NEWS & ANALYSIS
NEWS OF INDUSTRY
Ashland’s Fine Ingredients Division authorized North American distribution for acesulfame-K
Ashland Distribution Company’s Fine Ingredients Division, Dublin, Ohio, in July was named authorized distributor throughout North America for the Totowa, N.J.-based JRS International, Inc.’s synthetic, calorie-free, high potency sweetener, Acesulfame Potassium, also known as Acesulfame-K. Discovered in 1967 in Germany, acesulfame-K is currently approved for use in 90 countries. Its benefits include good sensory properties; heat stability up to 200°C so that it does not break down during cooking, complements the taste of alcohols and other bulking agents; stability over a wide range of pH; and extended shelf life. It can be used in diabetic foods.
Between 1988 and 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved several uses of acesulfame-K in foods and beverages. These include alcoholic and non-alcoholic liquid beverages and beverage bases; dry bases for beverages, instant coffee and tea; hard and soft candies and chewing gum; syrups, sweet sauces, and toppings, yogurt and yogurt-type products; baked goods, frostings, icings, and fillings; dry bases for dairy product analogs; refrigerated and frozen desserts; tabletop sweeteners and sugar substitutes; and dry bases for gelatins, puddings, and pudding desserts.
Arrowhead Acquisition Partners buy Busse, Inc. and S.J. Industries, Inc.
Arrowhead Acquisition Partners LLC, Oshkosh, Wis., has acquired two manufacturers of packaging machinery—Busse, Inc. and S.J. Industries, Inc. Based in Randolph, Wis., Busse manufactures bulk palletizing and depalletizing equipment. S.J. Industries, based in Alexandria, Va., manufactures equipment for the container-filling line at beverage and food processing plants.
These acquisitions are part of Arrowhead’s plan to build an organization of independent companies that can work together to provide integrated systems for the packaging line at beverage, food processing, pharmaceutical, and other consumer goods manufacturing plants.
Dean Foods acquires Dairy Express; closes Hillside Dairy
Dean Foods, Franklin Park, Ill., has acquired Dairy Express, Inc., a full-line distributor of dairy stores, vending companies, and independent retailers based in the Philadelphia, Pa., area. The acquisition extends the company’s distribution range in the Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Baltimore markets.
In an unrelated action, Dean Foods has announced the closing of their Hillside Dairy plant in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in order to combine Hillside’s operations into the company’s other dairy facilities in Akron, Ohio, and Sharpsville, Pa. Approximately 120 jobs will be eliminated with the Hillside closing; many of those employees will be offered positions with the Sharpsville dairy and Reiter Dairy in Barberton, Ohio. Dairy farmers who supplied the Hillside plant will continue to supply fresh milk to the Reiter Dairy.
Qualicon and Institut Pasteur form alliance to improve food safety
Qualicon, L.L.C., the business unit of DuPont Corporation, Wilmington, Del., and the Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France, have formed a broad-ranging alliance to improve food safety and public health. The 100-year-old research institute was recently selected as a microbiology analysis center for the newly formed French agency for food safety. Qualicon, winner of IFT’s 1997 Industrial Achievement Award for the Qualicon RiboPrinter® system, is known for its advanced genetics-based technologies.
The collaboration involves a number of projects aimed at building microbial knowledge and includes the integration of the world’s first and only automated instrument for fingerprinting the DNA of bacteria, the Qualicon RiboPrinter® system, into the Institut’s molecular typing laboratory. Initial projects include building a Europe-wide information network for lactic acid bacteria, a class of bacteria that includes both spoilage organisms and beneficial bacteria (probiotics); and the creation of an extensive data base of DNA fingerprins of harmful bacteria that can be found in hospitals, food, water, and soil. Creation of these networks and databases will help scientists worldwide improve microbial safety and quality. For example, the system will be used in the Institut’s upcoming study of Listeria in the smoked fish industry.
Eridania Béghin-Say creates international business unit
Eridania Béghin-Say has created a new international business unit, the Health & Nutrition Group, which will develop and market ingredients for the functional food industry. The North American headquarters for the new unit will be in Fort Wayne, Ind., while the worldwide headquarters will be in Vilvoorde, Belgium.
