The poultry factory was saved from closure late last week when it was sold to two private investors Perwiaz Latif and Zahid Hussain, owners of Derby Poultry in the UK.

Most of the 200 full-time and part-time workers at the plant expressed disappointment yesterday morning when proposed pay terms and conditions were relayed to them by the new management.

Workers walked out of a meeting with the management yesterday morning, saying they could not accept the terms on offer.

Employees were offered the minimum wage of €8.66 per hour without overtime pay even though overtime would be required. They were also told that 25 jobs would be lost.

The offer was rejected by staff at the plant. The company returned with a revised offer of €9 per hour plus overtime of time and a quarter.

Employees were told that they could either apply for a job with the new company or take redundancy terms set out by the liquidator.

Davy Lane of the Siptu branch in Waterford said 98 workers had opted to remain on at the plant. An estimated 50 redundancies would occur.

Mr Lane said workers were disappointed at the initial wage rate which was offered.

“There was a lot of anger when they came out with the minimum wage. What we are saying is that the agreed new wage is a six-month transitional arrangement. Siptu will continue to represent staff at the plant.”

Talks are continuing for the factory’s delivery and maintenance staff.

Union officials say workers opted to stay on at lower rates rather than face into a difficult jobs market.

Siptu shop steward Mary Lenihan, who has been employed at the plant for nine years, said workers were in a no-win situation.

“There is not a lot of work around here. What is your option? Walk out of here and go on the dole for €197 a week? You couldn’t afford to walk away. We haven’t basically got a choice. It is your livelihood.”

The poultry processor went into liquidation on September 2nd with debts of between €7 million and €8 million.

© 2008 The Irish Times

June 20. The season starts with news of a Which? report that a panel of 120 taste testers found no differences between organic and conventional strawberries although the former cost two to three times as much. (Which? is the UK equivalent of Consumer Reports.)

July 6. Researchers at Bristol University in the UK find that organic chicken is not as tasty as conventionally-raised chicken. (Many people buy organic food because they believe it tastes better, but whenever tests are conducted scientifically, no taste differences are found.)

July 21. The American Council on Science and Health publishes an article written by me that points out chapter and verse showing that there is no scientific evidence to support claims made by the Organic Center for the nutritional superiority of organic food, an organic food advocacy group funded mainly by the organic food industry to promote its products. A reply from the Organic Center to my article is easily rebutted.

July 24. A study at the Harvard School of Public Health and published in Human Reproduction finds that soy foods may be responsible for low sperm counts. (For years, proponents of organic food have claimed that pesticides were responsible.)

July 24. An investigation by WJLA, a Washington DC TV station, finds illegal quantities of aldicarb, a very toxic pesticide, in Whole Foods’ organic ginger. Further investigations reveal that the ginger was imported from China, as were a number of other organic vegetables sold by Whole Foods. Certification of the ginger was provided by Quality Assurance International (QAI), the largest organic certifier in the world. Since the Chinese government does not permit foreigners to inspect their farms, QAI subcontracts the actual inspections to Chinese nationals.

(Air and water pollution are severe problems in China, so even food grown under strict organic conditions is not necessarily free of pollutants such as lead and mercury. Organic consumers would do better to stop worrying about infinitesimally small residues of pesticides in their food and demand that food from China be tested for environmental pollutants before being sold in the United States.)

August 1. Another article I wrote, “Milking the Facts,” is published in the Guardian. The article shows that in spite of the large percentage increases in “healthy” milk nutrients found in milk from cows raised organically at Newcastle University, health-conscious consumers would need to drink up to 170 quarts of saturated-fat-laden organic milk every day to avail themselves of healthful quantities of all these nutrients.

August 4. In a welcome respite from the drumbeat of bad news, Hotel Interactive reports organic liquor is “poised” to be the next food and beverage trend. (Organic cigarettes will probably follow.)

August 6. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), a pro-organic food advocacy group, issues an alert that fifteen of the thirty organic certifiers inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture failed the audit. (Organic consumers should take heart, however, if they think one out of two isn’t that bad.)

August 6. Whole Foods announces a 31% decline in third-quarter profits from a year earlier. The shares close at $20.04 on the New York Stock Exchange, about 72% below their price at the start of 2007.

August 8. Tesco, the largest seller of organic food in the UK, announces price reductions of up to 25% for certain organic foods because of growing consumer resistance to high prices.

August 8. Research conducted at the University of Copenhagen demonstrates “no clear difference in the vitamin and mineral content of crops grown organically and those using legally permitted levels of fertilizers and pesticides.”

