Charlie's cookie factory

GOLDEN ticket visitors to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory didn’t have to dress up like this.

Jewellery off, puffy blue hair nets on and white coats buttoned up, it felt more like a scene from Scrubs than a visit to a cookie factory in the middle of Bentleigh East.

But the smell of baked treats told a different story.

Charlie’s Cookies is run by Elsternwick husband and wife team Ken Mahlab and Jacky Magid.

When Mr Mahlab bought the business in 2004, it was in the red.

Now the parents of two have turned things around and created a 40-product brand that has contracts with Qantas and cafe chains and sells at Woolworths and Thomas Dux.

Charlie’s Cookies will be stocked at the cafe inside the new Glen Sports and Aquatic Centre across the road from where they are made.



The factory and shop at 225 East Boundary Rd, Bentleigh East, has 17 staff making 700-1200kg of cookies a day.

“We don’t let ourselves get stale, we have to keep innovating,” Ms Magid said.

“We are baking every day and everyone works incredibly hard.”

The factory, with its unassuming brick facade, works to the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, the highest standards for food manufacturing.

Ms Magid said a test kitchen was being built so the team could develop new recipes.

“Anyone who has an oven can make a biscuit, so you focus on what you do well and go with it,” she said.

Charlie’s Cookies’ dinky biscuit packs and cups of mini cookies are big sellers - but “everyone’s favourite is the lemon melting moments”.

Source and Photo: Bayside Leader

Who needs chocolate anyway?

IT'S a new age for the bittersweet healthy chocolate alternative, carob, and a South Australian couple are behind its rejuvenation.

You can now knock "bitter" off the description, say Mid-North farmers Michael and Jam Jolley, whose new product is finally in health-food stores after 11 years of planting and nurturing 6000 carob trees on their 30.5ha orchard just north of Booborowie (between Burra and Spalding).

It's worth giving carob another try, says Michael, explaining that it's a far cry from the bitter imported product we have been used to, because "overseas producers consider all the value is the seed, which is an emulsifier".

"Here, we value the husk of good-quality pods," says Michael, who, while working on a property with carob trees, realised this was the source of the carob's natural sweetness.

He actually removes the seeds and sends them overseas.

"By using the husk, our carob tastes sweeter, is smoother and richer, without any bitterness," he says. "Healthwise, its real advantages are no added sugar or chemicals. It's gluten- and nut-free and the only ingredients are milk solids, carob powder, palm oil and lecithin (as an emulsifier)."



The Jolleys' carob is lighter than you might expect, but a dark version may eventually emerge in the future.

For now, it's available in powder, syrup and solid buttons, but a confectionery range should be out soon. The locally renowned landscape gardener, and Jam, who has a background in rice farming in Thailand, are self-taught carob specialists. The pair, alone and by hand, painstakingly planted the masses of 30cm cuttings. They also worked full time to support the orchard as those trees took more than a decade to reach maturity and provide last year's first yield of sweet banana-length pods.

It was a huge investment at $25 a tree and a long wait, but the couple couldn't be happier with the end result. And their treasured trees should thrive for up to 100 years.

The pair also invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to import giant Spanish machinery so their Australian Carob Company orchard is not only the country's largest, but is also the only complete commercial carob-processing plant in Australia. Only here, "with no cross-contamination possible", the pods are kibbled and milled to raw and roasted powders, which are used in place of cocoa. Milled product is also sent to a fruit-juice company to be made into a popular syrup.

"The syrup is so versatile," says Michael, who likes to add it to his home-brew beer.

"You can cook with it, just like cocoa and chocolate, but it's also great on ice cream, pikelets and in hot drinks."

Source and Photo: Adelaide Now

The karma of taking the office biscuit

A great article from The Australian by Bernard Salt we thought you would like to read.

I AM in a quandary. At one of the two workplaces I occasionally visit there is a biscuit barrel in the tea room.

Now, in an unusual display of management largesse, this barrel is replenished every morning with none other than Arnotts Family Assorted biscuits.

You will be familiar with these biscuits. There's the creamy Monte Carlo, the dark Chocolate Ripple, the rich Scotch Finger, the cute Teddy Bear and the bland Milk Coffee and Milk Arrowroot.

Ahh, but then there is the highly prized and the oh-so-nutty Butternut Snap.

