UBF Foodsolutions Culinary Centre

newsfile
T H E
V O I C E
O F
T H E
C A N A D I A N
F O O D
&
B E V E R A G E
I N D U S T R Y
UBF Foodsolutions
Culinary Centre
BF Foodsolutions hosted a grand party for the opening
of its culinary centre in Oakville, Ont. “The new UBF
Foodsolutions culinary centre was created out of a need to continue the tradition of collaborating with our customers in a creative
environment,” says Ryan Pennie, vice-president, Canadian division
UBF Foodsolutions. Using Unilever brands, such as Knorr,
Hellmann’s Becel and Lipton, UBF provides customers with foodservice solutions. The facility includes a chef’s table, a 24-seat
demonstration theatre, commercial kitchen and product development lab staffed by food technologists. The kitchen is outfitted with
state-of-the-art appliances, as well as commerical foodservice
equipment. The new UBF kitchen is one of six located in North
America.
U
Technology Centre Expands
by Mike England
Photo: Mike England
has now been completed on a major expansion of
W ork
the Prince Edward Island Food Technology Centre
(PEIFTC). Another 5,000 square feet were added to the
existing building to house another laboratory and two new
processing suites. Built at a cost of $7.5 million, the expansion
was jointly financed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities
Agency (through the Atlantic Innovation Fund), the province
of Prince Edward Island and private sector partners.
The expanded facility will allow the PEIFTC to develop
extraction technologies in a global marketplace where natural products are growing rapidly. Its major role will be in the
extraction of valuable, bio-active components with commercial potential. These include
asthaxanthin from lobster
shell waste, antioxidants
from various plants and
extracts from apples.
The seven additional
staff includes engineers, scientists, technologists and a
10 MAY 2004
The ceremonial ribbon cutting for UBF’s culinary showpiece
Left to Right: Ryan Pennie, vice-president Canadian Division, UBF
Foodsolutions; Dave Landers, president and CEO North America,
Heinz Lehmann Corporate Executive Chef; Marc Grant, City of
Oakville, acting mayor and councillor; Lorne McClelland, vice-president, manufacturing accounts, UBF Foodsolutions.
sonochemist. Director Jim Smith says that the extension
places the Food Centre at the cutting edge of food technology. “This is unique in the world. No one has the combination of all these technologies.”
Avian Flu Spreads
tarting last month, “Avian Influenza Control” signs
were made available to poultry owners in B.C.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website,
the movement of people and equipment is likely contributing to the spread of the flu in the Fraser Valley, so to reduce
risk owners are now legally required to place signs on premises containing poultry to prevent unauthorized entry. The
CFIA says owners who fail to post a sign may be fined.
As of press time, avian flu was confirmed on
40 commercial farms. It has also been confirmed on 10 smaller premises, commonly
known as backyard flocks, but these sites have
all been depopulated. Of the 700 farms in the
Valley, 350 have been depopulated. In total 19
million birds will have to be destroyed.
The CFIA says that each infected farm dis-
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covered has a one-kilometre area
around it within which all birds are
destroyed. A three-kilometre zone
around each infected farm is considered
an intensive surveillance area. The control area, which now spans from the
Pacific Ocean to Hope, B.C. and from
the U.S. border north to the mountain
ridge, is under strict restrictions.
The CFIA website says the movement of birds, bird products and bird
by-products out of the control area is
restricted. So is any movement of birds,
bird products and bird by-products
within and out of the surveillance
region of the control area.
Photo: Trevor Weeks
newsfile
RAISE A GLASS:
From left: Tracy Eckebrecht, vice-president,
Neilson Dairy; Dr. Larry Milligan, professor, University of Guelph; Denise Beatty,
Registered Dietitian; and Gordon Coukell,
chair, Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
Dairy OH!
W
illiam Neilson Limited has
launched the world’s first
fresh milk with docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA) called Dairy Oh! It’s now
available in Ontario. DHA is an
omega-3 fatty acid, essential for the
development and maintenance of the
brain, eye retina and nervous system.
