A majority of traditional Irish food producers feel that they face
serious burdens to their survival and growth - but food safety
regualtions aren't one of them.
A key driver of the food ingredients industry is the ability to
innovate. Innovation may bring about added value, and as such,
premium pricing opportunities. This is particularly true for
ingredients companies working in today's...
As speciality chemicals company Cognis heads for the FiE to promote
a number of ingredients - not least Tonalin CLA, results released
yesterday show a rise in organic growth for the health and
nutrition arm of the company in the third...
Volactive, the functional foods arm of milk replacer company Volvac
International, will use the FiE exhibition to promote its latest
heat stable whey protein isolate.
The German city of Frankfurt will look on as 12,000 food and drink
industry professionals hit the exhibition centre to eat up the
latest innovations and visit 1000 exhibitors at the 16th edition of
Fi Europe.
Belgian retailer Delhaize today confirmed that it has reached a
binding agreement to sell its 49 per cent shareholding in the
Singapore food retailer, Shop N Save, to Singapore retailer Cold
Storage Singapore for SGD 44.1 million...
Facing up to the current challenging economic climate Danish
ingredients company Chr Hansen last month lifted previous profit
forecasts for the year on the back of decent ingredients growth and
higher exchange rates. Next week at...
Wal-Mart has announced a significant jump in sales for the third
quarter driven largely by its European and South American
operations. In the UK the group's Asda division has continued its
success with strong store sales growth...
The UK government announced this week that food manufacturers could
be forced to label food as 'high in salt' if they fail to
make significant progress in reducing the amount in their products.
A revision of the guidelines on the investigation and control of
outbreaks of foodborne disease in Scotland was agreed this week by
the Scottish Executive Health Department and the Food Standards
Agency Scotland.
Kwik Save continues to weigh down the performance of UK retailer
Somerfield, but second quarter and half yearly results reveal that
the margins are closing. Will Kwik Save turn the corner or will it
continue to hold Somerfield back?
Higher raw material costs continue to eat into margins for National
Starch, the starch ingredients arm of ICI, as third quarter figures
bore out last month. It comes as no surprise this week that the
company announced a 'redesign'...
Nestlé continues to pursue its strategy of getting a foothold in
just about every food market in the world. The recent purchase of
Ukrainian food processor Volyn Holding is the latest in a list of
acquisitions designed to cement the...
Measures to support the sustainable development of Europe's olive
oil crops find their roots in reform to the EU's Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) cleared in June. The Commission is
working on new rules to take this further...
In a transaction that aims to provide Hungarian shoppers with a
wider variety and cheaper prices, the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development and Raiffeisen Zentralbank
Oesterreich have arranged a €160 million loan to finance...
Strict legislation and growing public concern has made food safety
the priority of the industry. Little surprise then that innovations
such as Oxoid's Stockwatch technology continue to flood the market.
The European Commission has put forward a range of proposals
designed to harmonise the rules on adding vitamins and minerals to
foods - a long-awaited piece of legislation which will make it much
easier for many producers of such...
Measures to soften the impact of poor cereal harvests in Europe and
boost the grain market were introduced by Europe's agriculture
commissioner this week.
European research into the potential carcinogen acrylamide has
received a massive injection of cash to boost the biggest
international project to date on toxic substances formed when food
is heated.
Increasing consumer awareness linking high consumption of trans
fatty acids to a rise in the risk of coronary heart disease is
driving the market for alternative ingredients.
The American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) is accepting
nominations for a variety of awards to be presented at the group's
2004 annual meeting in San Diego next year.
Tesco has announced that it has gained control of Kipa, a small
Turkish hypermarket chain by acquiring the necessary majorities of
the unlisted public shares in the company. The move will ensure a
much needed foothold in a market...
Lidl, the German supermarket chain has taken bottles of Australian
Creston Bay Brand wine off its shelves after discovering
dangerously high levels of sulphur dioxide in it.
A soy-based infant formula, linked to the deaths of three babies
and hospitalisation of several others in Israel, was recalled from
shelves this weekend, prompting widespread media coverage.
The advent of new European legislation on genetically modified
organisms - applicable as of last week - will hit all players in
the food industry. In a bid to render the new rules clearer we have
decided to take the step to publish...
On the back of robust results US agri-giant ADM posted its 288th
consecutive quarterly payment this week, declaring a cash dividend
of six cents a share.
Tesco is to appeal against an 'incomprehensible' ruling by the
Czech courts which appears to give a Czech businessman the right to
seize its assets in payment of an alleged debt.
The impact of higher commodity prices on ingredients manufacturers
continues to impact margins. In October figures show that soybean
prices peaked at their highest levels in six years.
As consumers across the globe add fire to their food through the
red hot ingredient chilli pepper, the 'pope of pepper' traces the
pepper family history and looks at why, exactly, it burns so fast.
If nothing else, the opening decade of the 21st century will go
down in the annals of time as the period the world went to war over
GMOs. When it comes to genetically modified organisms, passions run
deep and the path to reconciling...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will revisit its preliminary
determination that food from cloned animals is safe for consumers
after several independent science advisers questionned findings.
Sales for speciality ingredients set first quarter results soaring
for US company MGP Ingredients, offsetting a downturn in figures
for commodity ingredients and in the face of higher energy and raw
material costs.
First half profits for UK sugar and sweeteners group Tate &
Lyle slipped as US figures hit the bottom line but improved results
from European operations helped add sparkle to a generally
lacklustre performance.
US researchers are investigating whether calcium intake, previously
linked to lower weight in girls, could help prevent women from
gaining too much weight when pregnant. They hope to better
understand the link between the mineral...
A hot cup of cocoa - that stalwart of cold winter nights and an all
time favourite for children - could actually boast more
antioxidants than green tea and red wine, say researchers in the
US.
Ahold is to sell off its Spanish retail operations as part of a
long-awaited recovery plan announced today. The programme will also
include a €2.5bn rights issue which will help pay down debt, and
significant efficiency savings designed...
Alcampo, the Spanish subsidiary of French retailer Auchan, is to
introduce labelling in Braille on a wide range of its own label
products, joining Auchan's French, Portuguese and Brazilian stores
in offering this service. But...
The regional parliament of Upper Austria announced this week that
it is to appeal against the EC's decision not to allow the region
to declare itself a genetically modified(GM) free zone, reports
CORDIS.
The European Commission has sent a warning letter to the Polish
government saying that the country must do more to bring food
safety standards relating to meat production in line with current
EU regulations if it is to ensure a smooth...
Tekes, the national technology agency in Finland, is currently
funding an investigation into the use of rare sugar components -
previously deemed as unimportant by-products - as a useful raw
material in food and pharmaceutical industries.
Carmel, Israel's biggest wine producer, is joining forces with six
boutique wineries to mount a joint marketing campaign in the UK and
other important wine markets. The companies will hope to shake off
their kosher-only image...
Prompted by demand from the Philippines, Danish ingredients company
Danisco has
designed and launched two new citrus fruit flavours onto the Asian
market.
Dumeco has been ordered to retrace 78 tonnes of beef this week
following the failure to test a cow for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE). Some 700kg is thought to have been consumed.
ADM Natural Health and Nutrition has expanded its Novasoy soy
isoflavone further, with launch of the product in a directly
compressible form to make processing easier.
Belgian retail group Delhaize has raised its growth forecasts for
fiscal 2003 after an excellent third quarter performance hampered
only by adverse currency exchange rates. A rapid turnaround for a
company badly affected by adverse...
The British chomped their way through £1 billion worth of organic
products in one year, making the UK the number three outlet -
behind the US and Germany - for organic foods in the world.