Greggs, the specialist baked goods retailer, said last week that
growth in the booming British sandwich market was showing some
signs of slowing down and that it expected to see increasing
competition in this high added value sector.
Wheat, corn and soybean prices will remain high for much of 2004,
warns the US agency Fitch Ratings, with the industry likely to see
a continual shifting of higher ingredients costs onto the food
manufacturer. But tough negotiations...
US starch supplier MGP Ingredients witnesses the benefits of
'adding-value' to ingredients products with strong growth in
low-carb ingredients pushing demand for its resistant wheat starch
FiberStar 70.
British consumers are now drinking more bottled water than ever
before, attracted by the healthy image of the product. And it is
this image which is likely to protect natural mineral waters such
as Evian or Vittel from the impact...
Dutch retail group Ahold has finally negotiated the sale of its
Argentine unit Disco - to Cencosud, the Chilean retailer which had
originally agreed to buy the company back in November. After
withdrawing entirely from the Asian market...
The European Commission says that Polish food processing companies
are now making good progress towards reaching EU hygienic
standards. However, the latest reports from the country Agriculture
and Food Ministry suggest that the meat...
Parmalat Hungary has reported that its production is now starting
to increase, a sign that it is over the worst, perhaps. News that
the group has secured a $128 million US loan might also give the
division further backing.
A recent market survery reveals that the growth of the Polish
discount store market is continuing apace, with the market share
set to grow significantly in the course of the next two years.
Chipping away at heavy debt the Australian ingredients firm Burns
Philp & Co will spin off its US herbs and spices unit - Tones
North American - following 'expressions of interest' for the
division, the company said...
You say tomato…and Sainsbury's says 'kumato'. Six years in R&D,
the super-sweet, nutritional black tomato has arrived on the
supermarket shelves to meet increasing consumer demand for novel,
exotic food products.
The future of Londis, the British convenience store operator,
remains uncertain after the company's board failed to reach
agreement earlier this week on the best way forward for the
company.
Just days after completing the sale of part of its Brazilian unit,
Dutch retail group Ahold has announced the sale of its last remaining
Asian business, Thailand-based CRC Ahold. The US and Europe will
now be the sole focus of Ahold's...
Adding value to the quintessential tropical starch commodity
cassava could be an economic alternative for a food industry
currently undergoing squeezed margins through high raw material
prices.
E.Leclerc claims that its low-price policy kept its hypermarket
sales buoyant in 2003 as French consumers tightened their belts and
switched to discount stores. But what is really needed to
revitalise the retail sector is a change...
Milk and cheese remain staples of diet in most parts of the world,
but yoghurt continues to be the main engine for growth in the
global market, not least because of its versatility as a functional
product, according a recent report...
Carrefour, the French retail giant, said that it met its profits
growth targets for 2003 but that it was raising the bar even higher
in 2004 as it revamped its French operations and continued its
worldwide expansion.
Britain's biggest food retailer Tesco looks set to take a further
step towards its goal of competing with global giants such as
Carrefour and Wal-Mart with a move into the massive Chinese retail
market.
As soyoil prices hit 19 year highs, poor soybean harvests and
increased demand from China take their toll on the world's leading
oilseed processor with Bunge North America announcing that from
early this month it will idle production...
With the Commission proposal for changes to the EU sugar regime but
a few months away, Commissioner Franz Fischler explains why sugar
reform is 'unavoidable.'
The Russian-owned Detroit Brewing Company has confirmed that it is
about to move into the Belarusian market after taking over control
of the Bobruisk factory from Pivoraren Ivan Taranova and is now
planning a major investment programme.
In a move that could turn the Russian market for soy beans on its
head, Yug Rusi, a major agri-business group there, has confirmed it
is considering plans to start growing soy beans in Brazil.
UK chemical stalwart Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) will spin
off the food ingredients arm of its struggling flavour and
fragrance business Quest to Irish ingredients group Kerry, giving
the flavours operation room to concentrate...
Singing the tune of many a food company operating globally today,
number one flavours and fragrance group Givaudan felt the squeeze
on the gross profit margin as the lower US dollar and sharp
increases in raw materials cut into the...
