Wheat prices are still open to risk as low global stocks provide
little buffer to surprise supply shocks but soybean prices should
remain low on record high global inventories, writes Lindsey
Partos.
Israeli flavour firm Frutarom, with clear ambitions to become one
of the top ten flavour players, is seeking a listing on the London
Stock Exchange to raise funds for imminent acquisitions.
Barry Callebaut, the world's leading supplier of chocolate to the
confectionery industry, has reported a 6 per cent fall in first
quarter sales revenues to CHF1.15bn (€0.79bn) as squeezed margins
bit into its bottom line. The...
Novoye Sodruzhestvo, a Moscow-based holding company, intends to
build Russia's largest soybean processing plant, according to the
news provider Interfax.
InBev, the company formed last year by the merger of Belgium's
Interbrew and the Brazilian giant AmBev, says it is on track for
solid profit growth in 2004 despite missing its full-year volume
growth target, writes Chris Jones.
Barry Callebaut, the world's top supplier of industrial chocolate
to the confectionery industry, has reported a 6 per cent fall in
first quarter sales revenues to CHF1.15bn ($0.97bn) as squeezed
margins bite into the bottom line.
Nine food industry employees in the US have been indicted with
aiding and abetting the massive financial fraud at US Foodservice,
a division of Dutch retail group Ahold. The nine all worked for
food companies supplying food to the...
Florida's tomato growers are still feeling the effects of the four
hurricanes that swept through the state last year, said the Florida
Tomato Committee today, urging food manufacturers to realize that
supplies of the fruit are...
Moldovan wine producer Asconi Corporation has announced that its
2004 case sales increased by 20 per cent on 2003 to almost 2
million cases. The news comes at the same time as the inclusion of
10 of the company's wine in a list...
Cacanska Banka in Serbia is the first bank to receive a loan under
the EBRD's latest facility supporting small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) across western Balkan countries.
Dutch producer of oils and fats Loders Croklaan has changed its
company logo in an effort to underline the connection with its
Malaysian parent company IOI Group and emphasize their joint palm
oil strategy.
A vaccine that prevents liver abscesses in cattle could help
restore consumer confidence and save processors and packagers
millions, according to researchers in the US.
A technique for changing the water repellency of plastic films
usingcoatings of steam-jet-cooked starch has been developed by
AgriculturalResearch Service (ARS) scientists.
German firm Palatinit has applied for regulatory approval to launch
its slow energy release carbohydrate, isomaltulose, on the European
market, writes Lindsey Partos.
Food companies are expecting a tough year in 2005 with competition
and price pressures in the food chain rising to the surface as the
key issues, reports Lindsey Partos.
Kettle Foods, have decided that 2005 is to be the year when the
humble potato chip takes on a guise never seen before by asking its
consumers what new flavor of chips they would like to see on the
shelves, reports Philippa Nuttall.
The updated food guidelines for the US that were published
yesterday should encourage the food industry to look to producing
healthier, more nutrition-rich alternatives in 2005.
Bulgaria's Supreme administrative court upheld today a lower court
ruling to fine the local branch of Coca-Cola leva 20, 000 ($13,400)
for using illicit promotional methods.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is trying to focus
attention away from the winter storms and towards the summer by
highlighting two new peach varieties it has developed.
Britons spends four times as much on snacks as their Spanish
counterparts, eating their way through €17.3 billion a year, finds
a new report highlighting the ongoing opportunities for players in
the snack industry.
European panel of scientists concludes more data is needed before
reaching a firm risk assessment of consumer exposure to the harmful
furan chemical in food.
Retailer-supplier relations is the biggest concern for European
food manufacturers, according to a recently published survey from
food business forum CIES.
Recovery at Dutch retailer Ahold is still well on track, but the
impact of disposals, and the continuing decline of the US dollar
against the euro, pushed down the headline sales figure in 2004.
But with just a few more planned disposals...
German retail group Metro has posted full-year sales growth of 5.3
per cent for 2004, in line with analysts' expectations. But with
the figures boosted by positive exchange rates, the underlying
sales performance reflects ongoing...
Kraft Foods, the world's biggest food company, has announced its US
operation is to provide consumers with more nutritional information
about its products - a precedent already set by its UK division,
Tom Armitage reports.
Ireland's lone sugar processor Greencore Sugar is to cease
operating at its Carlow production facility in anticipation of the
pending EU reform of the sugar industry, Tom Armitage
reports.
Tracking the harmful foodborne pathogen Listeria in the food chain,
UK firm Oxoid has designed a new broth that could accelerate
detection time for the food industry.
Aluminium packaging giant Alcan is investing $55 million to build
and equip two new Russian plants - a clear indication that foreign
firms are beginning to take notice of the Russian packaging market,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Part of a global effort to clarify consumer exposure to harmful
chemical identified in starch-rich fried foods two years ago,
findings from a new survey by the UK food watchdog reveal
acrylamide 'consumption' levels at least...
A chemical used as an anti-microbial in some food processing plants
could be endangering human health, claims UK resin flooring systems
supplier Degafloor.
Better-than-expected sales at Carrefour's domestic hypermarket
business have left France's leading food retailer optimistic of an
upturn in 2005 - although further price cuts are likely to make an
impact in the short term,...
British snack makers will face the most testing period in their
recent history over the next few years as the war on obesity
gathers momentum, threatening to stall growth and devour smaller
manufacturers, reports Chris Mercer.
Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced a
year ago they had completed the first draft on the honeybee genome;
they are now using these findings to uncover new ways to keep
honeybees healthy.
High consumption of meat over a long period of time could raise the
risk of developing colorectal cancer, say researchers following a
large sample study.
As food ingredients suppliers take a stake in the burgeoning
Chinese market new figures released by the United Nations confirm
foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Asia and the Pacific
rose by a massive 55 per cent in 2004 on...
As the beverage sector continues to dominate overall flavour sales
ICI-owned flavour firm Quest International launches a new citrus
range with improved stability to spear growing demand from
developers for 'refreshing' flavours...
High blood sugar levels could be a risk factor in developing
several types of cancer, suggest researchers that tracked over 1
million Koreans for a decade.
US sweetener company zuChem will launch its initial mannitol
product in the first quarter of 2005 on the back of the FDA's
recent amendment to its legislation governing the sweetener,
reports Philippa Nuttall.
Superquinn, the family-owned Irish supermarket group, has been
bought by an investment group called Select Retail Holdings for
around €450 million, a move designed to secure the long-term future
of the business in an increasingly...
For Britain's retailers, 2004 was a mixed bag, with the resolution
of the Safeway takeover ending with victory for Morrisons, a
startling decline in fortunes for Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury
and the continuing domination...
A report from market researcher Mintel suggests that soy may be
falling out of favor with consumers, and that food manufacturers
are having to be more imaginative in their bid to encourage them to
include it in their diets.