Former Manchester United winger Bojan Djordjic confirmed for Indian Super League

The 'Hero' Indian Super League has confirmed the participation of former Manchester United player Bojan Djordjic for the inaugural ISL season. The winger-cum-attacking midfielder will feature among the 49 players in the 'central international player draft' to be held on August 21, 2014 in Mumbai. "Playing in the Indian Super League will be a great adventure, a chance to meet new people and help them to become stronger in a sport that has been my passion for my whole life," says the left-footed Swede, who once was named United's Young Player of the Year at the age of 18. Djordjic joined Manchester United in 1999 at the age of 17 from Brommapojkarna, a Swedish second division club near his Stockholm home. The Red Devils spotted Djordjic playing in the Under-17 European Championships for Sweden against England. Within a year Bojan earned the rare distinction of United's Young Player of the Year. By 2001, he was named in United's first team squad on a regular basis. Over the last 15 years, the now 32-year-old has gained vast international experience having played competitive football in England, Scotland, Serbia, Denmark, Sweden and Hungary. Known as a creative centre midfielder and touted as a set-piece specialist, Bojan has played key role for his respective teams in winning four league titles in four different countries - the domestic doubles with Glasgow Rangers (Scotland), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and AIK in Sweden and won the League Championship in Hungary for Videoton FC. He was also instrumental in making Plymouth Argyle FC a strong Championship side during his time in England. Source: Article

Read More........ → August 14, 2014

I was Hitler's food taster, says woman

London: Margot Woelk, now a 95-year-old woman, says she was the "food taster" of Adolf Hitler for more than two years, and had to taste the dictator's food to ensure it was not poisoned. Woelk ate fresh fruit and vegetables including asparagus, peppers and peas, and was one of a dozen women Hitler used to protect himself at his Eastern front headquarters, also known as the "Wolf's Lair", the Daily Mail reported. She was taken there in 1942 when evacuated from Berlin to Gross Partsch -- Parcz in modern-day Poland. Her husband had then gone for fighting. "Of course, I was afraid. If the food had been poisoned, I would not be here today. We were forced to eat it, we had no choice," she said. "Between 11 and 12 o'clock, we had to taste the food, and only after all 15 of us had tried it was it was driven to the headquarters by the SS." "It was all vegetarian, the most delicious fresh things, from asparagus to peppers and peas, served with rice, and salads. It was all arranged on one plate, just as it was served to him," she said. Woelk does not recall tasting any meat, fish or drinks. There was always an hour's delay before Hitler ate his meal so that effects of any poison in the food could be seen in the women. Woelk had to report every day, but was only used when Hitler's personal train was in the station. She lived with her mother-in-law outside the headquarters until an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hitler's life by Claus von Stauffenberg in July 1944. She was then confined to a school building. When Hitler abandoned the lair in November 1944, an officer helped the woman escape to Berlin. Woelk said she believes the other tasters were shot by the advancing Russians. In 1946, she was reunited with her husband who she had presumed dead. The couple lived together until he died in 1990, the daily said. Source: News-Bullet

Read More........ → February 16, 2013

Coca-Cola issues new ads laying out its efforts in tackling the nation’s disease

Starting from Monday on the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will be interrupted by Coca-Cola two-minute ads laying out the company’s record of providing drinks with fewer calories and noting that weight gain is the result of consuming too many calories – not just soda. In such a manner Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most powerful brands, has set to dismiss accusations that soft drinks are the primary culprits of obesity and promote the company’s efforts to fight the nation’s disease.

