Baking & Snack - October 2006 - 16

NEWS FRONT
AACC International
defines carbs
In other association news, AACC
International's board of directors
approved definitions related to
glycemic carbohydrates. The association's Glycemic (Net) Carbohydrate Definition Committee used a
scientific review process, feedback
from open forums and input from
carbohydrate workshops and symposia to create the definitions.
"The work of this committee was
to try to define the terms so that

Sara Lee to close South Dakota
sweet goods plant
Sara Lee Food & Beverage, Downers Grove,
IL, plans to cease production at its Watertown, SD, fresh sweet goods bakery by early
November. Despite closing the bakery, Sara
Lee said it will continue to operate the distribution depot and retail thrift store that are
located next to the bakery.
The Watertown bakery produces Mickey and Egekvist brand sweet rolls and Danish. Sara
Lee said it will transfer production of those products to a specialized baked foods supplier
that already provides Sara Lee with sweet goods.
"We regret the need to close the Watertown bakery and the loss of jobs for our employees," said Randy Frazer, vice-president of central region manufacturing for Sara Lee Food
& Beverage's US Fresh Bakery unit. "We have a very good workforce in Watertown, and this
decision is not a reflection on the quality work of our employees.
"Unfortunately, the fresh sweet goods that we bake at Watertown comprise a small niche
of the products we sell. This product line is not big enough for us to efficiently and effectively
continue to dedicate an entire bakery to produce these products."

Weston reports leadership changes
food manufacturers might know
what terms to use," said Julie Miller Jones, Ph.D., a food safety and
nutrition professor at College of
St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, and
chair of the committee.
The definitions are as follows:
Available carbohydrate is carbohydrate that is released from a food
in digestion and that is absorbed as
monosaccharides and metabolized
by the body.
Glycemic response is the change
in blood glucose concentration induced by ingested food.
Glycemic carbohydrate is carbohydrate in a food that elicits
a measurable glycemic response
after ingestion.
Glycemic impact is the weight of
glucose that would induce a glycemic response equivalent to that induced by a given amount of food.
The definitions represent in vivo
responses to food ingestion. They
are determined through carbohydrate concentration in the blood
and/or degree of excretion from the
body through feces or urine.

18 / BAKING & SNACK / October 2006

Galen G. Weston was been named executive chairman of Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Toronto,
ON, and will succeed his father, W. Galen Weston, currently chairman of Loblaw Cos.
Ltd. and the board of directors of Loblaw, Canada's largest food distributor. Loblaw is
an operating segment of George Weston Ltd., as is Weston Foods.
Galen G. Weston most recently served as senior vice-president, corporate development. He also was a member of the board of George Weston Ltd. He jointed the company in 1988 and received a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University and a
master's degree in business administration from Columbia University.
In other Loblaw executive changes, Mark Foote became president and chief merchandising officer, and Allan Leighton joined the board as deputy chairman. John
Lederer stepped down as president by mutual agreement and resigned as a director
of the company.
"All three of these appointments strengthen the leadership structure and give us
the depth, breadth and experience that will take the company forward and reflect
the Weston family's commitment to the succession process," said W. Galen Weston.
"The board and the Weston family, as the controlling shareholder, have been considering the company's future leadership structure and succession for some time."

Kraft completes UB acquisition
Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, announced the
completion of its acquisition of United Biscuits' Iberian operations. The company also
recovered rights to the Nabisco trademarks
in Europe, the Middle East and Africa including Oreo, Chips Ahoy! and Ritz.
"Bringing our Nabisco trademarks back
into our product portfolio, coupled with the
addition of strong local Iberian biscuit brands,

is another step in increasing shareholder value
as we further improve our growth potential
in this key region," said Joachim Krawczyck,
group vice-president and president, Kraft
EU region. "This transaction gives us an enhanced platform for innovation and extends
Kraft's competitive position in the EU."
The July 10 acquisition was valued at
$1,067 million.

Baking & Snack - October 2006

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