biggest Orange Juice Company Formed
Brazilian orange juice companies Citrosuco and Citrovita have agreed to merge operations, which will create the world's largest producer of orange juice accounting for about a quarter of global production, surpassing Brazilian market leader Cutrale.
It is expected that the joint venture will have annual revenues of USD 1.1 billion. The merger will also help the companies cut costs and deal with pricing pressures from large retailers in the US and Europe
The Votorantim group, which owns Citrovita, and the Fischer group, controller of Citrosuco, will each have a 50% stake in the venture.
The combined company will have 6 factories in Brazil, 1 in Florida in the US and 8 port terminals, 2 in Brazil and the remainder in Japan, Belgium, Australia and the US.
It is understood that Brazil produces about one in every two glasses of orange juice consumed in the world today.

Förväntad fettskatt på mejeriprodukter
Ett danskt lagförslag om avgift på mättat fett jämställer mejeriprodukter med cigarretter, alkohol och chips. Det skapar otydlighet mot konsument och kan medföra att inköp flyttar utanför Danmark. Arla tar bestämt avstånd från det avgiftspaket som den danska regeringen och Dansk Folkeparti presenterade på onsdagen den 5 maj 2010, eftersom det likställer mejeriprodukter med cigarretter, alkohol och chips.
– Det är absurt att helt vanliga livsmedel som mjölkprodukter, som innehåller många nyttiga näringsämnen nu jämförs med cigarretter, alkohol och chips. Det ger en felaktig bild av vad som är nyttigt och onyttigt, säger Lars Aagaard, direktör för Arlas danska marknad.
Nyckelhålsmärket infördes förra året av livsmedelsministern för att hjälpa konsumenterna att välja nyttiga livsmedel.
– Fettavgiften som drabbar flera av våra produkter under Nyckelhålsmärket signalerar ju det helt motsatta. Regeringen måste vara konsekvent så att vi har en tydlig definition av vad som är nyttigt eller onyttigt. Annars hjälper vi ju inte konsumenterna, säger Lars Aagaard.
Den vidare processen för fettavgiften betraktas som en ren formalitet eftersom det finns ett massivt politiskt stöd för förslaget. Den danska regeringen och Dansk Folkeparti har majoritet i det danska folketinget. Oppositionspartierna står också bakom förslaget. Den så kallade fettskatten kan, efter ett formellt beslut, träda i kraft i mitten av 2011.

Chr Hansen Says Work Towards IPO Still in Progress
Danish food ingredients group Chr. Hansen is continuing its preparations for a flotation on the stock exchange, its chief executive said on Monday.
The company said in late April that it aimed to raise about 450 million euros ($571.6 million) through an initial public offering of its shares.
"We stand right in the same place that we did a few weeks ago when we sent out our intention to float," Chief Executive Lars Frederiksen told Reuters.
A listing for Chr. Hansen means rejoining the bourse as the company was de-listed in July 2005 when it was bought by French private equity group PAI Partners for 8.2 billion Danish crowns ($1.40 billion).
Frederiksen said there has still not been a final decision on a listing, but he said that the goal was for Chr. Hansen to be ready for a bourse listing as soon as PAI Partners give the go-ahead.

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Här kommer ett unikt erbjudande öppet för dig som är högst 28 år gammal.
Mejeritekniskt Forum erbjuder två stipendiater 15.000 kronor vardera att disponera för att bekosta resa, boende och kongressavgift för deltagande i den 42:a Nordiska Mejerikongressen.
Kongressen går av stapeln den 17-19 juni 2010. Värdland är Finland och platsen som valts ut för evenemanget är Hämeenlinna eller Tavastehus för att använda det finlandssvenska namnet. Ligger ca en timmes resa norrut från Helsingfors.
Temat för den 42:a kongressen är:

Nya teknologier och innovationer inom mejeriindustrin

Det är ett gediget program som är fyllt med intressanta föredrag av mejeriindustrins specialister med både stor spännvidd och stort djup. Kongressen är en av de viktigaste mötesplatserna för den nordiska mejeriindustrin och där du dessutom får umgås med dina kolleger från de nordiska grannländerna i en härlig miljö. Läs mer i programmet och besök även kongressens hemsida, se länk till vänster.
Ta chansen att delta i denna kongress och få del av de senaste rönen inom branschen.
Maila din ansökan till Peter Hedin genast på adress peter.hedin@tetrapak.com

Bonden bakom mjölken i mobilen
Att lyfta fram ursprunget och låta mjölkdrickarna träffa bönderna bakom mjölken har varit en succé sedan lanseringen för ett år sedan. Nu tar Skånemejerier det ett steg längre när man släpper en applikation för Iphone som gör det möjligt att se vilka gårdar som levererat mjölken till en viss förpackning.
Nu är det möjligt att med hjälp av datumkoden högst upp på mjölkförpackningen se vilka mjölkbönder som levererat mjölken till just det paketet. Samma möjlighet att träffa bönderna finns på Skånemejeriers hemsida. Att även erbjuda detta via telefonen ökar tillgängligheten.
Än så länge är tjänsten bara tillgänglig för Iphone, och applikationen laddas ner kostnadsfritt från Apples Appstore. Detta är en början som förhoppningsvis kan leda till vidare utveckling och nå ännu fler kanaler och användare framöver.
Det stöd som konsumenterna visar mjölkbönderna är unikt, och nödvändigt för framtida svensk mjölkproduktion. Iphoneapplikationen är ett lekfullt sätt att med ny teknik knyta banden mellan bonde och konsument ännu starkare.

Tillstånd utökad produktion
Falköpings Mejeri har fått tillstånd enligt miljöbalken till utökad produktion vid föreningens anläggning i Falköping. Det nuvarande tillståndet avser en produktion motsvarande en invägning av högst 110 000 ton mjölk per år. Den framtida invägningen beräknas uppgå till högst 180 000 ton mjölk per år.
Den aktuella produktionsökningen avseende konsumtionsmjölks-, ost- och torrmjölksprodukter bygger i princip på ett förbättrat kapacitetsutnyttjande av befintlig produktionsutrustning i kombination med tidvis utökad drifttid under dygnet.

