December 2014

leedsbased private equity house endless has invested in a flexible packaging business, through its sme fund enact.enact has invested in excelsior technologies alongside existing investor growth capital partners.excelsior, which has a turnover of &pound33m, is a flexible packaging business known for high quality gravure print focused on the food, confectionery and medical sectors.the company employs 240 people across its two sites in north wales and lancashire.joining the excelsior board is chris cormack, who manages the enact fund on behalf of endless.enact is also in advanced discussio

chinese lawmakers are in the process of considering a proposed revision to the country&rsquos food safety law which would include the mandatory labelling of all goods containing genetically modified gm organisms.the central government has recently given its approval for the import of gm crops from the us in an attempt to look for cooperation from washington for the export of hightech products to china.the draft revision would require gm foods to be labelled according to regulations covering their processes of production and sales.

louisville, co hope foods, the maker of the everpopular organic hope hummus line, is debuting a new look for its lines of premium, organic dips and spreads.the natural foods company based out of boulder, co has steadily gained spots on store shelves in natural and conventional stores alike. as hope products continue to enter new markets and reach new customers, decision makers for the natural foods company wanted to create an identity for the brand&rsquos product that was recognizable and to update the brand&rsquos look to match the company&rsquos bold take on dips and spreads.

phil conran has been appointed as the new chair of the advisory committee on packaging acp the department for environment, food and rural affairs announced today 22 december.mr conran, who currently serves as director of consultancy 360 environmental, takes on the role from bob lisney &ndash who stepped down in september after five years in the role see letsrecycle.com story.phil conran has welcomed his appointment as chair of the acpphil conran has&nbspbeen appointed&nbspchair of the acpthe appointment, marks a welcome return for mr conran to the committee after previously serv

graphic packaging holding company nysegpk&rsquos share price hit a new 52week high on monday , arn reports. the stock traded as high as 13.61 and last traded at 13.59, with a volume of 1,130,189 shares trading hands. the stock had previously closed at 13.47.gpk has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. analysts at citigroup inc. reiterated a &ldquobuy&rdquo rating on shares of graphic packaging holding company in a research note on friday, october 17th. they now have a 14.00 price target on the stock, down previously from 14.50.

one thing is crystal clear when reviewing the mostread stories in the plasticstoday packaging channel new technology dominates. the mostread story slippery coating inside plastic packaging enables viscous liquids to slide easily highlighted how a new technology seeks to change the way liquids move within packaging. liquiglide is a company that makes slippery coatings for plastic surfaces that enable viscous liquids to easily slide. the technology is targeting plastic containers for sticky consumer packaged goods such as ketchup and mayo to lotion and even glue.

this contemporary take on a classic favorite is beloved by avid biscotti fans for its delicate crunch and dunkability but is also adored by people who typically shy away from traditional biscotti&rsquos very hard, brittle texture. a recent raving fan says it best on her blog &ldquomarlo&39s biscotti...has the perfect chewy and crispy consistency, not too hard, not too soft, which makes it very easy to eat and enjoy.&rdquoin 2014 marlo&rsquos bakeshop was named a certified diverse supplier by the california public utilities commission as it is a 100 womanowned company.

pff packaginglimited thermopak, the tyneside manufacturer which specialises in moulded trays and carriers for the food industry, has been acquired by yorkshirebased pff packaging.the undisclosed deal will bring thermopak&rsquos 65,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in gateshead under pff&rsquos group control, bringing its total output up to 60m units per month.pff packaging directors andy and michelle bairstow joined thermopak in august when the firm was bought out of administration by bill mapstone, the previous chairman of pilgrim foods group.at the time, administrators from kpmg co

&nbspst. paul &ndash in the trenches of the war on christmas, the troops are ready for their assault.&nbsptheir weapons are green beans, apple pies and frozen turkeys.&nbsp&ldquopeople have to do god&rsquos work, because there is no god to do god&rsquos work,&rdquo said eric jayne, president of the minnesota atheists, as his crew of nonbelievers packaged food in a foodshelf supply warehouse earlier this month.&nbsp

lori nickel lnickel@lonsdalenewsreview.comchristmas came early for traci thieding, of lonsdale, as she was the lucky winner of a free shopping spree at fred&rsquos market place foods on monday dec.