Food 'n' Drink – Food and Drink news |

Danone the diary company has withdrawn its requests to approve its claims that the brand offers many health benefits to its consumers.

Danone has often promoted its yoghurt drink Actimel as a natural strengtheners of the body’s defences and that Activia will help regulate digestion.  According to the company, it is simply waiting for the European Food Safety Authority to clarify how approval is granted for status as a healthy food group.

At the same time, Danone already withdrew its health claims voluntarily form all products that are sold in France and in the UK. Last year a UK regulator banned an ad for Actimel that touted its health benefits.

The regulation of such claims is currently in transition within Europe and up until the present all claims have been up to the sole discretion of the national regulator from every separate European country.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority placed a ban on the television advert for Actimel in the UK, after it ruled that the health claims that it could help boost the immunity of youngsters against illness were not substantially backed by evidence.

In the future, all advertising that contains health claims must be approved by a European regulator although at the moment the requirements and process for approval are still being considered and drawn up with a final meeting scheduled to take place on the 1^st of June.

In response, Pierre-Andre Terisse the chief financial officer for Danone stated that they withdrew their application from the EFSA in order to allow themselves time to have a say in the meeting.

Castillo de Canena, the award winning Spanish producer of premium extra virgin olive oil, has released two Family Reserve oils for 2010, reflecting the olive varieties grown in the extensive olive groves within the castle’s grounds – Picual and Arbequina.

Rated by expert olive oil taster Marco Oreggia’s ‘Flos Olei 2010’ guide as one of the best 20 extra virgin olive oils in the world, Family Reserve, so called because for generations it was customary to keep the very best of each harvest in the family, is renowned for the wonderful clarity of colour, flavour and fragrance that sets the Vañó family’s award-winning oils apart from any others.

Castillo de Canena Family Reserve, Picual: The oil exudes aromas of herbs – mint, basil and rosemary – underpinned by the scent of artichoke and crushed foliage. On the palate this extra virgin olive oil continues the herb theme with additional hints of citrus fruit and green tomatoes with a bold peppery finish.

Last autumn, the olives were carefully selected from a 65-hectare field within the 1,500-hectare estate, at an altitude of 530m. The olive trees in this part of the estate are 120 years old.

Castillo de Canena Family Reserve, Arbequina: A complex balance of flavours and fragrances, distinctly finessed ith fruity notes. Aromas include crunchy green apples, lemon peel and lemon verbena, yielding to tastes of ripe banana and bitter almonds, finished with touches of delicate sweet spice.

The 17-year old trees grow on clay soils at lower a lower level altitude of 480m in a small plantation of 55-hecatres.

Both varieties are ideal for enhancing the flavour of grilled vegetables, salad dressings, toasts or chargrilled meat and fish.

Famed for the unique and exceptional flavours which are derived from picking the very best of each harvest, Castillo de Canena has been producing fine extra virgin olive oil for over two centuries. It was the first Spanish olive oil producer to receive the prestigious Coq d’Or status in 2006, selected by the French gourmet guide for the very best artisan food products in Europe

Retailing from £8.99, both varieties of Castillo de Canena Family Reserve extra virgin olive oil are available in Waitrose, Fortnum and Mason and from selected fine food retailers across the UK.

It’s commonly understood that the Jerusalem artichoke is not actually a real artichoke and also does not have origins in its name sake.

However, many people believe that it also causes people to produce excess wind, which may be to the fact came from North America and the actual edible part is not found in the artichoke part of the plant.

However, the second part about the wind is true, due to the fact that it has a large amount of inulin in it that is similar to fructose, which humans are not able to digest due to a lack of enzymes.  Therefore, when it comes to digesting the fruit often, intestinal bacteria take over, which are able to convert it into store energy, but as a result release carbon dioxide, which is where the wind comes in.

In order to become seriously uncomfortable however you would need to eat a lot of the vegetable although combining it with something such as a potato helps to reduce the gas production.

Thus, if you really want to have a Jerusalem artichoke then you should cook them for 12 hours and at least at a temperature over 90C, which helps reduce the amount of insulin that is produced and thus reducing the amount of gas that is produced.

An interesting fact is that in North America the Jerusalem artichoke is actually referred to as a sunchoke making it a close relative of the actual artichoke.

The Italian food market is a fiercely competitive one, as myriad firms compete to bring the taste of that nation’s great cuisine to food-lovers all around the globe, from pesto to spaghetti Bolognese. Yet, in spite of the sheer weight of competition, Sacla have elicited an enduring affection from cooks of all ages and nationalities, with their pesto and Italian sauces that prove to be lasting favourites for those kitchen adventurers seeking to tease new dimensions of flavour from their Italian recipes.