New InfraLab e-Series At-Line Food Analyzer for the Measurement of Moisture, Fat and Protein
The InfraLab e-Series At-Line Foods Analyzer provides rapid accurate measurement of moisture, fat and protein in single or multiple component configurations in a variety of Food Products.
Easy-to-use, the InfraLab requires no special operator skills, and takes just 5 seconds to make the analysis.
Using multi-wavelength NIR reflection, the InfraLab does not require contact with the product sample. The sample dish is placed on the turntable; the InfraLab automatically recognizes that it has been placed there and begins the analysis.
The InfraLab is designed to be calibrated to your laboratory method such as Gravimetric Oven or Karl Fischer for Moisture, and Soxhlet and Kjell-Dahl for Fat and Protein. This means that you can enjoy laboratory accuracy without the costs, the chemicals or the time associated with lab methods.

Near infrared detection system beats X-ray blind spots
A breakthrough non-ionising food defect detection system that identifies the presence of materials in foodstuffs that are normally transparent to X-rays is reliable, fast and versatile, says the UK company behind the development.
Inspection Technologies says its patented near infrared (NIR) equipment can reveal the presence of a range of radiolucent foreign objects such as fruit pits and stones, plastics, paper and wood. It even detects minute chicken bones that X-ray machines can miss.
Designed for use in the soft fruit, confectionery, biscuit, dairy and meat sectors, the system also realises cost benefits in terms of energy usage and manpower, says the firm.

CME Group Announces the Launch of Cheese Futures and Options
CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, announces the launch of Cheese futures and options on futures. The cash-settled contracts will be available on CME Globex®, the exchange’s electronic trading platform, with trading scheduled to begin on June 20, 2010, for trade date June 21. These contracts will be listed by and subject to the rules and regulations of CME.
“This contract was requested by our customers such as manufacturers and processors of cheese to better fit the needs of their risk profile,” said Tim Andriesen, CME Group Managing Director of Agricultural Commodities. “Many of these customers already participate in our Class III Milk and Dry Whey futures and options markets. The new Cheese contracts will enable them to directly lock in future prices for cheese.”

April

Nya besparingar inom Milko
Mejeriföretaget Milko omorganiserar för att kapa kostnaderna med 180 miljoner kronor. 80 miljoner har redan sparats med nedläggningen av mejeriet i Bollnäs. Nu ska ytterligare 100 miljoner kronor sparas, säger vd:n Göran Henriksson.
Fram till 2012 ska Milko med 800 anställda spara 100 miljoner kronor. Tidigare har man sparat 80 miljoner kronor genom att lägga ner mejeriet i Bollnäs. I dagsläget finns det inte några planer på att lägga ner något ytterligare mejeri eller minska antalet anställda på mejerierna.
Några av de förändringar som nu görs är att Milkos ledningsgrupp lokaliseras till huvudkontoret i Östersund. Det blir också en sammanslagning av kommunikations- och medlemsposten samt marknad och utvecklingsavdelningarna.

Arla Foods 10 år
I december 1999 sa extrastämmorna i svenska Arla och danska MD Foods ja till en fusion. Ambitionen från styrelsens sida var redan från start att sträva efter att vara ett mejeriföretag med medarbetare och ägare som känner samhörighet och har gemensamma mål.
Detta har fortsatt att prägla styrelsens och företagsledningens arbete. I dag är Arla Foods amba ett starkt globalt företag med framgångsrika och naturliga produkter till konsumenter över hela världen.

Nyckeltal	Årsskiftet 2000/01	Årsskiftet 2009/10
Omsättning Arla Foods totalt, MDKK	38 133	46 230
Medarbetare Arla Foods totalt	18 200	16 231
Ägare Sverige + Danmark	14 909	7 625
Mjölkinvägning koncern, Mkg	7 085	8 660
Mjölkinvägning ägare SE +DK, Mkg	5 864	6 147
Antal anläggningar globalt	100 (SE /DK 74)	110 (SE /DK 54)
Antal mejeriföretag i SE + DK	59 (SE 14 DK 45)	56 (SE 21 DK 35)

Tetra Pak Operational Cost Reduction programme helps dairy and juice companies cut the costs of running a packaging line by an average of 12%

Tetra Pak’s Operational Cost Reduction (OCR) programme is a proven methodology to reduce customers’ operational costs
Reducing operational costs can have a significant impact on a customer’s bottom line, enhancing their competitiveness
The OCR programme teaches employees to identify ways to continuously increase operational efficiency, thus reducing costs

In the current economic climate, organisations are striving to reduce costs, drive efficiencies and increase productivity. Tetra Pak is constantly thinking of ways in which it can support its customers achieve those goals. Now, thanks to its Operational Cost Reduction (OCR) programme, Tetra Pak is able to help customers achieve an average 12% operational costs savings associated with running a packaging line. Since the programme began in 2008, Tetra Pak has helped more than 60 customers achieve those savings through 80 separate projects.
The OCR programme is a consulting service that enables customers to reduce the costs of running a complete packaging line (i.e. labour, maintenance and utilities), which typically represent between 5% to 15% of their total system costs. The savings are achieved by reducing or even eliminating losses and by implementing a customised improvement programme throughout the plant. In addition, there are the productivity gains by selling the extra capacity created.
“Thanks to the OCR programme, we are now able to operate with lower levels of finished product inventory and to provide greater potential output with the same machines when required,” said Steve Satherley, chief operations officer at Saudi Arabia’s SADAFCO, which completed its first OCR project in 2008.
“We also continue to implement the learning and disciplines already developed into other areas of the factory.”
Operational efficiency and cost reduction are critical requirements for any organisation doing business today. In the current economic climate many companies are introducing cost-cutting measures to deliver short-term savings in order to remain competitive. However, when organisations adopt cost-reduction strategies to capture maximum value through direct savings as well as the installment of a culture of efficiency, the benefits will be felt in the current climate and in the future.
“The OCR programme helps our customers improve their line performance and productivity by more than 10%,” said Steve Wyatt, vice president, Technical Service at Tetra Pak. “Any reduction in these costs would make a significant difference to customers’ bottom line and enhance their competitiveness.”

View/Download the complete OCR news article (pdf)

View movie where Steve Wyatt, vice president Technical Service , introduces the Tetra Pak Operational Cost Reduction programme.

