The movement of US agri-giants onto European soil gathers pace with
Bunge, the world's leading oilseed processor, signing a €17.4m deal
on a bankrupt edible oils firm in the emerging market of Poland.
The largest sugar producer in Europe Südzucker has divested all
shares in the Spanish food group Ebro Puleva through the group's
subsidiary Saint Louis Sucre, providing it with breathing space to
concentrate on speciality ingredients.
Raising consumer awareness of functional foods generally falls into
the hands of food manufacturers. But recently formed soy
ingredients firm The Solae Company announced this week that it will
invest millions of dollars in a TV campaign...
Bush administration trade officials were not the only ones to
welcome China's decision to allow a raft of GM products from
biotech giant Monsanto. This week the American Soybean Association
hails the move as 'good news'.
Location, location, location : the three most important factors
when opening up a fast food business. And one to learn from
competitors. With the fast food industry a major client for food
ingredients companies, a new study sheds...
Metro, the German retail group, is one of the main supporters of
new retail developments in Europe, but it appears that its
enthusiasm for the advantages that technology can bring is not
shared by all of its customers.
Industry group Scottish Quality Salmon has slammed research
recently published in Science magazine. The body claims that
the article on fish farming is misleading, and says that steps to
minimise PCB and dioxin levels in fish farming...
The next two weeks have been designated Fairtrade Fortnight in the
UK, and retailers across the country will be promoting their ranges
of ethical products in a bid to increase consumer awareness.
Milk and cheese remain staples of diet in most parts of the world,
but yoghurt continues to be the main engine for growth in the
global market, not least because of its versatility as a functional
product, according a recent report...
Morrisons' takeover of Safeway came a step nearer to completion
yesterday with the announcement that the High Court in London had
rubber stamped the scheme of arrangement between the two companies.
UK ingredients and additives supplier S. Black has extended its
flavour range for Irish and UK food businesses announcing a new
distribution deal with private Swiss company Firmenich.
Approximately one-third of global meat exports, or 6 million metric
tonnes, are presently being affected by animal disease outbreaks,
the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said today. With the
value of global meat and live...
Belgian group Cosucra Warcoing is significantly increasing its
inulin and oligofructose production capacity by converting a former
sugar plant to chicory processing, as it aims to meet growing
demand for the ingredients.
Germany is Europe's largest soft drink market with the UK following
fast behind, reports a new study that predicts consumption will
soar to 186 litres per person per year by 2007.
Exporters of genetically modified (GM) food suffered a setback this
week when an international conference on biotech safety agreed to
impose stricter labelling requirements on such products. The US,
which is the largest exporter of...
The Solae company has launched a multi-million dollar television
advertising campaign to build consumer awareness of its soy protein
brand and steal sales of meat products, currently increasing with
the popularity of high protein,...
Leaked minutes from the UK government show that it is planning to
enforce different levels of GM contamination for different organic
food if GM crops are grown commercially in the UK, says UK organic
body, the Soil Association.
A screening method to identify a series of banned food dyes has
been developed in the UK. The move comes in response to the
European Commission's attempts to prevent the importation of
products containing four chemicals known...
Can a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, very low calorie diet be an
effective tool for the short-term treatment for obese adolescents
with type 2 diabetes? According to new research from the US, yes.
Proof that soaring price rises are not only branded in the hard
pushed natural vanilla market with the news this week that
Norwegian ingredients company Borregaard Synthesis has hiked up the
price for its line of synthetic vanillin...
Tesco, Britain's leading food retail group, has made no secret of
its global ambitions, with fast growing businesses in eastern
Europe and Asia complementing its number one status in its home
market. But Tesco already has one...
Bottled water, new age beverages and energy drinks are driving
growth in the global soft drinks market, but carbonates are losing
their appeal, according to a new report from market analysts
Datamonitor.
Meeting calls to cut the salt content manufacturers in the UK have
committed to a programme that will aim to reduce salt in processed
foods such as soups, pizzas and ready meals, according to the food
industry body, the Food and Drink...
Somerfield, the UK supermarket group, has launched a new loyalty
card scheme under the Saver name, offering customers a range of
promotions and money-off coupons tailored to their shopping
patterns.