Amid general concerns over the nation, the youngest part of it in particular, gaining weight too fast – childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years – New York City has decided to enact a cap on the size of soft drinks sold at restaurants, movie theaters and sports arenas. The city’s pioneer move has inspired the mayor of Cambridge, Mass., to introduce a similar measure. For a long time Coca-Cola has been associated with the idea of happiness. But the Coca-Cola happiness, as it has turned out, is measured in kilograms. A decades-long study involving more than 33,000 Americans, for example, suggested that drinking sugary beverages interacts with genes that affect weight. Some new research has also suggested that sugary drinks cause people to gain kilograms independent of other behavior. With the new campaign to kick off next week Coca-Cola is set to weigh in the debate and points to the efforts the company performed over the past years to tackle the problem. "There's an important conversation going on about obesity out there, and we want to be a part of the conversation," Stuart Kronauge, general manager of sparkling beverages for Coca-Cola North America, said. One of the videos to be aired on US television will remind viewers that weight management is about calorie counting, including those that come from Coca-Cola beverages. The advert also recalls Coca-Cola’s commitment to deliver more beverage choices, including low- and no-calorie options, to the public. Besides, as the company noted, it already puts calorie counts on the front of its cans and bottles. It is noteworthy that Coca-Cola has been shaping its business for the past years based on the public concern over the high calorie content of its soft drinks. Nearly one-third of its sales in the US and Canada is diet soft drinks. Then come sports drinks and bottled water. It is the first time the company has gone on the offensive to tackle widespread criticism that sugary beverages are one of the biggest contributors to the obesity epidemic. The ads have been attacked before they were shown. “This is about confusing the public,” said Michele R. Simon, a public health lawyer who writes frequently about the food and beverage business and its role in public health issues. “They are downplaying the serious health effects of drinking too much soda and making it sound like balancing soda consumption with exercise is the only issue, when there are plenty of other reasons not to consume too much of these kinds of products.” Source: Voice of Russia

Read More........ → February 15, 2013

US: Apio and Clear Lam collaboration gets PMA nod

The Eat Smart Classic Caprese Salad container from Apio and Clear Lam has earned a nomination for this year's PMA Impact award. It's the second collaboration between Apio and Clear Lam in as many years that has been a finalist for the award which recognizes innovation and excellence in produce packaging. “The goal was to develop a centrally processed, restaurant quality, chef-inspired premium prepared salad in a convenient kit format with extended freshness,” said James Foster, marketing manager for Clear Lam Packaging. The salad kit combines fresh tomatoes, cheese and dressing and comes in controlled atmosphere packaging for enhanced freshness. Foster added that he believes the product has been well-received because of its freshness and convenience as well as its appealing graphics. “The new package was designed to provide maximum visibility for all the fresh ingredients,” said Foster. “The graphics were designed to highlight the spectacular color and texture of the product in the kit and were printed using the newest high-definition technology.” For more information: James Foster, Clear Lam, jfoster@clearlam.com, www.clearlam.com, Publication date: 10/9/2012, Author: Carlos Nunez, Copyright: www.freshplaza.com, Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → November 18, 2012

China: Bayer forms collaboration with Star Farm

At the recent Asia Fruit Logistica event, held in Hong Kong, Bayer CropScience China launched a new partnership with Metro Group and its Chinese subsidiary, Star Farm. The project, located in Jiaxing City, aims to market a range of vegetables including, tomatoes, cucumber and chillies. Bayer forms the technical part of the collaboration and will supply seeds as well as customer service, tailored to individual clients. Star Farm will provide consultancy services to growers with farm assessments and training. The two companies have plans for further project in China which will be unveiled over the coming months.Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → October 31, 2012

UK: New marketing campaign for Kanzi Apples

Kanzi  Apples  is  launching  its  new  marketing  campaign  for  the  2012 - 13  season to the trade at  the

National Fruit Show from 17-18 October. The brand is announcing a partnership with national charity Heart Research UK. Kanzi’s ‘boudoir’ themed stand – designed to tie in with the brand theme of seduction – will be used at the Fruit Show and at events throughout the campaign. Kanzi will be working with Heart Research UK charity to help promote healthy lifestyles and will support them with a £10,000 donation. Specially marked packs will be sold through multiple retailers during the 2012-2013 selling season to raise awareness of the new partnership. Heart Research UK, founded in 1967, funds pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. The partnership with Kanzi will raise valuable funds for its educational work with communities focusing on the importance of healthy lifestyles including advice on diet and exercise. James Simpson, Managing Director of Adrian Scripps Ltd, who manage Kanzi Apples in the UK, said: "We are delighted to be working with Heart Research UK as part of our new campaign. The charity funds vital medical research and plays a very important role in educating people about heart health and we are pleased to be able to contribute to this work." Barbara Harpham, national director of Heart Research UK said: "Heart Research UK and Kanzi Apples are a great  partnership  and,  together, we will  help  people  to  live healthier, happier, longer lives. This year, we