Arla Foods Ingredients Expands Production at Argentine Plant
President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was among the prominent guests at the inauguration of the second spray-drying tower at the Arla Foods Ingredients S. A. whey processing plant on 23 April.
Ongoing business growth in South America has prompted the USD 35 million investment. With an annual capacity of 25,000 tonnes, the tower creates a new opportunity to convert the permeate left over from whey protein concentrate production into a non-hygroscopic ingredient for bakery, confectionery and dairy products.
“Permeate has a lactose content of 90%, making it a cost-effective alternative to lactose in food products,” says Bjarne Schack Pedersen, managing director of Arla Foods Ingredients S. A.
The plant, located 600km northeast of Buenos Aires, is the first in South America to produce permeate of such high quality.
In addition to permeate, the new tower will process functional milk proteins for use in food applications such as ice cream and chocolate.
The inauguration of Tower II coincides with the 10th anniversary of Arla Foods Ingredients’ joint venture with the Argentine dairy cooperative SanCor, the primary supplier of whey to the plant.
Following the joint venture’s initial USD 60 million investment, the whey processing plant went into operation in 2002 – the first to produce functional milk proteins in the region. On that occasion, Argentina’s former president, Eduardo Duhalde attended the inauguration ceremony.
“We have become very good at marketing our ability to produce solutions for the South American market. Business has grown every year,” Pedersen says.”
Joining President Kirchner were the governors of the Santa Fe and Cordoba provinces that have given SanCor its name, Denmark’s ambassador in Argentina and several hundred other guests. Top members of Arla management also attended.

Picarro, Isoforensics Announce Revolutionary Milk Origin Verification Solution at Food Safety Summit
— Sure, you've got milk. But where's that milk from? Until now, the only authentication for milk origin was a bar code on a container. Picarro and IsoForensics are announcing at the Food Safety Summit the world's first Milk Origin Verification Solution (MOVS) for the food and beverage industry. Now food companies can quickly verify the geographic origins of wholesale milk purchases with a high degree of confidence. "With MOVS, a 'Wisconsin cheddar' cheese company can independently screen their supply chain for milk that does not come from Wisconsin," says IsoForensics CEO James Ehleringer. "They can verify milk origin on a regular basis without disrupting production." MOVS adds to Picarro's growing suite of food fraud detection applications.
According to researchers at Michigan State University, 5% to 7% of the U.S. food supply is impacted by food fraud involving the substitution of inferior products or ingredients. Food fraud impacts food safety and traceability, truth-in-labeling, and brand security for numerous food companies. Increasingly, these companies are checking competitors' products for ingredient authenticity to ensure a level playing field. MOVS will provide the $20 billion U.S. dairy products industry with a breakthrough origin verification solution that is both cost effective and easy to use.
MOVS is based on stable isotopes that provide a molecular 'fingerprint'. This fingerprint can be used to determine where milk was produced. Food companies can purchase Picarro's Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) stable isotope analyzer to rapidly assign isotope ratios to milk samples. The food companies can then quickly reference the sample ratios against an isotope fingerprint database developed by IsoForensics and Purdue University. The output will be a statistical assessment of the likely origins of milk samples. Picarro will be the lead sales contact for MOVS.

Importance and efficiency of in-depth antimicrobial activity for the control of listeria development with nisin-incorporated sodium caseinate films
The effect of antimicrobial sodium caseinate-based films was investigated on inhibition of Listeria innocua in cheese by Lan Cao-Hoanga, Lydie Grégoirea, Aline Chainea and Yves Wachéa, at Département Microbiologie – Biotechnologie, AgroSup Dijon.
Nisin was incorporated into sorbitol-plasticized sodium caseinate films at 1000 IU/cm2 and the films were prepared by casting methods. Mini red Babybel® cheese was chosen as a semi-soft cheese model. The antimicrobial activity was studied based on the contact between antimicrobial films and surface-contaminated as well as in-depth contaminated cheese samples during a 7-day storage at 4 °C.
The active films produced resulted in a reduction of 1.1 log CFU/g reduction in L. innocua counts in surface-inoculated cheese samples after 1 week of storage as compared to control samples. Regarding in-depth inoculated cheese samples, antimicrobial effectiveness was found to be dependent on the distance from the contact surface with the films containing nisin to the cheese matrix.
The inactivation rates obtained were 1.1, 0.9 and 0.25 log CFU/g with slice 1 (distance from contact surface d = 1 mm), slice 2 (d = 2 mm) and slice 3 (d = 3 mm), respectively. Our study demonstrates the potential application of antimicrobial films as a promising method to overcome problems associated with post-process contamination, thus enhancing the safety and extending the shelf life of food products.

Norrmejerier bygger nytt i Lycksele
Norrmejerier bygger en ny samdistributionscentral i Lycksele, en investering på ca 10 miljoner kronor. Därmed fortsätter Norrmejerier att satsa på Lycksele som nav i det samdistributionsnät som förser Norrlands inland med färska mejeriprodukter och livsmedel varje dag.
- Det känns bra att vi nu kan permanenta den verksamhet vi har bedrivit i Lycksele sedan 1997 i egna skräddarsydda lokaler. Samdistribution är viktigt för oss, inte minst för att det innebär färre lastbilar på de norrländska vägarna vilket gör gott för miljön, men också för att det stärker de små orternas förutsättningar att behålla sin butik och håller Norrland levande säger Norrmejeriers vd, Bo Rasmussen.

Tetra Pak inaugurates technology centre in Shanghai
New facility brings global resources and innovation to China market
Tetra Pak today inaugurates its new Tetra Pak Technology Centre in Pudong, Shanghai. The Centre, which brings together resources from product development and engineering, technical service, training, sourcing and distribution, provides Chinese customers with a one-stop service in food processing and packaging solutions.
Engineering solutions geared specifically to the China market will be a special feature of the Shanghai Centre. For example, the new facility will include the first Chinese road condition analysis lab, with state-of-the-art equipment that accurately records road conditions across the country and provides data that customers can use to reduce potential transportation problems.
Tetra Pak operates 16 technical training centres, 41 technical service centres and 11 research and development facilities around the world to ensure continued product innovation and excellence in customer service.

