	Nyhetsarkiv 2010

Nyhetsarkiv 2010

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September

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.

Stipendieresa till Mejerikongressen

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.

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