Reports in today's press suggest that Europe's biggest retail group
Carrefour is about to sell off its online shopping arm Ooshop - a
move prompted by the continued losses at the business.
In an unexpected move, Spanish supermarket operator Consum has
decided to leave the Eroski retail group and pursue its own store
development programme.
Mad cow disease, bird flu and a poor US soybean harvest failed to
rock quarterly profits for the world's largest oilseed processor
Bunge. But the company held back from rising future earnings
outlook because of market volatility.
Fazer Maiznica Druva, the second largest bread maker in Latvia, has
refitted one of its production facilities in the city of Ogre, some
40 kilometres outside the capital Riga.
The financial troubles of Italian food group Parmalat stretch well
beyond the home front. In both Romania and Hungary the company's
divisions are facing acute problems that threaten its future in the
region. But business will...
Scientists are one step closer to understanding the health benefits
of onions with a new study in Australia revealing the lipid
modulating and immunostimulatory properties of the raw brown
version.
Raisio has opened up its first production facility in Russia.
Located just outside Moscow, The Finland-based company says it is
hoping that the move will help it to expand its margarine portfolio
in Russia and neighbouring states.
In recent years the Russian dairy sector has undergone tremendous
upheaval, with the consolidation of old dairy plants changing the
face of the industry. We spoke to the Russian National Dairy
Institute to find out what impact these...
European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin has announced a €43
million investment plan designed to improve the efficiency of the
food supply chain. Speaking at Wageningen University in the
Netherlands, he said that the purpose...
Swedish food retail and wholesale group Axfood is to supply a
further 105 convenience stores under the terms of a new agreement
worth SK100 million. Meanwhile, Finnish counterpart Kesko has
shrugged off a relatively poor performance...
Nisa-Today's, the independent UK convenience store
group, has proposed a merger with larger counterpart Londis, the much
coveted symbol group. But Londis' reaction has been reserved, to
say the least.
The possible cultivation of GM crops within the European Union
suffered a setback this week after the Belgian government decided
to reject an application to grow GM oilseed rape. Officials said
that the decision was based on the belief...
Rating agency slapped a negative outlook on Australian food company
Burns Philp & Co as the ingredients company, that integrated
food giant Goodman Fielder last year, unveiled a 9 per cent drop in
2003-04 first half profits.
Meat processor Tyson will cut trans fats from a range of meat
products, the meat titan said this week joining other US food
makers pressed to remove this artery-clogging ingredient from their
product ranges. Across the pond, investment...
It is common for pigs to wait in holding pens for at least 2 hours
after transport before slaughter to improve meat quality. Loading,
unloading, and travel stress can lead to lactic acid build up in
pigs' muscles, which can affect...
US ingredients companies continue to make moves into the European
marketplace with FiberGel Technologies, a supplier of the fat
replacer Z-Trim, announcing it has linked up with Swiss company
DKSH to target European consumers with...
The EU has provided €2.2 million of funding for a new project that
aims to promote transnational cooperation in plant genomics
research and, ultimately, better coordinate the €80 million spent
annually in Europe on such activities,...
Safeguarding America's food supply against possible terrorist
threats will eat into a considerable chunk of the USDA's budget
next year. The country is also planning to stockpile animal
vaccines, following concerns that...
Demonstrating the clear divisions that exist between member states
and the European Commission over genetically modified foodstuffs,
in the same week that Belgian ministers threw out an application
for an oilseed rape, the EU's...
Long awaited rules on the use of the sweetener sucralose entered
into European law last week, ushering in new market opportunities
for suppliers of this zero calorie product.
Working to bring low fat lamb products to the European marketplace
scientists in Spain are set to add value to the end product with
new research focusing on boosting the presence of the disease
fighting 'friendly fat? conjugated...
The European Union confirmed yesterday a six-month ban on Thai
poultry imports because of the bird flu outbreak rampaging across
Asia. Fresh and frozen Thai poultry products will remain barred
from the economic bloc until 15 August...