EFSA reduces tolerable intake level for melamine
The European Food Safety Authority has lowered the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for melamine, a chemical mainly used in the manufacture of certain plastics, as new analysis indicates that it may cause harmful effects to the kidneys at lower levels of intake than previously thought[1].
Applying statistical analysis to the toxicological data which is currently available, EFSA’s expert Panel on contaminants in the food chain (CONTAM Panel) set a new TDI of 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. This is in line with the TDI set by the World Health Organisation in 2008.
Danone Withdraws Health Claims
Considering the lack of clarity and visibility regarding the application of the European Regulation on health and nutrition claims and the recent announcement of a new meeting (1st of June) organized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to clarify the criteria and rules of assessment, the Fresh Dairy division has decided to withdraw two applications (one application for Activia and one for Actimel that were filed under article 13.5) that were expected to receive an opinion from the EFSA in the coming weeks. Danone hopes that the coming period will bring the necessary clarification and stabilization regarding the approval process that all stakeholders are waiting for. Simultaneously, marketing communication continues to be adapted in the European countries.

Mars

Funderingar i Fimbulvintern del 2: Vad är rätt pris för mjölk?
Kan inte släppa tanken på prissättningen av mjölken.
Vart tar pengarna vägen? Hur skulle vi kunna få mer pengar till forskning, utveckling och kompetenshöjning?
Nog är det väl så att det går åt en del pengar på vägen. Vår detaljhandelsstruktur är dimensionerad för att kunna serva en befolkning som är vida större än den vi är idag med bara drygt nio miljoner människor. Åtminstone om man ser sig om i storstadsregionerna. Det är så klart inte samma situation ute på landsbygden eller i glesbygden där det bara finns en butik eller en mack som skall stå för den service som de närboende behöver.
Behöver vi kunna handla mjölk, skruvmejslar och gummistövlar dygnet runt? Eller 9-22 sju dagar i veckan? Kan inte stockholmare och andra storstadsbor planera sina inköp? Vad innebär det för merkostnad som vi som konsumenter får betala? Att handeln är lönsam skrivs det mycket om och i synnerhet tycks det gälla de stora drakarna. Våra fina köpcentra kostar en bra slant och det verkar som om vi är beredda att betala det, åtminstone än så länge. Vi har den detaljhandel vi förtjänar.
Det är nog ingen lätt sak att försöka verka för en prishöjning som skulle gå oavkortat till utveckling, utbildning osv. Det är en debatt som förmodligen heller inte är lätt att föra i ekonomiska kristider, även om det i år tycks som debatten om matinköpen hamnar mer i fokus än tidigare år. Det kanske kan vara värt en tanke.
En rejäl skvätt mjölk till gröten och ordentligt med crème fraiche i såsen kommer det att bli även i fortsättningen, i alla fall för min del. Oavsett pris!

Peter Hedin
V ordf Mejeritekniskt Forum

Arlas framtida företags- och kapitalmodell
Arla ska fortsätta vara en kooperativ förening (amba). Övriga företagsformer skapar inte nödvändiga förutsättningar för verksamheten.
Genomförandet av Strategi 2015 kan lyfta mjölkpriset med 10 danska öre per kilo mjölk. De senaste åren har Arla i genomsnitt betalat 40 danska öre mer än industrimarknaden. Målet är därmed att ligga 50 öre över (65 svenska öre med aktuell kurs). Det krävs mer kapital för att nå ett högre mjölkpris och det kapitalet ska, enligt styrelsens rekommendation, komma från ägare och vanliga långivare.
De närmaste månaderna kommer diskussioner och analyser att genomföras för att se vad som kan motivera ägarna till att konsolidera cirka 5 danska öre mer per kilo mjölk än i dag.
Representantskapet kommer den 20 maj att diskutera förutsättningarna, konsolideringsmodell och möjliga ägarinstrument.
Det är styrelsens mål att ha en modell för konsolidering klar till representantskapsmötet i oktober.

Fonterra Eyes China
The world's largest dairy exporter, New Zealand's Fonterra, sees a foothold in the fast-growing Chinese market as the key to future growth, on expectations it will be the world's largest dairy market in 25 years.
Fonterra, New Zealand's largest company, expects demand in China to triple over the next decade to be worth about $70 billion, chief executive Andrew Ferrier said.
"China is leading the charge, although the balance of Asia is catching up," he told Reuters in an interview.
Fonterra has moved to expand milk production in China, spending $25 million to build two new dairy farms, and with plans to establish many more, although Ferrier declined to provide exact details.
Fonterra's business is dominated by the production of milk, milk powder and other milk-based ingredients, although it also owns a number of consumer brands.
The company, owned by about 10,500 farmer shareholders and accounting for about a third of the international dairy trade, supplies world food giants, including Nestlé and Kraft.

SIA Glass växer
Under 2009 ökade andelen på den totala glassmarknaden med hela fyra procent. Uppgången från 13 procent till 17 procent under föregående år har inte mattats av hittills under 2010, trots den långa vintern och en generell nedgång i dagligvaruhandeln.
– Vår gräddglass i halvliter har ökat med 90 procent på två år. Vi har sålt 1 miljon ekologiska glasspinnar på IKEAs varuhus. Vi har nu 60-70 procent av eko-glassmarknaden, 30 procent av skopglassmarknaden och 90 procent av sorbetmarknaden, säger en stolt Rolf Frid, VD SIA Glass.

German/Swiss Eurex to Launch Dairy Futures this Year
German/Swiss futures exchange Eurex will launch new dairy-based futures at the end of the second quarter of 2010, the company says.
The exchange will offer trading of two futures based on butter and skimmed milk powder in Europe.
Both futures will be based on established reference prices from their respective spot markets and will be settled in cash, it said.
"We along with major market participants believe that the volatility of dairy markets will increase over the next few years," said Peter Reitz, member of the Eurex executive board, in a statement.
"The use of derivatives to hedge against higher prices and fluctuating costs is expected to rise, thus the introduction of our new futures is a logical step."
Eurex had intensively prepared its market launch together with key players in this market sector, including the German and European dairy industry associations MIV and Eucolait and important market participants in the European and U.S. dairy industry, it said.

