British confectionery manufacturer and retailer Thorntons suffered
along with most of the UK's retail sector over the Christmas
period, but its first half results were buoyed by an otherwise
solid performance from products sold...
A clear demonstration of its faith in the growing whey-based
ingredients market, DMV International will pour nearly €60 million
into upgraded processing and food ingredients operations in The
Netherlands, reports Lindsey Partos.
Britain's biggest food retailer Tesco is being accused of delaying
an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading into the oft-fraught
relationship between food suppliers and their retail customers,
reports Chris Jones.
South Africa has slapped an import tariff on Irish cheese, alleging
that dumping has priced domestic cheese producers out of the market
and also led to a 15 per cent fall in milk prices, Tom Armitage
reports.
Prices for a number of key food ingredients in Russia have risen in
January and February, according to a recent survey, and supply
difficulties are expected to keep costs high for the foreseeable
future, reports Angela Drujinina.
The completion of its nationwide distribution network and increased
investment in advertising helped brewer Baltic Beverages Holding to
shrug off a difficult first half for its Russian brewing business
and end the year with an increase...
German retailer Rewe has made two acquisitions in eastern Europe
this week, strengthening its position in the Slovak and Croat
supermarket sectors, writes Chris Jones.
The Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling company, which this week announced
solid sales growth led by emerging markets in Eastern Europe, has
confirmed its interest in Serbia's second largest mineral water
bottler as the company plans...
Diageo, the world's biggest spirit group, has announced a drop in
first half profits, caused by foreign exchange rates, weak demand
in Europe and the continued decline of the ready-to-drink segment,
writes Chris Jones.
With the countdown extended, talks continue this week in Geneva
between the US and Brussels to move the entrenched trade dispute on
genetically modified organisms forward.
A new study reminds food manufacturers that the distinct €14
billion children's food and drink market must not be "overlooked",
with opportunities still ripe in a host of product sectors,
reports Lindsey Partos.
DSM, the largest food fermentation company in the world (in value
terms) sees its combined food units beating industry growth for the
year, but bakery still under pressure, reports Lindsey
Partos.
There are rich pickings for food makers focusing on innovative
products for the breakfast market, as a UK think tank finds less
than one in five consumers actually enjoys the first meal of the
day.
Swiss Research believes it has created the "holy grail" of
sweeteners, a natural alternative to the synthetic varieties
frequently lambasted by the media, it officially announced on
Tuesday, Philippa Nuttall reports.
Campina, the ambitious owner of dairy ingredients supplier DMV
International, will buy Belgian milk fat specialist Aveve Zuivel,
in a deal that brings the Dutch firm a new platform for innovations
in butter oil specialities, and improved...
Strong sales growth at a young, up-market coffee and sandwich chain
in Poland, Latvia and the Czech Republic reveals opportunities for
suppliers and retailers as rising economic prosperity points to a
growing eastern European 'Starbucks...
The number of imported chocolate products into Switzerland has
increased for the fourth year running - but will the EU's looming
CAP reforms soon bring this burgeoning trend to an end, asks Tom
Armitage.
Merrydown, the British beverage group whose focus on adult soft
drinks has helped it overcome the declining fortunes of cider, has
agreed to a takeover by SHS, a consumer goods sales and marketing
specialist. The group hopes that...
Non-carbonated soft drinks in emerging Eastern European markets,
especially Russia, held up sales growth during a challenging period
for the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), despite a €49
million one-off charge sending...
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will encourage
Uzbekistan to implement economic reforms by pledging nearly €3
million to improve quality and double capacity at a private
domestic brewer, reports Chris Mercer.
InBev has spread rapidly beyond the borders of its native Belgium
in the last few years, with major acquisitions in Asia, Latin
America and Europe. But the world's biggest brewer is not always
successful in its takeover bids,...
US agri-food firm Cargill will consolidate its position in raw
materials - the building blocks for a range of common ingredients
also supplied by the company - with the acquisition of Italian firm
Pagnan.
Ter Beke is reported to be interested in buying some of Sara Lee's
French and Benelux charcuterie businesses, a move that would
further consolidate the Belgian food processor's market presence in
Northern Europe.
Global stocks of soybeans continue to rise after last year's price
spiking draw-down, with oilseed production for 2004-05 projected to
reach 390.2 million tonnes, providing a 'comfort-zone' for
inventory levels.
A landmark settlement on trans fats in the US last week will incite
global food makers, fearful of litigation, to delve further into
new food formulations that use alternative ingredients to eliminate
harmful fatty acids, reports...
The British arm of Nestlé has become the latest food producer to
revamp its nutrition labels, yet the country's food industry is on
rocky ground by entrenching its support for guideline daily amounts
against the government's...
Sales are down but profits have perked up for chemical giant
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) with National Starch bringing a
considerable chunk to the growth.
Prices for key raw materials used by the food industry are lighter
this month on gains in wheat, corn and soybean inventories, but
analysts suggests wheat prices are open to upside risk.
The hurricanes that swept through the US last year caused great
devastation to many crops. Grapefruit prices, in particular,
soared, provoking flavor companies including IFF to come up with
alternatives, Philippa Nuttall reports.
Increasing affluence and changes in diet in China to open up new
opportunites for European yeast extract suppliers, but the threat
from Chinese suppliers has kicked off, writes Lindsey
Partos.
Tate & Lyle's Splenda brand in the news again this week as
McNeil Nutritionals, the table-top supplier of this increasingly
popular sweetener, takes the US sugar industry to court.
Cheese manufacturers operating in the UK's £2.6 billion cheese
market could benefit from increased product diversity on the
supermarket shelves, finds a recent industry - consumer event
organised by dairy ingredients firm DSM,...
A piecemeal approach to investing in a global web of suppliers,
producers and distributors can result in significant loss of
potential profit, claims a new report.
Bunge, the biggest processor of oilseed in the world, was extremely
upbeat about its results yesterday, despite volatility in the
fourth quarter keeping profit back to five percent, writes
Philippa Nuttall.
The Altay-Batyushka brand from Russia's Hleb Altaya (Altay Bread)
group has been voted the best food product from the Altay region,
the bread basket of Russia. Angela Drujinina reports.
Russia's Yarpivo brewery is to start relaunch its Arzik mineral
water, the first of a number of non-alcoholic beverage initiatives
planned for 2005, Angela Drujinina writes.
Set to see sugar profits dip with incoming European sugar reform,
Danisco's announcement last week to acquire enzyme player Genencor
is the latest in a string of acquisitions that will go some way to
bridging the sales gap, writes...
Edible oils market in the UK undergoes change as Anglo-Dutch
conglomerate Unilever announces plans to divest its seed oils and
cooking fats business to canned fish and meat firm Princes.
In response to growing demand for amino acids, Japanese food
fermentation leader Ajinomoto ramps up production of amino acids
for food and pharmaceuticals, with a €40 million investment in a
new Brazilian plant.
With the Russian authorities keener than ever to clamp down on the
widespread advertising of alcoholic drinks in a bid to curb a
growing health problem, drinks producers are looking for new ways
to promote their wares without falling...
Marketers of fast moving consumer goods in Russia may now think
twice about using free samples to promote their products, following
a decision to tax them. Angela Drujinina reports.
Russia's grain sector is going from strength to strength, and 2005
looks set to be a year of great opportunity for domestic and
international companies alike. Angela Drujinina reports .
Sales and consumer awareness of sweetener from UK manufacturer Tate
& Lyle look set to rise as number one global soft drinks player
launches a new version of Diet Coke, complete with Splenda
sucralose logo on the packaging, writes...