Philadelphia-based David Michael & Co., a supplier of flavors, stabilizers and natural colors, and SPI Polyols Inc., New Castle, Del., a manufacturer and supplier of specialty polyols, have announced a partnership to promote the use of Maltisweet IC Maltitol Syrup for no-sugar-added and reduced-sugar ice cream applications.

All American Foods Inc., Mankato, Minn., has announced its acquisition of Forester Foods Inc., Lake Forest, Ill. All American Foods manufactures and markets its ProMix line of food ingredients, which are used in frozen desserts and processed cheeses. Forester Foods marketed its food ingredients utilized primarily by the frozen dessert industry.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization Committee on Food Additives, Richard Cantrill, technical director of the Champaign, Ill.-based American Oil Chemists’ Society, received a medal for his contributions to the committee. JECFA is an independent international expert scientific committee, which performs risk assessments and provides advice to the FAO and WHO, and is administered jointly by the groups and their countries.

Roquette America Inc., Keokuk, Iowa, is expanding its polyols capabilities by adding mannitol to its U.S manufacturing facilities already producing maltitol, sorbitol and other new products, to meet continued growth needs of the healthy food and pharmaceutical markets. Roquette’s Smart Calories™ solutions and healthy ingredients portfolio targets the next-generation development of future market trends to meet the demands of emerging consumer needs.

Main Street Ingredients, a manufacturer and supplier of functional food ingredients based in La Crosse, Wis., has acquired Hilton House Foods Inc., Wichita, Kan. Hilton House Foods, owned by Plaza Belmont LLC, Kansas City, Mo., manufactures specialty products for the ice cream industry. Main Street Ingredients will continue to produce at the manufacturing plant in Wichita until it transitions production to its facility in La Crosse.

Consuming lowfat dairy products may help lower blood pressure and improve heart health, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Participants who consumed three or more servings of dairy foods a day had significantly lower blood pressure than those who consumed less than half a serving a day. The study found that consuming dairy is inversely related with systolic blood pressure, a key predictor of cardiovascular disease. AHA also recently released its 2006 Diet and Lifestyle recommendations, which reinforced the benefits of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) — a plan that includes lowfat and fat-free milk and milk products.