Tetra Pak Sees 2009 Sales up 1.2%
Tetra Pak, the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, today announced net sales of Euro 8.95 billion in 2009—up 1.2 percent from 2008 in comparable terms.
Packaging Solutions reached €8.0 billion in net sales in 2009—an increase of 1.8 percent over 2008 while sales of Processing Solutions declined 3.8 percent in comparable terms to €917 million during this period.
Double-digit growth in South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Sahara Africa drove the rise in Packaging Solutions’ sales, while East Europe and Central Asia were the most affected by the economic downturn, experiencing a 12.2 percent decline in net packaging sales year-over-year. Though buoyed by a strong order backlog, sales of Processing Solutions were impacted by the difficult environment for capital equipment. Overall, group sales strengthened in the fourth quarter of 2009, increasing by 5.7 percent from the year-ago quarter.
“While we are encouraged by strong growth in the last quarter, we expect 2010 to be another challenging year, with continued uncertainty about the speed of the economic recovery. We remain focused on keeping our costs down and driving quality and operational efficiency to deliver value-driven solutions to our customers,“ said Tetra Pak President and CEO Dennis Jönsson, adding that “we will continue to invest in innovative technologies and products as well as plant infrastructure to meet the changing needs of the market.”
In 2009, Tetra Pak continued its planned investment in new plant and equipment around the world, inaugurating its new packaging material plant in Hohhot, Northern China which operates completely on power from renewable resources. The €60 million plant brings total investment in the country to €250 million, with a total capacity of approximately 50 billion packs a year in its four Chinese plants.
Also last year, to meet global demand for high-quality foods such as soups, sauces, dressings and beverage products Tetra Pak 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. And, in a first move toward using green polyethylene in the carton packaging industry, Tetra Pak announced an agreement with Braskem SA, the largest Brazilian petrochemical company, to purchase limited volumes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) derived entirely from a renewable feedstock
Tetra Pak launched four Processing solutions in 2009 as part of the company’s drive toward cost-effective innovation:

Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator, the world’s first hermetically sealed direct- driven dairy separator
Tetra Tebel Casomatic, which enables cheese producers to achieve superior and more consistent product quality without compromising food safety
Tetra Therm Aseptic Drink, a cost-efficient and flexible unit for processing a wide range of beverages
Tetra Therm Aseptic Visco unit for high viscous and particulate products that cuts products losses by up to 50%

Tetra Pak also launched the Tetra Brik® Edge™, a packaging solution for chilled liquid dairy products that the Swedish Rheumatic Association designated as ‘Package of the Year’ because it is so user-friendly that even those with limited hand function find it easy to handle, open and pour.
In 2009 Tetra Pak supplied a record 145 billion individual packages used by leading food and beverage companies around the world to deliver over 70.7 billion litres of milk, juice, fruits and other products to consumers.
The company delivered an additional 351 packaging machines, 1,699 processing units and 1,113 pieces of distribution equipment in 2009. Tetra Pak operates 16 technical training centres, 41 technical service centres and 11 research and development facilities around the world to ensure continued product innovation and excellence in customer service.

Lantmännen & Skånemejerier lanserar ny mjölk
Skånemejerier och Lantmännen testar att producera en mjölk med högre omega 3-fettsyrehalt, skriver Land Lantbruk på sin hemsida. – Vi ska testa några gårdar, säger Lena Nyberg, ansvarig för hälsa och nutrition på Skånemejerier.
Bakgrunden är att den ekologiska mjölken innehåller 1 procent omega 3-fettsyror vilket är dubbelt så mycket som i den konventionella mjölken.
Med hjälp av Lantmännens linbaserade specialfoder hoppas Skånemejerier på att kunna komma upp i samma halter omega 3 även i konventionell mjölk. Faller försöken väl ut är mejeriet inte främmande för att producera all konventionell mjölk med hjälp av specialfodret och marknadsföra mjölken som särskilt omega 3 rik

World Championship Cheese Contest Shatters Entry Records with 2,313 Cheeses and Butters from 20 Nations
Entries in the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest have risen a stunning 18 percent to 2,313 cheeses and butters from around the world, according to Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, host of the competition set for March 16-18, 2010.

The Contest, held in even-numbered years since 1958, received entries from 20 nations around the globe. An international panel of 30 cheese evaluation experts will work three days at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin, to select medalists in 80 cheese and butter classes.
The results are here.

Foodproductiondaily.com Special Edition on Decontamination
Cheese contamination has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks after Austrian and German authorities linked seven listerioisis deaths to Prolactal cheese, with the cheese manufacturer citing human error and failure to adhere to the company control system as potential reasons for the presence of the pathogen.
In light of this development, FoodProductionDaily.com has a four part series on decontamination, leading with insight from an industry expert on the main causes of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in cheese processing facilities.
We also get the perspective of a leading research institute about whole room disinfection methods, while a representative of the EHEDG discusses the design errors that are resulting in food processing equipment being vulnerable to pathogen attachment.
Finally, an industry consultant looks at the impact of regulation pertaining to active packaging.
Links to the articles:

FrieslandCampina Annual Result for 2009
Due to the recession, demand for dairy products lagged behind, and both selling prices and volumes sold were under pressure. Selling prices of such products as milk powders, caseins (milk proteins) and basic cheese, in particular, were disappointing. In line with the dairy market, the milk price paid to member dairy farmers fell sharply compared with 2008.
Revenue was down 14 percent to 8.2 billion euros (2008: 9.5 billion euros). Operating profit before non-recurring income and expenses was up 26 percent (71 million euros) to 347 million euros. Operating profit was up 4 percent (10 million euros) to 258 million euros. Profit for the year was up 35 percent to 182 million euros (2008: 135 million euros). Net cash flows from operating activities increased by 406 million euros to 757 million euros (351 million euros in 2008).
Member dairy farmers of Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina receive a performance payment from the profit for the year 2009 of 0.59 euro per 100 kilograms of milk and an addition to the registered reserve of 0.35 euro per 100 kilograms of milk. The milk price (guaranteed price of 26.40 euros, plus performance payment of 0.59 euro) amounts to 26.99 euros (excluding VAT) per 100 kilograms of milk (2008: milk price of 36.37 euros, guaranteed price of 35.89 euros and performance payment of 0.48 euro).

