Carbery believes that its new corporate structure will enable the
dairy ingredients giant to tap growing demand for added value
products and provide a one-stop-shop for manufacturers.
Tate & Lyle believes that developing a better understanding of
food manufacturing concerns will enable the company to deliver
better ingredient solutions.
Unless the food industry accepts that emotional connections drive
consumer decisions about what is and what is not acceptable, full
public confidence will be hard to restore.
The Slovak government has asked the European Commission to extend
its inquiry into Tesco and Carrefour's proposed supermarket swap,
fuelling speculation of a burgeoning reluctance to give global
retailers free rein in new markets.
German discounter Lidl has become the second grocer this month to
bear the brunt of French legislation, in a move to protect
suppliers from the excessive demands of powerful retailers.
Fierce price wars between the UK's leading supermarkets has
squeezed grocery prices, saving consumers £3 billion in shopping
bills but impacting on suppliers' profitability, according to new
research by Verdict.
The world's leading retailer may be set to move into Germany's
discount market in a bid to salvage its position in the country and
strengthen its presence in Europe.
Commoditisation and the dominance of price over all other
considerations has driven hydrocolloid prices downwards for the
last 20 years, according to an industry expert.
Unilever said yesterday that it had signed a deal with Maaf
Assurances that will see the French insurer reimbursing
policyholders for consumption of its cholesterol-lowering Pro-Activ
range.
If the EU keeps hiding its agriculture sector behind huge pay
cheques instead of devoting more time to food research funding, the
bloc's whimpering and wailing will only get worse.
UK sales of organic products continue to grow much faster than
sales in the non-organic grocery market, though imports could
threaten local production.
Global retail giant Carrefour has issued €750 million worth of
bonds to refinance debts, suggesting that the company is still
struggling under European market pressure.
Declining profits at Greencore's ingredients and agribusiness
division suggest that the Irish food company might consider
focusing on its more profitable convenience sector.
In the face of rising production costs, global food producer Heinz
defied sceptics to announce a better than expected quarterly profit
rise, thanks to a major European reshuffle and ambitious
acquisition programme.
UK retail giant Tesco is today playing down rumours of a
multi-billion pound deal to acquire 49 per cent of leading American
grocery chain Meijer, amid growing concern that the company's
domestic dominance is damaging British...
The FAO director-general's call for support to reform the
bureaucracy of the organisation and make it more responsive follows
years of criticism of the UN agency.
Using RFID and improving packaging design could help UK
supermarkets save £1.9 billion (€2.7bn) in lost sales every year
because of supply chain problems, says a new survey from the
Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD).
Innovative dairy ingredients are increasingly being used in
nutritional-focused applications and are showing significant growth
rates according to a new study.
Biotech associations from five European countries have joined an
initiative aimed at creating and developing globally competitive
R&D-driven companies.
Frutarom's continuing trend of increased sales and profitability
vindicates the Israeli flavour firm's rapid expansion within
certain strategic geographic regions.
Online grocery pioneer Ocado believes it has the most innovative
business model to tap the booming e-tail sector, as the UK's top
supermarkets compete for custom.
UK speciality cake and bread maker Finsbury Foods has snapped up
two Scottish bakers following an impressive financial performance
which allowed the company to amass a £10 million war chest to spend
on acquisitions.
Uniq's new chief executive has deemed the convenience food
supplier's performance in the UK to be "unacceptable", blaming
problems integrating a newly acquired business for its first half
operating loss of £9.6...
Organic food sales in the UK are growing by £2.3 million (€3.2m)
each week but supermarkets' share of the thriving £1.2 billion
market is falling as consumers turn to local producers, says a new
report.
Rising energy and transport costs have driven up hydrocolloid
prices, but food makers could benefit if suppliers invest in
innovative product development.
Britain's Northern Foods has posted a first-half profit rise of 5.8
per cent, following the introduction of a company-wide 'Get Fit'
streamlining campaign to drive profit margins and rationalise
operations.
Israel Chemicals (ICL's) acquisition of US speciality phosphates
firm Astaris will give the firm a foothold in the lucrative North
American ingredients market.
Analysts reveal mixed views over the future of the European
hypermarket format, amidst growing market pressure from competition
watchdogs, discount retailers and planning legislators.
Despite some important concessions, Japan remains unlikely to open
up to the full rigours of the global free market just yet, to the
frustration of western commodity firms.
Alcohol retailers across Europe could be hit by European Commission
plans to tighten controls surrounding the sale and marketing of
alcohol products in a bid to tackle underage drinking.
Privately held retailers and convenience stores in the UK have
condemned a plan to extend Sunday trading hours, claiming it will
bring the industry one step closer to complete domination by
leading retail giants such as Tesco.
Marks and Spencers and Sainsburys are sending senior managers on a
new training course that promises to teach mainstream business
leaders about the ethics of product sourcing in a bid to improve
supply chain relations.
Today's board meeting at Parmalat, the first since Enrico Bondi was
appointed as chief executive last week, will help to determine
which direction the Italian dairy giant goes from here.
Burns Philp's plan to raise A$2.1 billion (€1.3 billion) from a
share offering in its Goodman Fielder business underlines the
group's ambitions to dominate the Australasian ingredients market.
After all the increased safety procedures put in place over the
past decade, one might have been lulled into thinking that
poisonings and deaths from food contamination would be rarer than
before. While it is true that the new regulatory...
The UK department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra)
claims that there is strong support for EU sugar reform, though
opinion across Europe remains divided.