August 9. An article in the Calgary Herald raises serious questions about the accountability and credibility of claims by Canadian organic food proponents.

August 9. Health officials in Massachusetts link seven illnesses from E. Coli contamination of ground beef sold at Whole Foods markets. According to news reports, Whole Foods purchased this meat from Coleman Natural Foods, a company that, according to its website, “offers a full line of natural and organic fresh meat and prepared foods.” The moral of this story is clear. E. coli contamination is difficult to control in the meat packing industry, and it doesn’t seem to make much difference if the meat is organic or conventional. Breakouts of this dangerous organism, which can cause kidney failure and death (mostly in children and the aged), have occurred repeatedly. Isn’t it time that the organic food industry drops its ill-conceived opposition to food irradiation?

August 17. Phil Woolas, the environment minister of the UK, challenges the Prince of Wales to provide evidence that genetically modified foods are a “disaster” and states that government ministers have a responsibility to base policy on science. (And not monarchical pseudo-science.)

August 19. Nina Federoff, a Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania and recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Science, tells the New York Times, “If everbody switched to organic farming, we couldn’t support the earth’s current population — maybe half.”

August 21. The FDA, at long last, permits irradiation of spinach and iceberg lettuce despite organic food industry objections. (According to the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, irradiation of organic food is illegal. Now consumers who think that organic food is healthier will have to choose between, on one hand, the theoretical risks from pesticides in food and genetically modified organisms — there being not one case of proven human illness from them — and, on the other hand, food poisoning, which is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control to cause about 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths every year.)

September 4. Time magazine claims that if American agriculture went completely organic we would need 40 million instead of 1 million farmers to feed us.

September 8. Sir David King, president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, castigates aid agencies in the US and Western Europe for encouraging African farmers to continue use of organic agricultural techniques — “with devastating consequences.”

Literatured by Joseph D. Rosen, Ph.D.
Source: ACSH.org

The research, done in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, found adding the special carrot to the diet can help prevent such diseases as osteoporosis.

“The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition — fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past,” lead author Dr. Jay Morris, a post doctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

The study involved 15 men and 15 women, who were fed either the modified carrots, called sCAX1, or regular carrots for the first week. Two weeks later, they were fed the other type of carrot. Urine samples were collected 24 hours after each feeding to determine the amount of specially marked calcium absorbed, Morris explained.

The findings, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found after a serving of the modified carrot the study subjects absorbed 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot. (UPI)

Fresh Produce Vietnam is organised by Asiafruit Magazine. The conference event will focus on the potential of Vietnam both as a supplying country and as a market for the future. It is aimed at Vietnam’s many growers and exporters as well as major international suppliers.

Fresh Produce Vietnam is the first opportunity for fresh produce professionals to find out more about this emerging market of more than 85m people. It’s a great way to make new and important business contacts in the market. More than 200 delegates from the fresh fruit and vegetable sector in Vietnam and from major supplying countries around the world will attend.

Fresh Produce Vietnam is going to look at the following major themes: Vietnam as a growing exporter and an emerging market, the key trends in fresh fruit and vegetable production in Vietnam, the potential for marketing fresh produce into Vietnam, and the challenge of infrastructure in Vietnam. The conference will also discuss Vietnam’s food retail scene with the country’s leading supermarket chains.

Register online now at www.freshproducevietnam.com and benefit from a 20 per cent saving on your delegate fee. Bigger savings are available for groups of 4 or more. Visit the website for more information or click here to download the brochure.

To showcase your products and services by sponsoring or exhibiting at Fresh Produce Vietnam, email us at info@freshproducevietnam.com we will be back in touch with you.

http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=14642

In this position, Ms. Rentmeester will expand her role currently managing the Technical Services department to encompass banana ripening and product handling from warehouse all the way through the retail store. She will assume direct responsibility for Dole Fresh Fruit’s Marketing Representatives and the merchandising program.

“This move integrates the activities of the Technical Service and Merchandising departments,” says Mr. David Bright, Marketing Director for Dole Fresh Fruit. “Yvonne’s experience, management style, and attention to detail will greatly leverage the resources of two departments into a strong program that troubleshoots potential problems, identifies opportunities and communicates Dole Fresh messages down to the retail store level.”

Ms. Rentmeester began her career with Dole Fresh Fruit as a Technical Service Representative in November 1997 and has managed the department since January 2000. She holds a BS in Agricultural Business Management from Cal Poly Pomona with an emphasis in citrus and avocado production.

Also joining the Fresh Fruit marketing team is Odalis Hawit-Rivera, in the position of Brand Manager.

