Swiss food giant Nestlé has boosted its Romanian production
capacity with the installation of a new chocolate wafer production
line at its Timisoara-based unit, Joe. The investment reflects the
rapid growth of the Romanian snack market,...
Looking for growth through anti-microbial solutions in light of
incoming EU rules, the venture capital arm of Danish ingredients
firm Danisco will invest in French food safety company TMI Europe.
China's fast-growing retail sector could offer a golden opportunity
for western companies - but only those that understand the
challenges faced in catering to the Chinese consumer.
Coke war drives innovation in diet drink sweetener formulations
with the number one soft drinks player Coca-Cola rolling out a new
aspartame and acesulfame potassium based cola onto the market,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Spice company McCormick said yesterday that its Q1 profits and
sales were lower than expected, pushed down by struggling vanilla
prices, but remained confident for the rest of the year, writes
Philippa Nuttall.
Cloetta Fazer, the Swedish confectionery group, has finally lost
patience with its perennially underperforming Polish unit, deciding
to close the Gdansk-based company after failing to elicit an
improvement in its performance, writes...
Danisco's move into the number two global enzyme position is
delayed as the Danish ingredients firm extends its takeover offer
for remaining slice of Genencor International, reports Lindsey
Partos.
The UK government has announced a regulation overhaul across many
industries, including the food sector, promising less inspections
and more incentives for firms with a good record on quality
standards, but a crackdown on those breaking...
Global beverage giant PepsiCo, aiming to push diet drinks to
appease calorie-conscious consumers, will follow arch-rival
Coca-Cola by re-launching its Pepsi One brand with Tate &
Lyle's Splenda sweetener, reports Chris Mercer.
Chr Hansen last week launched an ingredient aimed at meat producers
whose foods suffer from a lack of flavor after functional blends
and water are added to optimize their recipes, writes Philippa
Nuttall.
Compound ingredients for the snack industry, inulin and sugar
activities lift operating profit in 2004 for Dutch ingredients and
foodstuffs group Royal Cosun.
Reflecting the booming market for trans fatty acid alternatives,
speciality oil supplier ADM ramps up production of its zero/low
trans-fat oils and margarines, for the second time in a year,
Lindsey Partos reports.
The publicity craze surrounding nutritional content and labelling
has helped these two issues replace BSE as the biggest food
concerns among an increasingly sceptical British public - warning
the food industry to stay on its toes,...
Against the backdrop of the massive sudan 1 product recall in the
UK, certain to lead to cumbersome costs for key firms involved,
Lindsey Partos asks whether the food industry players can
afford to opt out of product recall insurance.
A shift towards higher sales of premium products has helped
France's leading drinks group Pernod Ricard to post a 5.1 per cent
increase in net profits for 2004, shrugging off the impact of
exchange rate fluctuations.
The woman charged with co-ordinating food safety policy in the
Czech Republic talks exclusively to Anthony Fletcher about
the country's post-accession strategy and the importance of
consumer confidence.
Prague's Institute of Chemical Technology is home to one of
Europe's leading food technology departments, which has helped put
the Czech Republic at the cutting edge of food R&D, writes
Anthon Fletcher.
The Czech Republic, the first CEE country to be admitted into the
OECD, has attracted a large amount of foreign direct investment
(FDI) since 1990, making it the most successful new member state in
terms of FDI per capita, writes...
CEE-foodindustry.com caught up with Chr Hansen in Prague at
the beginning of a five-week marketing odyssey designed to bring
the company closer to the emerging markets of Eastern Europe.
EU accession has been the Czech food industry's biggest challenge
since the fall of the Communist regime in 1989, bringing with it
new challenges and threats, writes Anthony Fletcher.
The divisive issue of biotech food ingredients starts to gain pace
in China, as environmental group exposes two US food products on
the shelves found to contain a GM ingredient.
Danisco protects market position in Asia, completing a joint
venture deal in China to ramp up production of its xylitol
sweetenener, writes Lindsey Partos.
New voluntary labelling initiatives, a tighter advertising code and
increased investment in innovation could be on the way for food
manufacturers as the European Commission, along with a dozen
stakeholders, launches a platform to...