I'm not usually a biscuit person, but I must admit that when I skip breakfast I have been known to use the tongs provided to fish out a biscuit to accompany my morning tea.

And for years when I have done this I have followed the unspoken Biscuit Barrel Protocol, which dictates that whomsoever should visit upon the biscuit barrel is obliged morally and philosophically to take a selection from whatever biscuits' fate has delivered to the surface of the barrel.
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In short, it's bad form to rummage for a Butternut Snap when there's a Milk Coffee on top. And for years I have accepted my fate: I accepted I was simply unlucky when it came to the random selection of biscuits.

Fate would never yield unto me a Scotch Finger let alone a Butternut Snap. And it never occurred to me to question the grand design of the biscuit barrel's biscuit allocation.

Then over Christmas I had a revelation of sorts. Can it be mere coincidence that whenever I go to the biscuit barrel all the good biscuits are gone?

Surely God is not conspiring to float Butternut Snaps to the surface for others, but when he sees me heading for the tea room he deliberately sinks those nutty Butternut Snaps to the barrel's bottom and beyond the convenient reach of my tongs? Upon deliberation I have concluded this is no coincidence and that God is probably probably not behind it.

Do you know what I really think? I think there is a Biscuit Barrel Rummager who gets in early and who does over the barrel before anyone else gets a chance at the Butternut Snaps. I make two observations about this sad state of affairs.

Why has it taken years for this revelation to occur to me? Am I really so naive as to think that some people of questionable biscuit ethics wouldn't rummage a barrel in search of a better biscuit? And, secondly, how does this person (or persons; I wouldn't rule out a Biscuit Collaboration) live with themselves?

If you are the Biscuit Barrel Rummager at one of my two workplaces and you are reading this I hope you feel guilty. And I hope that those unfairly gained Butternut Snaps have converted into kilos that will not budge from your hips where they might serve as a permanent reminder of your ill-gotten gains. But most of all I hope that when you read this, Biscuit Barrel Rummager, that you will mend your ways and join those of us who understand the importance of the Biscuit Barrel Protocol: sometimes you need to take what life dishes out and accept it. Life isn't all Butternut Snap, you know. Sometimes you have to work your way through bland bits to get to the good bits.

Source and Photo: The Australian

Mars Ballarat workers agree to new EBA

A MAJORITY of Mars Chocolate Australia workers at the company’s Ballarat site have voted to accept the proposed enterprise bargaining agreement.

Sixty-two per cent of employees (153 to 94) voted in favour of accepting the agreement, seemingly putting an end to 10 months of negotiations with the two unions covering the site, the AMWU and the ETU.

The company says it took the EBA vote to employees directly because “the majority wanted to finalise the EBA as soon as possible and did not want to take further industrial action”.

Mars acting general manager Andrew Loader said the vote result was great news for the company.

“Ballarat has been our home for more than 30 years and we are committed to being here for the long term,” he said.

“However, union demands for things such as five weeks of paid leave do not reflect the pressure on our business to operate in a globally competitive environment.

“We can now all get on with the business of making chocolate.”

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union representative Colin Muir said the vote was more like “50-50” because of a substantial vote by non-union members.

Mr Muir also said he would raise questions of an illegal vote with union members at an upcoming meeting.

“We have concerns about the legality of the vote,” he said.

“What we do about those concerns will be discussed at a meeting on Monday.”

However, Mr Loader said there was nothing illegal about the recent vote.

“We followed the process to the letter and used the Australian Electoral Commission to conduct the vote,” he said.

Source: The Courier

Mars vows to reduce calories in their chocolate bars

THE king-size chocolate bar is on its way to becoming extinct in Australia.

In an admission that king-size Mars, Snickers and Twix bars caused children to stack on the kilos, confectionary giant Mars has vowed to reduce total calories per bar to 250 by 2013.

Mars spokeswoman Anna Greco said the company was "committed to health and nutrition".

"As part of this commitment we (are) not marketing our chocolate products directly to children under 12, putting energy labelling on the front of the pack, eliminating almost all trans fat, significantly reducing saturated fat and managing portions," she said.

"As part of these efforts to make chocolate better in Australia and New Zealand we have already met the 250-calorie commitment for Mars, Milky Way, Bounty and Twix bars, and are currently working on Snickers."

Mars raked in $10 billion from sales in 2010 across its range including snacks and pet food.