Februari

Arla Foods årsredovisning för 2009
Årsredovisningen innehåller, förutom det sedvanliga bokslutet, en genomgång av utvecklingen på Arlas kärnmarknader, samt beskriver de åtgärder som gjorts för att säkerställa mjölkpriset till ägarna i Danmark och Sverige.
Arlas omsättning i Sverige utgör 20 procent av koncernens totala omsättning. Efter omstrukturering av den svenska verksamheten för fruktdrycker har Arla i Sverige haft ökad försäljning, men en svagare valuta under 2009 hade en negativ effekt på omsättningen.
– Arlas hela sortiment finns nu tillgängligt över hela landet, och matinspiration, ekologi och det breda sortimentet är uppskattat av konsumenterna. Alla våra kategorier karaktäriseras av en stor efterfrågan på naturliga och äkta produkter, vilket är en positiv trend för Arla, säger Christer Åberg, ansvarig för Arla Foods Sverige.
Under 2009 upplevde Arla i Sverige en växande efterfrågan bland kunder oh konsumenter inom kategorin dryckesmjölk, med varumärken som Arla Ko®, men även inom kategorin smör och matfettsprodukter med varumärken som Bregott®. Marknadsandelarna steg i takt med efterfrågan men den ökande importen av utländsk ost ledde till en viss minskning i marknadsandelar. Sammantaget har Arla nått en något större marknadsandel och har nu omkring 45 procent av den totala svenska mejerimarknaden.
Arlas största enskilda marknad fortsätter att vara Storbritannien, som svarade för 26,2 procent av företagets totala omsättning 2009.
18,6 procent av Arla Foods totala nettoomsättning 2009 genererades på den danska marknaden.
Klicka här för att läsa årsredovisningen för 2009.

Dung beetles and human error explain Prolactal cheese contamination
Prolactal has revealed that an error led to the wrong cultures being used in the production of cheese that authorities in Austria and Germany have linked to seven deaths.
So far Austrian and German food safety bodies have traced seven deaths to acid curd cheese produced by Prolactal. AGES, the Austrian food safety agency, found that the victims had bought Prolactal cheese and then found Listeria monocytogenes in samples taken at the company.
Prolactal has since investigated the causes of the contamination and concluded that human error and failure to adhere to the company control system could be to blame.
The cheese manufacturer first became aware of a listeria problem in autumn last year. Discovery of listeria within a permitted range in samples, led to lab analysis of UV insect traps that found dung beetles on adhesive tape.
As dung beetles live in an environment that contains listeria, Prolactal concluded that the insects could have caused the contamination. It is suspected that they entered the production area through a well lit window that had been kept open for building work, albeit with a fitted mesh fly screen.
Prolactal then cleaned its facilities and switched to protective cultures in its cheese production to eradicate the listeria.
A renewed examination of the production process has revealed that an error may have been made at this stage. Prolactal said in a statement: “Today we must assume that owing to an error in November 2009 the protective cultures were exchanged twice and cultures were employed that have now been shown to provide insufficient protection against listeria.”
Prolactal said information should have been shared about the change to a different culture via the internal warning and control system but that this did not happen. Executive management was only informed of the change in January.
In its conclusion, Prolactal said: “Regrettably, it cannot be excluded that in this way, curd cheese lacking an effective Listeria inhibiter entered the retail process, something about which the company only became aware in view of subsequent events.”
The precise sequence of events is now the subject of official investigations. Prolactal said it is continuing to seek full clarification of the matter to establish the extent to which curd cheese produced by the company might be connected to the deaths in Austria and Germany.

Bactoforce gruppen utvecklas
För att stärka Bactoforce service, flexibilitet och tekniska utveckling har företaget gjort organisationsförändringar.
Bactoforce i Norge och Sverige går samman och bildar en nordisk organisation för marknaderna i Norge, Sverige och Finland. Företaget får namnet Bactoforce Nordic. VD för företaget blir Gorm Szacinski som sedan år 2004 byggt upp ett framgångsrikt Bactoforce A/S i Norge.
Inspektionsteknikerna Anders Borgström och Ivan Ljubez kommer även fortsättningsvis serva Bactoforce kunder i Sverige tillsammans med teknikerna från Bactoforce i Norge. Organisationen blir större vilket ökar flexibiliteten vid akuta och planerade inspektioner.
Samtidigt har Bactoforce VD i Sverige Roger Larsson tagit sig an nya utmaningar. Han blir VD och ska bygga upp ett nytt företag, Bactoforce Global AB som enligt gruppens strategi ska serva internationella key-account kunder runt om i världen.
För att säkra att Bactoforce fortsatt är i framkant med utvecklingen av förebyggande inspektioner omfattar Roger Larssons nya uppdrag också att koordinera gruppens utvecklingsprojekt.

Swedish Probiotic Producer BioGaia Plans International Push
Swedish probiotic supplement producer BioGaia has said that it is aiming to distribute its products in another 20 markets this year.
"We are starting to get the hang of this now, we are present in approximately 50 countries now and another 30 or so in the pipe line, this year perhaps 20. So we have established a specific way of working with entering new markets, we have great personnel and produced good material", said BioGaia's CEO Peter Rothschild.
The BioGaia CEO believes that most of the markets in which his company is currently present are undeveloped.
"If we look at the more developed markets we are in, like Finland and Italy, we are still growing there, this shows great potential on all of our markets. We are also growing by expanding our line of products, most recently we added the ORS (oral re-hydration solution) to the Swedish market, and this product is on its way to being launched in a number of other markets", stated Rothschild.

Ove Konradsson ny VD för Hjordnära
Hjordnära ekologiska mejeri, utanför Hjo får en ny VD från den 1 april, då Ove Konradsson tillträder tjänsten.
- Vi är mycket nöjda med att ha lyckats rekrytera ett av ”Jordbruks-Sveriges” allra mest kända namn till Hjordnära och Skånemejerier, säger Skånemejeriers VD Björn Sederblad och Hjordnäras styrelseordförande Thomas Berglund.
Hjordnära ekologiska mejeri, ägs gemensamt av Skånemejerier och sju mjölkleverantörer och invigdes i september 2009.
Den tillträdande vd:n Ove Konradsson, har en mycket gedigen bakgrund från ett antal ledande befattningar inom livsmedelsindustrin, bland annat som vd för Skövde Slakteri. Närmast kommer han från en tjänst som lantbruksdirektör i Västra Götaland.
Ove Konradsson kommer även att ingå i Skånemejeriers koncernledningsgrupp med ansvar för mejeriets affärer i Finland och Norge.
- Som västgöte och förkämpe för det närproducerade känns det väldigt rätt att jobba med Hjordnära och Skånemejerier, kommentarer Ove Konradsson.
Hjordnära mejeri strax utanför Hjo, finns på en av de 7 mjölkgårdar som producerar den ekologiska mjölken. Mejeriet bedriver småskalig kvalitetsproduktion av bland annat mjölk, fil och yoghurt.

