The government has provided funding for a new anaerobic digestion plant in the Midlands.
Waste collection company John Pointon & Sons (JPS) has received a £1.4 million grant to help finance the construction of the £12 million facility at its Cheddleton headquarters.
The plant will generate up to 2MW of renewable energy and can process a maximum of 60,000 tonnes of food and industrial waste a year.
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A new sealing system for food packaging has been launched which could significantly cut costs for those in the food production industry.
UK firm International Food Partners (IFP) has released its Integrity Seal system which seals film with just a 1mm thick 'bead seal', compared to the traditional 15mm crimp seal.
The new technology will allow firms to use less film when packaging foods, allowing companies to potentially cut costs as the average length of a product could be reduced by ten per cent.
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The recycling rate in Wales has increased for the second quarter of the year, according to new figures.
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has released statistics today (23rd September) which shows that the recycling rate reached 44 per cent between April and June, an increase of three per cent rate compared to the same period in 2009.
WAG officials have set a target municipal waste recycling rate of 70 per cent by 2025, leading ministers to call for further measures to help the country attain the higher rates.
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Real ale is becoming more popular as more consumers want to "think and drink local", according to an expert.
The latest Campaign for Real Ale's Good Beer Guide has revealed that there are now 767 breweries currently operating in the UK, an increase of 56 compared to last year.
The growth of real ale has helped significantly boost the flagging brewing industry which had been hit by rising beer tax and competition from supermarkets.
Roger Protz, the guide's editor, claims real ale has thrived despite of these obstacles as consumers are increasingly attracted to local produce.
He said: "The main reason is simple: craft brewers are responding to genuine consumer demand. Real ale hits the spot in every way: it has flavour and is made from pure, natural ingredients that are grown mainly here in Britain.
"More and more people want to think local and drink local and real ale meets that demand."
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the brewing industry includes; conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyors
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sh animal feed industry has been boosted by new government funding which aims to eradicate two diseases which harm cattle.
The Scottish government will fund a £400,000 programme to prevent bovine viral diarrhoea, a potentially fatal disease which affects 40 per cent of cattle herds in the country.
Farmers will be able to screen their animals for the disease at subsidised rates, with those infected then isolated and slaughtered.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Funding Council has given the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) £800,000 to help control the spread of Johne's Disease.
Professor George Gunn, head of SAC's Epidemiology Unit in Inverness, said: "There is an increasing determination to understand how to tackle Johnes – which is also known as ParaTB – effectively, develop best practice and to pass that knowledge on.
"It is a disease with real economic, health and welfare concerns for the livestock industry and one the whole sector wants to address."
The developments could save farmers a lot of money as cattle survival rates increase, furthering the demand for animal feed throughout Scotland.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the animal feed industry includes; conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyors
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Unstable antioxidants could reduce the creation of neurotoxins during high-temperature food processing, according to new research.
A study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials has revealed that by-products of antioxidants, such as quinines, can reduce the levels of acrylamide in goods, reports bakeryandsnacks.com.
Acrylamide is a known neurotoxin and research in 2002 suggested it was even a carcinogen which could increase the risk of getting cancer.
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Out-of-parlour feeders can help increase the milk yields of dairy cows, it has been revealed.
Lancashire-based Beechwood Farm has found that milk yields have increased after the farm introduced the feeders to supplement the cow's diet, reports fwi.co.uk.
In addition to the Total Mixed Ration (TMR), which includes the cow's required daily nutrients, the high-yielding animals are fed an additional feed through the machines.
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Nambak Plastics has claimed it will be able to increase the content of recycled material in its milk bottles.
The plastic container manufacturer has released new research which it claims demonstrates that it can develop bottles with 50 per cent recycled content.
Currently, Nambak only uses 10 per cent of the recycled plastic, known as recycled HDPE (rHDPE), in its milk bottles, but plans to increase this to 50 per cent by 2020.
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The soybean industry could be set for a bright future after a study revealed the plant will respond well to predicted carbon-dioxide levels.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published a study in the Journal of Environmental Quality which shows soybean thrives in an atmosphere with concentrated CO2.
Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service, a division of the USDA, compared how the plant reacts with current levels of CO2, which includes 370 parts per million (ppm), with estimated future levels of 720 ppm.
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