In a bid to strengthen customer relations, French chemicals company
Rhodia announced yesterday that from now on it will be grouped
around four divisions which will essentially serve the company's
key markets.
Dutch-based food research company NIZO has organised the third in a
series of meetings on key topics in dairy and food science.
'Dynamics of Taste, Texture & Perception' aims to present the
most recent developments in...
It is currently illegal for supermarkets and other retailers to
operate loyalty card schemes in Belgium, a restriction which the
European Commission believes contradicts single market regulations.
As a result, the Belgian authorities...
Swedish manufacturer of speciality vegetable fats Karlshamns has
clarified its position on the ongoing issue that suggests the
production of soybean and palm oil in Brazil and South East Asia is
destroying valuable natural environments.
Cheerwine, the quirky US soft drink which is popular in the
southeastern states, is now available for the first time in Europe.
Norway will be the first market for the cherry-flavoured soft drink
outside North America.
As expected, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has said it is
considering a bid for the UK's Safeway supermarket chain, and that
it is talking to the competition authorities about the implications
of such a bid. US...
The EU remains by far the biggest market for Spanish olive oil
exports, but there is also growing interest from the US, several
countries in South America, and Russia, according to the latest
official figures.
The UK subsidiary of US spice and flavour company McCormick has
completed the purchase of the UK condiment business Uniqsauces for
£12.15 million (€18.5m) cash from Uniq, the European chilled
convenience food group.
The fate of Safeway, the UK's fourth-largest food retailer, still
hangs in the balance. An offer from smaller rival Morrisons was
accepted last week, but Britain's number two player, Sainsbury's,
has now trumped that...
UK food ingredients supplier Soya International has acquired the
soft drinks and juice manufacturing business from Bradford-based
company T Kearns. The business, ventured under the new name of
Simran Enterprises, will add to the growing...
Thai Bites, the rice cracker snack from Jacob's, is to benefit from
a major advertising and promotional campaign in 2003, with the
company setting aside £4.5 million to help push the brand into the
top spot in the cracker...
The devaluation of the Brazilian and Argentine currencies has taken
its toll on full-year sales at French retailer Carrefour, but the
company has maintained its profit forecast as a result of steady
growth in sales at constant exchange...
Australian ingredients company Burns Philp has agreed to waive or
change some of the conditions of its A$2 billion (€1.1bn) takeover
bid of Goodman Fielder, Australia's largest food company, leading
the Australian Takeovers Panel...
The future of the UK's Safeway supermarket group has often been
linked to larger rival Asda, but it is in fact the smaller
Morrisons group which is to become the new owner of the chain. Such
a deal makes more sense, not least...
Supermarket operators are constantly striving to make the shopping
experience as pleasurable as possible for their shoppers, a vital
part of winning customer loyalty in an increasingly cutthroat
business. But the look of the store...
Carbonate sales might be fizzing, but a new report from beverage
analysts Canadean shows that the growth in sales of still drinks is
even greater - and that the rate of growth is likely to continue to
gather pace for the next few...
French retail rivals Carrefour and Auchan have both announced
developments for their foreign subsidiaries. In Spain, Carrefour
has sold 45 Champion supermarket outlets, while in the US, Auchan
will close its two Texan hypermarkets...
No more deep-fried chocolate bars, fry-ups and shortbread for the
Scots. A major new long term campaign, launched yesterday by the
Scottish government, will seek to improve the diet of the Scots in
a bid to combat the nation's...
Very Italiano, a new frozen pasta snack with the sauce already
added, is set to expand beyond its core market of Italy and take on
the challenge of entering the US and Asian markets this year.
French chemicals company Rhodia is to sell its UK-based brewing and
enzymes businesses to US biotech company Genencor International in
a bid to strengthen its focus on food additives.
Two of the biggest names in US agriculture have joined forces to
create a new company focused on speciality ingredients, in
particular soy proteins and lecithins. DuPont will control the
company, dubbed Solae, with Bunge taking a...
One less Saturday than in 2001 had a significant effect on French
hypermarket and supermarket sales in December, according to the
latest figures. A Saturday in December can often see sales 35 per
cent higher than in the rest of the...
Last year was a difficult one for Dutch retail group Ahold, at the
profit level at least, but the final sales figures for 2002 were
nonetheless encouraging. But with organic growth rates slowing
considerably compared to 2001, there...
