A third edition of a guide to chilled foods stresses the increased risks involved with global sourcing of ingredients for the sector, and claims the need for appropriate controls has never been greater.
Sarah Whitworth, commissioning editor at Woodhead Publishing, said that the chilled foods industry has grown from a developing industry to a mature one since the publication of the second edition of Chilled Foods: A Comprehensive Guide in 2000.
She told FoodProductionDaily.com that the objective of this third edition is to provide professionals in the chilled food sector with key information about the latest advances in science and equipment and current industry approaches.
“There have been changes in many areas, including product demands, consumer expectations, ingredient sourcing and available technology,” she said.
“Because of the diversity of materials, products and consumers, and rapid rates of innovation in this field, a simplistic approach to product design and manufacture cannot be used: the whole range of modern techniques and knowledge is needed to come up with good products at competitive prices,” claims Whitworth.
Market analysts, Leatherhead Food International, claim that the Western European market for chilled prepared foods is expected to reach more than €18 billion by 2010.
Source: FoodProductionDaily.com