Dairy innovator Valio has extended its lactose-free milk drink to
Switzerland through its first licensing agreement for the
technology with the Swiss firm Emmi.
Legislation requiring food manufacturers to keep detailed records
of the supply chain is coming into force in the US next month. Next
year, it is the turn of the EU. We ask one supply chain management
company why traceability has...
Unimilk, Russia's second largest dairy producer, has confirmed that
it has received a €34 million credit line from Moscommercebank. The
company is hoping that it can now start to make investments in its
production facilities,...
EU agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler has confirmed Hungary's
Operational Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Approved upon accession, the programme is part of a €422.8 million
investment which aims to make...
Ball Packaging Europe, part of the US-owned Ball group, has
announced that it is to build a $40 million can packaging facility
located on the outskirts of Belgrade, Serbia.
Millions of euros will be poured into three major
'farm-to-fork?research projects, the Commission said yesterday, to
reinforce R&D co-operation at a European level and bring a
monetary boost to the increasingly complex food...
Consumer concern about BSE, eggs and the safety of meat is
declining but awareness about fruit, vegetables, and salt
consumption is on the up, cites the fourth annual food survey from
the UK's food watchdog.
Important losses of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total phenol
content in virgin olive oils occur after a 12-month storage period,
report Spanish researchers.
A Swedish study established to assess the effect of hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) for women with a history of breast cancer
has been stopped early after preliminary results show 'unacceptably
high' risks of breast cancer...
Higher levels of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C,
along with the antioxidant trace mineral selenium, were associated
with a lower risk of asthma in a large study on young Americans,
published this week.
European hydrocolloid suppliers have welcomed new labelling rules
that provide E-number shy manufacturers with an alternative name
for the complex sounding food additive carboxymethylcellulose
(CMC). From now on, cellulose gum can...
US agribusiness beat off tougher market conditions to post a 68 per
cent rise in revenues on the back of higher sales and improved
performance across the board.
Europe and the US will hammer out the contentious issue of obesity
and the role food policy can play in getting to grips with this
major health problem at a Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) meeting in Brussels
today.
The growth in sales of exported Plzensky Prazdroj beer in 2003 has
meant that the group is in a good position as the Czech Republic
readies for EU accession in May. The accession will give the
company a better position in the European...
A brewer in Sweden is facing the GM debate head on. The company
claims to have launched the first food product to use genetic
modification as a marketing tool.
A previously unidentified protein on the surface of intestinal
cells has given US researchers clues on how to prevent infection
from the foodborne bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes.
You are what you eat…and also what your mother ate, according to
new research in the UK that sheds new light on the obesity issue
and the impact a maternal diet can have on an offspring's life
expectancy.
An end to Europe's unofficial five-year ban on new biotech crops
could be imminent as the Commission backs proposals to import a new
GM sweetcorn. Ministers in the EU 15 have three months to decide on
the fate of the biotech...
Despite higher raw material prices Corn Products International, a
US maker of corn syrups sweeteners, saw profits and sales rise for
the year, citing sales in North America and a better price-product
mix as key factors responsible...
International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) reports continuing job
cuts and a drop in profits for fourth quarter. But stronger flavour
sales in North and South America helped offset a weaker scenario in
Europe.
Kraft Foods has said that it will close down its only production
facility in Hungary and move production elsewhere. The company has
hinted that production of confectionery and coffee could shift to
Slovakia and Austria.
There was a time when a widespread wheat shortage spelt inflation,
and a global shortage meant global inflation. This year, with
stocks at a 30-year low and wheat prices soaring, it is possible
consumers may never even notice. All...
Wheat has always been an integral part of Russian agriculture and
its food industry. However, a limited domestic market, reduction in
Russian livestock and a slow down in the consumption of bakery
products is forcing the industry...
Since 1998, the Observatory on Loyalty Cards at the University of
Parma in Italy has been monitoring the progress of 40 loyalty card
schemes operated by retailers across Europe. In a report for
M+M Planet
Retail, Cristina Ziliani...
