The Thai poultry industry could be about to restock on a massive
scale after the devastation of the avian flu epidemic earlier this
year. The country's feed industry is set to import cargoes of
Argentine soybeans as the country...
Food processors in the developing world are having to work hard to
meet new EU food safety regulations that are due to come into force
in January 2005. These laws will make it mandatory for all fruit
and vegetable products arriving...
Eroski, the Basque retail group, is to rebadge all its 804
supermarket outlets this month after its joint venture with the
Consum group was wound up earlier this year. The company will take
advantage of the change to introduce a new...
Soy protein appears to lower risk of heart disease by increasing
the size of LDL cholesterol particles and reducing dangerous
cholesterol, shows a new study that further examines the mechanism
behind soy's benefits to heart health.
Whyte and Mackay, the spirits group formerly known as Kyndal, is
launching a new ready-to-drink vodka-based drink onto the UK market
- a major gamble at a time when RTD sales are starting to decline
and where only truly innovative...
High protein diets may in fact boost bone health, shows new
research, that contradicts fears by nutritionists that increasing
protein intake could lead to calcium losses.
Sainsbury's poor performance over the last year has led to renewed
speculation that the number three UK supermarket group could be a
target for takeover, with US buyout specialists Kohlberg Kravis
Roberts named this week as the...
Swiss retailer Bon appétit has shrugged off a drop in turnover to
post double digit growth in operating profits for 2003 - a welcome
return to the black after 2002's figures were impacted by
extraordinary charges, writes Chris...
A political move that will burden the European food industry with
more paperwork than necessary and will send an army of food
manufacturers to rethink their ingredients formulations. So it is
that critics of the incoming rules on...
A global manufacturer and marketer of soy protein products has
announced an agreement with a leading distributor/supplier to
represent its line of soy protein products throughout the United
States.
Strict hygiene standards are increasingly being used by the west to
block food imports from developing economies, according to
researchers in Thailand, India and Australia. They claim that rich
countries are using consumer fears of...
Growth for food and beverage manufacturers will continue to lie in
health-driven foods with a new survey direct from Brussels
confirming that consumers have faith in fruit and vegetables, while
the majority remain extremely sceptical...
Global chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut said that recent
acquisitions had boosted its six month figures, with net profit
showing double-digit growth. But low cocoa prices affected
activities at the processing arm of the company.
Natural colours UK firm Overseal Foods is set to carve a deeper
position in the US market, signing a new distribution deal with US
company RFI Ingredients and meeting growing demand for natural
colouring foodstuffs, writes Lindsey...
Zinc appears to significantly reduce the duration of fever and
severity of illness in boys with pneumonia and other serious lower
respiratory infections, according to new research.
Edible wraps made of fruit and vegetables and plastic wrapping that
incorporates basil are being developed. Is this the future of
packaging, or will the concept fail to catch on or meet stringent
EU health and safety regulations?
Glacier Mints manufacturer Fox's Confectionery is to deploy a
Tropos ERP system at its Leicester head office and factory. The
Tropos system, to be supplied and managed by SSI, is due to go live
in the summer, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Canadian business software developer VantagePoint Systems has
formed an RFID product group within the company to provide software
and integration services to packaging manufacturers. The company
believes that the new division will...
Growing through international expansion, chewing gum giant Wm.
Wrigley Jr has closed on a €215 million deal to acquire the Joyco
gum and confectionery businesses from Agrolimen, a privately-held
Spanish food conglomerate. The acquisition...
The popularity of low-carb diets has helped to maintain demand for
poultry products in the US, according to financial analysts
Motley Fool Stock Advisor. But exports have been
adversely affected, and there are problems on the horizon...
Building up a market position through direct contact with the
consumer and cashing in on the growing low carbohydrate fad,
ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients will see its low-cal,
low-carb tagatose sweetener emblazoned on the...
Heineken, keen to increase its presence in the all-important
Russian market, is said to be considering a huge investment to
develop facilities in the Sverdlovsk region.
Significant investment into production facilities and new product
launches seem to be paying off for Heidi Chocolats Suisse Romania,
after the company announced that its sales for the month of
February grew by 80 per cent.
French natural ingredients firm Diana-Ingredients will shift from
one equity investor to another with confirmation yesterday that its
owner, a BNP Paribas holding company managed by PAI Partners, will
spin the company off to London-based...