Ms. Hawit-Rivera will leverage market research and lead Dole’s marketing efforts to deliver value for customers and drive long-term sales through message positioning, new product development.

Prior to joining Dole Ms. Hawit-Rivera held various positions of escalating responsibility at Pharmavite, LLC, most recently as Associate Brand Manager, where she successfully led her cross-functional team in launching a five-sku line of products in record time and which exceeded sales expectations.

“Odalis brings extensive experience in trade and consumer marketing to Dole. She has the strong background in the development and commercialization of new products that we have been seeking,” says Bright

In the Dole Fresh Vegetables group, Mr. Keith Kelley has been hired as Marketing Manager, New Products and will be responsible for leading the group’s efforts in new product development planning, specifically focusing the company’s cross-functional resources against top priority new product segments and co-managing the innovation process to drive long-term sales and profit growth for Dole Fresh Value-Added Business.

Mr. Kelley possesses extensive packaged consumer goods experience in the areas of brand outreach, product development, strategic planning, sales support and forecasting analysis, for products including Columbia Crest Winery and Eight O’Clock Coffee.

“Keith brings direct, hands-on experience in areas relevant to Dole Fresh Vegetable’s business – market segmentation, merchandising and sales modeling,” states Ms. Michelle Gonsalves, Marketing Director for Dole Fresh Vegetables. “He has a successful track record in building brands and delivering results across multiple consumer categories.”

Mr. Kelley received his MBA in both Marketing and Organizational Development form Indiana University.

http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=14606

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the National Production Plan, which would be implemented soon, would help to gradually reduce dependencies on imported agricultural products.

“The plan was important as a strategy to curb the increase in prices of such goods that could help reduce the people’s financial burden,” he said Friday at a press conference held at the Kluang Modern Agriculture Project at the Kluang Animal Institute.

He elaborated that increasing the production of vegetables and fruits were the priority of the plan aside from fishery and husbandry as they could be harvested within a few months.

“We are importing 60% of fruits and vegetables to meet the demand for such goods and under the plan, we hope to be self-sufficient in three years’ time,” he said.

As for husbandry, he said the country is importing 80% of cattle and 92% of goat to meet demand.

Muhyiddin said under the plan, the ministry would also look into some subsidies and incentive schemes to help reduce the burden of farmers, as they have to cope with the increase of production costs.

“The prices of vegetable fertilisers went up 50%-60% within a year while the other fertilisers went up 65%-70%,” he said, adding that the ministry also encouraged the people to plant fruits and vegetables in the garden to supplement the demand.

He said it would take the ministry two to three weeks to finalise the details of the plan such as the types of vegetables to be planted and where they were going to obtain enough land for higher production.

“The modern agriculture project here in Kluang was very successful as we harvested RM48.2mil in 2007,” he said, commenting on the 9,000 acres of agriculture land bought by his ministry to be rented out to farmers.

Among the farms developed within the land were dragon fruit, lime and jackfruit.

It was the first of its kind in the country and the ministry hoped to expand the project to other states.

“We hope to acquire land from state governments for the purpose,” he said.

thestar.com.my

Each .36-ounce, single-serving size of Crispy Pears contains approximately a half-cup of Asian pears and is less than 39 calories. Unlike traditional dried fruit, Crispy Pears have a light and crunchy taste and the product’s portability and long shelf life make Crispy Pears the smart choice for consumers who are seeking a healthy snack alternative to traditional snack foods.

“A good snack maintains the delicate balance between taste and nutrition. Crispy Green’s Crispy Pears and its Crispy Fruit product line provides the best of both worlds for anyone who wants a great tasting snack while maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” says Angela Liu, President and Founder of Crispy Green. “Everyone loves the convenience and portability of our Crispy Fruit snacks and that it provides a fun and creative way to add more fruit to the daily diet. Our ‘Grab and Go’ 6-PACKs make it easy for consumers to have a healthy, delicious fresh fruit snack at their fingertips – at anytime.”

Quality is Crispy Green’s obsession and Crispy Pears are manufactured using only the highest quality fresh fruit sourced from certified growers at their peak of freshness. A sophisticated freeze-drying process leaves behind the true essence of the fruit in a light and crispy texture that is perfect for snacking.

Crispy Pears are available in both a single-serving size and the handy ‘Grab & Go’ 6-PACKs, which contain six single-serving bags in one convenient package. Crispy Fruit’s moisture-free, convenient packaging offers the healthfulness of fruit in small, snack-sized portions that are easy to consume while on the go. To learn about other creative ways to enjoy Crispy Fruit, visit www.crispygreen.com/Press/Ways_to_Enjoy.pdf.

