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Anyone who develops new products for a living must be aware of a multitude of influences. Acknowledging this, we cover

scientific discoveries

consumer trends

product design and formulation

engineering technology

process engineering

manufacturing

filling and packaging

logistics and distribution

retail merchandising

end of life disposal

Then there are the legal and regulatory issues, such as safety and labelling, as well as intellectual property rights, brand management, competition and international trade that we have to take into account.

But it all means nothing without the creativity and insights of men and women who can put things together in new ways to create new products that improve our lives.

We celebrate those people.

Ian Grant

Publisher

Scots catalogue food behaviour
FDA forces destruction of goods worth $500k
Lampert takes Kmart chair

NFPA offers cautious welcome to new FDA proposals
Trial by water

Research

Scots catalogue food behaviour

Researchers at the food physics unit at the Robert Gordon University food science and technology research centre in Aberdeen, Scotland have created an on-line database of how food behaves when in contact with or acted on by different forces.

The EU-funded researchers used a network of scientists and food industrialists to collect reliable and current reference information. The database covers food properties in thermal, mechanical, sorption/diffusion, electrical and optical conditions. These provide all the categories needed to model a microbial environment for food preservation. An extra knowledge base explains the connection between microbial growth and water activity.

The database answers questions such as how well do microwaves actually cook food? How are pre-prepared meals made to cook evenly despite the various food types they are prepared from? Do pastries really react negatively with tin-foil wrappings? Is plastic dangerous for frozen goods? At what rate is moisture lost from frozen foods?

The researchers believe the database will advance scientific understanding of food’s behavioural properties as well as in designing new food types for such "ready made" food packages as complete microwave dinners.

The developers are looking for collaborators to help develop models for quality and safety of foods during processing, packaging and distribution. Contact Dr Paul Nesvadba, Tel +44-1224-262839 E p.nesvadba@rgu.ac.uk

Regulation

FDA forces destruction of goods worth $500k

Diet supplement maker Nature's Youth voluntarily destroyed some 5,700 boxes of its misbranded product, Nature's Youth hGH, worth some $515,000, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.

FDA found the product was misbranded after evaluating unsubstantiated "structure and function" claims made on the company's website, as well as a review of the product’s labelling of the line. The company claimed falsely that Nature's Youth hGH was a "proprietary blend of amino acids and precursor nutrients which enhance the body's natural production of Human Growth Factors and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1" that would, among other things, "improve physical performance, speed recovery from training, increase cardiac output, and increase immune functions." The product also claimed to be "your body's best defense against aging."

People

Lampert takes Kmart chair

The US’s number two retailer Kmart has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection 600 stores lighter and with a new chairman, Edward Lampert, whose ESL investment firm has lent the company $2 billion.

ESL and its affiliates expect to beneficially own over 60 percent of Kmart’s common stock.

Bioterrorism

NFPA offers cautious welcome to new FDA proposals

The US National Food Processors Association says a first look at the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) proposed rules to fight bioterrorism appear to be "in line" with existing rules governing imports and record keeping.

NFPA chief science officer Dr Rhona Applebaum "NFPA will seek clarification from FDA on certain areas of the proposed rules and will have suggestions to make the rules more workable and, of equal importance, to ensure these rules make a difference in our ability to prevent, prepare for and respond to security threats against the food supply.

"Our leading concern is for the agency to give greater clarity to the circumstances under which administrative detention may be invoked. Specifically, under the proposed rule, what will constitute 'credible evidence,' that the detained food presents a 'threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals?' This will be important both for effective management of FDA resources and to avoid inappropriate disruption to the food supply. Not least is our concern that the haphazard application of this rule could give the impression to the public that the food supply is under attack when it is not," she said.

"These 'New Rules for a New World' require in-depth review by the food industry. We will analyse these two proposals in detail, since they have the potential to impact our current operating practices across the board, and not necessarily in the best interest of enhanced food security," Dr Applebaum said.

Water

Trial by water

The US’s biggest bottled water company, Nestlé Water, is fighting charges that its 400-gallon/min (1,500 litre/min) Ice Mountain Spring Water bottling operation in Michigan are harming the environment.

A Nestlé statement says “A lawsuit was brought in 2001 by a group calling itself Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC). The original suit included six counts. Three were dismissed by the court in 2002, and one count has become moot. The two remaining counts are the subject of the trial now underway.

MCWC alleges potential adverse effects of water withdrawals by the Ice Mountain bottling operation at the state-approved 400 gallon per minute withdrawal rate. MCWC claims that the water withdrawals will cause "pollution, destruction or impairment" of the environment under the Michigan Environmental Protection Act (MEPA), and that there will be "actual harm" to other water users.

“Nestlé Waters North America will introduce evidence of extensive scientific and environmental assessments conducted by professional hydrogeologists and scientists clearly showing permitted pumping rates by Ice Mountain will have no adverse impacts,” it says.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.