Dutch industrial chemicals maker DSM said on Monday its profit in
the second quarter had fallen 75 per cent lower than in the same
period in 2002, as lower sales volumes and falling prices hit the
chemicals market.
Private label products are taking an ever larger share of retail
sales, according to a recent survey by ACNielsen, with the drive
towards more premium products opening the door to a number of
non-traditional private label categories...
Reaping the growing virtues of resveratrol British scientists find
that this powerful component of red wine could not only damp down
the inflammatory process in the progressive lung disease COPD, but
eventually lead to a treatment.
Ahold's financial fortunes are going from bad to worse. Already
facing losses of €1bn for 2002, the current year is unlikely to
shape up any better, at least if today's third quarter figures are
to be believed.
Government plans to change stamp duty regulations in the UK could
have a devastating effect on the retail trade there, industry
associations have warned. Small stores in particular could be badly
hit, with a potential eight-fold increase...
Commercially savvy and biotech rich company Monsanto is waging a
war on the waist, with impeccable timing. Following hot on the
heels of new FDA rules requiring food manufacturers to imminently
reveal the amount of trans-fat on food...
The government's list of producer and retailer prices for a variety
of foodstuffs does not tell the real story, claims Spanish retail
association Asedas. Most stores do not use farm-gate prices as
their reference, the organsiation...
Can the trend for foods with added health benefits turn the tide of
consumer cynicism towards genetically modified foodstuffs? US
researchers hypothesise that shoppers might just pay a premium for
GMOs if they are told of the potential...
Contamination warnings from the UK food agency highlights yet another food product containing the illegal dye Sudan 1 and issues a follow-up warning about eating venison products containing meat contaminated with the drugs immobilon and revivon.
Spain's ministry of agriculture has begun publishing both producer
and retailer prices in a bid to bring more transparency to the food
industry - but farmers' associations are calling for even tougher
measures to curb retail...
The market for sugar-free confectionery can only gain pace, keeping
in step with an increased consumer demand for 'guilt-free' products
spurred on by burgeoning rates of obesity and diabetes across the
globe. Suppliers of...
ADM takes on the contract services of a fermentation improvement
technology company - particularly present in nutraceuticals - to
work on 'opportunities and efficiencies' in the food ingredients
arena.
Safeway, the UK food retail chain, has put 53 stores up for sale in
advance of the expected takeover of the chain by Wm Morrison. As
well as Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda, all of which lost out in their
bids to buy Safeway, offers have...
During a visit to the Teagasc National Food Centre last week EU
Commissioner for research, Philippe Busquin - holding the purse
strings to a €700m food quality research budget - witnessed new
technology on food product development...
The quickening of genetic mutation rates in bacteria may not only
happen when the microorganisms find themselves in strange and
stressful circumstances. A new study shows that E. coli,
ratchets up its 'adaptive mutation'...
French meat processor Duc saw turnover slump by nearly 12 per cent in the first half of the year, as it felt the impact of competition from both cheaper and more expensive products.
Spanish supermarkets are to play a more active role in promoting
and protecting the country's food industry following a joint
agreement with the ministry of agriculture there. Food safety, food
quality and support for SMEs are...
Swedish oils and fats company sees profit slip as the weight of
tighter margins, increased competition and a strong Swedish kroner
bears down.The Karlshamns of 2003 has quite evidently been marked
by the loss of one of its largest...
New flavour wins in Latin America went some way to offsetting
weaker customer demand acutely felt in the US, but top line
performance for the third quarter was largely disappointing and the
outlook remains bearish.
US court dismisses claims by Muscle Marketing USA that all forms of
creatine powder, including the product made by Degussa Food
Ingredients, are ineffective.
A major EU funded trial on European children is to examine how
early diet can reduce obesity in later life. The findings could
lead to new infant foods and a safer formulation of protein
contents.
Leading cocoa and soybean processor ADM is making a few changes in
Europe announcing two new appointments at its product support and
development (PSD) Centre in Koog aan de Zaan, the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic sweetener...
Carrefour is reported to have pulled out of the race to buy Ahold's
supermarket assets in Brazil, leaving Wal-Mart of the US and local
market leader CBD as the sole bidders. Carrefour will focus on
organic growth in the Brazilian...
Growth is ahead of schedule for wheat-based ingredients supplier
MGP Ingredients with the Kansas-based company moving expansion of
its textured wheat proteins to phase two as demand for their
speciality ingredients continues to gain...