The dairy has the Canadian patent
for the DHA technology, developed
by the University of Guelph, based in
Guelph, Ont. “The process was created by researchers and involves a specially formulated diet containing
DHA for dairy cows. This diet protects the DHA from being broken
down in the stomach of the cow, but
allows the DHA to be absorbed by
the animal and secreted in its milk,
resulting in a new dietary source of
DHA for people,” says Dr. Larry
Milligan, professor, University of
Guelph. Until now, the common
direct source of DHA has been coldwater fish, such as salmon, mackerel,
sardines, herring, cold halibut and
canned white tuna, and more recently from omega-3 eggs.
12 MAY 2004
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newsfile
Lobsters Marketing
cean Choice International Inc.
(OCI) has reached an agreement
for Fisheries Products International
(FPI) to be the marketing agent for
OCI’s lobster division. OCI is a seafood
processor based in Newfoundland and
Labrador, and owns and operates Ocean
Choice PEI, now one of the largest lobster producing companies in Atlantic
Canada after having purchased the
majority of the assets of Polar Foods
International this year.
Through FPI’s sales network, Ocean
Choice’s lobster products will now
extend across the entire North American
marketplace and even further internationally. FPI will manage the marketing,
sales, logistics, invoicing and accounts
receivable functions pertaining to
Ocean Choice’s lobster production.
O
SAUCES, DRESSINGS AND SOUPS:
• Knorr 30 Minute Marinade (Unilever
Canada)
PASTA AND BREAD/BAKERY:
• Lipton SideKicks Pasta (Unilever
Canada)
POULTRY MEAT AND DELI:
• Maple Leaf Prime Naturally chicken
(Maple Leaf Foods)
FROZEN PREPARED MEALS:
• Michelina’s Salad Bowls (Luiginos Inc.)
For more on the awards and other winners, visit: www.bestnewproducts.ca
Dare’s New Crackers
are Foods Limited introduced
Breton Gourmet in mid-April.
The crackers contain no trans fats and
D
Maple Leaf Closes Deal
Leaf Foods Inc. announced
M aple
in April that it had closed the
acquisition of Schneider Corporation
from Smithfield Foods Inc. Schneider
Foods is Canada’s largest producer of
premium branded quality food products and specializes in processed meats,
poultry and grocery products. After
closing Schneider will become an independent operating company of Maple
Leaf Foods under its existing management. Its 2003 sales were approximately $1.2 billion, EBIT of $54 million
and EBITDA of $76 million. Maple
Leaf is a leading Canadian food processing company, which had reported
sales of $5.1 billion in 2003.
Best New Product Award
Winners
he inaugural Best New Product
2004 awards were presented
in Toronto last month. BrandSpark
International founded the awards with
partners IMI International, Research
Strategy Group and Hotspex. A national sample of 5,000 Canadians voted on
56 different products over 2003. Here
are the winners in the food categories.
BEVERAGES:
• Fruitopia ready-to-serve carton
(Coca-Cola Ltd)
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newsfile
come in four flavours: Original, Asiago
& Rosemary, Garlic & Fine Herb, and
Pesto & Parmesan. The new crackers
are bite-sized and the company teamed
up with Canadian food guru Bonnie
Stern, who created three different
recipe toppings for each flavour of
cracker. The 200 g packages will retail
for $3.19.
Labatt, V&S Launch the Cut
abatt Breweries of Canada and
V&S Absolut Spirits of Sweden
launched a new spirit tonic called
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Absolut Cut. Cut combines
natural lime, orange and
mandarin flavours, sparkling
water and Absolut Vodka.
Cut is initially only launching in Canada in selected
markets in April and countrywide by May. It will be
sold as a four pack (330 ml
per bottle) and will retail for
about five per cent higher
than other tonics.
New Association for Oilseed
Industry
growers, processors and
O ilseed
manufacturers of oilseed-based
food products have their own association. The Vegetable Oil Industry of
Canada (VOIC) is a newly formed
industry group representing 60,000
oilseed-related organizations. The
industry’s combined annual contribution to Canada’s Gross Domestic
Product is approximately $9 billion.