celebrate helping hearts for 45 years and the money raised will help us continue our pioneering medical research, Master Classes for local, young doctors to learn best techniques and treatments for their patients and rehabilitation for children with heart problems, as well as projects that help communities help themselves. Apples are so fresh, tasty and healthy and an ideal way to promote healthy heart eating." Other activities planned during the campaign include extensive media relations work, recipe development, social media activity and a programme of experiential marketing using the ‘boudoir’ theme to bring Kanzi to a wider audience. For more information: Madeleine Waters, Arbor Creative, Tel: +44 7778 702221, madeleine@arborcreative.com or Chris Child, Heart Research UK ,communications@heartresearch.org.uk, Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → October 25, 2012

Australian banana industry launches 3 year campaign

The Australian banana industry is campaigning towards encouraging Australian consumers to switch from unhealthy processed snacks to bananas, which they term "Nature's energy snack." The campaign will run for three years on TV and radio and will be aimed at gettign people to consume bananas as a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. NRL fullback Billy Slater is backing the campaign. "The 'no-nos' versus 'na-nas' idea is already widely known among our target audience, but the new campaign aims to embed it further into the Australian vernacular by extending it to other media," said Australian Bananas marketing manager, David Weisz. "We will also continue to drive conversations on social media including the Australian Bananas Facebook page which has a strong liker base of more than 50,000 and reached over 13 million people over the last 12 months" he said. Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → October 22, 2012

"Foreign" hamburger?

Russia’s Chief Sanitary Inspector Gennadiy Onishchenko has urged Russians to refrain from eating hamburgers which he described as ‘foreign food’. The United States claims that Onishchenko’s statement has a political coloring. The Voice of Russia’s Yelena Kovachich has met with a number of food experts in an attempt to establish whether Russia’s chief medical officer is playing political games or is concerned about the health of the nation.
 By: Yelena Kovachich, The attempts to interpret Onischenko’s critical remarks concerning hamburgers as a protest against the “pernicious” influence of the West are far-fetched. Since Russia has hundreds of McDonald’s outlets which yield good profit, it’s economic, not political motivation that is behind the dispute, says Pavel Salin of the Political Research Center. "Big politics are seldom behind such statements. As a rule, big money is behind. Even though sometimes these kinds of statements are politically motivated, as we witnessed in the case of Georgian-produced wines and mineral water, and Moldavian wines, these instances are fairly rare". Russia’s chief sanitary officer would hardly pursue any commercial gains unless they meant a healthier nation. Onishehchenko is concerned about the health of the nation. Everybody knows that hamburgers are junk food. In his book Fast Food Nation, American writer Eric Schlosser says that obesity is the second killer in the US after tobacco, as one fourth of the country’s adult population eat hamburgers as regular snacks. The number of obese people has doubled in Britain. The number of overweight people, particularly among the young, has been increasing rapidly in seafood and vegetable-loving Japan. No doctor would ever recommend a fast food diet. Onishchenko took a firm stand against hamburgers after a female customer recounted that she had discovered worms inside her McChicken box. A publication to this effect which appeared in The Washington Post described even the thought of it as revolting. It’s no wonder then that the Russian sanitary inspector reacted in such a way. According to Schlosser, hundreds of Americans have been killed by E.coli which was discovered in hamburgers and millions are poisoned by poor quality ingredients in McDonald’s food annually. As it happens, there is nothing insulting about the phrase “foreign food” for Americans. Onishchenko meant that Russians should eat food they are used to genetically. Eskimos eat raw frozen meat, Yakuts eat frozen fish, and Chinese adults don’t drink milk. National food traditions differ. As for the Russian food, it’s international, using a combination of different gastronomic preferences. Russians traditionally eat food from Asia, the Caucasus, Siberia. The European and French traditions are strong as well. From the French Russians have borrowed cutlets, omellettes, mousses and compotes. Russians are thus tolerant to foreign food. By and large, the hamburger should be “foreign” to the whole of humanity if people want to be healthy and in good shape." Source: Voice of Russia