The movement of US agri-giants onto European soil gathers pace with
Bunge, the world's leading oilseed processor, signing a €17.4m deal
on a bankrupt edible oils firm in the emerging market of Poland.
The largest sugar producer in Europe Südzucker has divested all
shares in the Spanish food group Ebro Puleva through the group's
subsidiary Saint Louis Sucre, providing it with breathing space to
concentrate on speciality ingredients.
Raising consumer awareness of functional foods generally falls into
the hands of food manufacturers. But recently formed soy
ingredients firm The Solae Company announced this week that it will
invest millions of dollars in a TV campaign...
Location, location, location : the three most important factors
when opening up a fast food business. And one to learn from
competitors. With the fast food industry a major client for food
ingredients companies, a new study sheds...
Metro, the German retail group, is one of the main supporters of
new retail developments in Europe, but it appears that its
enthusiasm for the advantages that technology can bring is not
shared by all of its customers.
The next two weeks have been designated Fairtrade Fortnight in the
UK, and retailers across the country will be promoting their ranges
of ethical products in a bid to increase consumer awareness.
Milk and cheese remain staples of diet in most parts of the world,
but yoghurt continues to be the main engine for growth in the
global market, not least because of its versatility as a functional
product, according a recent report...
Morrisons' takeover of Safeway came a step nearer to completion
yesterday with the announcement that the High Court in London had
rubber stamped the scheme of arrangement between the two companies.
UK ingredients and additives supplier S. Black has extended its
flavour range for Irish and UK food businesses announcing a new
distribution deal with private Swiss company Firmenich.
Belgian group Cosucra Warcoing is significantly increasing its
inulin and oligofructose production capacity by converting a former
sugar plant to chicory processing, as it aims to meet growing
demand for the ingredients.
Germany is Europe's largest soft drink market with the UK following
fast behind, reports a new study that predicts consumption will
soar to 186 litres per person per year by 2007.
Leaked minutes from the UK government show that it is planning to
enforce different levels of GM contamination for different organic
food if GM crops are grown commercially in the UK, says UK organic
body, the Soil Association.
Proof that soaring price rises are not only branded in the hard
pushed natural vanilla market with the news this week that
Norwegian ingredients company Borregaard Synthesis has hiked up the
price for its line of synthetic vanillin...
Tesco, Britain's leading food retail group, has made no secret of
its global ambitions, with fast growing businesses in eastern
Europe and Asia complementing its number one status in its home
market. But Tesco already has one...
Bottled water, new age beverages and energy drinks are driving
growth in the global soft drinks market, but carbonates are losing
their appeal, according to a new report from market analysts
Datamonitor.
Meeting calls to cut the salt content manufacturers in the UK have
committed to a programme that will aim to reduce salt in processed
foods such as soups, pizzas and ready meals, according to the food
industry body, the Food and Drink...
Somerfield, the UK supermarket group, has launched a new loyalty
card scheme under the Saver name, offering customers a range of
promotions and money-off coupons tailored to their shopping
patterns.
With Germany mired in one of the worst post-war recessions, the
excellent 2003 performance of Cologne-based retail group Rewe was something of a
novelty. But the group is clearly confident that the performance
will not be a one off,...
Dutch retail group Ahold has confirmed that its Brazilian unit
Bompreco has been bought by giant US retailer Wal-Mart, bringing to
an end several months of negotiations and clearing the way for the
sale of its other Brazilian unit,...
Having recently announced a large-scale withdrawal from the
Hungarian market, Kraft Foods has reaffirmed its commitment to the
Romanian market, by confirming a series of future investments in
its division there.
Although demand for EU-backed SAPARD funds in Poland is now said to
be exceeding total budget, the European Commission says it will
continue to support all food and beverage companies that qualify
for EU food safety and hygiene standards....
The dominance of the multiple retailers in the UK has had a
devastating effect on the specialist retail sector there, with the
massive buying power of the major chains allowing them to undercut
independent operators at the same time...
Organisers of the international food fair Salima 2004 claim that
exhibitor numbers are up on for the bi-annual event, to be held in
Brno, southern Moravia, from 2-5 March
Brand building is vital for the success of any product, and in
today's increasingly cutthroat grocery business it can mean the
difference between long-term growth and short-term failure.
