The sale of the cider unit CSR - announced last week by Pernod
Ricard - will see the disposal of the last remaining non-core
business, allowing the French group to finally devote all its
efforts to building its wine and spirits empire.
After cocoa bean costs soared to 15 year highs chocolate lovers
could soon be paying heavily for their indulgence. Shortages in the
world market supply of cocoa beans forced prices up by 50 per cent
in London last week - a rise not...
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
have identified the blueprint of genes and enzymes in the body that
enable sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli and other
vegetables, to prevent cancer and remove...
Europeans could pay more for everything from toys to heavy
machinery if Brussels follows through on a threat to impose
sanctions in a long-running trade spat with Washington, a US trade
official said on Friday.
Wall Street analysts and bankers generally dismiss the idea that a
multibillion-dollar sale of Hershey Foods could be killed by local
opposition in Pennsylvania. But legal experts are not so sure.
Ahold's enforced takeover of the Santa Isabel chain in Chile has
not been welcomed by everyone, with one of the company's minority
shareholders taking legal action to force the Ducth group to
increase its offer.
Britain's biggest dairy products firm Dairy Crest group is poised
to buy St Ivel spreads from Uniq for £50-60 million pounds (€79-95
million), to rival UK market leader Unilever, industry sources said
on Thursday.
Danish ingredients company Danisco announced this week that it has
achieved second place in Dow Jones' new global sustainability index
for food manufacturers, the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.
Keeping customers loyal can be better achieved by offering them the
lowest prices rather than gimmicks such as loyalty card schemes,
according to Asda citing data from a new survey from NOP. Not what
Sainsbury wanted to hear as it...
US manufacturer and marketer of health ingredients Nurture has
launched an oat-based ingredient that they claim could enable
manufacturers to make an Food and Drug Administration heart health
claim on their foods, beverages and supplements.
Dutch retailer Royal Ahold said on Thursday that its US Foodservice
subsidiary would acquire certain assets of US distributor Lady
Baltimore Foods for an undisclosed amount.
Pregnancy may lower a woman's risk of cancer but drinking milk
could raise it, researchers reported on Tuesday. Both factors, as
well as the use of hormone replacement therapy, affect levels of a
hormone that may influence the...
Dairy farmers in UK received a boost this week with the decision of
several retail groups to increase milk prices. But the long term
problems will remain unless the middle men - milk processors - can
be persuaded to pay more for their...
The US Georgia Department of Agriculture said this week that its
inspectors will be checking food warehouses and supermarket shelves
to make sure some boxes of cereal that were incorrectly labelled
are removed from sale, Commissioner...
Following recent calls for controls on the widespread incidence of
the common food bug Campylobacter, Safefood, a body that
encompasses Northern Ireland and Eire and that sets out to promote
food safety, held a meeting at the University...
What role do antioxidants play in preventing age-related diseases?
What changes occur in the human body when it ages? A European
funded study, co-ordinated by the UK Institute of Food Research in
Norwich, is currently trying to tackle...
Starch derivatives company Cerestar, recently acquired by US
agribusiness Cargill, claims this week that it has met the
challenge to develop a gum type that differs from typical gelatine
and starch gums. According to the company sales...
Purchases and new production facilities have so far marked the
healthy growth of Dutch life science company DSM in 2002. This week
the company announced further acquisitions with the purchase of the
food coatings activities of Vaessen...
Laurent-Perrier Champagne has released a new version of its Grand
Siecle La Cuvee wine in the US, at the same time reducing the price
to around €80 a bottle in a bid to attract greater numbers of
consumers to high quality wines.
Speaking this week at the Informal Agriculture Council in Nyborg,
Denmark, David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer
Protection, said that innovation in the farming and food sector is
a vital issue to which Europe will need...
A loyalty card programme from food retailer Sainsbury and
compatriot groups Debenhams, BP and Barclaycard is to be launched
next week with the ambitious target of attracting half of the UK's
households in its first year. But...
The presence of botanical ingredients in beverages and foods is
certainly an increasing trend that looks set to continue in the
near future. A conference to be held by UK food research
organisation Leatherhead Food RA will address...
The lawyer representing an overweight New Yorker in a court case
against four fast food chains has filed a second class action case
on behalf of overweight children, reports AdAge.com.