A new sensible eating website at www.betreatwise.info, operated by Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia, is printed on new Mars twin-pack bars.

Source and Photo: Herald Sun

Is this Britain's sweetest job?

Life really is a box of chocolates for Sue Stone. And truffles. And toffees. And fudge. And fondants.

For Sue works as a taster at sweet makers Thorntons – and has been scoffing up to 20 varieties a day for the past 27 years.

Instead of a pile of papers on her office desk, she has a huge pile of sweet treats to work her way through.

Said Sue, 53, who works for chocolate manufacturers Thorntons: “I absolutely love my job - who wouldn’t want to be paid to eat chocolate all day?

“It does sound too good to be true sometimes, and even after 27 years, I still have to pinch myself and realise how lucky I am.

“I eat up to 20 chocolates in a typical day - I have to test them for flavour and consistency.



“My friends and family are all really envious of my job - when peopleask me what I do for a living, their faces are priceless.

“All my tasting is done in a special, silent room, with no distractions, so I can taste everything properly using different areas of my tongue.

“I have to use a special mouth rinse between chocs to cleanse my palate and all the tasting is done in the morning before I eat anything else.

“It’s not all great. I’ve been forced to munch my way through gin and tonic truffles before nine in the morning before, which wasn’t pleasant.”

The only drawback for Sue, from South Wingfield, Derbyshire, is that she has eat up to 1,400 calories of chocolate every day.

She added: “But I have to move around a lot - I walk miles around the factory every day.

“I really do have the world’s best job.”

Source: Daily Mirror

Nestle profit up but tough year ahead

Swiss food and drinks giant Nestle SA has managed to brush aside the impact of a soaring domestic currency and posted a solid increase in underlying profits in 2011 that reflected stronger-than-expected sales.

However, the maker of Nescafe, Perrier, Jenny Craig and Haagen Dazs accompanied its full-year statement with a warning that tough times lie ahead.

The company, based at Vevey in Switzerland, reported on Thursday that its 2011 net profit rose by eight per cent to 9.5 billion Swiss francs ($A9.71 billion) if the disposal of eye-care company Alcon is stripped out of the comparison. The sale last year had boosted Nestle's 2010 profit to 34.2 billion Swiss francs.

Nestle's 7.5 per cent sales growth in its continuing sales during the year was better than expected. Analysts had predicted growth of about seven per cent as the world's biggest food and drink company grappled with volatile markets, rising commodity prices and the strength of the Swiss franc.

Shares in Nestle were up by one per cent to 55 francs at the start of Zurich trading on Thursday.

Overall, though, sales for 2011 fell to 83.6 billion francs from almost 110 billion francs the year before. The decline, largely due to changes in currency rates and the impact of asset disposals, was slightly less than expected as the Swiss National Bank intervened in the markets to try and stem the rise of the franc, helping sales in the last few months of the year.



The company said it expected organic sales growth over the coming year would likely come in lower but still at its company target of between five and six per cent.

"It was a challenging year, and we do not expect 2012 to be any easier," CEO Paul Bulcke said.

However, Bulcke said new partnerships in China and a huge new research centre in the Swiss city of Lausanne had helped Nestle to get off to "a good start" this year.

Nestle said it was continuing to grow in all regions of the world, with five per cent growth in Europe, 6.4 per cent in the Americas and 13.1 per cent in Asia, Oceania and Africa.

With 280,000 employees worldwide and factories or operations in almost every country, Nestle is a major buyer of food commodities such as wheat, sugar, milk and coffee and its results are a good indicator of consumer demand and the health of the global economy as a whole.

Nestle's CFO James Singh said the company had strong sales of almost five billion francs in China while in North America, the company's biggest market, they were "subdued, but positive" with pet-care products and frozen pizza selling well.

Nestle, which reports financial results twice a year, said it was planning a dividend of 1.95 francs per share.

Jean-Philippe Bertschy, an analyst at Bank Vontobel in Zurich, said the planned dividend and underlying profit were in line with expectations.

Nestle's double-digit growth in emerging markets particularly helped it deliver a "phenomenal" final quarter in 2011, he said, but its strict control of operating expenses and high prices also helped it outpace competitors.

"Nestle had great results from a very good quarter, beating the competition again," he said. "The outlook is relatively positive, given the difficult environment."