Satsar miljoner på mejeri i Kalv
Svenljunga kommun satsar 18 miljoner kronor i industrihotell och ett nytt mejeri i Kalv.
Beslutet innebär att kommunen satsar 18 miljoner kronor på ett industrihotell i Kalv där det ska bli ett lokalt mejeri, och en byggnad för 5 miljoner i Svenljunga för en pelletsbrännare.

Austrian cheese contaminated with listeria leads to 6 deaths
Austria's health ministry says contaminated cheese has killed six people.
The ministry says the deaths - four in Austria and two in Germany - occurred last year and were caused by listeria, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.
The ministry says the four Austrians who died were senior citizens.
The contaminated cheese was made in the southern province of Styria by Prolactal GmbH. It issued a recall last month and said Tuesday it had halted production until the case is cleared up.
In 2009, Austria recorded 45 listeria infections that led to a total of 11 deaths.

TINE to Sell Swedish Ice Cream Company Diplom-Is
Norwegian dairy company TINE has announced it will sell its Swedish ice cream company Diplom-Is to Swedish businessman Anders Müntzing.
TINE entered the ice cream market in 1999 and, in 2003, it started its own production in Sweden with the acquisition of Triumf Glass. However, by the end of 2008, it had lost over NOK 400 million (49 million euro) from the investment.

Dairy Firm TINE Plans New Plant Outside Bergen
The board of Norwegian dairy company TINE has decided to buy a 75,000 square metre plot close to Flesland south of Bergen in Norway.
The company intends to use the land to set up a new production plant to replace its unit in Minde, closer to Bergen's city centre.

Marel to sell Stork Food and Dairy Systems
Marel has announced that it is to sell subsidiary Stork Food and Dairy Systems to Dutch investor Nimbus as part of a strategy to focus on its core processing segments.
The company said it had reached an agreement to off-load Stork’s food and dairy unit – excluding its operations in Spain – after deciding the outfit was non-core to its business. Marel said it would incur a loss of €16.4m “due the write off of goodwill and revalued assets” as a result of the sale.

Codex committee drops processed cheese standards
The Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) has recommended that all Codex Processed Cheese standards be scraped.
After three days of discussion in New Zealand last week, the Committee decided to revoke the international standards on processed cheese.
Another major development at the ninth session of the CCMMP last week was the finalisation of the Fermented Milk standard.
Covering fermented milk drinks, such as smoothies, yoghurts and kefir products, the new standard requires that products contain at least 40 per cent dairy ingredients, and that the amount of fermented milk and added water must be indicated on the label.
All changes adopted this week at CCMMP will be finalised during the July 2010 Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) meeting before they become official Codex standards.
Codex standards are implemented on a voluntary basis but have influence on regulation in individual countries and are recognised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as reference points for the resolution of trade disputes.

Chinese dairies shut down on melamine discovery
Chinese authorities have closed two dairies in the northern region of Ningxia following the discovery of a further 170 tonnes of melamine tainted milk powder, according to media reports.
The latest case adds to the growing number of discoveries in recent weeks of products tainted with the toxic chemical that were repackaged for sale and put back on the market in China instead of being destroyed after the 2008 melamine scandal, whereby milk powder laced with melamine killed six children and sickened an estimated 300,000.

Januari

Ny VD för Boxholm Mejeri
Thomas Lundh slutar som VD för att gå vidare till nya utmaningar. Han har under sina fem år som VD lyckats med att öka försäljningen till samtliga stora kunder på ett mycket bra sätt. Han har också varit en engagerad chef och bra ledare för personalen.
Christer Lundin, idag VD för Ridderheims & Falbygdens inom Atria Scandinavia, blir ny VD för Boxholm Mejeri. Christer har arbetat mer än 20 år inom Sardus/Atria i olika roller. Sedan drygt 3 år är Christer VD för Falbygdens Ost och sedan sommaren 2008 även Ridderheims Delikatesser i Göteborg.
Christer är 41 år och bor med familjen i Tranås.

Arla Foods i samarbete med Starbucks
Caféföretaget Starbucks satsar på den europeiska marknaden för kylda kaffedrycker, och det amerikanska företaget har valt Arla Foods som sin partner. Tillsammans med sitt dotterbolag Cocio ska Arla Foods producera, marknadsföra och distribuera produkterna.
Starbucks har valt Arla som sin licenspartner, vilket innebär att Arla ska stå för produktion, marknadsföring och distribution av kylda kaffedrycker till snabbköp, närbutiker, bensinmackar samt Starbucks egna caféer över hela Europa.
Inom Arla är smaksatta mjölkdrycker ett verksamhetsområde som strategiskt är organiserat i dotterbolaget Cocio Chokolademælk A/S, och därför blir det i praktiken Cocio som ska samarbeta med Starbucks.
Licensproduktionen för Starbucks förväntas komma igång inom några månader och den ska ske på både Cocios fabrik och Arlas mejeri i Esbjerg i Danmark. Cocio har nyligen investerat för en utökad produktionskapacitet, så verksamheten är förberedd på att öka produktionen.
Hur stora produktionsmängder det handlar om och närmare detaljer om vilka produkter som ska tillverkas uppges inte.

After 2008 Scare, China Finds More Toxic Milk Products
Authorities in southwestern China have ordered three batches of milk products off shelves because they contain a chemical that killed at least six children in 2008, causing global concern over the made-in-China brand.
The health department in Guizhou province stopped the sales of dairy products made by three Chinese companies, the state-run China Daily newspaper said.
The products were found to contain melamine, which can cause kidney stones and is meant for making plastics, fertilisers and even concrete. Its high nitrogen content allows protein levels to appear higher when it is added to milk or animal feed.
Guizhou health authorities were unavailable for comment.
China executed two people in November for their role in a huge melamine-tainted milk scandal that killed at least six children and sullied the made-in-China brand.
Nearly 300,000 children fell ill in that scandal in 2008 after drinking milk intentionally laced with melamine, sold mainly in that case by the now bankrupt Sanlu Group.

