Smart risk management moves guided the world's leading oilseed
processor Bunge to a massive 75 per cent rise in income for the
first quarter as the price of soybeans reached 15 year highs on
poor crop harvests last year.
Cafédirect, the UK's largest supplier of ethical tea and coffee
under the Fairtrade mark, has reported record sales for the year to
end March - a performance which confirms the growing importance of
ethical food and drink products...
After a decade of concentrating on the ready-to-drink sector,
leading alcohol brand owners in the UK are turning their attention
to other segments as RTD sales begin to stagnate. Widespread growth
in the liqueur market means that...
Convenience store operator Costcutter is confident that its
business model is the right one to face the increasing challenge
from the major multiples in the small store sector - and that it
can persuade increasing numbers of store...
Spearing growth in the speciality starch and health ingredients
domain MGP Ingredients links up with Penford Corporation to market
a new potato-based resistant starch for increasing fibre and
reducing carbohydrate levels in food products....
Poor sales by a number of its leading brands have left results at
Anglo-Dutch food and consumer goods group Unilever well short of
its ambitious growth targets, with the impact of the Atkins diet
fad and weak global economies to blame...
Russia's leading dairy and juice producer has declared a steady
increase in its quarterly production output as well as a
reaffirmation of its Standard & Poors rating.
The mayonnaise industry continues to feel the impact of steep price
rises for the primary ingredients used in the formulation of the
popular salad condiment. In parallel, alternative ingredients are
starting to grow in popularity...
Tesco, Britain's leading food retailer, has this week reaffirmed
its intention of becoming a major player in the Asian supermarket
sector with the announcement of another acquisition there. But the
deal came not, as expected,...
The board of leading UK symbol group Londis has decided for the
second time in six months to recommend a takeover bid from
Ireland's Musgrave, owner of the Budgens convenience store chain.
Although Musgrave's bid was not...
Icelandic-Lativian confectionery producer Laima has confirmed that
it is about to start caramel production in Uzbekistan in an attempt
to fend off increased competition once enlargement has taken place.
The impact of EU expansion for processors and traders in both the
current and new member states of the European Union is the focus of
a new report that predicts the new member states are well
positioned in the long term because of...
The countdown begins to new food allergen labelling rules in Europe
that herald an end to the 20 year old '25 per cent' rule. Taken
together with escalating incidences of food allergies, new
opportunities have arisen in...
Kraft Foods is to close its Terry's confectionery manufacturing
plant and warehouse in York, UK, and transfer production to
alternative facilities in Western and Central Europe. The closure
is expected to take place in the second...
German speciality chemicals firm Degussa is investing €10 million
in a new research and development centre in Shanghai, where its
numerous business units, including food ingredients, will seek to
develop products targeted for the...
Leading producers of baby food in China are continuing efforts to
reassure consumers as the scandal over fake baby food that is said
to have killed dozens of babies unfolds, report Simon Pitman and
Danny Vincent.
A recent market reports shows that in the Czech Republic - one of
the most developed markets in Central and Eastern Europe - the
consumption of soft drinks is rapidly catching up with the western
Europe average.
Sabaté has this week unveiled the successful results of a trial of
a new natural closure which it claims should remove the risk of
wine taint caused by compounds in cork - good news for the vast
majority of wine drinkers who still...
Brandishing the banner for genetically modified foods, a leading
scientist this week warns that by 2050 conventional crops will not
be enough to feed the 9 billion mouths.
Eastern European countries are starting to experience major growth
in the organic food market on the back of growing domestic demand
and exportation to western Europe. Simon Pitman spoke to the
Organic Monitor to find out more.
In one of the EU's most expensive food retail markets, Sweden's
Axfood group is to merge its supermarket and convenience store
businesses in a bid to cut costs and lower its prices - vital if it
is to see the same level...
Commodities from fair trade sources will play a key role in future
growth for food manufacturers, with a new report finding the vast
majority of British consumers are influenced by ethical issues when
they buy food products. Genetically...
European regulators have forced Germany to rethink its
controversial - and commercially damaging - deposit system for
one-way packaging, ruling that it contravened regulations on the
free movement of goods between EU member states....
Scotch whisky exports reached their second highest level ever in
2003, confirming Scotland's favourite spirit as one the biggest
sources of revenue for the UK manufacturing sector and the
government's coffers. All the more...
Latvian fruit and vegetable processing company Pure Food says that
it has reached an agreement with a major Chinese shopping chain to
supply its products there.
