AHD International, a distributor of new-to-market nutraceutical and functional food ingredients, has launched LuraLean – a condensed, water-soluble, dietary fibre formula designed to effectively help support weight loss. LuraLean is manufactured via a proprietary extraction process that delivers a raw material that's free of enzymes and impurities, ensuring it doesn't break down as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract. More than 14 safety studies and 60 clinical trials have been conducted using LuraLean, confirming it has no adverse side effects at the recommended amount and is effective in promoting weight loss, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels already within the normal range, and supporting regularity. "LuraLean is one of the most researched weight control offerings currently available and it has been tested for safety and efficacy across all demographic groups, including children and the elderly," said John Alkire, president, AHD International. "We're pleased to offer this ingredient to food, beverage and nutraceutical manufacturers who are looking to develop effective products backed by extensive scientific validation." AHD recommends individuals take 1g of LuraLean three times a day, one hour before each meal, along with 200-250ml of water. It also absorbs excess fats and calories and carries them out of the body. LuraLean is a 100% natural, plant-based ingredient. Currently, the ingredient is patented in 33 countries and has been approved for use in the European Union. The AHD International booth at IFT in New orleans is #756.

As the popularity of its products continues to grow, Delamere Dairy, UK supplier of goats’ milk products, has introduced a new look, and new lines, to its award winning range. The new packaging design emphasises the freshness and quality of the range with the yellow daisy of the corporate logo brought into a more prominent, eye-catching position to improve on-shelf visibility. All key line packaging is recyclable and this is highlighted on pack to encourage customers to recycle the Tetra Pak cartons, plastic pots and cardboard sleeves. New product lines include innovative continental additions to the cheese range which push the boundaries of more traditional soft goats’ cheeses. The yogurt range has been revamped to include different flavours and pot sizes, changes which have been made in collaboration with Delamere Dairy’s loyal customer base. Delamere Dairy attributes the rising popularity in goats' products to growing consumer interest in natural alternatives to cows’ milk due to increasing awareness of dairy allergies and intolerances. ‘Sales of our goats’ products continue to grow year on year’, continues Liz. ‘with cheese sales up 29% at the end of 2007 compared with the previous year.’ The company will also shortly be launching its new website <<1>.">www.delameredairy.co.uk]<1>. While the overall ‘feel’ and visual appeal of the current website has not changed, the ease with which information is accessed has been improved. Such information includes the health reasons as to why people drink goats’ milk, customer testimonials and recipe suggestions. Customers will also be encouraged to provide Delamere Dairy with their feedback in numerous areas, to ensure the best possible service from Delamere. In addition to the new website, the launch will be supported by a trade and consumer PR campaign, advertising, on-pack promotions, competitions and direct mail activities. <1>: http://www.delameredairy.co.uk

**The programme for the 5th Global Bottled Water Congress has now been announced by organisers Zenith International. The event with a theme on 'Motivating consumers' is being held between 22 - 24 September 2008 at Wiesbaden near Frankfurt, Germany. ** Included in this year's line up are presentations by Gerolsteiner, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Ouro Fino and PepsiCo; with contributions from Fiji Water, Highland Spring and Nextek during a session on environmental action; and market insights from Innocent, Spendrups, Balance, Centralcer and Zenith on flavoured waters and functionality. Other key programme elements include a tour of the Gerolsteiner plant, retail visits arranged by Coca-Cola, tours hosted by Doehler and Bericap and a briefing session from Seaquist Closures. The social highlight will be the water innovation awards gala dinner. Bottled water remains the world’s fastest growing major beverage category, with consumption rising by 6% a year. To continue motivating consumers, the industry will have to go beyond hydration and health to overcome environmental concerns and determine new strategies for innovation and communication. This global event is an opportunity for industry leaders, suppliers, customers and analysts to gain a complete overview of the latest trends and developments across all continents from top companies in each region, with extensive time for informal contact and discussion. For more information, please visit the website or contact Fiona Herrington at Zenith International on +44 (0)1225 327903,

*Southern Salads, a provider of leafy salads and fresh fruit and vegetables to the foodservice sector, has entered the retail market for the first time, to supply 14 different fresh produce lines to convenience store chain Spar in the UK. * Andrew Boakes, Southern Salads Operations Director, said: "We are entering an exciting time. The partnership with Spar will bring us to the forefront of the retail industry, at a time when consumers are appreciating the benefits of healthy eating more than ever. Our range of high quality salad solutions are as versatile as they are fresh and to take them to the retailer is an important step for us." Kent-based Southern Salads has been supplying fresh produce and ready-made salads to the largest foodservice operators in the UK for 21 years, but also has joint ventures abroad. Boakes concluded: "The growth plans are ambitious as we expect the business to double its size in manufacturing capacity and turnover from £25m to £50m by 2010." The Spar chain has some 2,600 stores across the UK, with an annual turnover of £2.7 billion.