Japan's Yakult to Build First U.S. Factory
Yakult Honsha, a Japanese maker of yoghurt-like drinks, plans to start output in the United States by 2012 to meet growing demand, the head of the company's overseas business sais.
Yakult's U.S. business has been limited mainly to the West Coast. Currently it imports products to the United States from plants in Mexico, but Kawabata said it plans to build a U.S. factory that will likely begin production in 2012. He said the location is undecided.
The firm, one-fifth owned by French food group Danone, was one of the earliest Japanese food companies to go abroad, starting with Taiwan in the 1960s.
Outside of Japan, it sells about 20 million bottles of its sweet-tasting lactic acid drink every day, with Mexico and Brazil among the largest of its more than 30 overseas markets.
The company is aiming to cover 45 countries in the future.

Falköping drar tillbaka varsel
Falköpings Mejeri har beslutat dra tillbaka ett varsel av anställda, det första varsel som lagts i företagets historia.
Orsaken är att mejeriet ska få fortsätta att leverera mjölk till 65 Willys-butiker. Samtidigt har mejeriet nu beslutat ta emot elva nya mjölkleverantörer från Ulricehamns- och Skövdeområdet för att kunna öka produktionen.
Det var för ett år sedan som chockbeskedet kom att Falköpings Mejeri tappade sin största mjölkkund Willys-butikerna till mejerijätten Arla på grund av hård priskonkurrens. För de 80 anställda i Falköping hotade uppsägningar och för mjölkbönderna sämre betalt.
Mejeriet riskerade att förlora en försäljning på 30 miljoner lite mjölk, eller 70 procent av all försäljning. Mellan 5 och 10 anställda varslades i första omgången.

Danes unite to mine infant formula prebiotics
Danisco and Arla are taking part in a €2.5m+ business/academia research project to isolate and develop some of the oligosaccharides naturally present in human breast milk for use in infant formulas.
Specifically, the project seeks to develop an enzymatic process that will permit breast milk oligosaccharides to be produced outside the breast, i.e. in a lab.
Oligosaccharides are complex sugars naturally present in breast milk and are of interest to infant formula makers because they are present in relatively high concentration in breast milk and can help protect babies from infections and diarrhea.
“It’s a major challenge technically, but it is also a significant opportunity,” said Danisco’s UK-based chief scientific officer, Dr Andrew Morgan.
The project has received seed funding of DKK 20 million (€2.7m) from the Danish Council for Strategic Research – an initiative that runs under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
DTU’s Jørn Dalgaard Mikkelsen told NutraIngredients the project actually had closer to DKK 36 (€4.83m) at its disposal once additional funding from the universities and Arla and Danisco was factored in.

Arlas budget för 2010 mer offensiv
Den ekonomiska krisen fick Arla Foods att både trycka på pausknappen och att genomföra nedskärningar under 2009. 2010 innebär full fart igen. Med utgångspunkt i Arlas strategi står marknadsföring, kapacitetsökning och effektiviseringar i centrum.
Under 2010 sätter Arla full kraft på utveckling av de globala varumärkena Lurpak® och Castello® som båda ska hjälpa till att flytta omkring 250 miljoner liter mjölkråvara från industriprodukter till förädlade produkter med en bättre intjäning för verksamheten.
Även Arla-varumärket och konceptet Närmare naturen™ görs mer synligt under 2010. Det kräver intensiv marknadsföring, vilket kräver en kraftfull marknadsföring, och därför ökas marknadsföringsbudgeten för 2010 med 34 procent jämfört med 2009.
Den ökade marknadsinsatsen ska öka försäljingen – och därmed produktionen – av Arlas förädlade produkter. Det kommer att skapa ett behov av ökad kapacitet i Arlas produktion. Nästan hälften av den samlade investringsbudgeten på ca 2,5 miljarder kronor (1,843 miljarder danska kronor) för 2010 kommer därför att användas för kapacitetsökningar och strukturanpassning. Investeringsnivån är dubbelt så stor som under 2009 och utgör knappt 4 procent av omsättningen.
– Vi ska öka produkternas förädling och ge mjölken större värden för konsumenten. Vi har ett mål att omsätta 75 miljarder danska kronor under 2015, men vi tar oss inte dit utan en betydande utökning av vår kapacitet. Vi sparar på allt vi kan, men vi kan inte spara oss till en ökad omsättning. För det krävs investeringar, säger Peder Tuborgh om den största investeringsbudgeten i koncernens historia.

New Way of Reducing Fat Content of Fresh Cheese
Arla Foods has discovered a new way of reducing the fat content of fresh cheese from 9 per cent to 3 per cent, without affecting its ‘creaminess’.
After joining forces with the University of Copenhagen and Leatherhead Food Research, the company developed a method that analysed the effects of processing conditions on the microstructure and sensory attributes of fresh cheese.
Fresh cheese has a high water content and a short shelf-life compared to hard cheese. Cottage cheese is an example of a fresh cheese and is made with up to 9 per cent fat.
“Using a confocal laser scanning microscope, which produces high resolution images of the microproteins in cheese, it was possible to compare data and analyse the effects of different processes on cheese,” said Ulf Andersen, head of flavour, functionality and process analytical technology at Arla Foods.
He was speaking at Food Ingredients Europe in Germany. By linking this data to sensory analysis, Arla Foods discovered that a high pH in connection with a higher salt content produced a creamy fresh cheese with a low fat content.
After several trials, it found that fat content could be reduced by as much two thirds without impacting on its perceived creaminess.

China uncovers more melamine tainted milk powder
Chinese authorities have closed a Shanghai dairy involved in the 2008 melamine scandal and arrested three of its executives after finding more milk powder tainted with the toxic chemical.
The Xinhua news agency said illegally high traces of melamine were found in products sold by the Shanghai Panda Dairy Company.
It is the second case of melamine-tainted milk to emerge in the past month, and comes over a year after a milk powder from China laced with melamine killed six people and sickened an estimated 300,000. That event culminated in the bankruptcy of state-owned dairy Sanlu and the execution of two people in November last year.

Kontakta: Sekreteriat Lena Nyberg lena.nyberg@skanemejerier.se eller Webmaster Ulf Borgström webmaster@mejeriteknisktforum.org