Read More........ → October 21, 2012

First organic supermarket in Germany opened 25 years ago

Photographs of the first Alnatura-shop 

A quarter of a century ago the success story of the now 70 Alnatura Super Natur Shops started. The first shop of the bio-trader from Hessen opened on 1 October 1987 in Mannheim. At that time that was the first organic supermarket in Germany. A year before this the first organic products under hallmark Alnatura were already on the shelves. Founder and general director Götz Rehn remembers the rough start well. "Many friends and family members have assisted in the realisation of the first shop. Without their help and effort we would never have succeeded." The clients quickly adopted this rather new concept. And within a short time more Alnatura shops opened in Karlsruhe, Kassel and Darmstadt. This was followed by a steady
 increase in of the number shops. At the moment there are 70 Alnatura shops in 39 towns. For the new book year the company plans to open 12 new shops. Amongst others in Frankfurt, München and Berlin. Since this summer clients are also welcome in Switzerland. On 30 August last the first Alnatura opened in Zürich. This shop is the result of cooperation with Migros, the biggest Swiss retailer. 'Meaningful actions for man and earth' is still always the company principle. But the outward appearance of the shops has drastically changed over the last 25 years, the starting points, however, have remained the same. At Alnatura it is important that as many as possible fresh products - vegetables, fruit, bread and cakes - come from the region. This in order to stimulate the local agriculture. Short transport distances help with the protection of the environment and make sure that the products supplied are fresh daily. Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → October 14, 2012

Healthy eating – doctors won’t cope without governments

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By Liza Belozerova, Poorer people in the UK tend to have unhealthier lifestyles - that's according to a report released today by the thinktank, the King's Fund. It also found that those with fewer qualifications tended to smoke and drink more and eat unhealthy foods. It has raised questions over who is responsible for the widening social gap in Britain's lifestyle habits, as Liza Belozerova reports Eating five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day is something many of us remember from the Labor government health campaign that also introduced a smoking ban in public places. Yet the report released today by The King’s Fund charity shows that the effect of that campaign have been mixed. The report covered the time between 2003 and 2008 when a Labor government embarked on a major campaign to promote healthy living and it looked at what it calls “multiple behaviors”: smoking, drinking, eating and physical activity. Although it shows that overall people are leading healthy lives, in England there’s a growing class divide in people’s eating habits. Unskilled and uneducated people tend to have unhealthier life styles, so what went wrong? David Buck, senior fellow researcher at The King’s Fund says that the campaign wasn’t well targeted:“From our perspective, there’s a question on “multiple behavior” rather than emphasizing eating habits on their own. That the campaign wasn’t as much focused, it had lots of campaigns on single behaviors, but wasn’t perhaps as bothered as it should have been about where the success was coming from. It wasn’t really targeting its campaigns and the work it was doing on particular groups in society. And it was also focused on single behavior – smoking strategy, eating strategy, etc. – but again it wasn’t really looking at how this clustered in society and taking actions on basis of that.” Source: Voice of Russia. 

Read More........ → August 25, 2012

Long-term investment in NZ kiwiberry industry

Kiwiberry is characterized by sweet, kiwifruit-like flesh, thin skin, and is the size of a grape. Conveniently they don’t need to be peeled and are delightful eaten whole.

Freshmax NZ Ltd is the holder of the exclusive New Zealand master kiwiberry license, granted by Plant & Food Research (PFR) to commercialise four of their proprietary kiwiberry varieties. This month, Freshmax welcomes the decision by select growers to advance these varieties into commercial production in New Zealand. Over the last few years global demand for kiwiberry has continued to rise on the back of a sustained increase in market share for berryfruit. Freshmax has recognized this exciting opportunity for New Zealand growers to benefit from increasing demand, through investment in kiwiberry production. Kiwiberry is characterized by sweet, kiwifruit-like flesh, thin skin, and is the size of a grape. Conveniently they don’t need to be peeled and are delightful eaten whole. Tony Mahoney, Freshmax Group CEO, says "New Zealand-grown kiwiberry has access to an extensive range of international markets, a privilege not available to many export fruit categories. Our kiwiberry marketing strategy is focused on steadily and significantly building demand in NZ, Europe and Asia, demand which is yet to be realised due to the lack of volume supply from New Zealand so far." For more information: Tracey Burns, Freshmax NZ Ltd, Tel: +64 21 936 428, tburns@freshmax.co.nz, www.freshmax.co.nz, Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → August 22, 2012

First high-frequency ad for dogs on British TV

Dogs were the main audience of a commercial shown Monday night on British national television. The ad for dog food brand “Bakers” featured high-frequency sounds aimed specifically at dogs, with whistles, barking, squeaking and pings that serve to grab the pets’ attention. Dogs were the main audience of a commercial shown Monday night on British national television.The ad for dog food brand “Bakers” featured high-frequency sounds aimed specifically at dogs, with whistles, barking, squeaking and pings that serve to grab the pets’ attention. Source: Voice of Russia. 