Two important functional food ingredients currently produced by Eridania Béghin-Say are soy protein, claimed to be helpful in lowering cholesterol and produced by Central Soya in Fort Wayne, and fructo-oligosaccharide, claimed to improve overall intestinal health and produced by Béghin-Meiji Industries in Europe. The Health & Nutrition Group will assist food manufacturers with developing products that incorporate functional food ingredients, nutrition science, food technology expertise, and regulatory support.
NZMP Key Ingredients builds new production plant
NZMP Key Ingredients, manufacturer of natural cheese flavor products, has relocated its operations from Harrisburg, Pa., to a new 45,000-sq-ft, $5 million, state-of-the-art production facility in Hummelstown. The new plant can process almost 50% more product than formerly, and plans are in place for a second expansion to enlarge it another 28,000 sq ft. The new address of NZMP Key Ingredients is 8190 Presidents Drive, Hummelstown, PA 17036 (phone 800-227-4448; fax 717-566-8466; E-mail: [email protected]).
Luigino’s opens new plant in West Virginia
Luigino’s, Inc., Sanford, Fla., will open a 250,000-sq-ft processing plant in Parkersburg, W. Va., to be financed by the State of West Virginia and leased to Luigino’s along with at least two production lines. The agreement calls for Luigino’s to provide the balance of funds for additional equipment and eight production lines. Plans call for immediate construction, with operations to begin during 2000.
The West Virginia facility will primarily pack Michelina’s® and Michelina’s Yu Sing® brands of frozen entrees, while the company’s nearby Jackson, Ohio, facility will be expanded to include production of Michelina’s® frozen snacks.
Northfield Freezing Systems secures exclusive rights to market SuperContact surface plate freezers
Northfield Freezing Systems, Northfield, Minn., has secured exclusive marketing and patent rights to manufacture, sell, and service SuperContact product surface plate freezers worldwide. SuperContact was developed to crust-freeze sticky, wet products by conveying them across a refrigerated stainless steel plate on a polyethylene film, freezing the bottom surface of the product. This eliminates belt marks in the product, drip loss of marinades, sticking to belts, and maintains product shape. With the addition of a refrigerated coil and fan unit overhead, complete surface and product freezing can be achieved. It has been available in the U.S. since 1994 and can freeze a wide variety of products.
Government Agency News:
• FTC—The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has awarded a call center contract to Biospherics Incorporated, Beltsville, Md., to help the FTC educate and inform the public about unfair or deceptive business acts and practices. The new FTC Consumer Response Center is equipped to track and update the growing number of new frauds and scams and to help company information specialists answer callers’ questions. The Center also distributed FTC brochures such as “Straight Talk About Telemarketing,” “Are You a Target of the Phone Scams?” and “Who Cares? Sources of Information About Health Care Products and Services.” The agency has more than 250 titles, all designed to caution the citizen against unfair or deceptive business practices. For additional information, call Roger Downs, Project Director, at 301-419-3900, or visit the Internet at www.biospherics.com.
NEWS OF PEOPLE
• Folexco, Montgomery, Pa., which recently acquired East Earth Herb, Eugene, Ore., appointed Michael P. Petteruti Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Petteruti assumed responsibility for all operating, sales and marketing activities for Folexco and is also assisting in consolidation of the East Earth Herb operation. • At National Starch & Chemical Company, Bridgewater, N.J., James P. Zallie was appointed Divisional Vice President, Starch, Asia; John C. Dutney was promoted to Divisional Vice President for the Packaging and Converting Adhesives Division; and Neil Grimwood was appointed Divisional Vice President of Marketing and Technical Service, North America, for the company’s Food Starch Division.
• Haarmann & Reimer’s Flavor Division, Teterboro, N.J., appointed Matthias Guentert Vice President, Research and Development, Flavors. • At Midwest Grain Products, Inc., Atchison, Kans., Steve Pickman was promoted to Executive Director of Corporate Relations. Nate Cairney joined the company as Marketing Communications Manager; Mark Kocour joined as Quality Manager at the Atchison Plant; and Ladd Seaberg, President and CEO of Midwest Grain Products, was appointed to serve on one of five Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees for Trade by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky.
