Privately owned Gelnex, which pioneered the production of type A
pork skin gelatin in South America, has recently opened a beefskin
gelatin plant in Brazil. Philippa Nuttall spoke to the
company's CEO about the challenges the...
This week's Ingredients Russia show in Moscow will highlight the
importance of healthy food, a sector which has seen spectacular
growth in western Europe over the last few years. But structural
problems continue to dominate the...
The rise of snacks as grazing food has seen the Czech Republic,
recently identified by the European Commission as having the
longest working hours in Europe, emerge as one of the region's most
dynamic savoury snacks markets,...
Azerbaijan's largest dairy company is set to double its production
capacity after securing outside funding worth nearly €4.4 million
to help the firm hold off competition from imports and safeguard
domestic farmers' incomes,...
A young, up-market coffee and sandwich chain has used a steady
sales rise and promising economic growth in host countries Poland,
Latvia and the Czech Republic to defend its policy of working at a
loss to pursue aggressive expansion...
Unilever Bestfoods UK will change the formulation of its 100 year
old Bovril food product replacing the product's core beef
ingredient with a yeast mix, reports Lindsey Partos.
Azerbaijan's largest dairy company is set to double its production
capacity after securing outside funding worth nearly €4.4 million
to help the firm hold off competition from imports and safeguard
domestic farmers' incomes,...
Job cuts and production consolidation for the number four flavours
group Symrise as the equity fund-owned firm says nearly 600 jobs
will go by the end of 2006.
Food makers can expect to see the price of hydrocolloids continue
to move upwards as suppliers, knocked by squeezed commodity
supplies coupled with higher energy and transport costs, pass rises
onto the market.
The ingredients division of Danish cultures and colours firm Chr.
Hansen pulled in a DKK 369 million (€49m) profit for the year on
sales of DKK 3.4 billion (€460m), a slight dip on the previous year
on rising costs.
Biodegradable plastic bags have been developed in Canada, but
evidence from Ireland suggests that the most effective means of
cutting down on plastic bag pollution is to introduce a tax.
Anthony Fletcher reports.
A soaring premium beer market in Russia and growing consumption in
Poland and Romania are driving forward a major international
brewer's European profits by offsetting problems in Hungary and
Slovakia, writes Chris Mercer.
Hungarian food canner Globus has dropped into the red in the third
quarter of 2004, with pressure on prices and the sale of a
production facility contributing to the poor performance. But a
steady move in Hungary towards higher added-value...
International Flavors & Fragrances says it is planning the
construction of a new specialty ingredients manufacturing plant in
China, in a move that aims to boost global production capacity.
Falling pasta sales at leading US company American Italian Pasta
reflect an industry-wide problem and demonstrate how a low-carb
legacy may still undermine foods with a higher carbohydrate
content, as Chris Mercerdiscovers.
Traffic light labelling would be a primitive, unworkable and
pointless way of highlighting unhealthy foods according to the UK
food industry, speaking in reaction to the newly published
government policy paper on public health. Chris...
Ochakovo has became the first Russian brewing company to enter the
Latin American market, exporting a range of products to Ecuador as
the first phase of a continent-wide rollout, writes Angela
Drujinina.
Emerging soft drink markets in Russia and Romania have helped the
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company to post steady third quarter
profit increases, despite problems elsewhere in eastern Europe.
An EU-funded congress will provide a platform for discussions on
future research on organic - with a particular focus on organic
farming, food quality and human health.
Danisco Flavours has said that it will double its flavour
production in Asia with the construction of a brand new production
facility at its existing emulsifier and functional systems plant in
Penang, Malaysia.
Russian juice brand Dobriy was one of just a handful of food and
beverage products to win an award at this year's Brand of the Year
ceremony held recently in Moscow. Despite a somewhat old fashioned
image, the brand continues...
Russia's Sedmoi Kontinent has become the country's first retail
group to float on the stock market - a move widely seen as a bid to
raise cash for expansion before the expected influx of western
chains, as Chris Jones reports.
Ambitious Israeli flavours firm Frutarom has doubled its net profit
in the first nine months of the year after bolt-on acquisitions
brought rapid growth to a company that has clear ambitions to
become one of the top ten flavour firms.
A leading distributor of alcoholic drinks in Poland has announced a
strong third quarter sales rise driven by wine and spirits imports
and a less regulated Polish market. But figures must get even
better for the company to achieve...