VOIC is calling for reform of Canada’s
Food Guide to Healthy Eating to better acknowledge the body’s need for
essential fat and immediate removal of
interprovincial barriers that restrict the
availability of healthful alternatives
to foods that are high in saturated fat.
For more information, contact: (416)
214-0108.
Winnipeg Candy Maker Signs
Co-Branding Agreement With
Good Humour-Breyers
by Myron Love
rave’s Candy, the
Winnipeg-based
manufacturer of Clodhoppers, the runaway
candy success, has just
upped the ante through the signing of a
new co-branding agreement with major
American ice cream manufacturer
Good Humour-Breyers.
“This is a major opportunity for us,”
says Larry Finnson who co-founded
Krave’s Candy with long time buddy
Chris Emery. “We are looking forward
to a long relationship with Good
Humour-Breyers.”
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14 MAY 2004
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newsfile
launched in mid-April in Canada. Fridge
Mate is a modified, slimmer 12-can carton designed to fit easily in most refrigerators. Coca-Cola says 82 per cent of
Canadian consumers said they would
place Fridge Mate in their refrigerator.
• Pepsi-Cola Canada has added a
twist of grapefruit to the lemon-lime
flavour of the traditional 7UP. The 7UP
Citrus Splash launched in Canada in
mid-April. The company says consumer
research showed that 73 per cent of
consumers who tried it would definitely
or probably buy it.
General Mills Launches New
Cereal
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eneral Mills Canada has introduced Berry Burst Cheerios.
The cereal includes real fruit that’s harvested fresh and snap-dried to seal in
its flavour. The cereal comes in two
flavours: Triple Berry (310 grams for
$3.99) and Strawberry (310 grams for
$3.99) and only one flavour (Triple
Berry) in the jumbo size (800 grams
for $7.99). The cereal will be available
countrywide in May.
Finnson says the deal had been in
the works for several months. Good
Humour-Breyers will be adding Clodhoppers to its production schedule,
which includes other candies such as
Skor, Oh Henry!, Twix and Snickers.
Clodhoppers are currenty available at
Wal-Mart and Canada Safeway stores,
Blockbuster and Rogers Video outlets
across Canada and in some Dairy Queen
Blizzards. Finnson reports that he and
Emery are considering introducing ice
cream bar and chocolate bar versions of
Clodhoppers at some point.
Orange You Happy
ropicana Pure Premium orange
juice will now be available in a
carafe. Starting this spring, the juice will
come in an easy-to-grip, 1.75 L clear
plastic (polyethylene terephthalate)
carafe that will retail for the same price as
the carton (between $3.29 and $4.29).
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New Releases
oca-Cola Bottling Company has
launched the first self-dispensing
12-pack for soft drinks called the
Coca-Cola Fridge Mate. The product
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SUPPLIERS’ UPDATE
Bright Cheese House of Woodstock, Ont.,
won a Silliker Platinum Audit Award. The
Award is presented annually to 20 companies in North America that receive the highest scores in Silliker Good Manufacturing
Practices/Food Safety and Distribution
16 MAY 2004
Centre audits. • Megna Packaging Inc.,
which is based in Toronto, is to be renamed
MPI Packaging Inc. • Markham, Ont.based System Dynamics Corporation has
launched free EasyWebstore solution. The
new service allows local businesses to cre-
ate a web storefront in order to start selling
goods and services over the Internet and
accept credit card payments. • Arlington,
Va.-based Bruno Associates Inc. has
signed an agreement to promote, market
and sell Montreal-based Syscan International’s food safety and asset management solutions in the U.S.. • Brampton,
Ont.-based Spectrum Supply Chain
Solutions Inc. will now handle Laura
Secord’s inbound freight requirements
from suppliers, warehousing and distribution of product to its stores and third-party
retail outlets. • Edmonton-based SciMed
Laboratories Inc. has won the second
annual VenturePrize business plan competition. The Greater Edmonton’s VenturePrize
is designed for individuals, companies and
faculty and students of post-secondary institutions who have high-growth business
ideas. SciMed researches, develops and
commercializes diagnostic and analytical
tools for the clinical and food industries. •
Sasol Olefins & Surfactants GmbH has
appointed two distributors to handle direct
sales and market development of its specialty fatty acid esters, alcohols and surfactants. MultiChem Inc. of Boucherville,
Que., will distribute these products in
Canada and the Warner-Graham Company
of Cockeysville, Md., will handle the U.S.