Read More........ → August 05, 2012

McDonald's focusing on value in slowing global economy

McDonald's Corporation today reported its results for the second quarter ended June 30, including a 3.7 percent increase in global comp sales. Broken down by segment: (1) McDonald's U.S. generated comp sales growth of 3.6 percent, leveraging its everyday value offerings, menu variety and reimaged restaurants; Europe's comp sales were up 3.8 percent behind value options balanced with premium product introductions and reimaged restaurants; (2) Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) posted a modest comp sales increase of 0.9 percent. Solid performances in Australia and China were offset by a still-recovering Japan. Heading up his first earnings call since taking over as CEO, Don Thompson noted McDonald's continued solid performance despite a slowing global economy and stronger headwinds on both the top and bottom lines. The company will continue to focus on its Plan to Win and three strategies: optimizing the menu, modernizing customaner experience and broadening accessibility. U.S. results: Thompson said the U.S. system continues to build sales and guest counts, albeit at a slower pace because of increased competition from convenience store and grocery segments, as well as the fast casual segment. "For us, we just need to remain focused on what is in our realm of control. That is beverages, premium products, breakfast, promotional food events like the Chicken McBites and value," he said. "We just need to make sure we're appealing to customers more and focus on our business plan." The breakfast daypart continues to experience strong momentum, as do beverages and value promotions. For example, a recent focus on the 20-piece Chicken McNugget offering helped increase total sales of chicken by nearly 11 percent versus the same period last year. Thompson said customers can expect several new beef and chicken products within the next year, including wraps and premium sandwiches such as the pub burger, as well as additional innovations in the beverage and breakfast spaces. Europe: The United Kingdom and Russia delivered strong sales for McDonald's during the quarter, and the U.K., France and Spain systems have gained market share to drive Europe's overall performance. Thompson said the company is re-engineering its 2012 plans to drive traffic in Europe, including a stronger focus on value and promotions and the expansion of breakfast and beverages. In France, McDonald's plans to increase its media spend to strengthen its voice. And in Germany, the chain will continue to step up its value messaging, which has contributed to strong sales and guest counts. APMEA: Thompson said the company is witnessing fragile consumer confidence in Australia, as well as a difficult economy and continued disaster recovery in Japan. In China, tier I cities are experiencing an economic slowdown and competition has increased. Still, McDonald's is on track to open 225 to 250 new restaurants this year while focusing on conveniences like McDelivery and dessert kiosks. Also, the company will continue to add to breakfast, the fastest growing daypart, which now represents more than 9 percent of sales in the country. In response to all APMEA activity, the company has introduced value platforms to build traffic short term, with the objective of maintaining that traffic long term while building tickets as customers trade up. "Let me be clear: we're not satisfied. But we have a resilient business model, a talented system, and experience in every type of operating environment," Thompson said. "We understand what we are facing – from the macro economic environment to increasing competition. We've been in these situations before and we'll draw on that experience and stay focused on the things that differentiate us." Image Link Flickr, Source: QSRweb.com