Offices of bakery ingredients and sweeteners giant CSM were raided
yesterday by the Dutch competition watchdog NMa on suspicions of
price fixing in the firms sugar division CSM Suiker. In a parallel
raid, the NMa hit leading Dutch...
Britain's supermarkets are not doing enough to support the
country's organic farming industry, buying in produce from abroad
despite sufficient supplies in the domestic market, claims the Soil
Association. But there are...
Flavours and extracts firm Frutarom has gained the worldwide
marketing rights to a range of natural antioxidants made by
Israel's RAD Natural Technologies, boosting its offering to health
and functional food makers.
Britain's number one food retail group Tesco surged further ahead
of its rivals in fiscal 2004 with double-digit increases in both
sales and profits. Performances improved in all four of Tesco's key
growth sectors, and with...
Britain's Co-op group has laid down a challenge to larger rivals
Tesco and Sainsbury, highlighting its "determination to
grow" in the convenience store sector after the successful
integration of two recent acquisitions,...
A new initiative has been launched this month in the UK to assess
the levels of product availability in a number of supermarket
chains. But unlike previous assessments, the latest survey will
focus on consumers' perception of...
Packaging plays an increasingly important role in the marketing of
new - and existing - food and beverage brands, but few companies
consider the benefits of keeping ahead of the competition in the
anything other than the short term,...
An increase in sales volumes, favourable currency conversions and
improved pricing helped the US maker of syrups for soft drinks,
Corn Products International, offset the rising price of corn in the
first quarter. But as global corn...
The Bulgarian meat processing sector still has a long way to go if
it is to meet EU standards by the country's 2007 target entry date,
say industry experts.
French dairy giant Yoplait and its Israeli partner Tnuva are said
to be in advanced negotiations to establish a dairy venture in
Romania, according to reports.
US colours and flavours group Sensient continues to feel the impact
of soft markets in North American food and beverage segments,
particularly synthetic colours, posting a further drop in income
for the first quarter of 2004. Pressure...
Savings on milk ingredients are slated for Nestle as the Swiss
giant expands its South American agreement with New Zealand's milk
group the Fonterra Co-operative. In the second phase of a joint
venture alliance, the two titans...
Troubled Dutch retailer Ahold ended 2003 with losses of €1 million
- a major improvement on the €2.1 billion losses a year earlier -
but stressed that there would be further hardship ahead in 2004
before the real benefits of its Road...
Sweden's Vin & Sprit (V&S) is to launch the first
ready-to-drink variant of its popular Absolut vodka brand in the
Canadian market. The launch comes at a time when global RTD sales
are on the decline, but the company...
Guyenne & Gascogne, the French retail group which operates a
number of stores under the Carrefour banner, suffered the same
downturn in sales at its French outlets in 2003 as the larger group
under whose fascia it trades - and...
International Swiss trading company Glencore has plans to invest up
to €80 million in an effort to establish a Russian grain business,
which according to press reports will be called International Grain
Company.
Cargill is adding to its growing investment portfolio in Russia
with the announcement that it is to build an edible oil extraction
plant in the Voronezh region, according to regional director Semyon
Khariton.
African gum stocks dropped off at the end of 2003 driving up prices
for acacia gum - a natural emulsifier used extensively in food and
beverage applications - squeezing margins for manufacturers. French
hydrocolloid firm Colloides...
In a new move to drive sales and carve a position in the growing
health foods market, US supplier of ingredients to the bakery
industry FACT corporation will directly target the consumer through
a line of bakery mixes.
Sugar prices look set to rise in the accession countries by up to
60 per cent, warns the European chocolate and confectionery body
CAOBISCO this week, predicting major set backs for food
manufacturers installed in the zone. The warning...
Risk management helped US firm Cargill achieve a 7 per cent rise in
profit for the three months to February this year despite tougher
trading conditions that saw raw material prices rising, a knock in
demand for soy through Asian...
One of China's leading producers of milk powder and soybean
products, American Dairy, has got off to a strong start following
its formation in May 2003 and subsequent acquisition of Beibei
Foodstuff in November.
Having announced strong half-yearly results, Malaysian Palm Oil
producer Golden Hope says that it will be looking to markets such
as China to exploit its growing oleochemicals division in an effort
to increase its presence in the...
Quarterly figures from both Marks & Spencer and Iceland
released this week show that high street retailers are coming under
increasing pressure from the leading players, not only because of
the latter's relentless move into...
The US grocery market is currently undergoing something of a
technological revolution, with Wal-Mart requiring all its main
suppliers to use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to keep
track of deliveries throughout the supply...