• Juergen Steinemann was appointed Chairman of Loders Croklaan, headquartered in Wormerveer, The Netherlands. • Don Farley was appointed Chairman of Stolle Milk Biologics, Inc. (SMBI), Cincinnati, Ohio. • John Greaves was appointed President of Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, Ia. He succeeds Christopher Nelson, who is becoming President of the Kemin Group Worldwide. • Flavorite Laboratories, Inc., Memphis, Tenn., promoted Claude B. “Chip” Colonna to the new position of Executive Vice President and named Richard Curp its new Product Manager. Perry Judd joined Flavorite as Director of Information Technology. • Kevin O’Rell was appointed Vice President, Research & Development/Quality Assurance, of Horizon Organic Dairy, Longmont, Colo.
• Bruce Cords was appointed Vice President, Environmental, Food Safety, and Public Health by Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minn. • Carol A. Kelly joined Applied Consumer & Clinical Evaluations, Williamsville, N.Y., as Associate Research Manager in the Buffalo, N.Y. location. • Amy Scharges joined Datacolor International, Charlotte, N.C., as Technical Sales Representative, Textiles, for the New England Region. She is based in Waitsfield, Vt. • Jodi Dacquisto joined Alfa Laval Flow Inc. as an Inside Sales Representative for the G&H Division.
• At the Flavors North America Division of IFF, New York, N.Y., Andrew Kind-Fuller was appointed Director of Customer Services, Diane Mora promoted to Vice President, Director of Marketing; Thomas J. Skatrud appointed Vice President, Manufacturing and Commercial Product Development; and Paul R. Zanno promoted to Vice President, Creative and Applications. • At FIS, Solon, Ohio, Tom Shoup was appointed Vice President, Operations for FIS, North America; and Jill Ruff and Lori Graceffo promoted to Product Development Technologist. • Advanced Food Systems, Inc., Somerset, N.J., has hired Mark E. Witowski as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
• McIlhenny Company, Avery Island, La., promoted Cecil Hymel II to Vice President of Administration and Stephen Romero to Vice President of International Sales. • Spartanburg Stainless Products, Sharpsville (Pa.) Division, appointed Joseph W. Cettomai Vice President of Administration and Von A. Hanson Vice President of Engineering and Quality Assurance. • Firmenich, Inc., Princeton, N.J., appointed Phil Rogers Vice President of the Savory Division; Michael Joy Marketing Manager/TechnoChef for the Savory Foods Global Business Unit; and J. Jeffrey Cousminer Laboratory Manager/TechnoChef for the Savory Foods Global Business Unit. Jenny Luster was named Senior Food Technologist/TechnoChef, also for the company’s Savory Foods Global Business Unit.
• Karen Carlson joined Case Swayne Co., Inc., Corona, Calif., as Head, Research and Development. • David Michael & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., promoted Donna Mascaro to Project Leader, Beverage Applications, and Mitchell Duffy to Project Leader, Bakery and Cereal. • International Bioflavors Inc., Oconomowoc, Wis., announced the following staff changes: Archana Khangaonkar hired as Creative Flavorist; Priscilla Reeves promoted to Manager, Product Development; and Charlie Iker promoted to Manager, Flavor Creation. • Michael H. Brodsky joined Silliker Laboratories of Canada, LTD, as General Manager of the Mississauga, Ontario, facility, following the retirement of Charles M. Davidson, who had headed the laboratory since 1978.
• Larry E. Lindberg was appointed Director of Haarmann & Reimer’s manufacturing plant in Skokie, Ill. • Stoelting, Inc., Kiel, Wis., manufacturer of dairy and process food equipment, appointed Thomas Hamm to Dairy Process Engineer/Service Technician. • Brand Aromatics Inc., Lakewood, N.J., appointed Edward J. Heraty as National Sales Manager. • Frank Rossi was appointed Sales Manager for nutritional raw ingredients at Maypro Industries, Inc., Purchase, N.Y. • Flow Technology, Inc., Phoenix, Ariz., promoted Ladd Howell to International Sales Manager, Rex Mann to National Sales Manager, Wayne Ott to Customer Service Manager, and Mike Wusterbarth to Engineering Manager. • Steve Volker was promoted to the newly created position of General Sales Manager - Industrial Products at Tate & Lyle North American Sugars, Inc., New York, N.Y.
NEWS OF SOCIETIES & ASSOCIATIONS
ASTM accepting nominations for David R. Peryam Award
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is accepting nominations for the David R. Peryam Award. Nominations, due no later than October 1, 1999, should include biographical information, documented qualifications, and the nominating source.