Read More........ → August 02, 2012

McDonald’s launch Olympic campaign

McDonald’s is the Official Restaurant of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Presenting Partner for the Games Maker Programme - which has seen them help to train the 70,000 volunteers who will work at the Games. As part of this sponsorship, 13th July 2012 sees the full launch of the McDonald’s Olympic campaign celebrating the people behind the Games. The campaign carries the line “We All Make The Games” - a rallying cry for the nation that recognises that we all have a part to play in making London 2012 great. The campaign, created by Leo Burnett, does not focus on the sporting excellence of the athletes, instead focussing on the British public. It features the fans, who will come together to passionately cheer on the world’s athletes and create the atmosphere of the Games, as well as McDonald’s own Olympic Champion Crew and the Games Makers who will carry out their volunteer roles with pride, passion and enthusiasm, to make the Games the spectacle they deserve to be. The three stage campaign launches with 60” and 40” TV and one of the largest outdoor buys London has ever seen - including outdoor, digital outdoor and take-overs of major Olympic transport hubs across London (including Euston, St. Pancras, Heathrow and Stratford). The campaign will also span national outdoor, national digital outdoor, online, online display and video, social media (Facebook) and national press. The TV and outdoor ads encourage participation and support of the Games with a range of observed emotions that people go through when supporting sport. From “The Clapper” to “The Flapper”, from “The Nervy Peeker” to “The Flag-waving piggy backer”, fans across the country, at home, at work, in the stadia and on the streets are shown contributing to the atmosphere and experience of the Games. Games Makers and McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew are also seen conducting their Olympic roles, which span a variety of positions, from “The Chirpy Ticket Checker” to “The Hero Meeters” and “The Hello, How Can I Help?-er”. During Games time, in a first for McDonald’s, the campaign will evolve into a truly reactive campaign, with the TV, online and digital outdoor work being refreshed to reflect the mood of the nation and the real, personal moments that take place during the Games. People will be asked to submit photos and videos of their experiences via Facebook. The best submissions will have a bespoke headline written for them by Leo Burnett and then appear in McDonald’s press and digital outdoor advertising around the country, including on the world famous Piccadilly Sign in London. TV footage will continue to be shot, both in London and around the country, with documentary and guerilla camera-crews capturing footage of real moments and personal stories that occur in and around the Games. This footage will then be incorporated into further versions of the TV ad to air during Games time – as a genuine demonstration of how “We All Make The Games”. At the end of the Games, content submitted and captured throughout the Games will be used to celebrate the people who all made the Games. The process will be identical for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Alistair Macrow, Vice President Marketing at McDonald’s said: “The We All Make the Games campaign will capture people’s emotions, humour and experiences in real-time, and we hope to become a barometer for the mood of the nation during the Games. As well as celebrating our customers, it will enable us to thank some of the 17,500 British and Irish farmers who supply our menu and have provided ingredients for London 2012, our 2,000 employees who have won the chance to work at the Games, and the 70,000 Games Makers. “McDonald’s restaurants are an involved part of nearly every British town and city. It’s a trusted position we cherish, and creating a genuine dialogue with our customers – whether in our restaurants or through our digital channels – sits at the heart of everything we do.” Source: Media News Line

Read More........ → July 16, 2012

Italy receives most money

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Fresh Plaza: Europe has 90 million Euro for school fruit in 2012-2013. Most of the money will go to Italy. The EU supports school fruit from the country with 20 million Euro. This is more than half of what Italy has 
left for this school year. Germany receives 11.5 million followed by Holland, Poland and Romania with 9 million Euro. Image Link Blogsot, Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → July 16, 2012

Fast food on the march

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By Anna Forostenko, The fast food industry has claimed a new victory. US experts from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have discovered that in the last 50 years the portions in fast food restaurants have quadrupled in size. This applies even to children’s portions. Fifty years ago a child’s serving of soda was 225 grams and now even the smallest glass contains 340 grams of liquid. At the same time, in the last 25 years the number of overweight children in the US has tripled. At present, obesity problems affect every sixth child in the US and given the popularity of fast food in other countries, obesity could soon become a major worldwide problem.Even today, obesity is the second major cause of premature deaths in the US, the first one still being smoking. However, it is wrong to assume that Americans are the most overweight nation in the world because Australians currently outstrip them in this respect. Still, it is true that the American fast food model has become popular all over the world. Although prototypes of fast food diets existed in Ancient Rome, at the time they included dates, beans, flat bread and meat. Americans happened to be the first nation to realize that it was not enough just to feed someone, it was important to make people consume this kind of food on a regular basis. As a result, they came up with the modern version of fast food which entailed big portions containing a lot of fat and sugar and very little fibre. So now, when a customer eats a hamburger on the run he consumes half of the recommended daily allowance of calories. Source: Voice of Russia. 