Some of the items sitting on the supermarket shelves under the guise of Italian cooking sauces can tend to be rather removed from the authentic Italian gastronomic experience. Sacla consumers need have no suspicions as to the ‘Italianicity’ of their chosen sauces and pestos though, with the majority of Sacla products still originating from within Italy itself, and the firm still residing in the hands of the Ercole family who founded it over seven decades ago. The Italian sauces that Sacla deliver to their customers can form a critical component of any Italian food recipes, or they can simply be used as condiments to add a sublime layer of extra flavour – but in either circumstance, Sacla sauces are a simple, time-efficient way to get an authentic taste of Italy into any meal

Still made in Italy to this day, Sacla stir through sauces are a particularly flexible addition to any dish, going with anything from pasta to potatoes. Amongst the broad range of flavours are oven roasted tomato and rocket (made from fillets of tomato and year-old Parmigiano Reggiano cheese), and Italian red onion and gorgonzola (which uses the piccante type of the famous cheese to deliver its great flavour). Sacla’s pesto range is similarly eclectic in terms of the rich range flavours on offer, with each of the ten varieties working as a complement for pasta, meat, fish and vegetable dishes alike. Again all made in Italy, the likes fiery chilli pesto and fresh coriander pesto can unlock fresh layers of flavour from a meal, while a tip from the Sacla team is to try the placing their classic basil pesto it under chicken breast skin before roasting.

Antipasti is an important element of many Italian food recipes too; it makes for a great appetiser with which to whet the palette ahead of the main dish, or a tasty addition to the likes of pizza, cold meat or salads. Sacla antipasti flavours include artichoke and char-grilled peppers. There are suggestions at Sacla.co.uk as to what foods you might like to try their sauces and pestos with, as well as a comprehensive range of online recipes which are categorised by the amount of time you have available to cook, the foodstuffs you want to include in your dish, and even the occasion for which you might be cooking.

Sacla (an acronym of Societa Anonima Commercio Lavorazione Alimentari) originates from Asti, in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, and seventy years from its humble beginnings, it is still working to fulfil the original goal of founder Signor Secondo Ercole; to bring the flavour of Asti to those people all around the world who are passionate about authentic Italian food. Using only the best in fresh ingredients – supplied by Italian farmers with whom Sacla have nurtured close working relationships which stretch back for decades – Sacla always favour a traditional, organic approach to cuisine, with quality and sustainability being of paramount concern.

Making dinner can be quite an ordeal, especially when dealing with hungry children at the same time. But dinner doesn’t have to be a downer. Schwartz offers free online recipes that are perfect for busy people looking for efficient ways to whip healthy meals.

Schwartz has traveled the world to in order to bring the best of herbs and spices into homes, restaurants, and cafeterias. This eclectic selection of herbs and spices make cooking fun, interesting and delicious.

With quick and easy online recipes from Schwartz, beginner cooks will produce professional dishes that really give diners something to talk about. Preparation and cooking instructions are broken into simple steps so there is no need to stress.

To get started cooking up some fantastic meals, just logon to Schwartz’s site and choose from the myriad free online recipes from around the world. Once you’ve selected a dish, you just need to read through the instructions on preparation, ingredients and measurements. Most recipes take only 30 minutes from start to finish! Schwartz online recipes also inform beginner chefs about how many people the dish feeds and the nutritional value of the dish.

If a Schwartz herb, spice, or any other Schwartz ingredient is listed, users can click on the ingredient and Schwartz provides a list of what is in the product as well as its nutritional value, usage ideas, and other great recipes for the ingredient. The list of ingredients also offers great recipe ideas to use in-season. Schwartz sell all the spices and herbs used in their recipes, so for extra convenience when you’re food shopping, just look for their label in the appropriate aisle.

Schwartz also offer instructional videos in the form of cooking guides, for both beginner and more experienced cooks. Beginners will be happy to discover that Schwartz offer a glossary of cookery terms and techniques as well as a conversion chart for wet and dry measures and oven temperatures.

Additionally, a list of users’ favourite recipes is updated regularly. For organized chefs who use the website frequently, Schwartz allow you to create folders and saved to include favourite recipes, ones that will surely please even the pickiest eaters.

Sometimes deciding what to cook is daunting. But dinner doesnÕt have to be such a stressful activity, nor does it have to take a lot of time to prepare. Schwartz’s free online recipes make sure busy parents can make hearty, healthy meals and have more time to spend on what’s really important: their families.