On 7 July 2014 US food ingredients producer Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced that it is acquiring Wild Flavors GmbH, manufacturer of flavors, colors, and beverage ingredients from Zug, Switzerland.

Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has launched Readybag^® pouches with dehydrated culture media for pathogen testing in food. The pre-weighed, gamma-irradiated pouches, which can be used for either Salmonella or Listeria, eliminate all media preparation steps and reduce typical sample preparation time by more than 50 percent.

Pentair Südmo, a leading manufacturer of advanced valve technology and process solutions for the brewing, beverage, food, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Founded in Riesbürg, Germany as a supplier to the local dairy industry, Pentair Südmo today is a technology leader with a global presence.

Wherever you enjoy a good beer, it is very likely that this beer comes from a plant from GEA Brewery Systems. With its 140 years of extensive experience, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of state-of-the-art brewery equipment.

The Brewers of Europe is delighted that Beer has been selected as a pilot for the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) project. The initiative, aimed at analysing the opportunity for the development of a systematic methodology for calculating the environmental footprint of food products, will help brewers to continue their pioneering work in the field of product sustainability.

Smart Skin Technologies Inc. (SST) based in Fredericton, Canada, has expanded its international business activities. The company is one of the global leaders in pressure management solutions for the bottling and packaging industries. By opening a European subsidiary in the vicinity of Freising-Weihenstephan on April 1st 2014, it expands its product marketing, which so far has shown considerable success in breweries and beverage production sites in Canada, the USA and Central America.

Following the adoption of a Resolution on the EU Alcohol Strategy by the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in March 2014, The Brewers of Europe reiterate the Brewers’ commitment to action against alcohol-related harm.

The beverage group MBG International Premium Brands has invested 2.4 Mio euros in its subsidiary MBG Middle East based in Dubai in order to support the regional market launch of the three alcohol-free beverages Goldberg & Sons, Feel Good and Acqua Morelli. From Dubai, MBG Middle East has been organizing the export of its beverages to the Middle East and Africa since 2008.

Lactic acid bacteria: an antifungal biotechnological hurdle

Today, the complex and wide food distribution chain represents major challenges for the cereal industry while biotechnology research thrives to counteract global food security issues and, at the same time, react to consumer demands.

Hygienic flooring in food and beverage production

“Tiles? We haven’t used those in our production areas for a long time!“ – this is heard time and again when discussing floor coverings in beverage or food productions areas. Many owners and principals are poorly informed about floor coverings. Often the floors do not withstand the daily loads of an industrial production: these are above all driving loads created by pallet jacks, lifting carts and forklifts, usually in connection with chemical loads from product acids or cleaning caustic solutions. The European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) in cooperation with Argelith have compiled current recommendations on flooring for hygienic areas. Among other things, the modern hexagon tile floor was specified as a possible “best practice” solution and differentiated clearly from conventional tile floors.