NEWS & ANALYSIS
NEWS OF INDUSTRY
IBA uses USDA-approved pasteurization technology
Ion Beam Applications of Belgium (IBA) has announced plans for a national network of pasteurization centers for pasteurizing meats. The announcement was made on the heels of U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) approval of the use of meat pasteurization to improve food safety by eliminating or dramatically reducing the risk of hazardous microorganisms.
IBA’s first new facility is an X-ray test center, which opened on Long Island, N.Y., in February 2000. The network will also include three new commercial processing centers using IBA’s proprietary X-ray and electron-beam technology. The centers will provide large-volume capacity for food producers and eventually serve as backup facilities for IBA customers using on-site, in-plant systems. In addition, IBA has initiated a USDA Grant of Inspection process for five existing facilities to allow meat and poultry pasteurization services in early 2000. The company’s pasteurization network expansion plans represent an investment of more than $30 million.
The USDA ruling allows for pasteurization treatment of both refrigerated and frozen raw meat and meat products. The new guidelines are significant because, while the U.S. food supply is very safe, diseases caused by food may be responsible for an estimated 325,000 serious illnesses each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. IBA’s cold pasteurization process is used to eliminate a large variety of such potentially harmful microbes in food as E. coli 017:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, and Salmonella.
The Sterilization & Ionization Business of the IBA Group, headquartered in Chicago, Ill., represents the integration of Griffith Micro Science, SteriGenics, and Radiation Dynmics Inc., combining electron-beam and X-ray technology, gamma radiation, and processing by ethylene oxide. IBA’s network includes 37 service centers worldwide.
Riviana Foods acquires two rice companies
Boost Nutrition C.V., Hamburg, Germany, the European affiliate of Riviana Foods Inc., Houston, Tex., has reached an agreement to acquire the German rice milling and packing company, Euryza Reis GmbH and its affiliate, MSC Lebensmittel GmbH, from CSM N.V. of The Netherlands. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
In an unrelated transaction, Riviana Foods has also acquired the assets of Gourmet House, Clearbrook, Minn., from Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc., the agricultural subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Gourmet House manufactures and markets finished wild rice products, including bulk, packaged, quick-cooking, and wild and white rice mixes.
Avonmore Waterford Ingredients changes name
Avonmore Waterford Ingredients, headquartered in Kilkenny, Ireland, has changed its name to Glanbia Ingredients, Inc. The name change was inspired by the company’s Irish roots. Glanbia is a combination of two Gaelic words, “glan,” meaning “pure,” and “bia,” meaning “food.” Avonmore West, which has cheese and whey ingredients manufacturing facilities in Twin Falls, Gooding, and Richfield, Idaho, will be known as Glanbia Foods, Inc.
Glanbia Ingredients Inc. supplies milk proteins, whey proteins, milk calcium, and lactose to global food and nutritional markets. The company’s U.S. sales office, located in Monroe, Wis., services customers in North America, South America, and Asia.
NEWS OF PEOPLE
• Jeffery T. Wilson was appointed to the newly created position of Executive Vice President-Operations for Luigino’s, Inc., Sanford, Fla. • FIS, Solon, Ohio, appointed Joanne Ferrara as Vice President, Product Development. • Karen Peterson joined Southland Bagel Company, Inc., Carson, Calif., as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. • Benjamin Jones joined David Michael & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., as Flavorist - Processed Flavor. • Tom Sanders was named Director of Process & Utilities Engineering for Tropicana Products, Inc., Bradenton, Fla.
• Flavorite Laboratories, Inc., Memphis, Tenn., promoted Michael R. Stavropoulos to President and Chief Operating Officer. John F. Garner will continue as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. • Sammy Hulpiau was named President of Alfa Laval Flow, Inc., Pleasant Prairie, Wis. • Thomas E. Haan was appointed President of Burgmann Seals America, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas. • Key Technology, Inc. appointed Teri A. Johnson Vice President/General Manager of Automated Inspection Systems (AIS).
• Bill Michel joined Sartori Foods, Plymouth, Wis., as Vice President, Sales. • William T. Barnes was appointed Logistics Director at Solvay Interox, Inc., Houston,Tex. • Scott Abeel joined J&W Scientific Incorporated, Folsom, Calif., as Field Technical Representative for the southern U.S. region, Mexico, Central and South America, and Puerto Rico. • Tim Hauber was named Consumer Research Manager at Applied Consumer & Clinical Evaluations, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
• Kerry Inc., Beloit, Wis., has made several appointment and staff changes: Richard Long was named Project Manager in Research & Development and Scott Rogers a Food Scientist, both with Kerry’s Coatings Group. In the Savory Flavorings Group, Carrie Schroeder and Karla Kies were named Food Scientists, while Rachel Borland was appointed a Sensory Scientist in the company’s Sensory Services department. Peter Gibbons was named Director of Marketing, Foodservice National Accounts; and the Processors Markets department named Mark Lawson Regional Sales Manager and Rob Kerfin Sales Manager.
