EFSA last night confirmed that it has accepted the mandate to bring forward the re-evaluation of aspartame from 2020 to 2012, “stipulating the need for a public call for new data as well as a thorough literature review”. Details of the public call for data will be published on EFSA’s website in the coming weeks. The authority will liaise closely with the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) on its nutritional risk/benefit assessment of sweetener...

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The European Commission said it may open the import quota or allow the sale of out-of-quota sugar into the bloc - a move that would bring relief for bakers and other food makers set to negotiate new sugar contracts. The move to consider additional imports contradicts previous statements from the Commission, with it announcing plans in November to issue 350,000 tonnes of export licences for sugar, following on from the extra demand for exports it noted in autmun last year.

This statement by ...

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Cocoa prices have remained stable over the past two weeks despite the Ivory Coast export ban with industry analysts citing good industry supply cover and access to plentiful crop from Ghana as factors for the lack of price volatility. Large exports of the Ivorian crop had already been made and big volumes of cocoa were said to be arriving at ports in the country this week ready to be shipped when exports are permitted, reports Reuters.

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London NYSE Liffe saw no evidence of abusive trading behaviour on the July cocoa contract that expired last week with the physical delivery of almost all London's cocoa stocks, it said in a letter to a group complaining of excessive speculation in cocoa futures.

"From our investigations there is no evidence of abusive behaviour or that any market participant is trading with the specific purpose of distorting the price of the July 2010 delivery month," said the letter from the exchange, dated...

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A London hedge fund Armajaro has bought 240.100 tons of cacao, a large chunk of the world’s stocks of cocoa beans, which led the prices to their highest level in 33 years. THis purchase is the biggest delivery from London’s Liffe exchange since 1996 and equal to about 7 per cent of annual global production.

Armajaro’s bold bet on higher prices comes as cocoa prices have risen 150 per cent over the past two-and-a-half years, prompting recession-hit chocolate makers to reduce the size of...

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Talks are expected to begin between European cocoa players and the governors of the London futures markets (LIFFE) in regards to speculation in the commodity following a threat by traders through a letter sent to Liffe where the traders consider to switch to the New York cocoa futures market. Dealers reportedly felt that fund buying had pushed London cocoa futures LCCc2 to a 32-year high of €2,461 last week. The cocoa producers, in their communicationto Liffe, threatened to reconsider their...

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Sugar prices see top level of the last four months mainly due to increasing demand while fluctuating supply. Recently the tonne price of crystal sugar ın LIFFE (London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange) have been listed as 574,70 USD. This is the highest price from March on. In January sugar prices had made a record of last 30 years with 750 USD. The sugar production for this year is expected to be the lowest of last 20 years according to ISO (International Sugar Organizat...
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Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends that manufacturers refrain from using nanosilver in consumer products.

Silver and silver compounds release silver ions that can inhibit the growth of germs. For that reason they are used  in cosmetics, textiles and household appliances. Furthermore, silver is approved as a dye for food (E174). Recently, the manufacturers of consumer products have been increasingly using silver in the form of nanoparticles, too. Nanoparticles ar...

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ICE July raw sugar futures jumped by as much as 5 percent to 14.44 cents a lb early on Monday, supported by a weaker dollar after global policymakers carved out an emergency rescue package for debt-laden nations.

ICE July raw sugar stood at 14.43 cents a lb, up 0.68 cent or 4.95 percent in volume of 5,516 lots at 0831 GMT, in a sharp upward correction after touching a one-year low on Friday.

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A spike in raw sugar prices which powered the market to a 29-year peak just three months ago has been scuppered for good, and some in the trade are wondering if the fall will be as fast as the rise. Sugar may have another 20 percent to fall this year even after more than halving since hitting a 29-year high just three months ago, if past super-spikes of the 1970s and 1980s are any guide.

The sugar market has changed dramatically in the past three decades with the advent of ethanol, the rise ...

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The market for sugar-free sweets in the US has declined in recent years, according to a report released by Leatherhead International. The report, The Global Market for Intense Sweeteners, states that although the US has a large market for sugar confectionery, sugar-free sweets account for a very limited share of that market, only growing category in sweets is  sugar-free chewing gum. The report notes that sugar-free gums account for 82 per cent of the total US chewing gum market by value, equ...

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The world's top coffee producer Brasil is set to reap a large crop of mostly arabica beans which the government crop agency has estimated at upwards of 46 million 60-kg bags and which most industry players believe will reach or surpass 50 million.

Mexico sugar cane growers said on Sunday that they expect the harvest for 2009/10 to come in slightly higher than previously thought.The association of sugar cane growers revised its expectation for the present harvest from 4.8 million tonnes to roug...
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EFSA has issued a positive opinion on the safety of steviol glycosides used as food additives following petitions lodged by the European Stevia Association (Eustas), Cargill and Japanese firm Morita, which are all seeking regulatory approval to sweeten products with stevia in Europe.

EFSA’s opinion is in line with that of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the US Food and Drug Administration, approving stevia extracts with at least 95% purity of steviol glyco...

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European food and beverage manufacturers should comply to the EU Regulation 1333/2008 which comes into effect on 20 July 2010.The regulation was adopted by the European Commission in July 2008 in response to studies linking the ingestion of food additive (including colour) mixtures and hyperactive child behaviour; and despite a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) opinion advising not to take any specific action until the availability of further proof of adverse reactions induced by food col...
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In its report Nanotechnologies and Food, published today, the Science and Technology Committee  of The House of Lords in UK, is highly critical of the food industry for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials.

It noted that transparency is key for ensuring public trust in both food safety and scientific developments, and argued that although there is no evidence that the use of nanotechnologies in food currently presents a threat to c...

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Bitter, warm and earthy are the key flavor notes expected to dominate developments in food products this year, according to the tenth annual McCormick & Co., Inc. Flavor Forecast.

Flavor experts at McCormick partnered with top chefs, food bloggers and other culinary professionals to classify the strong flavor combinations they state the American palate is ready to embrace.

According to the company, the top 10 flavor pairings determined to lead in 2010 are:

• Roasted ginger and rhubarb
• Tha...

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