The SunActive manufacturing facility of Minneapolis-based Taiyo received a superior rating from the American Institute of Baking (AIB), the baking industry’s leading food safety auditor. The superior rating is the highest possible classification assigned by the AIB.

Alto Dairy Cooperative has formed a marketing alliance with Main Street Ingredients, LaCrosse, Wis., as its partner in dried whey and permeate. Main Street Ingredients will rely on Alto Dairy for a steady supply of whey products for dairy ingredient applications in the nutritional and food processing industries, and is expected to position Alto’s whey to gain a larger share in the food industry. In April, Waupun, Wis.-based Alto Dairy announced its partnership with Winona Foods to nationally brand and market its aged cheddar.

Milwaukee-based Chr. Hansen has been named a certified member in the voluntary Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This status assures efficient release of goods and prompt resolution of any outstanding issues affecting customs processing of shipments. As part of the membership benefits, customs will provide Chr. Hansen with a reduced level of cargo exams, anti-terrorism training seminars, sharing of information and best practices. The company will continue to secure its supply chain against possible compromise, communicate efforts to business partners and maintain a high level of compliance in other customs-related areas. As part of the continually evolving security commitment, Chr. Hansen is required to develop and maintain a complete and detailed security plan to be reviewed by U.S. Customs upon request. The ingredients company is also developing a customized, internal self-policing program to review security procedures on a regular basis.

Gelita AG is the new name of Germany-based Deutsche Gelatine-Fabriken Stoess AG, and is the final step in a three-year process to develop a global corporate identity and to reposition the company, which has been producing gelatine under the Gelita brand name for more than 70 years.

National Starch, Bridgewater, N.J., received the President’s Partnership Award for Ingredients Innovation from Johanna Foods. Flemington, N.J.-based Johanna Foods buys a range of specialty starches from National Starch, which are used to provide texture to the processor’s yogurt products and drinks.

Golden, Colo.-based GTC Nutrition, a business unit of Corn Products International Inc., launched of its redesigned Web site, gtcnutrition.com. The site details the health and functional advantages of its product line and includes a glossary of terms, which provides concise definitions of scientific and technical terminology, as well as a portfolio of basic formulas that covers an array of applications.

Eating ice cream makes you happy, as the sweet treat has an immediate effect on parts of the brain that previous research showed responds to pleasurable tastes, say researchers at the London-based Institute of Psychiatry. The study, sponsored by Unilever, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to track brain activity of people eating vanilla ice cream.