NEWS OF SOCIETIES & ASSOCIATIONS
SACP offers $20,000 chemistry starter grant award
The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP) will award one grant of $20,000 to an Assistant Professor in the field of analytical chemistry. The purpose of this grant is to encourage high quality, innovative research by a new analytical chemistry professor and to promote the training and development of graduate students in this field. Assistant Professors who have accepted a U.S. college or university appointment since December 31, 1996, are eligible.
Application forms may be obtained from James Chadwick, Chairman, Starter Grant Committee, Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, 300 Penn Center Blvd., Suite 332, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-5503 (call 800-825-3221, ext. 208; fax 412-825-3224). Completed applications must be received by February 29, 2000. The winner will be announced by May 1, 2000.
Call for Nominations—2001 Keene P. Dimick Award for Chromatography
Nominations are requested for the 2001 Keene P. Dimick Award for Chromatography, presented annually for noteworthy accomplishments in the area of gas and supercritical fluid chromatography (GC, SFC). The award is administered by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and consists of a $5,000 cash award presented at a symposium arranged by the awardee during the week of the Pittsburgh Conference.
Selection is based on overall accomplishments in the field of GC and/or SFC, including scientific publications, participation in conferences, contribution to science, and beneficial influence to other scientists. There are no restrictions of age, nationality, sex, or professional affiliation. The last three winners of this award are 1998–Leslie Ettre, Yale University; 1999–Carel A. Cramers, Eindhoven University of Technology; and 2000–Jerry W. King, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Deadline for nominations is April 15, 2000. Letters of nomination, including a complete set of resumé for the candidate, may be sent to the Keene P. Dimick Award Committee, Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, 300 Penn Center Blvd., Suite 332, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-5503.
ASTM seeks user information for convection oven standardization
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is collecting information from the food industry for development of a specification on commercial convection ovens. Input is sought from professors of food technology, architects and consultants who specialize in commercial kitchen designs, manufacturers of commercial and residential convection ovens, and kitchen managers of hospitals, fast food restaurants, and cruise ships.
The proposed standard will be useful as a purchase specification for architects and consulting engineers when classifying the type of oven desired for a kitchen design. Not intended for residential cooking, the standard will cover all sizes of commercial convection ovens from small countertop models to very large roll-in-type ovens. Users will be restaurants and cooking institutions such as military installations, school cafeterias, prisons, and cruise ships. The standards will be written under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F26.02 on Cooking and Warming Equipment under Committee F-26 on Food Service Equipment.
For further information, contact Task Group Chairman Dipak Negandhi, Groen, 1055 Mendel Davis Drive, Jackson MS 39212 (call 601-371-6033; fax 601-373-9587; E-mail: [email protected]).
PMMI to manage Packaging Education Forum
Effective January 1, 2000, the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) has agreed to manage and administer the products and services of the Packaging Education Forum (PEF).
The agreement unifies the two separate entities’ efforts on behalf of education and training in the packaging industry and allows immediate cost savings to PEF, thus impacting future programs and services. Ben Miyares, PMMI’s Vice President, Industry Relations, continuing in his PMMI role, will also serve as the PEF’s Secretary/Executive Director and will have a seat on its Board of Directors. PEF will continue to be independent of PMMI.
AOAC International hosts visiting China delegation
AOAC International recently hosted 25 visiting executives and professionals from The Republic of China’s State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision and related organizations. The delegation was on a 21-day mission of professional development and information gathering in the areas of technical standards and quality control.
The association was asked to provide presentations on several AOAC programs, such as Laboratory Proficiency Testing, Rapid Test Kits, Official Methods of Analysis, and AOAC’s global role in food safety and analysis. The delegation, at its request, also was trained in AOAC’s short course on Quality Assurance and Laboratory Studies, which includes information on analytical methods, sampling, quality assurance, computers in quality assurance, planning and organizing for quality assurance, audit procedures, and a discussion of ISO 25/17025.
NRA forecasts continued growth for restaurant industry in 2000
"Eating out has become essential to the American way of life,” according to the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) 2000 Restaurant Industry Forecast. The report predicts that restaurant-industry sales will reach a record $376 billion in the year 2000, an increase of more than five percent over 1999. Continued economic growth, gains in consumers’ real disposable income, and changes in the lifestyles of today’s busy Americans are all spurring the rise in restaurant sales.
