Bottlers of fruit juices, beer and other oxygen-sensitive drinks can take advantage of a new single-serve PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle made from a resin blended with a new formulation of BP’s Amosorb DFC oxygen-scavenging additive.

The mono-layer barrier bottle comes from US packaging firm Graham Packaging. Using a proprietary process, Graham Packaging’s Monosorb™ bottle is achieved by blending Amosorb® DFC into the PET resin immediately prior to moulding. This offers a variable level of protection and includes compatibility with a coating extreme sensitive products.

Toshiba launches portable DNA tester

Japanese electronics firm Toshiba Corporation announced a breakthrough chip-based DNA detection and analysis method in a portable system that can provide accurate DNA analysis in different environments and applications.

It relies on an electrochemical DNA chip that analyses and types single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These are common DNA sequence variations used to identify genes. Other equivalent systems use the relatively expensive, complex, restrictive and time-consuming fluorescence detection process.

The Genelyzer integrates the chip into a system that automates all procedures from hybridisation on in a single machine 45x50x23 cm with a cycle time of only one hour.

Conference

Innovation the keynote at food fests

Innovative ways to feed the world will a hot topic over 10 days at the world’s top food conference in Chicago next month.

The US-based Institute of Food Technologists have teamed up with the International Union of Food Science and Technology to co-host the 12th World Congress of Food Science and Technology from 16-20 July at Chicago Hilton Hotel and Towers.

The Congress' opening session will include an address by Per Pinstrup-Andersen, 2001 winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize on Feeding the world--Innovations from farm to plate.

That covers the main issues under discussion. They include barriers to globalisation, food allergens, feeding the world, food waste management, probiotics and functional foods, food safety, food and water security, agroterrorism, and many others. participants range from government, academia and industry from the six populated continents. Complete details are at http://www.worldfoodscience.org/worldcongress. 

GM

GM treaty becomes law in 90 days

This week Palau became the 50^th country to sign the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. This set in motion a 90-day process for the treaty to become international law, says the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

The protocol aims to ensure the safe transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). UNEP executive director Klaus Toepfer said “This new regime promises to make the international trade in GMOs more transparent while introducing important safety measures that will meet the needs of consumers, industry and the environment for many decades to come."

The protocol gives countries key information to make informed decisions about whether or not to accept GMO imports and to control domestically produced GMOs.

GM treaty becomes law in 90 days

US government negotiators said they would go ahead with a complaint to the World Trade Organisation that the European Union’s moratorium on importing or growing new genetically modified organisms is unfair.

This follows deadlock in talks aimed at lifting the ban early. The European Commission is expected to introduce new label requirements later this year, which would allow more GM products on the market, but many regions have said they want to be GM-free.

US farmers reckon the ban is costing them $300 million a year in corn sales, and US biotech firms claim they are losing their competitive advantage because of it.

Obesity

Scottish kids debate fat

Scotland, land of whisky, haggis, porridge and deep-fried Mars bars, has the fattest infants in the UK. This prompted worried researchers to raise high school students’ awareness of the dangers of obesity.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), supported The Rowett Research Institute and the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh, told Aberdeen high school students that in 1990 obesity levels in Scottish children aged 3-4 years (at 8.6%) are significantly higher than the UK-wide baseline of 5%.

It gets worse. Obesity among older children is 9% in Primary 1 and 15.1% in secondary school pupils in S3, notably higher than the UK baseline of 5% for both age groups.

And fat kids grow up to be fat adults. World Health Organisation research shows half the population of most western countries is overweight, up to 30% is clinically obese, and many developing nations are following suit.

R&D

Netherlands losing its innovation edge

The Netherlands could become a “third rate country” unless it improves its ability to convert scientific discovery into innovative commercial products.

Sjoerd Vollebregt, chairman and chief executive of the Dutch engineering company Stork, said "If it takes too long before there is an improvement in the technology climate in the Netherlands, the result will be irreparable damage and we will turn into a third-rate country." Vollebrecht was speaking at the end of a technology conference in Amstersdam yesterday.

"As a basic requirement for our welfare and prosperity it is important for the Netherlands to hold strong positions in the world markets. Companies can only achieve those positions if - like a spider in a web - they are present at critical points in the production and supply chain, from which they can generate a constant flow of innovations,” he said.

Innovations require enough highly trained people with the right technological skills, but the country lacks this, he said. He called on the government to help business as a matter of urgency to train and stimulate "the technology climate". Unless this happens the Netherlands “will become a third-rate country in the field of technology", he warned. He referred to Glare, a new material for the aircraft industry developed in the Netherlands through partnership between knowledge institutes and industry. "Such a development would now no longer be possible in the present technology climate," he said.

Brands

Coca-Cola tries to re-can worms

What do you need when you open a can of worms? A bigger can.

Several years’ work rebuilding the Coca-Cola image today lie in ruins. Coca-Cola’s problems began when then-chairman Doug Ivester refused to take seriously a safety issue at its Belgian bottling plant. In the end it cost him his job. But his successor, Australian Douglas Daft was hung out to dry when his board refused to sanction a take-over of Gatorade, the leading sport drink brand, which went to archrival PepsiCo.

The beverage company has been enjoying a better press recently with new products, market share growth and media-friendly new managers like new chief operating officer and Daft’s heir apparent Steve Heyer. 

But this week Heyer apologised for Coke’s misrepresentation of the results of a market test that involved fast food firm Burger King. Worst of all, it didn’t admit the error to Burger King when the facts came out. Now Burger King is miffed that its 1999 decision to replace Pepsi with Coke may have been based on faulty information.

It doesn’t help Coke’s image that it appears to have sacked the whistle blowers who reported the market research fiasco, that it is helping the US Securities Exchange Commission with enquiries into its accounting records, and that it announced a $9 million asset write-off this week.

Individually, none of the issues seems critical, but taken together they suggest a pattern of slip-shod management. Coca-Cola should empty the can, clean it out and refill it with fizzy stuff.

Recycling

The war drags on

The German government has passed new rules to force retailers to levy a controversial 25 cent deposit on one-way beverage cans, but retailers are expected to continue their protest.

The government hopes the six month old levy will encourage consumers to recycle more cans. But retailers say the scheme costs more than it saves. Consumers have to reclaim their deposit from the shop where they bought their beverage. Germany already has the world’s most extensive recycling system for household waste, which includes separating cans from paper, plastics and other waste.

The original rules hit mainly beer and soft drinks. The new ones cover all beverage cans and bottles. Paperboard milk cartons and plastic sachets are exempt, as are wine and spirits bottles. Retailers hope Germany's opposition-controlled upper house of parliament will block the new rules.

The protest threatens Duales System, a nationwide garbage recovery company whose revenues come from levies on packaging. It said that without a flow of funds from bottlers turnover would drop 17% or 310 million euros this year.

Nutrition

FSA maddened by wet hens

The UK’s Food Standards Agency is to outlaw chicken meat that is more than 15% water.

The move follows consumer reaction to a controversial BBC TV programme. This showed Dutch poultry processors injecting unidentifiable animal protein into chicken breasts. This allows them to carry up to 50% water, boosting profits. Most such meat goes to the foodservice sector.

The FSA is to ask the European Commission to enforce new measures to prevent very high levels of unnecessary water being added to chicken. These include the 15% cap on added water and banning the use of non-chicken proteins in chicken. FSA surveys in December 2001 and March 2003 showed some chicken pieces had up to 55% added water, thanks to beef and pork proteins added to retain water. This is presently legal if the product is labelled accurately.