A cross-continent project is to get further backing to target the
emerging prevalence of Campylobacteraceae, a bacteria family
that causes 400 to 500 milion cases of diarrhoea a year.
Cereal scientists have honoured a longtime employee of food
processing giant General Mills with one of the highest awards from
the American Association of Cereal Chemists.
Unilever must allow other ice cream makers access to its freezer
cabinets in Ireland, while Wrigley cannot register its Doublemint
brand as a trademark with the EU because it is a descriptive name -
two rulings from the European courts...
The EU Commission this week unveiled €166m in funding for projects
under the food quality and safety priority of the Sixth Framework
Programme (FP6). Thirty-six projects have so far been confirmed.
The Netherlands, the world's fourth largest poultry exporter could
be facing another bird epidemic this week as the cure for blackhead
disease found in two turkeys has been banned.
Ecolab is to present its health and safety solutions at the
forthcoming Food Safety & Hygiene show in Frankfurt. Company
spokesperson Marcus Ley reveals what the firm has in mind.
Casino has reported good growth in like-for-like sales for the
first nine months of the year, driven mainly by its domestic
discount and convenience store operations. But international sales
continued to feel the force of exchange...
Stating the obvious perhaps, keeping food safe for consumers is
undeniably a key priority for the food industry and governments
alike. European funds are being injected into understanding the
bacteria that find a home in our food...
A settled policy environment is in store for Irish farmers
following reform to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and
imminent decoupling, said Jim Flanagan director of Irelands'
Teagasc.
Scientists will soon huddle together to unravel the third plant
genome to be sequenced to date. Their work - boosted recently by a
$10.8 million (€9.2m) slice of funding - should shed light on the
health-promoting properties buried...
Belgian retailer Delhaize is considering the sale of its stake in
Singapore's Stop N Save chain after receiving an offer from an
unnamed bidder. Could this be Delhaize's solution to the problem of
reducing its massive debt...
Philip Green could still try and spoil the party for Morrisons in
its bid to acquire Safeway. The retail entrepreneur this week asked
for updated financial information about Safeway, perhaps an
indication that he will still make...
A new US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study has found that
dairy products are best consumed close to the date of purchase and
leftovers refrigerated to reduce the risk of Listeria bacteria.
Meeting targets for the year, US ingredients company Corn Products
International brushes off a tougher economic climate to post a
solid set of third quarter results with earnings rising by 15 per
cent. A strong performance in South...
The European Commission has started legal proceedings against the
German government over its widely criticised deposit scheme for
one-way packaging after concessions from Berlin failed to go far
enough to remove barriers to trade...
Germany's third-largest chemicals company Degussa has taken a €500
million charge in its fine chemicals business unit as it continues
to feel the impact of adverse changes in market conditions.
Mislabelling is leading customers to pay up to €50 per tonne more
for the same quality of potato, reports new findings issued by the
UK Food Standards Agency this week.
Improving the texture of food products through a new emulsification
technology forms the focus of a recently launched EU-funded project
that will concentrate in particular on low-fat products
Which do we prefer - the light or full-on version? Food scientists
investigating sweeteners in soft drinks find the consumer palate
might be perverse, preferring regular cola over its lighter sister,
but non-plussed over orange drinks.
The Co-op group, the UK's biggest farm group and one of its largest
retailers, has responded to a recent customer survey on attitudes
to GM by pledging never to plant genetically modified crops or sell
GM products in its stores,...
As trading nations get to grips with globalisation in the 21st
century the issue of sustainability is increasingly compounded for
commodities on today's market. Nowhere is this more evident than
for coffee - arguably one of the...
Food industry players in France are concerned that legislators
there will go down the same draconian route as their counterparts
in Germany when they come to update the country's packaging waste
legislation early in the new year.
The EC has approved a financial package to fight animal disease
with human health implications. The move is aimed to tackle
diseases that constitute as a barrier to intra-EU or international
trade in 2004.
Moves by the EU to introduce new health food labelling requirements
have been fiercely criticised by the food industry - with the
British Retail Consortium the latest to add its voice to the
debate.
The National Food Processors Association (NFPA) has criticised new
requirements enforced by the EU's Council of Ministers on labelling
and traceability of food and feed containing GM ingredients.
More evidence revealing the efficacy of HACCP systems in the battle
for food safety comes from figures released this week by the US
department of agriculture that show a 25 per cent dive in Listeria
samples in the past year, and a...
