Counterfeiting of medicines and some food product is rapidly increasing, which is resulting in not only billions of dollars lost through piracy but also creating health and safety risks. Researchers are therefore developing authenticity seals and security codes intended to make packaging uniquely identifiable.

The meat alternatives market is offering opportunities for canny food processors to expand their product ranges and appeal to a broader group of consumers.

Unibic has optimised production at its specialty biscuit, cake and pastry manufacturing plant with the aid of a customised compressed air audit and an energy-efficient compressed air system.

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, European consumers who are concerned about possible food-related risks tend to worry more about chemical contamination of food rather than bacterial contamination or health and nutrition issues.

Vegetable juice powder could provide a natural source of nitrate to serve as a curing agent for pork products without affecting the 'natural' and 'organic' labelling. If other natural antimicrobials are added to the mix, naturally cured pork products are possible.

The word "organic" on a label is no longer a guarantee of commercial success. As the organic market matures the question is now whether the market will be dominated by brand names or by private label brands.

Watson-Marlow Masosine MR and SPS series positive displacement pumps have been installed at the factory of UK chocolate and confectionery specialist, Kinnerton. The first Masosine pump was introduced to replace a gear pump that was damaging product on an Easter egg production line, with a second model acquired recently to support a newly installed caramel production line.

Fire protection specialist Wormald has completed a comprehensive confined space training project for the Peanut Company of Australia (PCA), providing employees with the necessary training to safely enter confined spaces during the normal course of their work.

A French manufacturer processing premium fish soup filled in glass jars is the recipient of the first industrial Shaka (diameter 1300 mm and with a useful length of 1400 mm) that combines shaking with heat to sterilise product more rapidly.

It's 10 years since Taylors Wines started using the screw cap in preference to corks on its wines. The company has surveyed consumers to find out how their perceptions of screw cap v corks had changed.

A Johns Hopkins University study indicates that if you have to expend more effort to get a certain food, not only will you value that food more, it might even taste better to you.

OCME has completed the installation and commissioning of its Vega and Altair packaging machines for the Bluetongue Brewery that was recently opened in Warnervale, approximately 95 km north of Sydney.

A North American snack food manufacturer, Boulder Canyon Natural Foods, has introduced a renewable, fully compostable pack for its line of All Natural Kettle Cooked Potato Chips.

Coca-Cola Amatil is achieving productivity rates of more than 1400 picks/hour at its new Eastern Creek DC thanks to a picking methodology developed by logistics systems supplier Dematic.

The Colombian beverage group Postobón is using a NitroHotfill process for its drink bottling. The process injects nitrogen into the filled bottles shortly before they are capped - an alternative to the conventional hotfill concept. The Krones PET line featuring NitroHotfill technology was commissioned in May 2010.