Ebac has just launched its new watercooler website which sets new industry standards with unparalleled content including a host of product and technology animations, videos, industry articles, and downloadable content. Ebac, European watercooler manufacturer, has been working on the new website for the past 12 months and has finally launched the new-look website available at www.ebacwatercoolers.com"><1> Designed from scratch, the website has been developed totally in-house to ensure the strength and message of the Ebac brand is retained. Harry Lovell, Marketing Coordinator at Ebac said: “We're always looking for new ways to engage and communicate with our visitors and the new website is a huge step in that direction. We have used a mixture of animation and video throughout the website to explain clearly the benefits of our products and technology.” Among other things, the new website features – * Animations for each product which explain in a nutshell the main selling point of each cooler * Technological animations and videos that explain the technology behind Ebac watercoolers such as the WaterTrail, Hot Tank and Direct Dispense * Downloadable brochures for all Ebac watercoolers with detailed product specifications and explanations * Industry articles about the watercooler market * Well-being features that explain the benefits of drinking more water * Company information with a detailed summary of the history of Ebac and their business services One of the most significant additions to the new website is the Customer Zone which is a secure area reserved for customers of Ebac to access. “We wanted to give our customers as much help and support as possible” continued Mr Lovell, “So in our Customer Zone our customers can access a set of Training Videos that explain how to perform a variety of Watercooler functions such as changing the WaterTrail and the Hot Tank, they also have access to our Watercooler Diagnostic system which can offer support on the rare occasions that customers experience problems with our coolers” “There is also an image library of all our watercooler photography so customers can find easy access to all our cooler images if they wish to add to their own brochures or websites, etc.” <1>: http://www.ebacwatercoolers.com

Old Orchard founder and president, Mark Saur, said: “You have to move fast. Trends move more fast paced than ever.” Helping to fuel that growth are the deep pockets of a Washington-based equity firm, Allied Capital Corp. Saur sold a major stake in his company in May 2007 for Allied Capital's $64.7m investment in the business. Old Orchard is the second largest brand by volume for ready-to-serve, family-size juice, after Ocean Spray Cranberries. It's also the second biggest in frozen concentrate after The Coca-Cola Company. With $153m in sales in 2007, Old Orchard produces 65 bottled and 35 frozen beverage products sold by such major retailers as Wal-Mart, Target, Kroger, Meijer and Spartan Stores. "We want to be on the cutting edge of producing a product that consumers want, not what we want to produce," explained Saur. "It used to be, 'What are the calories?'. Now it's, 'What's the glycemic load?'" he added, referring to the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. That's why the company's new product, FruitSense, is lightly sweetened with natural agave nectar, rather than corn syrup. Agave, harvested from the same Mexican cactus that produces tequila, costs about 10 times as much as high fructose corn syrup. But the result is a drink with only 45 calories a serving and a lower glycemic load. The FruitSense concept was inspired by a conversation between an Old Orchard sales rep and a buyer at Target Inc, who pointed out that customers were leaving the juice aisle to buy flavoured and functional waters – the industry term for water with nutritional additives. Old Orchard set out to create a vitamin water that had fewer calories and less sugar than the single-serving vitamin waters on the market. In April, Target became the first retailer to carry the product in its SuperTargets. Other retailers, including Spartan Stores, a wholesale distributor as well as operator of Family Fare and D&W Fresh Markets, have signed on as well. Old Orchard vice president of marketing, Kevin Miller, said: "The response from our buyers has been overwhelmingly positive." Being early with a 64oz container may not be enough, said one industry watcher. "If one of the more established functional water brands tries to up packaging size into multi-serve, Old Orchard would be at a disadvantage," said the analyst. Consumers are moving away from carbonated drinks in favour of water or enhanced water and energy drinks. Together, they claim about $10bn – or a quarter – of today’s beverage market in the US. "Functionality is one of the big catchwords right now. There's this whole idea you can enhance your life through beverage."