CEE-foodindustry.com was in Prague last week to report from
a country with one of the strongest economies of all the new member
states - a position it fully intends to exploit in the coming
years, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Orkla Foods Romania (OFR), the local subsidairy of Norwegian food
processor Orkla, has acquired one of Romania's biggest meat
processing groups in a bid to garner a market-leading position
there ahead of the country's expected...
Managers at Estonia's Estmilk dairy group have warned that the
company is on the verge of collapse after its Russian shareholder,
Nutritec, failed to inject funds into the ailing firm.
Greenpeace Russia has published a list of companies it claims are
using genetically modified (GM) ingredients in foods produced and
sold in Russia, but a lack of funds means that it may not be able
to achieve its goal of spreading...
Wineries are getting bigger and their businesses are therefore
exposed to greater risk. In a bid to help producers achieve greater
consistency, Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen has created blended
yeasts, writes Philippa Nuttall.
New opportunities have emerged for British wheat growers after an
industry association used a new classification system to
successfully negotiate the export of UK wheat to Egypt, the world's
second largest buyer, reports Chris...
Food makers and their suppliers will be wise to continue their
drive into Asian markets, with a new report revealing the region
will grow to achieve a 41 per cent slice of the global food retail
market in 2020, a leap from 33 per...
Arla Food Ingredients seeks entry into the high growth European
sweetener market, making a bid for regulatory approval of its low
calorie, milk derived ingredient tagatose, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Russia's consumer protection agency has refused to extend the
production licences for a number of energy drink brands produced by
the Czech firm Pinelli on the grounds that they could be harmful to
consumers' health, reports...
Ochakovo, one of Russia's best known brewers, has launched itself
into the wine market in an ambitious move to revive the flagging
fortunes of the country's wine industry, writes Angela
Drujinina.
Russia's rice producers are set to benefit from a new increase in
the duties levied on imported rice set to come into force at the
beginning of April, three months after the last duty regime ended.
But Russian rice importers...
EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel yesterday spoke
out against special arrangements for the new member states when the
EU adopts final proposals for sugar reform later this year,
reports Chris Mercer.
Equity firm-owned Symrise continues declared ambitions to become a
top three flavour player, announcing the acquisition of British
flavour manufacturer Flavours Direct, writes Lindsey Partos.
Facing the pressure of squeezed margins ICI-owned starch supplier
National Starch passes price rises onto the market, announcing an 8
to 10 per cent price hike for its tapioca based modified food
starches,reports Lindsey Partos.
Finnish vegetable oil maker Suomen Rehu strengthens market
synergies buying a majority stake in rapeseed and soy oil firm
Mildola Oy, writes Lindsey Partos.
Friesland Foods, the Dutch dairy group, is to expand its
ingredients operations in Indonesia through the acquisition of a
number of assets from a local rival - a move that will allow the
group to grow its business there at a fraction...
Cereal and snack producer Kellogg will have the edge over
arch-rival General Mills over the next few years as superior
innovations in the premium health sector and a more focused product
portfolio drive the firm forward, writes Chris...
In light of the current debate about the regulation of children's
food, Moscow-based market analysts Comcon carried out a survey of
Russian babies' eating habits, revealing that processed food
products are firmly on the...
Russia's consumer rights authority has released details of new
legislation designed to regulate the market for foods targeted
specifically at children in response to claims by manufacturers
that the lack of government rules was...
Chr Hansen's innovative Eastern European marketing campaign, which
kicks off today, should help the Czech Republic's dairy sector find
new ways of adding value to their products, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
Russia's ketchup market, one of the largest in the world, is
beginning to attract the attention of a number of international
players keen to take advantage of the sauce's perennial popularity.
But while Heinz is perhaps...
UK sugar and dairy powder firm Napier Brown Foods confirmed rumours
this week that it is in discussions that could lead to a possible
takeover, writes Lindsey Partos.
As a pending sale looms in the background, and after a patch of
fading sales and tighter margins, Danish vegetable fats supplier
Aarhus United is on the up, with the company marking improved
growth for 2004, writes Lindsey Partos.