Established in 1995 by ASTM Committee E-18 on Sensory Evaluation of Materials and Products, the award recognizes outstanding sensory science professionals who have made significant and sustained contributions to advance the field, been widely published, mentored students of sensory research and food science, and more. For more information, call Tim Brooke, ASTM, at 610-832-9729; fax 610-832-9666; E-mail: [email protected].
AOCS calls for nominations for the Stephen S. Chang Award
The American Oil Chemists’ Society is seeking nominations for the 2000 AOCS Stephen S. Chang Award. The award recognizes a scientist or technologist who has made decisive accomplishments in research for the improvement or development of products related to lipids. Supported by an endowment from the late AOCS Past President Stephen S. Chang and Mrs. Lucy D. Chang, the award consists of a $6,000 honorarium and a jade sculpture of a galloping horse.
A nominee must have made significant and distinguished accomplishments in basic research that have been used by industries for the development or improvement of products related to lipids. He or she may be recognized for one major breakthrough, or by an accumulation of publications. The successful nominee must agree to accept the award at an AOCS Annual Meeting and present a paper.
The nominator must submit a letter describing the nominee’s distinguished and significant accomplishments in basic research and how they have been used by industries to improve or develop products related to lipids. Enclose at least three supporting letters and biographic information, including the nominee’s curriculum vitae and list of major relevant publications and patents. Nominations for the 2000 award must be submitted by October 15, 1999, to Dr. Frank Gunstone, AOCS, P.O. Box 3489, Champaign, IL 61826-3489.
For more information, contact Kathleen Atchley at the AOCS address above or call her at 217-359-2344; fax 217-351-8091.
ADPI recommends cheese safety response
The American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) has urged the members of its Cheese Division to counter incomplete reports by the media on a multi-drug resistant strain of salmonella found in raw milk cheese. The Institute noted facts the media failed to address, such as (1) the type of cheese involved was a fresh, raw, milk cheese with no aging period; (2) the referenced outbreaks occurred more than two years ago; and (3) the cheese was produced in an unregulated environment.
According to ADPI, customers should be advised that, if milk used in cheese manufacture is not fully pasteurized, the cheese will be properly aged to provide a safe product, it will be produced under strict sanitary conditions, and all processing plants will be inspected for compliance with strict sanitary standards.
AOCS calls for nominations: Supelco/Nicholas Pelick–AOCS Research Award
The American Oil Chemists’ Society is seeking nominations for the 2000 Supelco/Nicholas Pelick–AOCS Research Award, sponsored by Supelco, Inc., a division of Sigma-Aldrich, Bellefonte, Pa., and Nicholas Pelick, a longtime member and past president of AOCS.
The award recognizes outstanding original research in fats, oils, lipid chemistry, or biochemistry. The nominee must have published the results in technical papers of high quality, and preference will be given to individuals who are actively associated with research and who have made discoveries that have influenced their fields of endeavor. Nominations, due November 1, 1999, should consist of a letter of nomination, supporting letters from at least three other scientists, and biographical information concerning the nominee. The biographical information must include a summary of the nominee’s research accomplishments, a list of publications, degrees held with the names of the granting institutions, and positions held during the nominee’s professional career.
The successful nominee must agree to accept the Award (a plaque and an $8,000 honorarium) and deliver an address at the AOCS Annual Meeting to be held April 25–28, 2000, in San Diego, Calif.
Send letters of nomination and supporting documents no later than November 1, 1999, to Dr. Casimir A. Akoh, Dept. of Food Science and Technology, Food Science Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7610. For more information, contact Kathleen Atchley, AOCS, Box 3489, Champaign, IL 61826-3489 (or call her at 217-359-2344; fax 217-351-8091).
FPA announces student scholarship recipients
The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) announced the Flexible Packaging Educational Foundation’s scholarship recipients for the 1998–99 academic year. Each of the following eleven students will receive up to $1,500 to support his or her education in packaging.