Carrefour, the giant French retail group, has extended its presence
in the Polish market with an agreement to buy 13 stores formerly
operated by Dutch rival Ahold, writes Chris Jones.
Innovation pushed from flavour firms operating in this competitive
sector brings food developers new opportunities to improve the
final product as ICI flavour subsidiary Quest International,
streamlined in May this year through the...
Increasing competition on the xanthan gum market leads Danish
ingredients firm Danisco to cut jobs at the recently acquired
Rhodia Food activities in France.
Agribusiness Bunge last week announced the formation of an alliance
with Procter & Gamble and Peter Cremer North America to produce
and market cholesterol-reducing phytosterol ingredients for
pharmaceuticals and foods.
A slump in international sales means that Coca-Cola is set to
switch its focus to the China market in an effort to sustain
growth. The company said that with current economic growth
continuing apace, China should be its third biggest...
The new interest in protein, one of this year's biggest food
formulation trends, has been supported by ingredient innovation,
with proteins stealing the majority of nominations for the Health
Ingredients Europe awards presented...
Germany's two largest dairies have terminated an agreement to
merge. Nordmilch, Germany's leading dairy co-operative, and Humana
Milchunion were set to merge in January 2005, but since have cited
"timing" and "restructuring...
Rising prices and transport costs are looming for UK millers and
bakers as final results on the rain-drenched UK grain harvest
confirm that yields are up but quality is at its lowest for 10
years in some regions, reports Chris Mercer.
High energy costs bite into margins for the number one pectin
player CP Kelco with the company passing the prices onto the
market, announcing increases for a range of hydrocolloids in its
portfolio.
The Schwartz Group has acquired another plot of land in Bulgaria
where it plans to construct a new Kaufland hypermarket. After years
of delays, the first Kaufland outlets are due to open next year,
helped by new investment incentives...
Exceptional charges relating to a major overhaul of its UK business
took their toll on first half sales at Uniq, the chilled foods
group - and the firm is now looking increasingly vulnerable to a
takeover from stalking horse, Duke...
Stella Artois, the flagship brand in Interbrew UK, continues to
steal market share from its rivals, overtaking Holsten to become
the number three premium packaged lager brand in the British
on-trade, according to data from AC Nielsen.
In what could prove a useful insight for companies such as
Sainsbury, whose stores seem to be in a permanent state of
refitting, market research group Mintel has today revealed that
British shoppers are most interested in getting...
Cocoa prices have leapt in London, driven by fears that instability
in Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global crops,
could impact supplies.
Danone is entering the UK market this month with its first product
containing plant sterols. Joining another industry heavyweight
Unilever, the move underlines the potential of the
cholesterol-lowering category and also signals increasing...
A new Danish farm to fork food strategy urged the Danish Parliament
to free up funding to investigate the key role biotechnology could
play in designing better tasting, safer, foods, and ultimately the
opportunity for higher quality,...
Barry Callebaut, the world's top supplier of industrial chocolate
to the confectionery industry, has delivered strong profit for the
year, boosted by the integration of recently acquired US
confectionery firm Brach's and...
Norwegian firm Orkla has closed in on a takeover deal for Finnish
snack firm Chips with a view to dominating established snack
industries in Scandinavia and rising markets in Russia, writes
Chris Mercer.
UK food and ingredients firm Associated British Foods has beaten
full year profit expectations after posting double-digit growth
against a backdrop of firmer commodity pricing and adverse currency
movements. The performance underlines...
Last month Plzensky Prazdroj, the biggest Czech brewer, announced
that it was to hike the price of all of its domestic beer brands,
reversing a reduction made in May. But fears that other brewers
would follow suit appear to be unfounded.
Hungarian canned food producer Globus has continued its westward
expansion, taking a stake in Austrian food distributor Vital Food
this week, part of its new strategy designed to tighten is grip on
the route to market.
Sales for the ingredients arm of UK firm Associated British Foods
are expected to rise in the full year as the owner of British Sugar
sees strong growth, beating back raw material costs and adverse
currency movements.
The recent move to ban beer advertising in Russia is just one of a
number of challenges facing brewers there, but a recent survey of
the country's leading operators suggests that most of them are
relishing the challenges to come....
Russian confectionery group Mechta has launched a new premium
product line - the latest in a growing number of local producers
entering an upmarket segment which was once the sole domain of
western companies. Angela Drujinina reports.
