Food & Beverage News

The biggest show of f&b, hotel players
Encouraged by the overwhelming response of the highly successful annual series of Aahar exhibition in New Delhi, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) is organising the 25th edition of Aahar, the international fair for food, food processing and related equipment, hotel and restaurant equipment and supplies at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from March 10 to 14, 2010.

25th Aahar International to create history in Indian f&b sector
With every edition of Aahar International trade fair – India Trade Promotion Organisation, the trade promotion agency of the union ministry of commerce & industry, aims to bring newer ideas and represent India’s two mammoth industries, namely food processing and hospitality.

Displaying India’s Bakery and Culinary creativity
Concurrently with the 25th edition of Aahar International, the 6th edition of Culinary Art India will be held on March 10-13 at Pragati Madian in New Delhi.

It's about winning the heart and mind of a tourist, real or perspective!
As the hotel industry slowly gets back to the recovery track, and industry less cloudier than before, Anuj Gupta, GM of The Resort Hotel in Mumbai, throws some light on the challenges staring at the industry and the anticipated government initiatives to overcome them.

India Inc. gears up for Breakfast 2.0
The great Indian kingly breakfast could soon become a thing of the past. The association of breakfast as the day’s first meal at-home is rapidly changing among Indians.

NDDB eyes WB aid to boost India’s milk production
The National Diary Development Board (NDDB) is planning to raise around Rs 17,000 crore from the World Bank over a period of 15 years, mainly for ‘breeding and feeding’ of milch animals all over the country.

Target Innovations launches quality control equipment for product safety
Target Innovations, Goa, has launched quality metal detection and separation solutions for the food processing industry. It is a quality control equipment to restrict metal contaminations in processed, packed products. Metal detectors are a vital tool for getting an organisation approved or certified for HACCP, FDA, ISO or any other international certification for product safety.

Tin Can Uses Less Space & Chills Faster Than Other Packaging Material
WHEN it comes to food and beverage, the idea is to design a packaging medium which shall keep the product fresh and safe for a long duration and which is convenient to use so that consumer can enjoy this gift of nature throughout the year.

2nd International Food & Drink Expo will hit Delhi in December this year
The second edition of the International Food & Drink Expo will take place on December 2-4, 2010, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Challenges in implementation of Food Safety standards
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) were integral part of our Indian cultural and social practices and were designed to take care of basic food safety requirements. Washing hands before eating, keeping shoes out of house, using copper utensils, etc., were integral part of our childhood teaching to keep the conditions hygienic.

Kemin presents market trends and food safety technologies for ethnic sweets
Kemin Food Technologies and Shree Mumbai Mishtann Vyavasai Sahakari Mandal Ltd, presented the latest market trends on food safety technology for the ethnic sweets industry on January 22 at VITS in Mumbai.

Al-CAN exporters—leaders in seamless aluminium bottles
AL-CAN EXPORTS PVT. LTD has emerged as one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of seamless aluminium bottles and containers for packaging industries. The company was established in the year 1985.

Nichrome launches 24-hr Mobile Service Facility
Nichrome, a leading packaging solutions company in India, has launched a 24-hour mobile service facility in Hyderabad to cater to servicing calls in and around Hyderabad region.

Sahaja Samrudha popularises concept of consuming medicinal rice in K’taka
Sahaja Samrudha, an organic farmers association has identified and documented the medicinal rice diversity of Karnataka. It is now working to restore and preserve the rice variety.

AFTPAI: Budget 2010 proposals are half-cooked for food industry
THE Agro & Food Processing Technology & Equipment Providers Association of India (AFTPAI) is disappointed as no concrete measure has been included in the budget for the food processing industry and its allied sectors.

Metal packaging industry happy, says IIP chief
Overall it is a good budget because the government has reiterated its commitment towards reduction in fiscal deficit, focus on food sector, thrust on food processing and reduction of post-harvest food wastage.

Hotel industry in Karnataka in crisis as business falls by around 80 per cent
Karnataka hotel sector has faced major crisis with a fall in room occupancy resulting out of the global economic slowdown. The state which has a total of 90,000 rooms with 30,000 rooms in Bangalore witnessed a 75 to 80 per cent fall in business.

Innovative packaging solutions to keep up with customer tastes
The organised retail industry is growing phenomenally. The retail industry will be able to maximise sales when the products on display are eye-catching. Therefore, packaging becomes a very important aspect of selling.

Devise a Green Prospect: Indian Dairy Industry!
Since inception of human civilization, there has been awareness of the obligatory linkages between human beings and biodiversity as well as environmental resources such as air, water, soil and environmental factors like temperature, energy, light, humidity etc.

More Americans read information on food labels: USFDA
A majority of consumers read food labels and are increasingly aware of the link between good nutrition and reducing the risk of disease, according to the latest survey of dietary habits released today by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).

Global financial crisis to drag 21 million Asians into poverty
The global financial crisis could drag 21 million people of the Asia-Pacific region into extreme poverty, a UN and Asian Development Bank report said.

Higher wheat crop projections pose storage problems
The country is expecting a record harvest of wheat crops at 82 million tonnes, slightly higher than the agriculture ministry's estimate of 80.2 million tonnes. If the harvest is anywhere near what is being claimed, the most critical problem is going to be procurement and storage.

Cabinet divided over new nutrient-based subsidy scheme
The Union cabinet approved a nutrient-based subsidy regime for fertilizers that the government says would help increase agricultural productivity by promoting balanced fertilizer use. The regime, which makes a step towards directly paying subsidies to the farmers, will come into force on April 1.

Hotel industry demands infrastructure status
The longstanding demand for grant of infrastructure status tops the list of the hotel industry's Budget wish-list. Hotels have been seeking inclusion in the list of infrastructure projects under section 801A applicable to airports, ports, etc.

Speciality poultry meats making headway
Poultry occupies the second coveted place in the world meat production. Just after pork, in the history of man, use of chicken as food goes back to very early times. Poultry meat provides more nutrients per unit number of calories.

President Patil lists fruitful strategies to fight food inflation
President Pratibha Patil addressed the joint sitting of parliament on the first day of the Budget session, highlighting the role played by her government in different sectors after resuming power.

Indian restaurant in UK declared healthiest by BBC
An eatery set up by an Indian entrepreneur in London, which does not use butter, cream or ghee in its preparations and serves fibre-rich meals to its customers, has been adjudged the best healthy-eating UK restaurant by BBC’s food channel.

Food safety should touch people: Dr V Prakash
Science, innovation and food safety should touch people. Farmers in India are not even aware of what Codex is, so demanding adherence to safety codes from this lot is unreasonable. It is important that Codex is translated in the local languages to make it reach the grassroot India.

PM admits goof-up on sugar prices, but says no need to panic
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday admitted the government’s failure on the sugar prices. “I do admit weakness,” he said in the Rajya Sabha on the government’s failure to react to the cyclical nature of sugarcane production which changes every tow to three years.

Fury as EU approves GM potato
Even as India is wavering on the issue of granting permission for Bt brinjal, the EU on Tuesday approved the cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) potato and the use of three types of altered maize in food and feed production, saying they don't pose a health risk.

Pawar felicitates farmers, releases a tablebook on their success stories
On February 26, about 101 farmers from across the country came to Vigyan Bhawan (Delhi) for being felicitated for their exemplary work in the field of agriculture.

70 per cent hotel rooms completed for CWG 2010
In the 27th meeting of the “Task Force” constituted for the purpose of monitoring the augmentation of hotel accommodation in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi, the review of the hotel projects for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) indicated that 7,307 rooms have been completed which is 70% of the overall 10,540 definite rooms.