Rathbones Bakeries, one of the leading suppliers of own label bread
and baked goods to the UK retail trade, has been sold by Greencore,
the Irish food group which is keen to focus on building its
convenience food operations.
Swedish probiotics firm BioGaia has developed a screw cap for use
on PET bottles, which releases ingredients such as its probiotic
bacteria or vitamins into the beverage,writes Dominique
Patton.
Despite recently announcing end-of-year results which were impacted
by last year's heavy investment programme, Wimm-Bill-Dann is
continuing its aggressive expansion policy with a major investment
in an Uzbekistan dairy facility.
The EU has made no secret of the fact that it is now looking into
sourcing meat and dairy products from Russia. Simon Pitman
spoke to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to find out how
discussions on the subject are progressing.
As the US advisory body on dietary advice convenes in Washington,
D.C. to discuss salt consumption, the Salt Institute and the US
Chamber of Commerce were taking the Bush government to court,
claiming the full scientific facts on...
Focusing on expanding its operations in Romania has helped French
retail group Hyparlo offset the impact of the sluggish domestic
economy - and clear its debts to free up more cash for further
growth, writes Chris Jones.
Food manufacturers are aware that in a visually noisy world, their
product must be carefully packaged to appeal to the target
audience. Over 80 per cent of consumer decisions are made at the
store shelf.
New ways to combat the global obesity epidemic could be on the way
as recent findings from influential obesity researcher Jeffrey
Friedman improves our understanding of leptin resistance and
obesity. New studies show that the appetite-regulating...
The active component in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate
(EGCG), already shown to fight several types of cancer, also
appears to kill cells of the most common form of leukaemia, reports
a US team this week.
Major processors of canned tuna in the US have described a recent
ad campaign by environmental activists as being "an
irresponsible and highly inflammatory tactic" that will scare
consumers away from what they call a safe...
Despite repeated pledges to tackle the problem, many of the big
brand breakfast cereals on supermarket shelves in the UK still
contain excessive levels of sugar, salt and fat, according to new
research from the Consumers' Association...
Is Big Red the next functional food fad? Scientists in the US claim
the natural flavours found in the chewing gum brand manufactured by
gum giant Wrigley's could beat the bacteria that causes bad breath.
The German company Bayer CropScience has scrapped plans to
cultivate its genetically modified (GM) forage maize variety
Chardon LL in the UK, citing government constraints for making it
'economically non viable', reports...
Kefir and functional dairy company Lifeway Foods could set up a
manufacturing plant in Canada following strong sales growth in 2003
and a boost to its cash reserves after selling off property.
In under one month European food and beverage manufacturers face an
exponential increase in paperwork as new rules on GM ingredients
come into force, setting up a 'Dante-esque' paper trail for the
tracking of GMOs. The rules...
Swiss co-operative retailer Migros has ended 2003 with a slight
increase in sales compared to the previous year, with low levels of
consumer spending taking a major toll on its performance. But with
the increase coming only as a result...
Accession is due to impact inflation in Poland, with rising food
industry costs being passed on to consumers and pushing the overall
inflationary rate up to an estimated 3.1 per cent this year,
according to independent research.
Russian white sugar production from imported raw beet is reported
to be down by 23 per cent for the start of the year, as the sector
struggles against diminished supplies of raw materials and high
stocks of unsold processed sugar....
As one door closes another one opens with the Food Ingredients Asia
show that ended in Shanghai last week now replaced by the finished
foods exhibition SIAL China. At the opening event this week EU
agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler...
Ready-to-go food products continue to meet the needs of the UK
consumer, say market analysts Mintel, reflecting current
growth trends in the food industry and confirming the future
direction for food manufacturers playing to the UK...
A small US study on honey, a food consumed by mankind for thousands
of years, suggests daily consumption of this sweet ingredient could
be a good source of protective antioxidant compounds for the human
body, writes Dominique Patton.
In the same week that the US food watchdog releases new findings on
the presence of acrylamide, the probable human carcinogen, in
processed food products, the American Chemical society will
dedicate an entire symposium to this sensitive...
Boosting 'added-value' opportunities for companies working with
corn, new research from government scientists on a fungus could
hold the key to using corn fibre as a factory for the production of
the potent antioxidant lycopene,...
The UK's Institute of Packaging is helping to launch a Europe-wide
diploma in packaging. But as IoP chief executive Lynda Purser
outlined in her speech at Total 2004, both the Institute and the
packaging industry as a whole must...