Read More........ → July 15, 2012

Watch Live Food Versatile

Read More........ → June 15, 2012

Korea plans to relaunch Whimori as the official country brand

Fresh Plaza: Whimori, a brand known for freshness, safety and quality, ensures high quality control of the products and advanced traceability system. Launched in Tokyo, Japan in 2004, Whimori was created to represent the leading agricultural products of Korea and make a mark in the world market. Paprika, pear, and chrysanthemum were the first three products offered followed by King Oyster mushroom, rose and kimchi. At the moment, there are six Whimori products available in the market and strawberries are expected to be

added to the list. Whimori has an advanced traceability system wherein consumers can easily trace the quality of the products which provide information on the cultivation, producer and the product itself. It gives the consumers the assurance of how safe the products are and guarantees the quality. Its traceability system is continuously being developed by Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation or aT to compete in the global market. aT makes Korean products establish a stronger global presence and provides agricultural

marketing services. In order to acquire the Whimori brand, exporters must pass a thorough inspection of the product from all aspects by aT and the Korean government, from the techniques used in the cultivation of the product in the field to ensure high quality and freshness to marketing plans of the Korean exporter. Additionally, Whimori participated in the FOODEX Japan 2012 in March and received positive results from the event which inspires more the team to continue promoting the brand internationally.

Due to the positive feedback, the event served as a turning point to relaunch Whimori and even to start advanced branding soon. It aims to build more personality on the products and to attract more prospects. Whimori products are popular among Japanese consumers for both paprika and flowers. The demand in King Oyster mushroom and pear is increasing among American and European consumers. 

Next year, Whimori is expecting to launch their new traceability system worldwide which fits in the digital world we live in. In the meantime, Whimori is getting more popularity by means of brand launching, participating trade fairs and by mass media promotion. Whimori products are ISO, GAP and HACCP certified. Contact details: Mr. JooYong Lee, aT Korea Agro- Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, tel 0082-2-6300-1448, cel 0082-10-8679-9909, pathfinder@at.or.kr, www.at.or.kr, Publication date: 6/1/2012 , Author: Yzza Ibrahim, Copyright: www.freshplaza.com, Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → June 07, 2012

US: New Kuehne Nagel branch in Miami

Fresh Plaza: "Since  the  Asian market  is  becoming  more  and more  important for our exports from South 

America, we have, with the KN in-transit center in Miami, the option to offer our clients an excellent product to Asian destinations. The KN in-transit center is fully facilitated and equipped to handle in transit perishables and holds sufficient space with the main Asia carriers on direct flights from Miami," states Ben Radema, Director Airfreight of Kuehne+Nagel Peru. In the framework of the intensive expansion of its network of perishables outstations, Kuehne+Nagel is now offering full airfreight services at Miami International Airport Cargo City. Establishing this new branch in Miami, traditionally the main point of entry for perishables from Latin America into the USA and a main point of transit for these flows to other parts of the world, fits into the company’s worldwide perishables development strategy. It enables KN to expand its 

Fresh Chain service for their USA based customers by shipping from various Latin American origins to door USA. In addition, it provides more options and flexibility to their customers who see an expanded reach for their products to worldwide destinations, while maintaining full control over the cold chain. Recent successes were booked with fresh fruit coming from Chile in transit to Asian markets, where Kuehne+Nagel  Miami 

was able to avoid long transit times, which usually occur when interline routing is used. "With worldwide markets demanding more fresh products, Miami is a logical and strategic location both for our growth as well as for improved cold chain management" says Raul Villavicencio, KN Miami-Perishables Manager.  For more information, please visit: www.kuehne-nagel.com, Source: Fresh Plaza

Read More........ → June 01, 2012

Fruit juice sector set for growth

Fresh Plaza: Global Industry Analysts have announced a report on the fruit and vegetable juice  market. 

They forecast that the market for fruit and vegetable juices will reach 72.79 billion litres by 2017. The growth in the industry is primarily expected to be driven by a rising trend for healthy drinks amongst consumers. Key growth areas are expected to be organic, superfruit and 100% natural fruit juices. New entrants to the market are already piling in, but this is expected to grow. they are attracted to an industry that is already twice the value of the tea industry and much greater than the cola segment of the drinks sector. Europe is the largest regional market for juices, though Asia-Pacific is expected to be the main region for driving growth in the industry. Source: www.prweb.com, Source: Fresh Plaza, Reference Image Link Flickr

Read More........ → April 29, 2012