Association economists project that, through the year 2000, the industry should continue to benefit from the increasing daily need for prepared meals and from the growth in the number of higher-income households. Its forecast indicates that the industry will remain the nation’s largest private sector employer, reaching 11 million employees in 2000. The Mountain region is expected to post the strongest growth, while Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona are the top three states in terms of increase in eating-place sales in 2000.
To order 2000 Restaurant Industry Forecast, call the National Restaurant Association at 800-482-9122 or 202-973-5375. The cost is $19.95 for NRA members or $39.95 for non-members, plus shipping and handling.
Elections and Appointments
• Jon Faubion, Director of Scientific Services of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC), St. Paul, Minn., has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the association’s journal Cereal Chemistry. He succeeds Vladimir Rasper, Guelph, Ont., Canada, who served as the journal’s editor-in-chief for six years.
Faubion was selected because of his experience in cereal science research and publishing. In addition, it was thought best to have the editor-in-chief position at AACC headquarters as Cereal Chemistry makes the transition to an electronic journal.
Before joining AACC in 1997, Faubion was a professor in the Grain Science Department, Kansas State University. He is the recipient of the G.W. Scott Blair Memorial Lecture Award (1991) and the Geddes Memorial Lecture (1996).
• The United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association, Alexandria, Va., have elected the following officers for the 2000 term: Chairman—Stephen F. Griffin, President, Misioneo Vegetables, Salinas, Calif.; Chairman-elect—Fred B. Heptinstall, Executive Vice President, Chiquita Bananas, N.A., Cincinnati, Ohio; Past Chair—E. Bruce McEvoy, CEO, Seald-Sweet Growers, Inc., Vero Beach, Fla.; and Secretary/Treasurer—Bob Wilkins, General Manager, GPOD of Idaho, Shelley, Ida.
• Richard J. Timoney was named Vice President-Member Services of the Fieldbus Foundation, Austin, Tex. His duties include attracting new members, serving current members, and supporting the foundation’s End User Councils and marketing committees around the world. He will also coordinate trade show exhibits and supervise various Foundation fieldbus marketing and promotional activities.
Timoney has more than 20 years’ experience in process and factory automation. He most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Total Control Products, Inc., a division of GE Fanuc. He has a B.S. degree in marine/mechanical engineering and attended the MBA program at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Myra Engers Weinberg has been promoted to Director of the Information Services and Library Department (ISL) of the National Restaurant Association (NRA), Washington, D.C.
Seventy percent of NRA’s phone calls come to the ISL, making it a prominent conduit for assessing the information and research needs of its membership as well as supporting membership development efforts. One ongoing project is the “Dineline” database, which will enable association members to search the World Wide Web for the past five years of information. Dineline currently contains summaries of nearly 50,000 industry-related articles spanning 2,000 topics.
Weinberg, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, also holds a master’s degree in library and information sciences from Catholic University and a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. Prior to joining the National Restaurant Association, she directed the news research function at Congressional Quarterly, Inc., and was on the staff of the library at the National Association of Broadcasters.
• Joseph A. O’Donnell was elected Chair, and Yvette Soustre Deputy Chair, of the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Standing Committee on Nutrition and Health. O’Donnell, who will lead the committee for a two-year term, is Director of the California Dairy Research Foundation and holds a B.S. degree in biochemistry from Benedictine University, an M.S. degree in biochemistry from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of California at Davis. Soustre is employed by CERIN (Centre de Recherche et d’Information Nutritionnelles) in France.
The committee serves as a communication conduit within and outside of IDF on dairy nutrition issues, and acts as a resource for other committees within IDF.
Company News in Brief
American Custom Drying Company, Burlington, N.J., has opened a new Product Development Center for pilot testing. The test facility consists of a direct gas-fired tower spray dryer, which handles 5–10 gal batches; an electric-heated spray dryer for up to one gal batches; and a continuous-operated fluid bed agglomerator which handles 200–1,000 lbs/hr.
APV Limited, West Sussex, United Kingdom, has acquired a 100% equity interest in Somerset Technical Laboratories Limited and Testex International Limited. Included in the portfolio are the Testex Electrolytic Differential Analysis and Detailed Flaw Detection technologies, which enable on-site testing of heat exchange plates. The systems, which are suitable for both plate and tube types and do not use chemicals, are capable of first establishing the existence of a leak, and then pinpointing its location without dismantling the heat exchanger.
Astral Extracts, Ltd., Syosset, N.Y., a basic manufacturing ingredient supplier to the flavor and fragrance industry, has been appointed the exclusive U.S. Agent of Pinggu General Chemical Factory of Beijing, China. Both companies, Pinggu and Astral, are also allied to promote the use of maltol and ethyl maltol in the United States.