With Germany mired in one of the worst post-war recessions, the
excellent 2003 performance of Cologne-based retail group Rewe was something of a
novelty. But the group is clearly confident that the performance
will not be a one off,...
Dutch retail group Ahold has confirmed that its Brazilian unit
Bompreco has been bought by giant US retailer Wal-Mart, bringing to
an end several months of negotiations and clearing the way for the
sale of its other Brazilian unit,...
Having recently announced a large-scale withdrawal from the
Hungarian market, Kraft Foods has reaffirmed its commitment to the
Romanian market, by confirming a series of future investments in
its division there.
Although demand for EU-backed SAPARD funds in Poland is now said to
be exceeding total budget, the European Commission says it will
continue to support all food and beverage companies that qualify
for EU food safety and hygiene standards....
Almost one in four (23 per cent) German adults admits to often
skipping meals to keep their weight down - a massive 17.5 million
people. But according to a new survey of European dieting habits,
Germans are also the least likely to...
The UK food industry has promised to continue reducing levels of
salt in manufactured food products. In a joint report from
manufacturers, farmers and the hospitality sector, salt in sliced
bread is to be further reduced and targeted...
Canada is set to publish its first voluntary standards for
labelling food free of genetically modified ingredients. But a
number of food processors say that the rules are so badly flawed
that they will be of no use to the majority...
A new guide from UK-based research group CCFRA has been published
that will help chilled food manufacturers and retailers determine
the shelf-life of their products. The guide aims to improve both
the safety and quality of chilled...
Despite the recent EU ruling against its GM Maize crops, Monsanto
has said that it is expecting the continued development of its
seeds and traits business will drive its mid-term growth.
The dominance of the multiple retailers in the UK has had a
devastating effect on the specialist retail sector there, with the
massive buying power of the major chains allowing them to undercut
independent operators at the same time...
Croatia is about to get its own food agency, which will work
alongside the EFSA to bring the former Yugoslavian state in line
with EU food safety regulations ahead of its likely application to
join the Union.
Organisers of the international food fair Salima 2004 claim that
exhibitor numbers are up on for the bi-annual event, to be held in
Brno, southern Moravia, from 2-5 March
Brand building is vital for the success of any product, and in
today's increasingly cutthroat grocery business it can mean the
difference between long-term growth and short-term failure.
Products displayed in green point-of-sale (POS) positions have a
much better chance of catching the eye and ending up in consumers'
shopping trolleys, according to new research due to be presented
next week.
The US-based natural food group Hain Celestial is snapping up
German manufacturer of soy, oat and rice-based drinks Natumi,
expanding its operations in Europe and giving it access to a
non-dairy production facility in the region.
Trolley Scan has developed and put into production what it claims
is the most sensitive passive single chip UHF radio frequency
identification (RFID) system ever developed. The system allows
manufacturers to read the credit card sized...
Traceability has become a key concern in the meat processing
industry since the BSE outbreak in the UK in the 1990s, and more
recently the discovery of the disease in the US last year. A number
of diagnostic products have been developed...
Retailers' distribution costs in the UK have risen slightly over
the last year, but stock levels have been reduced and supply chains
are becoming more efficient, according to the latest survey of
retail logistics published by...
The National Food Processors Association (NFPA) in the US has urged
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide a greater degree
of flexibility in making qualified health claims or dietary
guidance statements on food labels.
Danish R&D company BSP Pharma will launch its shea butter
ingredient for use in joint health supplements in the US next week,
as the company seeks its first marketing partner for the
scientifically backed ingredient.
The price of soy ingredients could ease in the next twelve months
for manufacturers and processors as the US government predicts
farmers, on the back of rising soybean prices, will plant more
soybeans for the 2004-05 marketing year.
Food retailers in the UK this week committed to a programme aimed
at reducing salt levels in their own label processed foods such as
soups, pizzas and ready meals.
Both alpha-linolenic acid and omega-3 fatty acids may reduce onset
of depression in cancer patients, suggest Japanese reasearchers.
But investigations into the different omega-3 fats,
eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid,...