Crispy Fruit is also available in four other delicious, snackable flavors: Crispy Apples, Crispy Apricots, Crispy Peaches and Crispy Pineapples. All of Crispy Green’s Crispy Fruit products can be found in the produce and grocery aisles of many leading supermarkets and natural and specialty food stores located throughout the United States. To find a Crispy Green retailer in your area, go to www.crispygreen.com/storelocator/main.html. Crispy Green can also be purchased online at http://www.amazon.com or at the Crispy Green Web site at www.crispygreen.com/onlinestore.html.

Crispy Fruit is processed and freeze-dried at *HACCP-certified and U.S. FDA-registered facilities with vigorous quality control standards. For more information on Crispy Green’s manufacturing standards, please go to: http://www.crispygreen.com/standards.html

About Crispy Green
Crispy Green Inc. (www.crispygreen.com) is the maker of Crispy Fruit freeze-dried fruit snacks sold under the brand Crispy Green® and a leader in this category of products. The company was founded in August 2004 with a core mission to provide delicious, healthy and wholesome snacks using the best natural ingredients with no artificial flavor enhancement.

The Crispy Fruit line of snacks are made of real fruit, real taste, nothing else!® A sophisticated freeze-drying process removes the water from fresh, sweet fruit, leaving behind the fruit’s true essence in a light and crispy texture that’s perfect for snacking. Crispy Green Crispy Fruit are a delicious, convenient way to add more fruit to your daily diet.

In 2005, Crispy Green introduced Crispy Apples, Crispy Apricots and Crispy Peaches in the United States. In 2007, Crispy Green launched Crispy Pineapples and in 2008 it launched its newest addition to its all-natural, healthy Crispy Fruit product line – Crispy Pears. Crispy Green plans to add 1-2 new items to its product line each year for the next few years along with its rapidly growing distribution footprint.

*HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, an international standard that identifies critical control points, sets safety procedures and preventive measures and maintains strict documentation for certification.

Source: emediawire.com

In Vietnam, the cultivation and output of this fruit are growing fast with 37,800 ha of land now devoted to pineapple farming and an average export of 292,000 tons per year. Export turn-over is steadily increasing as well from US$4.8 million in 1997 to $7.5 million in 2001.

Like other fruits, fresh pineapple is classified into several parts: the flesh which is processed for various products such as canned fruit, pineapple liquor and sweet preserved pineapple; and by-products, including the outer skin, two heads and a central core.

These can be used for other environmentally sustainable purposes such as developing organic fertilizer or making a type of cattle-food known as “bran.” However, unlike other countries where pineapple-waste processing plants are being developed on an industrial scale, Vietnam has yet to follow suit.

Most of the fruit and vegetable processing plants in the country haven’t invested in environmentally sustainable methods of production. What’s more, untreated pineapple waste has been shown to have a detrimental impact on the environment due to its potential for methane generation.

Without any other method for disposing of the by-products, thou-sands of tons of pineapple waste are dumped each day.

According to an annual report from Tien Giang Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant in Vietnam, the enterprise spends more than VND200 million ($12,500) per year employing a sanitation company to dispose of over 100 tons of pineapple per day.

In an effort to reduce waste and make more efficient use most of this valuable natural resource, the Vietnamese government approved a research project from 2002 to 2004.

Researchers successfully designed and manufactured a suitable model that could process 250 kg of pineapple waste per hour for an investment cost of around $12,500.

However, the technology still exists as a model only and depending on the size of the processing plant, the cost for the new technology could be more than some companies are willing to pay.

According to Tran Van Khu, head of research and the permanent deputy director of the Southern-Sub-Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology, after two years, the research group succeeded in manufacturing a pineapple-waste press by using a screw-press technique and a barrel dryer technique for drying the fruit.

“After being pressed and dried, the total quantity of juice [from a pineapple] can be up to 80 percent of its weight. That can then be used to produce dinner wine and soft drinks and its waste can be used to manufacture cattle-feed instead of throwing it away as before,” Khu said in praise of the new machinery.

So far, however, no pineapple processing plants have been willing to invest in the new technology, according to Khu.

Despite knowing that the factories are contributing to environmental pollution, and also realizing that pineapple by-products can be extremely useful, the new machinery has yet to win over Vietnamese plant owners.

Most say that the benefit gained from the new methods is not worth the high cost of the initial investment.