Patrik Schwendimann, of Zuercher Kantonalbank, said Nestle deserves a prize for its great results and called it a positive sign that Nestle was helped by Switzerland's currency intervention.


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Source and Photo: 9 MSN

Israeli cottage cheese boycotters now taking on chocolate bars

The leaders of Israel's cottage cheese boycott are calling for a new boycott over the high price of chocolate bars.

The calls came earlier this week after an Israeli living in the United States posted a photo on Facebook of a receipt from a New Jersey supermarket showing that the popular Israeli chocolate bar Pesek Zman is being sold for one-third of its cost in Israel. Other chocolate bars manufactured by the Elite company also are being sold at similarly low prices abroad, according to reports.

Elite is owned by the Israeli conglomerate the Strauss Group, which was hit hard by the boycott of cottage cheese and other dairy products this summer as part of the social justice protests and eventually dropped its prices.

Boycott organizers have called for a monthlong boycott of Strauss-Elite chocolate bars to begin on March 1, just before the chocolate-intensive Purim holiday begins on the evening of March 7.

Strauss said in a statement that it cannot control the price that retailers place on their products, and said it believed that the prices were lower in Jewish communities in the United States in advance of Purim. It also named supermarkets in Israel that sell its chocolate at cut-rate prices.


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Source and Photo: JTA

Valley gets its sweet fix with new chocolate farm

A PROPOSAL to set up a chocolaterie in Yarra Glen has been given the thumbs-up by Yarra Ranges Council in a move that could set a precedent for more development in green wedge zones.

At a meeting last Tuesday, councillors unanimously supported the proposal, issuing a planning permit for the 16-hectare site in Old Healesville Road.

Owner-operators Leanne and Ian Neeland's chocolate farm will manufacture chocolates using fruit to be grown on site, with retail and tourism aspects.

The tourism development

has the potential to inject $31million into the region, they say.

The land lies in the heart of the valley's green wedge zone.

Development in the area must meet strict rules on how the land is used and preserved.

Although council planning officers originally recommended the development be rejected due to these laws, Cr Jeanette McRae put forward an alternate motion to grant the permit.

The motion included stronger local agricultural links, improvements to the creek area on the property, a reduction in the size of the cafe, and opening hours restrictions.

Cr McRae said the difference between this proposal and others in green wedge zones was the business's strong link to local agricultural products.

"You've got a proposal addressed by the applicant in a holistic way," she said.

"They are looking at improvements around the wetland and creek, economic outcomes value-adding to product and a product of

difference, which will provide opportunities for people to stop off in Yarra Glen.

"There will be flow on economic benefits as well as provide employment opportunities."

Council's planning and building director Andrew Paxton said every application decision could set a precedent or heighten an expectation within the community.

"This includes decisions by the council, by VCAT [Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal] or by the minister.

"However, each application is assessed against the planning scheme of the day," he said.

Mrs Neeland said it was exciting news and a great relief. "We put everything on the line. It has been a long haul. It was a fantastic result."

She said the chocolaterie would create at least 40 jobs.

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Source and Photo: Maroondah Weekly

Mars ditches king size chocolate bars

Mars Inc., the candy company that produces candy products such as Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, 3 Musketeers, Mars, Milky Way, Dove and Galaxy, has announced plans to ditch the king-sized chocolate candy bars.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Mars is going to sell products that contain 250 calories or less per portion. This goal has a target date of happening by the end of 2013.

Currently the company sells king-size varieties of its chocolate products which can pack, such as in the case of Snickers, 510 calories per package. While Mars labels the candy as having three servings, many consider a package as a serving, no matter the size. In comparison, a regular size Snickers package has 280 calories.
Mars had previously said this move is a health and nutrition effort in awareness of obesity and related issues. "Mars has a broad-based commitment to health and nutrition, and this includes a number of global initiatives," the company said in a statement.

Reportedly other changes include not marketing to children under 12, adding calorie figures to fronts of packages, reducing sodium by 25 percent over the next three years, eliminating trans fat, and decreasing saturated fats in its products.
Business Insider reports these changes are in connection with First Lady Michelle Obama's health-conscious initiatives. According to Business Insider, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation pledging to eliminate 1.5 trillion calories by 2015, and Mars Inc. is one of 16 companies rising to the test.