Representing five packaging schools are scholarship recipients Lindsay Luengo ($1,500) and Todd Hilken ($500), representing California Polytechnic State University; Van Charles Garner ($1,000), William Mack Garner ($1,000), and Kimberly M. Swint ($500), from Clemson University; Jack Trump ($1,500) and Angela Cheatham ($500), from Indiana State University; Magan M. Fleetwood ($1,000) and Jill E. Thompson ($500), Murray State University; and Eric Suloff $1,000) and Laura Sammons ($500), Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Oil chemists elect eleven AOCS Fellows
The American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) recognized eleven oil chemists as AOCS Fellows in May 1999. The new Fellows are Howard C. Black, formerly of Swift and Company; Kenneth K. Carroll, formerly of the University of Western Ontario, awarded posthumously; David R. Erickson, formerly of the American Soybean Association; Frank D. Gunstone, Honorary Research Fellow, The Scottish Crop Research Institute; Tetsutaro Hashimoto, Special Lecturer of the Chiba Institute of Technology; R.G. Krishnamurthy, formerly of Kraft Foods; Gerhard Maerker, formerly of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture; Ted P. Matson, formerly of CONDEA Vista; Lincoln D. Metcalf, formerly of AKZO Chemicals, Inc.; Milton J. Rosen, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Director of the Surfactant Research Institute, Brooklyn College, City University of New York; and Randall Wood, Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics and Nutrition, Texas A&M University.
Call for Nominations—The National Medal of Technology 2000
The National Medal of Technology is awarded annually by the President of the United States for technological breakthroughs resulting in the creation of new or significantly improved products, processes, or services. American innovators are recognized whose vision, intellect, creativity, and brilliance in moving ideas to market have had profound and lasting impact on our economy and way of life.
Established by Congress in 1980 as part of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act and administered by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 121 medals have been awarded since 1985—111 to individuals or teams, and 10 to companies.
Deadline for submission is December 1, 1999. Nominations packets may be obtained from Allison Rosenberg, Director, National Medal of Technology, Room 4226 Technology Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20230 (phone 202-482-5572; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.ta.doc.gov/MEDAL).
ADSA presents awards to scientists
The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) recognized 28 dairy scientists for their achievements during the association’s recent Annual Meeting. Larry D. Satter, Professor of Dairy Science and Director, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, received ADSA’s Award of Honor in recognition of outstanding contributions to ADSA. The ADSA Distinguished Service Award was given to Stuart Patton, Evan Pugh Professor of Agriculture Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and Adjunct Professor of the School of Medicine and School of Family Studies and Consumer Sciences, San Diego, Calif., for his long-standing and exceptional contributions to the welfare of the dairy industry.
IFT members receiving awards were Michael A. Rudan, Postdoctoral Extension Associate, Dept. of Food Science, Cornell University, who received the Alltech, Inc. Graduate Student Paper Publication Award for his manuscript, “A Model of Mozzarella Cheese Melting and Browning During Pizza Baking;” Donald J. McMahon, Professor in the Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science, and Director of the Western Dairy Center, Utah State University, received the Gist-brocades Award for his contributions to understanding the role of chemical parameters such as proteins, fat, salt, pH, and calcium in controlling cheese functionality.
The International Dairy Foods Association Research Award was given to Clair L. Hicks, Professor, Dept. of Animal Science, University of Kentucky, for his leadership in the development of methods to reduce agglutination and phage proliferation in bulk starters for the cheese industry. ADSA’s Milk Industry Foundation Award went to Stanley E. Gilliland, Regents Professor and Sitlington Endowed Chair in Food Microbiology, Oklahoma State University, for excellence in teaching milk marketing and utilization, processing of dairy products, food microbiology, analysis of food products, quality control, and special topics in food science.
Among the six scientists named as ADSA Fellows were IFT Emeritus Members J. Robert Brunner, retired Professor, Michigan State University; and W. James Harper, Professor of Food Science and Technology, Ohio State University.
ADPI’s Clark is honored by USDA; welcomes Meyer to staff
Warren S. Clark Jr., Chief Executive Officer of the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI), recently received the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s 1999 Honor Award. The Award, the highest honor the Secretary of Agriculture can bestow upon private citizens, recognized Clark for outstanding contributions as a member of the European Union Dairy Certification Team during the past four years.
ADPI also welcomed Daniel P. Meyer to its staff with responsibility for Member support in the area of Technical Services. Meyer, a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in agriculture, has ten years’ of industry experience with Dean Foods and Associated Milk Producers, Inc.
NGCA begins roundtable discussions on biotechnology issues
Coordinated by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), corn growers, industry officials, government representatives, and academia recently gathered in Kansas City, Mo., to discuss biotechnology, enhance understanding of each stakeholder’s position, and lay a foundation of mutual cooperation. The industry roundtable drew about 160 representatives from all segments of the corn industry as well as participants from France, Canada, and Japan.