Food Ingredients South America awarded Gelita with the Most Innovative Product 2008 title for its unique ingredient for ice cream toppings. After being within the three finalists in 2006 with Gelita Instant Gel Schoko and 2007 with Gelita Extra Crunch, Gelita RTE-ICE this year made it right to the top and won the desired 'Oscar' of the food ingredient industry. Gelita RTE-ICE is a specially developed ingredient for the production of jelly texture coatings for ice cream .The ingredient is an easy processing thermo-reversible top that freezes less than a minute at ambient temperature, which provides a top with smooth surface for ice cream on stick. For the consumer, the topping offers the advantages of being fat-free and low in calories, the product has unique mouth-feel, because it combines the softness of jelly with ice-cream texture.

**Mains-fed water machine manufacturer Tana Water UK has been selected as a supplier to the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA). **Under the terms of the pan-government contract, which runs until 31 May 2011, Tana Water UK will supply plumbed-in hot and cold water machines to the NHS; local authorities; fire services; police and education establishments. Following a competitive bid, Tana Water UK was selected to supply mains-fed water machines, cups and sanitising wipes to PASA after demonstrating to the government procurement agency that it complied with all regulations relating to food safety; water storage and delivery; regular servicing and cleaning of machines; electrical waste disposal; manual handling and employment regulations. The contract will run for an initial three year term with the option for PASA to extend this to 2012. Tana Water's Point of use (POU) machines plumb directly into the mains water supply and filter out chlorine, rust, lead, sand and limescale to make the water taste better. As an additional hygiene precaution, Tana Water machines feature an airtight water tank and recessed dispensing head to minimise contact with fingers and also treat the filtered water with ultraviolet light to kill micro-organisms just prior to dispensing. This is particularly beneficial to patients with low immunity and helps to reduce cross infection in healthcare and educational establishments. * Toolkit and standards* 'Water For Health Hydration Best Practice Toolkit for Hospitals and Healthcare' produced by the Royal College of Nursing and the NHS National Patient Safety Agency advises that (POU) water coolers are an effective way of providing water as they serve it chilled or at a regular temperature, take away any chlorine tastes, do not run out and do not require the storing, lifting and replenishment of bottles. The document also advises that while bottle-fed water machines can cost healthcare providers around £6 for each 19 litre bottle, amounting to approximately £1,000 a year for each machine, mains-fed coolers cost less than 2p for every 19 litres. All of Tana Water's components meet the rigorous safety standards of the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) which is part of the government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). To halve energy consumption, Tana Water machines power down when left idle, helping to cut costs and carbon emissions. A central processing unit in the machine enables Tana Water's WRAS-approved engineers to measure the amount of water dispensed in order to schedule regular filter changes and cleaning. “We already have a strong track record in supplying hospitals and schools with our mains-fed water machines and undertake all of our own maintenance using WRAS approved service engineers, so we are absolutely delighted that Tana Water has been selected by PASA,” commented Tana Water UK Managing Director Nick Heane. "As a PASA-approved supplier of mains-fed water machines, all government departments will find it easier to source and use Tana Water machines to reduce their costs and environmental impact, while still providing freshly filtered and UV treated water to patients, pupils and staff.”

Campbell Soup Company has issued a statement regarding the safety of fresh tomatoes in the US. The statement reads as follows: "Campbell Soup Company remains committed to ensuring that our products always meet all food safety requirements. Due to recent reports of salmonella resulting from the consumption of fresh tomatoes in Southern states, we recognise that some consumers are concerned about the safety of food products. To date, no transmission of salmonella from cooked tomatoes has been reported. "There is currently no evidence of transmission of the salmonella through consumption of processed foods containing tomatoes because normal cooking temperatures, such as those used in preparing Campbell products, will inactivate the bacteria. This is why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers fully cooked tomato products to be safe. "Campbell will continue to comply with all requirements and guidelines regarding sourcing and trade of material set by the appropriate governing authorities in order to ensure that our products meet all food safety and quality standards."