However, Washington Post had an op-ed piece that indicated the key phrase in Mars' changes is "per portion." The author goes on to describe a Snickers package her husband received for Valentine's Day from one of the couple's children. However, instead of the king-size bar he expected to find inside, he found two smaller candy bars and a message on the package; said message advised to "save one for later," and “twist to close" the other half of the package.

In the Snickers 2toGo packaging, each candy bar was 220 calories, which is underneath the 250 calorie goal. If candy products are being shipped with double the candy, will those calories actually be saved, or will consumers still eat both bars? If so, essentially defeating the purpose of smaller portions, and saved calories.

Mars Inc. shares details on the company website.
In 2010 Mars Inc. had sales in excess of $30 billion.

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Source and Photo: Digital Journal

Recipe of the Week - Chocolate and Chilli Spring Rolls

We stumbled across this recipe from Chef Mark Newman in Adelaide Now and just thought it was amazing!


INGREDIENTS - (Serves 6, Makes 18-20)

30ml Malibu
60g raisins
190g dark chocolate
25g butter
100ml pure cream
45g icing sugar, sifted plus extra for dusting
90g dried shredded coconut, toasted until golden
2-6 bird's eye chillies deseeded, finely chopped
1 pack spring roll wrappers, 20cm square
1 egg white
Vegetable oil for frying


METHOD

1. Bring Malibu to the boil, add raisins, remove from heat and allow the liquid to be absorbed by the raisins. When cool, roughly chop. This can all be done in advance.

2. In a bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter and cream, then add icing sugar, coconut, chilli and raisins.

3. Mix well and cool in fridge stirring occasionally. When set, weigh out pieces at 25g, form into a cylinder shape about 12cm long and set aside. To assemble, lay a wrapper in a diamond shape on a bench, place a piece of the chocolate mix about a third of the way up the wrapper and roll quite tightly from the bottom corner until halfway up the wrapper.

4. Fold in the outside corners and continue rolling until just the top corner remains.

5. Brush the corner with egg white and finish rolling. Repeat, rolling a few at a time. Refrigerate or freeze. Heat oil to 180C and deep fry until golden. Drain on kitchen paper, dust with icing sugar. Serve with ice cream or sorbet.



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Source and Photo: Adelaide Now

Roger Federer Visits Lindt Chocolate Factory

The 16-time Grand Slam Roger Federer has celebrated his BNP Paris Masters title at the Lindt Headquarters chocolate factory in Kilchberg along with his family and friends.

The former World No. 1 Federer, who has arrived here to watch the ending part of the Gavin Rossdale’s concert in Zurich on Sunday evening with his wife Mirka Vavrinec and twin daughters Myla Rose and Charlene Riva. Federer said it’s very happy to meet his friends again at the Gavin Rossdale’s concert in Zurich and the show was cool and little bit stressful. The Swiss maestro has posted a message on his Facebook wall that, he has just arrived here in the Lindt Headquarters chocolate factory in Kilchberg and demonstrates the new Lindt bears on Monday.

The World No. 4th ranked Federer said he is looking forward to show best performance at the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals begins on next Sunday in London and very positive, after winning two ATP tournaments in Basel Open and Paris Masters last week. Federer said he has been enjoying last weekend along with his wife Vavrinec and twin girls Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, before heading into the ATP World Tour Finals.

The 30-year-old Federer has return back to home in Switzerland, after amazing couple of weeks on ATP tour. Swiss star is looking one of the huge favorite to lift the title here in Arena O2 and likely to be seeded No. 4 at ATP World Tour Finals.


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Source and Photo: Live Tennis Guide

China’s Sweet Tooth: Opportunity Abounds for Candy and Chocolate Manufacturers

As China changes rapidly, so do its tastes. As the nation evolves into a consumer society, new candy and chocolate products are increasingly popping up on shelves. The Confectionery and Chocolate Manufacturing industry in China will grow by an average annualized rate of 22.1% over the next five years, according to IBISWorld, America’s largest publisher of industry research. Foreign companies are expected to make up an ever increasing share of the Chinese industry's revenue.

It’s no surprise that as China’s large population is increasingly exposed to candies, chocolates and other confectioneries, the market for these products steadily grows. Furthermore, greater demand for high-quality products; growing demand from rural consumers; intensified competition in brand and price; and improvements in manufacturing technologies all factor in the industry’s booming performance, reports IBISWorld.

