Spain's food companies are broadly happy with the support they
receive for marketing their products on export markets, but most
would still like to see more financial backing and a greater degree
of co-ordination from the various...
Following its failure to attract investment from French food giant
Danone, Russian dairy and juice producer Wimm-Bill-Dann has had its
Standard & Poor's rating downgraded from stable to negative.
S&P said it had made...
International food processor Cargill is set to construct a $50
million malt plant in Tula Oblast, Russia. Company spokeswoman
Irina Kalygina told the Russian Vedomosti newspaper that the
corporation is looking into the possibility...
Czech brewers, backed by the Czech Association of Small Independent
Breweries (CSMNP), are readying to increase their presence in the
significant Polish beer market. The move is the first big drive on
to the market in 10 years and...
The economic transformation of Russia and the CEE region is still
being led by the retail sector, according to a market report. For
the food retail sector, growth has been driven by the emergence of
big supermarket and hypermarket...
Leading Japanese emulsifier supplier Riken Vitamin is set to boost
production at its subsidiary in Malaysia with the opening of a new
plant this week. High hopes to increase market share.
Speaking in Brussels earlier this week, European Commissioner for
Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne announced the latest
development on issues relating to food safety within an enlarged
EU.
The saga of an illegal red dye saga in the UK continues this week
with the country's food agency boasting the powers of its
'detective work' in thwarting imports of the illegal spice.
Finland's leading confectionery company, Leaf, has said that it is
to build a factory in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the production of
functional pastilles and lollipops.
UK Chancellor Gordon Brown's attempts to clamp down on tax evasion
have 'dismayed' one of the country's biggest manufacturing sectors
- the Scotch whisky industry.
Consumers aged 50-64 are among the most affluent in Europe, and
while the food industry has been relatively slow to see the
potential of targeting this age group, a few companies have now
begun to roll out products designed for the...
Early depletion of African gum stocks have driven up global prices
of gum acacia. US company TIC gums this week passed the price rise
of gum arabic on to the market.
The regional distribution of soybean production and processing capacity in the US has shifted dramatically during the last decade. Citing the impact of emerging markets, a new study claims this change will have important consequences for the US soybean...
An Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP) strategy is more popular with
shoppers than one driven purely by promotions, according to a
recent survey in the UK. But a combination of the two is the best
means of keeping shoppers happy.
Despite the steady stream of new product launches in a number of
European markets, and continued growth of flavoured alcoholic
beverages (FABs) across the Continent, spirit manufacturers are
already predicting a gradual downturn in...
Labelling issues on the cards again for manufacturers as the UK's
food safety agency this week launches a consultation on the use of
alternative phrases to 'may contain' on food labels.
Just when the dust appeared to have settled on the Safeway takeover
affair, leaving Morrisons as apparently the sole bidder, a report
in the UK press today suggests that Asda has returned to the fray
with a bid designed to scotch...
With the Safeway takeover bid dominating the headlines for nearly a
year, the rest of the UK retail sector has been somewhat
overlooked. But there has been plenty of activity over the last few
months, in particular in the convenience...
After getting off to a slow start at the beginning of the year,
Romanian confectionery manufacturer Heidi Chocolats Suisse has said
it is now estimating a 15 per cent increase in sales this year.
A number of leading Croatian food and beverage manufacturers and
retailers have confirmed that they have started the first round of
discussions aimed at promoting the industry in the face of stiff
competition from foreign imports.
Hame Slovakia, a subsidiary of the Czech-based Hame Babice group,
has upped its estimates for growth in the 2003 financial year,
claiming that it now expects sales of its canned vegetables, purees
and meat products to improve by 5...
Ongoing consolidation of European food product companies means that
today's flavour firms will principally achieve market gains through
product innovation. Aiming to hit the top five flavour slot,
Danisco has a new president...
Dutch food ingredients and confectionery multinational CSM
continues its strategy to expand worldwide activities in the food
and pharmaceutical markets with the recent announcement that it has
completed the acquisition of the gluconic...
Despite a 'challenging' year that saw profit before tax falling by
24 per cent for the first six months, UK flavours company Treatt
has reined in results posting a steady, erring on grey, set of
figures for the year.
Morrisons, the Bradford-based supermarket group, must make a bid
for the Safeway chain within 21 days after the UK government
yesterday accepted definitive undertakings from rival chains not to
bid for the company.