Prior to the meeting, the NCGA Task Force Committee identified five specific objectives: (1) determine the current status of genetically enhanced corn and its marketability; (2) secure the U.S. position as a reliable supplier of corn in a global market; (3) discuss technology transfer and risk allocation; (4) evaluate worldwide approval of transgenic crops; and (5) discuss the future of new technologies awaiting. During breakout sessions, participants discussed the impact of biotechnology on four sectors of the corn complex—corn technology input, grain merchandising and export, livestock feeding and meat, and food and food ingredients.
These are complex issues, but the process has begun and strategies have been identified which will allow working toward better management of bio-enhanced corn products.
Three inducted into the Frozen Food Industry Hall of Fame
Three individuals who have contributed to the success of the frozen food industry will be inducted into the Frozen Food Industry Hall of Fame on October 4, 1999. Those honored are Ardell Barnes, retired Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing and now Consultant, CS Integrated, LLC; Frank Cassata, Senior Vice President, New Business Development, Merkert American; and U.S. Senator Gordon Smith, formerly President and Chairman of Smith Frozen Foods, Inc.
Barnes served as co-chair of the National Frozen Food Convention for six years and as chair of the American Frozen Food Institute’s (AFFI) Western Frozen Food Convention for two years. Currently, he serves on the National Frozen Food Association’s (NFFA) Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses.
Cassata is a past chairman of NFFA, past president of the Eastern Frosted Foods Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Prepared Frozen Food Association. He also served as co-chair of the National Frozen Food Convention.
Smith is a past chair of AFFI’s Board of Directors and has served as chairman of AFFI’s Legislative Committee.
Canned Vegetable Council helps kids get healthy head start
Thanks to a program funded by the national Canned Vegetable Council, Inc., children and parents using Head Start and other community services are learning more about the benefits derived from eating more vegetables.
Since its 1996 beginning, the program has been expanded to 1,366 Head Start offices and agencies in 36 states. Participants receive free of charge copies of the Council’s three posters, its 32-p “Love Those Vegetables Educational Packet,” and easy-to-prepare family recipes. Teachers, using lesson plans and fun games from the packet, help teach young children about vegetables, nutritional content, and shopping. Parents use the recipes to apply the lessons learned by the children about nutrition.
The Council’s program is geared to giving those who shape children’s food experiences the tools needed to make those experiences positive ones. Free copies of the materials are available from the Canned Vegetable Council, Inc., P.O. Box 5258, Madison, WI 53705 (call 608-231-2250; web site: www.cannedveggies.org).
ASTM Award of Merit goes to Jones
Harry P. Jones, Senior Staff Engineer of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., Northbrook, Ill., received a 1999 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Award of Merit from ASTM Standards Writing Committee F-26 on Food Service Equipment. The title of Fellow accompanies the award, the highest Society award granted to an individual member for distinguished service and outstanding participation in ASTM technical committee activities. Jones was cited for exceptional leadership, dedication, and performance in the development of cooking and ventilation standards.
Jones, who has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Mich. and an MBA from Aurora University, Aurora, Ill., has long been involved in Committee F-26 activities, including serving as committee chair from 1992 to 1997.
3-A Sanitary Standards Committees take action on tentative documents
The 3-A Sanitary Standards Committees recently met to review 24 tentative 3-A documents, four of which were approved for printing and distribution by the equipment, processor, and regulatory groups.
These four documents are #18-03 (Amendments to 3-A Sanitary Standards for Multiple-Use Rubber and Rubber-like Materials used as Product Contact Surfaces for Dairy Equipment); #19-05 (Amendments to 3-A Sanitary standards for Batch and Continuous Freezers for Ice Cream, Ices and Similarly Frozen Dairy Foods); #20-20 (Amendments to 3-A Sanitary Standards for Multiple-use Plastic Materials used as Product Contact Surfaces for Dairy Equipment); and #45-01 (Amendments to 3-A Sanitary Standards for Crossflow Membranes).
Copies of the documents and tentative standards are available from the International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians, 6200 Aurora Ave., Suite 200W, Des Moines, IA 50322-2863 (phone 800-369-6337 or 515-276-3344; fax 515-276-8655; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.iamfes.org).