Rising average annual incomes, increased exposure to Western and international cuisines and a greater array of candy goods in supermarkets also work together to increase sales of the industry's products in China. Expenditure on confectionery and chocolate products as a share of total expenditure on foods has been steadily growing over the past several years.

According to IBISWorld, industry revenue grew rapidly during the five years through 2011, with average annual growth of 25.5% to $12.12 billion. Foreign enterprises are expected to increasingly take interest in China’s growing confectionery market, as high-end chocolates and candies are still relatively new to store shelves here.

With the improving economy and increasing domestic demand, total domestic confectionery output is expected to rise by 18.5% to 2.13 million tons in 2011. The industry is still in its growth stage due to relatively low chocolate and confectionery consumption per capita in China, and significant future demand exists in rural areas.

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Source and Photo: Herald Sun

Colborne resident nabs $25,000 in Kit Kat contest

One lucky Colborne couple's love of chocolate has translated into a $25,000 windfall.

Nina and Bill Cockburn have enjoyed Kit Kats for several years so when the chocolate bar company offered a chance to win cash they figured you can't win if you don't play.

"I bought some bars and noticed the contest on the wrappers. I went to the computer and entered the pin number and to my surprise they called me and said I was a $25,000 winner," Ms. Cockburn said.

It was hard to believe at first, she said, because there are so many scams out there, but when it turned out to be the real thing she and her husband were blown away.

"It was mind boggling, but the first thing I thought was how wonderful it would be to take the grandchildren to Walt Disney World in Florida," she said.

With eight grandchildren, ranging from three to 12 years of age, the Florida trip seemed like the perfect idea to Ms. Cockburn and although they haven't told them of the pending adventure yet, the plans are in the works.

"Originally we wanted to take everyone at once, but probably we will do three separate trips," she said, adding it will work out well because she will be able to spend an equal amount of time with each grandchild and it will give the younger ones a chance to get a couple of more years under their belt so they will really appreciate it.

They are looking at next April as a possible date for stage one of the journey, Ms. Cockburn said.

"We are trying to keep it under wraps for now because the anticipation for the grandchildren would drive them crazy, but our children know and they are ecstatic," she said.

Bill Cockburn said he is really excited as well and it is amazing to be able to share this with the family. They are a close family, he said, and every weekend someone comes down to visit them at their home outside of Colborne.

Mr. Cockburn said he would never have thought a shared sweet tooth between himself and wife would bear such a reward.

"I figure I have eaten about $25,000 worth of Kit Kats over the years so we are even," Mr. Cockburn said laughing.

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Source and Photo: Northumberland News

Chocolate has right chemistry to tempt even the most non-scientific tastebuds

You might not understand what makes chocolate so irresistible but the people who make it do. And to a large part it comes down to chemistry.

The secrets of the chocolatier were revealed yesterday in a lecture Smart Chemistry – Tasty Food! given by Prof Dolores O’Riordan of University College Dublin.

Yes, it is sweet and there is cocoa in it but it all comes down to the fat said Prof O’Riordan who is based in the Institute of Food and Health. “The melting of the fat is very important,” she told a packed audience of students assembled for a Science Week presentation at the Science Gallery.

The chocolatier needs to do a bit of chemistry on the key fat, the cocoa butter, that makes chocolate the delight it is, she told them. Student attention was guaranteed as she lifted plates piled high with samples of the brown stuff with the possibility of a taste test always on the cards.

It all comes down to the size of “fat crystal” allowed to form during production, she said. Each has a different melting point, but the chocolatier wants a product that melts in the mouth, not in the hand and this means a large fat crystal, one that readily melts on the tongue at 33.8 degrees she said, as the plates bearing samples began to circulate the room.

Prof O’Riordan had a great deal more to tell her enthusiastic audience. “Essentially the food we eat is made of chemicals. We process the chemicals within the food to make them safe, to give them texture, to make them look and taste nice,” she said.

Chemistry can be used to modify colour, texture and even aroma, “and that all affects the food choices we make”, she said.

She nixed the widely held assumption that “e-numbers” that define additives, preservatives and artificial colours were all bad.

It was quite the opposite, she said, with tests showing they were safe.

Many still liked the idea of “natural” food colours, but few realised that the bright crimson dye often used in foods comes from the dried shell of the cochineal scale insect, she told them.

“Genes can also influence our preferences for food,” she said.


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Source and Photo: Irish Times