With beverage packaging under intensifying environmental scrutiny, Sidel has named Luc Desoutter sustainable development VP to formally spearhead solutions and environmental initiatives. Sidel’s recent innovation, NoBottle, support sustainable development. It is an ultra-light PET bottle; its FlexLine, the first bottling line designed specifically for ultra-light PET bottles; the Predis dry decontamination system; and a host of energy-saving options and upgrades for installed lines and equipment. * The right choice* In order to place sustainable development at the forefront for innovations at Sidel, the company has named Luc Desoutter sustainable development VP. He was selected for his in-depth knowledge of the packaging sector and his experience at Sidel. After four years working in production with Plastic Omnium, this ICAM (Institut catholique d’Arts et métiers) engineering school graduate joined Sidel in 1991 and held a number of positions. He worked on special projects management; led the Research & Development Department for expert evaluation and testing of packaging materials; provided technical sales support; and has represented Sidel at numerous international conferences. “We want to make sure that we meet the high expectations of our customers who are driven by consumer demands. Environmental impact is going to become a distinct factor in our decision-making process. Our solutions must be backed by indisputable data and possibilities for improvement,” explained Desoutter. “This is even more critical since sound environmental choices often mirror sound economic choices.” Analysing life cycles Luc Desoutter’s missions are to define concrete environmental objectives for Sidel’s Product innovation efforts; anticipate and respond to environmental regulations (Eco-Label, recycled materials for food applications); adopt industry standards to evaluate the environmental performance of proposed packaging solutions; and strengthen ties with partner organisations such as Napcor, Petcore, Plastic Europe, players in the waste collection and recycling industry, and trade organisations. The ultimate goal is to ensure a consistent message that does not demonize PET. In spite of the material’s environmental advantages and possibilities for improvement, it often comes under heavy scrutiny. Sidel has already initiated various ACV (life cycle analyses) on its equipment and packaging solutions. It plans to expand the use of this standardised method as a way to design greener solutions.****

Made with British grain and distilled in London, Bulldog Gin, founded by Investment Banker Anshuman Vohra, is proud to be returning to its land of birth after success in the US. Bulldog is a brazen breed that adds to its provenance, an assortment of rare, exotic botanicals including poppy and dragon eye. Dragon eye - said to boost skin vitality and promote sexual stamina is an ancient Chinese secret and just one of the many elements of Bulldog that makes its flavour stand out from other gins. The bottle design also attracts attention with its smoked grey tinted glass, broad shoulders and a spiked dog collar around its neck A London dry, quadruple distilled gin, infused with botanicals, using traditional copper pot stills, it has crisp fruit and citrus notes and is being touted as the world's first sippable gin. a Aiming to create the ultimate versions of his favourite cocktails, the Dry Martini and the Gin & Tonic Anshuman enlisted the help of David Kanbar, an industry veteran from Skyy Vodka with expertise in developing spirits brands. Vohra explained: "Being Indian, Gin is practically in my blood. Having lived all over the world, I developed a palate for exotic flavours, so I wanted to make a gin that satisfied this desire for the unusual, which improved my favourite cocktails. Now officially on the prowl Bulldog can be bought via the On-trade through International Spirits Brands. You can taste it at Bar 08 at Earls Court 2 on 17-18 June 2008.

Endorsed by Tiger Woods, the sports drink claims to provide golfers with 25% more electrolytes for advanced hydration. "Pepsi takes great pride associating itself with Billy Casper Golf, a company that is an industry leader," said PepsiCo foodservice national account manager David Biscan. "They are an ideal partner because we share a commitment to provide high levels of service and products to our customers and consumers. Casper's properties also offer an impressive proving ground for new products." "The joining of two formidable brands like Pepsi and Billy Casper Golf is very exciting," said BCG vice chairman Robert Morris. "This partnership is extremely advantageous to Billy Casper Golf, as our economies of scale result in even healthier bottom lines for course owners." As part of the agreement, BCG and Pepsi will jointly produce regional consumer marketing campaigns, and Pepsi has pledged support to the Hill-Morris Foundation. Established by company co-founders Morris and Peter Hill, the foundation is a means of improving the health and well-being of BCG employees and their families. BCG's programme with Pepsi is part of a burgeoning corporate initiative that aligns the company with brand-name vendors to optimally serve its courses and golfers.