Elections and Appointments
• AOAC International, Gaithersburg, Md., has selected E. James Bradford as the association’s new Executive Director, effective July 6, 1999.
Bradford is former Director of the Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he spent nearly 15 years at the American Chemical Society in Washington, where he was administrator for Grants and Awards of the Membership Division. He also spent time as an adjunct member of the chemistry faculty of the Northern Virginia Community College, a lecturer in engineering chemistry and organic chemistry at the University of Missouri, and division chair and chemistry teacher at Lincoln Trail College, Robinson, Ill. Bradford is a 1975 graduate of Wichita State University, Wichita, Kans. He holds an M.S. in environmental chemistry from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in higher and adult chemistry education from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
• Mary Keysor, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Me., has been elected President-Elect of the National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management for the 1999-2000 term. She will assume the office of President in September 2000.
Company News in Brief
● Blue Pacific Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. has moved to a new 30,000-sq-ft facility. The new address is 1354 S. Marion Court, City of Industry, CA 91745-2418. The company’s new phone number is 626-934-0099; fax is 626-934-0089.
● Milsov® Corporation, a subsidiary of Brenntag, Inc., Reading, Pa., has been appointed a distributor of food additives manufactured by Archer Daniels Midlands Corporation’s Food Additives Division. Milsolv, located in Milwaukee, Wis., will augment the distribution of such products as citric acid anhydrous, citric acid monohydrate, sodium citrate anhydrous, sodium citrate dihydrate, potassium citrate, citrosol®, glucono-delta-lactone, lactic acid, sodium lactate, potassium lactate, sorbitol crystalline, sorbitol solution, and xanthan gum. They will operate in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.
● W.A. Brown, Salisbury, N.C., announces an expansion of its Salisbury plant from 250,000 sq ft to 300,000 sq ft. The 50,000-sq-ft expansion will increase production capacity and permit faster delivery time of its product, commercial walk-in coolers and insulated panels. The company has also extended its product line to include environmental chambers, blast chillers, and self-contained step-in units suitable for homes or small restaurants.
● Elopak, Inc., New Hudson, Mich., has purchased Stora Enso’s subsidiary Pakenso Oy’s Pure-Pak converting unit in Finland. The converting unit produces 700 million Pure-Pak cartons per year for the Finnish, Russian, and Baltic markets. Production in Lahti, Finland, will continue and its 80 employees will continue to work for Elopak.
● Jungbunzlauer, Basel, Switzerland, and Casco, Inc., a subsidiary of Corn Products International located in Bedford Park, Ill., have signed a long-term supply agreement in which Jungbunzlauer will process fermentation feed stock supplied by Casco into citric acid at a new facility to be built by Jungbunzlauer in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. The new production site, adjacent to the Casco corn wet milling facility, will serve markets in North, Central, and South America. The new plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2001.
● Newly Weds Foods, Inc., Chicago, Ill., has acquired all outstanding shares of Norac Technologies, Inc., of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company has held a significant interest in Norac since 1998.
● Opta Food Ingredients, Bedford, Mass., has completed the purchase of Stabilized Products, Inc., (SPI), High Ridge, Mo., for an undisclosed sum. SPI formulates and distributes dry and liquid food ingredients; ie, stabilizers, which enhance the texture, appearance and consistency of dairy products. Arthur J. McEvily, Opta Executive Vice President, has been named interim manager for the stabilized products division.
● Osmonics, Inc., Minnetonka, Minn., has completed purchase of all of the equity of ZyzaTech Water Systems, Inc., Seattle, Wash., for cash. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
● Rose Forgrove, Inc., St. Charles, Ill., makers of Flowpak® brand flowrappers, has expanded into a new 10,000-sq-ft facility to house a larger parts department for distribution and service to all North American customers. Flowpak wrappers featured in the new facility include the PC controlled Integra, Minerva, and Merlin models.
● The Nature Products Division of SKW Trostberg AG, Trostberg, Germany, has expanded its food additives business by acquiring the Lucas Meyer Group, Hamburg, Germany, makers of lecithin-based specialty products. The acquisition brings to five the number of business units now under the name of SKW Trostberg’s Nature Products Division.
● SMS Brands LLC, New York, N.Y., a food product holding company, has sold its interest in Cape Cod Potato Chips to Lance, Inc., Charlotte, N.C. SMS acquired the Cape Cod company in 1996 from Eagle Snacks, Inc., a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., and brought the company from 40 to more than 180 employees, building an extensive distributor network in 42 states, eastern Canada, and Europe. Lance expects to continue the growth with this acquisition.