Confectionery maker Hershey Foods on Monday was downgraded to
"neutral" from "buy" by Merrill Lynch, which cited concern that a
sale of the company could prompt Hershey to give up powerful
licensed brands such...
Raw garlic consumption could help limit the damage done to the
heart after surgery because of its natural antioxidant properties,
according to a new study published this week.
Scientific research would suggest that the colorants called
anthocyanins in strong-coloured berries like red berries,
blueberries and blackcurrants may have a role in preventing heart
disease. A three-year European-funded collaborative...
Organic fruit sales continue to rise in France as consumer demand
for organic fresh produce remains buoyant, write market analysts
Organic Monitor this week. In spite of flagging growth in other
organic categories, organic fresh fruit...
Those European retailers with the biggest international spread -
Carrefour and Tesco - top the latest rankings, but the continued
downturn in the global economy means that this policy of expansion
is not without its risks, according...
Archer Daniels Midland, the leading US ethanol producer, on Friday
won conditional approval from US antitrust authorities to acquire
privately owned Minnesota Corn Processors LLC, a smaller rival.
Potential buyers for US confectionery giant Hershey are close to
putting their bids on the table, despite ongoing legal hitches,
sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.
UK food, ingredients and retail group Associated British Foods
(ABF) announced on Friday that the minority shareholders of its
Australian subsidiary, George Weston Foods Limited, have voted in
favour of a proposal for a selective...
Following the concretisation of a European Directive for chocolate
regulations, due to come into force in Europe in the summer of
2003, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) said this week that it is
to host a short seminar to discuss...
Swiss life science company Lonza has agreed to sell its fatty acid
and glycerine operation in Ohio, USA to oleochemical producers Twin
Rivers Technologies.
The creation of a new European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is a
major component of the legal and organisational reforms to tackle
food safety in Europe. When the Council of Ministers recently
announced the composition of the new...
A rumoured takeover bid for beleaguered food retailer Safeway by
larger rival Asda has been dismissed as speculation by both chains.
But Safeway's problems continue and an eventual buy out cannot be
ruled out entirely.
A proposal which would have meant an increase in beer and wine
duties in some EU countries and a sharp reduction in others has
been scrapped by the Commission in the face of fierce opposition.
British consumers are increasingly concerned about food safety, but
the government's efforts to get the message across are falling
largely on deaf ears. Instead, food manufacturers and,
increasingly, retailers are being called...
A campaign to urge all food premises to find out where their food
comes from has been launched by the Food Safety Authority of
Ireland. The FSAI says it wants food premises to buy products only
from suppliers who operate to the highest...
Chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as ME) may be caused by a
chemical imbalance in the brain, find doctors, who suggest that
taking daily fish oil supplements may help to alleviate some of the
symptoms associated with the condition
A recent survey carried out in the UK shows that food safety is
becoming an increasingly important part of consumers' habits,
according to a report by Mintel.
French starch and starch derivative company Cerestar, recently
taken over by US agribusiness Cargill, has launched a new
ingredient for gelatine-free dairy desserts. C*Delight from
Cerestar Food and PharmaSpecialities is a starch-based...
Food ingredient company Nutrinova has won a legal battle against
Zhangjiagang Hope Chemicals for infringement of it's European
patent for the manufacture of the high intensity sweetener
Acesulfame K (AcK).
All members of the board of Japanese company Duskin have tended
letters of resignation over the use of a banned additive in food
sold at Mister Donuts, a subsidiary, the firm said on Thursday,
reports the Daily Yomiuri.
Belgium's Interbrew has acquired the US rights to its Bass Ale
brand, bringing a premature end to an earlier agreement with
Diageo. The comapny also reported a slide in profits in the first
half, despite some good performances...
Shares in food giant Nestle jumped 2.8 per cent on Wednesday as
investors bet a US court would intervene in the sale of Hershey
Foods, reducing the odds that Nestle would overpay for the
chocolate icon.
A new energy bar with guarana has been launched by UK confectionery
group Cadbury Schweppes, the first 'mainstream' chocolate bar to
enter the energy market. Boost Guarana is said to offer as much
extra energy as an energy...