market. • Bunge North America, the North
American operating arm of U.S. agribusiness Bunge, has announced that its
Canadian operation, CanAmera Foods, is
changing its legal and operating name to
Bunge Canada. • Syscan International
introduced a real-time data management
system that links its RFID-based
Tempasure temperature monitoring system
with GPRS and satellite technology. The
system will allow producers, transportation
companies and retailers to track perishable
and temperature sensitive products and
monitor conditions anywhere in the world
in real time. • Silliker Inc. has launched the
Enzymed-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
testing procedure. The method identifies
central nervous system tissue in beef
derived from advanced meat recovery systems. • Meypack Group established a facility in Port Orange, Fl. The new company is
called Meypack Packaging Systems USA
LLC. and will produce the entire Meypack
line of equipment. • Sethness Products
Company of Chicago and Roquette Frères
S.A. of Lestrem, France, have formed
Sethness-Roquette, a joint venture that will
manufacture and market caramel colour.
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newsfile
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Yves Charbonneau
Matthew Fraden Letki
Jim Matthews
Maple Leaf Foods appoints Michael Vels executive vice-president and CFO of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Tom Muir is appointed executive vice-president and chief development officer.
Previously Muir was CFO. • Lino Saputo Jr. becomes president
and CEO of Saputo Inc. • Granby, B.C.-based Natrel, a division
of Agropur Cooperative, appoints Yves Charbonneau vice-president, sales. • ConAgra Foods has three appointments: Rolf
Richter, president; Ralf Fuehr, vice-president, finance; and Jane
Anders, senior director, research & development for ConAgra
Foods International. • Coca-Cola Bottling Company has named
Jim Matthews the new vice-president of sales, immediate consumption. • Sobeys Inc. appoints Duncan Reith to chief merchandising officer. Craig Gilpin replaces Reith as president
operations, Sobeys Ontario. • Matthew Fraden Letki is the
new brewmaster at Steam Whistle Brewing in Toronto. •
Chicken Farmers of Canada elects its executive committee for
this year. They are: David Fuller from Blomidon, N.S., is chairman; Martin Dufresne from St. Félix-de-Valois, Que., is 1st
vice-chair; Tom Posthuma from Hamilton, Ont., is 2nd vicechair; and Remi Cyr from Légal, Alta., returns as member-atlarge. • Dr. Isabelle Lesschaeve is now director of the Cool
Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University
in St. Catharines, Ont. • Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s Board of
Directors has elected Terry Baker as president and chairman of
the board and reelected Thad Trefiak as vice-president.
Douglas Kitchen was reelected to a second term as lead director and vice-chair. • The Des Moines, Iowa-based International
Association for Food Protection appoints Gary Acuff to its
executive board as secretary.
ON THE SUPPLIER FRONT: Wild Flavors (Canada) Inc.
appoints Heather Paterson strategic account manager –
Southern Ontario region. She’s based in Mississauga. • Chr.
Hansen has two appointments in Canada. Luc Monbourquette
is territory manager for the company’s food & beverage, meat
& prepared foods and human health & nutrition business
areas. Marcel Veilleux joins as territory manager for the
company’s animal health & nutrition business. In the U.S. the
company promotes Tim Harried to product manager, cheese
ingredients for the company’s dairy business, and Jim Funk is
promoted to director of sales, sweeteners for food and beverage. • Keith McGlone is now director of business development
at Mallot Creek Strategies Inc. in Fergus, Ont. McGlone was
previously general manager, international at Anchor Food
Products Inc.
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