● The A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, Decatur, Ill., announces expansion of its Krystar® crystalline fructose plants in Lafayette, Ind. and Loudon, Tenn. Projects were completed in May 1999 at both locations and will collectively add more than 100 million lbs of Krystar. No additional staffing will be required
● Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, Paris, France, is acquiring Nalco Chemical Company, Naperville, Ill., in an all-cash transaction subject to regulatory approvals in Europe and the United States. Completion of the agreement is expected during the third quarter of 1999. Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux will base its world-wide water treatment operating center in Naperville under the direction of Edward J. Mooney, Chairman and CEO of Nalco Chemical Company.
● California-based Vacu-dry Company has entered into an agreement to sell the bulk of its apple-based industrial ingredients product line to Tree Top, Inc., of Selah, Wash. The agreement, which excludes inventory and real estate, calls for a purchase price of $12 million in cash and is subject to approval by Vacu-dry’s shareholders. Vacu-dry’s apple processing plant located in Sonoma County, Calif., will close, as Vacu-dry continues to transform itself from an industrial ingredients supplier to a participant of the retail natural food industry.
● Tree of Life, Inc., the U.S. Natural and Specialty Foods group of Koninklijke Wessanen, Amstelveen, The Netherlands, has acquired A-1 International Foods, Los Angeles, Calif., and its subsidiary, Neuman Distributors, San Antonio, Tex. In addition, Marigold Foods, Inc., Wessanen’s dairy company in the midwestern U.S., has acquired Dairy of the Black Hills, Inc., and Nebraska Dairies Inc. from Nash Finch Company.
● Zeneca Agrochemicals and Japan Tobacco Inc. have signed an agreement to form a 50:50 joint venture in rice biotechnology which will bring together the expertise and technological strengths of both parties to research and develop new rice varieties. The new venture will be based in Shizuoka, Japan, with close links to Zeneca’s agricultural research centers in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. A separate joint venture will be set up to commercialize inventions from the research program.
● Universal Foods Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., has signed an agreement to acquire Nino Fornaciari fu Riccardo S.N.C., a manufacturer of natural colors for the food and beverage industries located in Reggio Emilio, Italy. The cash transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter 1999.
In Memoriam
Gordana Konja, Professional Member. Died of pancreatic cancer in Zagreb, Croatia, in September 1998. She was 52.
Konja was a professor on the Faculty of Biotechnology at the University of Zagreb, where she taught a senior course in fruit and vegetable processing technology. Her research areas were berry fruit juice technology, effects of processing upon juice aroma and quality, and oenology. A member of national and international expert panels for fruit juices and wines, she co-authored a chapter on berry juices in Nagy et al., “Fruit Juice Processing Technology (1993).
She served on the editorial board of Food Technology and Biotechnology, and actively participated in the organization of many Croatian food technology congresses. She conducted several research projects for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and supported the IFT-related “Build a Wider Bridge” initiative in Croatia.
One of only a handful of IFT members in Croatia, Konja was decorated in 1994 by the Croatian government for her lifetime educational and professional contributions. She had been an IFT member since 1989.
DEATH NOTICES
John A. Dassow, Emeritus Member. Died June 1, 1999, age 82. Retired in 1982 from the National Marine Fisheries Service, Mercer Island, Wash., after 40 years in fisheries technology and food science research. Joined IFT in 1950; member of the Puget Sound Section.
William W. Fisk, Emeritus Member. Died October 17, 1997, age 72, in Fremont, Mich. Retired from Gerber Products Co., Fremont, in 1988. Joined IFT in 1957, had been a member of the Great Lakes Section.
James R. Graham, Emeritus Member. Died June 1999, age 70, in Prestbury, Gloucester, England. He was a retired university professor. A member of IFT since 1971, he was an active member of the British Section.
Otto C. Hartmann, Emeritus Member. Died February 25, 1999, age 85, in Elmhurst, Ill. Joined IFT in 1942.
Edward L. Kapusta, IFT Member. Died May 8, 1999, age 68. Joined IFT in 1984; member of the Pittsburgh Section and the Sensory Evaluation Division.
by BETSY BAIRD
Assistant Editor
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