A machine that can process one-ton-per-hour of pineapple waste could cost up to VND650 million ($40,400), although considering how much companies pay each year to have their waste hauled away, some say that not investing, may be short-sighted.

Khu has suggested that the government should enforce strict regulations that would obligate investors to equip their plants with waste-processing machinery.

And the regulations should not be limited just to pineapple processing, but also to other kinds of agricultural products to help curb overall environmental degradation.

Additionally, he says, more awareness should be raised about the issue and information about research should be distributed more effectively.

source: freshplaza.com

Besides developing innovative food processing technology itself, IIT-KGP formulated ways to maximise agricultural yield and ensure that no part of the produce is wasted.

According to H N Mishra, professor of food technology at IIT-KGP, “Hardly 2 per cent of the produce is processed and about 35 per cent is wasted due to unscientific post harvest handling and inadequate transportation, storage and processing facilities. The net amount of the produce for consumption is reduced due to insufficient storage and processing. There is a considerable scope for reducing the wastage of raw materials and improving yield through better conversion by using modern equipment and technology. This should also make the finished food products more competitive in world market.”

Technical linkages are also necessary between the production and distribution channels to minimise wastage and achieve price stabilisation.

“The twin problems of low agricultural yields and tremendous wastage of food throughout the food chain in India is due to the antiquated and inefficient farming and agricultural practices. For example, about 30 per cent of the total fruit and vegetable produced in the country is lost due to wastage,” Mishra pointed out.

Another key issue that food processing industry faces is that of food safety.

“Food safety enjoys a very low priority at all levels in developing countries and there is limited awareness of the importance of hygiene and the seriousness of food borne diseases,” said Mishra.

Also, given the projections for this industry, it is likely that unless appropriate steps are taken, food safety problems will become a major issue.

According to Mishra, “Although there is a continuing trend toward increased scientific and technical sophistication, there is a growing consumer demand for products manufactured by traditional methods. This has created the need for a more skilled, knowledgeable and versatile workforce.”

At the production level, developments in the area of process control and more widespread use of mathematical modelling techniques will enable the food manufacturer to produce a more uniform product in terms of taste, texture, colour and so on.

New packaging materials and techniques will result in the appearance of more fresh, portion controlled food products, catering not only to the consumer at large but specifically to the increasing number of elderly consumers.

“The target should be to provide an increasing level of convenience to all consumers,” Mishra added.

India produced 235 million tonnes of food grains including 33.72 million tonnes of cereals, 15.24 million tonnes of pulses and 25.14 million tonnes of oilseeds.

About 54 per cent of the total food grain produced in the country is processed through primary and secondary processing.

India spices production is estimated at over Rs 3500 crore amounting to 30 per cent of world production, which is processed for value-addition and export.

India is second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world with 45 million tonnes and 80.26 million tonnes of produces respectively.

India’s livestock population is largest in the world with 50 per cent of world’s buffaloes and 20 per cent of cattles, but only about 1 per cent of the total meat production is converted into value-added products.

According to recent studies on the food processing sector, the turnover of the total food market is approximately Rs 2,50,000 crore of which value-added food products comprise Rs 80,000 crore.

Size of the semi-processed and ready-to-eat packaged food industry was over Rs 4000 crore, growing at over 20 per cent.

Source: business-standard.com

The facilities, which should be provided on cost recovery basis, would eliminate some of the bottlenecks that have encouraged post-harvest losses and undermined national food security.

Mr Philip Abayori, National President of the Association made the suggestion on behalf of the Association at the 23rd National Farmers Day celebration at Wa in the Upper West Region during which 62 farmers, fishers and Agricultural Extension staff were honoured for their hard work.

He noted that farmers and fishers were not enjoying the fruits of their labour as a result of the lack of agricultural infrastructure like ware housing systems, inefficient post-harvest technology, producer pricing and marketing systems.

He said it was also necessary that farmers and fishers be fully represented in mainstream agricultural activities such as negotiations, implementation and evaluation of all agricultural projects as a way of strengthening the sector to boost production.

‘We have been ignored by institutions mandated by government to support efforts aimed at ensuring national food security, job creation and poverty reduction’. The Association expressed concern about alleged imposition of heavy fines on Ministry of Food and Agriculture in respect to land used for the execution of agricultural projects and called on the Chief Justice and Traditional rulers to take a critical look at the issue.

‘Why are communities demanding such money from government and still enjoying the benefits of those facilities fully paid by the state for their own gains’? Mr Abayori appealed to the government to provide a suitable building that could house the offices of farmers’ and fishers’ organisation in appreciation of their hard work and contribution to nation-building.

source: modernghana.com