Chr. Hansen, Inc. , Hoersholm, Denmark, has acquired all of SKW Biosystems’ European activities in the coagulant area. This includes production facilities in Beaune, France; trademarks; and intellectual rights. By this acquistion, Chr. Hansen enhances its position in animal coagulants in Europe and microbial coagulants in the world market.
The Karlsruhe, Germany-based IWKA AG has taken over the packaging technology division of Jagenberg AG, Dusseldorf, Germany. At the same time, IWKA sold its defense technology division to DeTec AG, Ratingen, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall. These agreements, which include the June 1999 acquisition of BWI, the British packaging machine manufacturer, have helped IWKA strengthen its market position in the foodstuffs and dairy industries.
J&J Snack Foods Corp., Pennsauken, N.J., has signed a licensing agreement with The Curtis Publishing Company, publishers of the Saturday Evening Post, for rights to use the well-known Norman Rockwell illustrations for a new line of premium cookies, the Norman Rockwell Authentic Recipe Cookies.
Hillshire Farm and Kahn’s, a division of Sara Lee Corporation, is constructing a new state-of-the-art meat processing plant in St. Joseph, Mo. The $75 million project, to be called St. Joseph’s Foods, is scheduled for completion in March 2000. The 250,000-sq-ft, one-story-with-basement structural steel plant is located on a green field site and includes 200,000 sq ft of processing area, 35,000 sq ft for employee welfare and meeting rooms, and 15,000 sq ft of administrative space.
The Minute Maid Company, an operating group of the Coca-Cola Company, and J&J Snack Foods Corp., Pennsauken, N.J., have formed a long-term strategic business alliance to market Minute Maid® and Hi-C® brand products. Under the agreement, J&J Snack Foods will be responsible for production, distribution, and sales to all trade and consumer channels. Responsibility for new product development and marketing programs will be shared between the two companies. Shipping of the new products are to begin March 1, 2000.
Ontro Inc., San Diego, Calif., and RPC Containers, Ltd., Corby, England, have entered into a License Agreement granting RPC rights to manufacture Ontro’s self-heating containers in Europe. Ontro researches and develops integrated thermal containers, while RPC specializes in rigid plastic packaging, with 28 manufacturing plants in nine European countries.
Sunny Fresh Foods, Monticello, Minn., the egg processing business of Cargill, Incorporated, has won a 1999 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the highest recognition of excellence that a U.S. company can receive. Sunny Fresh is the first food company to be so honored. The Baldrige Award, named after the late Secretary of Commerce, was first established in 1987.
Tulip International UK Limited, Thetford, Norfolk, United Kingdom, is constructing an additional 1.5 million pound sterling manufacturing facility to focus on the production of ready-cooked bacon. The new factory has the capacity for five microwave production lines and will supply customers in Europe as well as in the United Kingdom.
Universal Foods Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., has launched a corporate investor relations Web site at www.universalfoods.com. Visitors to the site can access current company information, including press releases, conference call transcripts, the Annual Report, and other financial information. The site also provides e-mail notice of site updates and breaking financial news.
In Memoriam
James A. Whitten, Emeritus Member, died December 2, 1999, in Stuart, Fla. He was 66.
Whitten received his B.S. in biology and chemistry from Ouachita University, Arkadelphia, Ark., in 1955. After his Army service, he became a chemist and plant manager for Dacus Drug Co., Tupelo, Miss., after which he went to Pfizer Company in New York, N.Y., as Group Marketing Manager, Food Ingredients; then to Stauffer Chemical Company, Westport, Conn., as Director of Planning and Development, Food Ingredients. He retired in 1991 from Nestle Foods as Vice President of Nestle Foods and President of Nestle’s subsidiary, FIDCO, Inc.
An IFT member since 1963, Whitten was a member of the South Florida Section and also a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. Donations may be made in his memory to The National Pemphigus Foundation, Inc., c/o Janet Segall, P.O.Box 9606, Berkeley, CA 94709-0606.
DEATH NOTICES
Howard W. Chenoweth, Emeritus Member. Died in 1999, age 87, in New Port Richey, Fla. Retired from Nabisco, Inc., Fair Lawn, N.J., in 1975. IFT Member since 1946; member of Florida Section.
Don O. Nilson, IFT Member. Died April 1999 in Sahuarita, Ariz., age 64. Employed by Santa Cruz Valley Pecan Co., Sahuarita. Joined IFT in 1979; member of the Cactus Section.
George W. Truitt, Professional Member. Died April 16, 1999, in Lakeland, Fla., age 71. Joined IFT in 1960; member of the Florida Section.
Edith C. Weast, Professional Member. Died July 25, 1999, in Hayward, Calif., age 56. Employed by Chalet Desserts, Inc., Hayward. Joined IFT in 1965; member of the Northern California Section.
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by BETSY BAIRD
Assistant Editor