With several of the world's biggest drinks group accused last month
of deliberately promoting their brands to under age drinkers, the
issue of drinks advertising has never been hotter.
Not for the first time, chemicals company Rhodia has played down
reports in the French press that it is considering a sell-off of
its activities in silicon, food additives and phosphates as part of
an asset divestment programme aimed...
ICI subsidiary National Starch has significantly hiked up prices in
the US as rising costs across the board continue to put pressure on
the bottom line.
Moving deeper into speciality ingredients US company MGP
Ingredients has earmarked $1.7 million to expand its line of
textured wheat proteins and wheat protein- and starch-based resins.
The investment comes on the back of strong first...
If the market is still waiting to see who emerges as potential
buyers for Ahold's Spanish operations, put up for sale earlier this
year as part of a major restructuring plan, the sale of the
company's Latin American businesses...
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) asserts that the world trade
pattern for agricultural products in general, and for fresh
horticultural and fruit juices in particular, is changing rapidly.
Coming to terms with changes, two industry...
Zaporozhye Fat-and-oil Works, currently considered to be the leader
in the market for Ukrainian margarine products, has announced plans
to double its margarine production capabilities in an effort to
meet rising demand.
One of Romania's leading and longest established chocolate makers,
Excelent, has relaunched its Kandia branded chocolate under a
multi-million dollar investment. The money has also included an
extensive revamp of its production...
One of Switzerland's best known food products, chocolate, may have
suffered terribly during the heatwave this summer, but the
country's ice cream producers put in a contrasting performance.
Baby boomers are convinced that beer makes you fat and wine is good
for the heart, so finds a recent poll in Canada conducted by
Ipsos-Reid on behalf of the Brewer's Association of Canada.
Flying the flag for market liberalisation Europe's food and drink
industry body has reinforced its support for a revival of WTO
negotiations. But the group also lays down conditions.
With serendipitous coincidence, in the same week that the European
Food Safety Authority delivers its hotly awaited first opinion on a
GMO, bureaucrats and stakeholders have gathered in Brussels under
the aegis of the Commission to...
Talks yesterday between spirits group Diageo and the rest of
the Scotch whisky industry over the future of the Cardhu brand
unexpectedly led to the company agreeing too major changes to the
packaging and marketing of the whisky.
Leading Swedish dairy firm Skanemejerier has gained the rights to
use BioGaia's probiotic Reuteri bacteria in milk products for
launch on the Scandinavian market at the end of next year.
Morrisons could make a new bid for the Safeway supermarket chain
before Christmas, beginning the final leg of a sale process which
has lasted nearly a year.
France is the home of some of the world's biggest mineral water
brands - Perrier, Vittel, Evian, Volvic, to name just four - but a
new entry into the market early next year is likely to give brand
owners such as Danone and Nestlé...
As countdown begins, Natural Products Expo Asia, opening in Hong
Kong this week, will run a free seminar focusing on the new
bioterrorism regulations, set to impact all companies exporting
ingredients to the US.
Hot on the heels of weak third quarter results, US agri-giant Bunge
said on Tuesday that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell
its bakery business to US company Dawn Food Products for $76
million in a bid to focus on the core...
Scotch whisky producers are expected to present a united front
today in calling for Diageo to withdraw its Cardhu brand from the
market or switch it back to a single malt. But with Diageo expected
to refuse, the distillers have already...
Carrefour is Europe's largest food retailer and the world's second
largest after Wal-Mart, with operations across the globe. But the
one blot on its otherwise impressive copybook in recent years has
been its relative inability...
Six cases of salmonella in sprouts were reported in the US this
week. The news comes but a few days after US agriculture secretary
reports on a dramatic fall in the rate of salmonella in raw meat
and poultry. In Europe, food safety...
Europe's health food industry has 'under-utilised' the
nutraceutical properties of carotenoids and consumers are still
unaware of their health benefits, finds report on the $348.5
million (€291.4m) carotenoid market....
Just five years ago, British drinks group Merrydown was on the
verge of going bust, bogged down by spiralling costs, a lack of
focus and dependency on a product - cider - in dire financial
straits.
The European Commission this week gave the green light to
salatrims, a type of reduced-calorie fats, for use as novel food
ingredients following an application by ingredients giant Danisco.
The long-awaited approval opens the way...
Management at Spar, the Germany-based, French-owned retail group,
has reacted angrily to reports in the press last week that it was
considering selling off its discount chain Netto - and not
surprisingly, since the business is by...