As we enter a brand new year, a new report from market analysts
Mintelreveals that 2002 proved to be the most successful year for
newproduct introductions since 1995, with the number of
introductionsexceeding 22,000. The figure represents...
While health foods are becoming increasingly popular across the
globe, there are still some areas which remain undeveloped by the
major food producers. One such area is diabetic food, which has
struggled to overcome limited distribution...
Tesco, the UK's leading food retailer, has announced a New Year
price cutting campaign which will extend for the first time to
products such as convenience food and family favourites.
Australian yeast and ingredients group Burns Philp & Co. said
last weekthat it has started mailing out its bidder's statement to
shareholdersof Australasia's largest food group Goodman Fielder
about its A$2billion-plus...
After Fairtrade bananas, mangoes and chocolate, the UK's Co-op
retail chain has now introduced the world's first Fairtrade
pineapples, offering a fair deal and better working conditions for
growers in Costa Rica.
The impact of a recent, and ongoing, drought in Australia, will
soon be felt by retailers and the consumer, predicts market analyst
Euromonitor. And there is no let up in sight as El Niño, widely
responsible for the ongoing adverse...
Metro, the German retailer, this month opened its first Cash &
Carry outlet in Japan, a market where it sees great potential in
the years to come. The store is a joint venture with Japan's
Marubeni Corp.
The French retail giant Carrefour has opened a new logistics
platform in Spain which will serve its 30 hypermarkets in Spain,
plus four others in Portugal. The new facility will hold 14,000
different products.
A collaborative global effort has resulted in the completion of an
advanced draft, or blueprint, of the rice genome. Officials at the
US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Science
Foundation (NSF) and the Department of...
Swiss flavours company Givaudan has signed an agreement to acquire
International Bioflavors - a leading US producer of natural cheese
and dairy flavours.
The desire to show off and indulge is leading to a sharp rise in
sales of luxury food products, and in entertaining at home, claims
a new Datamonitor report. But increased spending means higher debt,
in turn causing stress - all of...
Four senior officials from French fast food chain Buffalo Grill,
including chief executive Christian Picart, have been accused of
manslaughter and fraud amid allegations that the company illegally
imported British beef infected with...
Demands for damages of around $6 million from the Ethiopian
government at a time when the country is facing famine have led to
a storm of protest against Swiss food giant Nestle. But the company
said it would invest the proceeds of...
In a bid to streamline its UK milling operations, food and
ingredients group Associated British Foods is to sell its British
third party flour milling business to ADM Milling, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland.
With health trends continuing to gain pace, and manufacturers
turning to 'added- value' ingredients, the market for beverage
additives should expect to see decent growth, rising to 1.7 billion
(€1.65bn) in 2006, claims market...
Food contamination is a major issue that the European, and global,
food industry faces today. A one day seminar in the UK will examine
how the industry can respond to the challenge and devise a strategy
to cope.
With the flavoured spirits segment growing by around 25 per cent a
year in the US, it is not surprising that there have been a number
of major launches in that market in the last few months. The latest
is the additon of a 1.75-litre...
Cadbury Schweppes has had a busy week. While yesterday's
acquisition of the US confectionery group Adams was undoubtedly the
most important in the company's recent history, Cadbury has also
revealed that it is planning a...
Tesco's bid to increase its share of the UK convenience store
sector looks set to go ahead unchecked following the announcement
that its acquisition of the T&S group will not fall foul of the
competition authorities. A bitter...
In the first six weeks on sale in Sweden, the lactose-free milk
drink from Finland's Valio group has far exceeded even the
company's most optimistic expectations. Full year sales could be as
much as five times greater than...
US agribusiness Cargill digs deeper into its pockets with the
recent announcement that - via its venture capital arm - the
company is to invest more in emerging technologies in food
applications, animal productivity and industrial...
UK carbohydrate giant Tate & Lyle this morning announced plans
to develop and manufacture a new range of food ingredients based on
its fermentation capability.
Allowing Spanish stores to open every day of the week will lead to
massive job losses and higher prices, supermarkets and small store
operators have warned. And the only people to benefit will be the
French hypermarket groups Carrefour...
France's Auchan group has agreed to sell its five Mexican stores
for an undisclosed sum to local market leader CCM. The Mexican firm
could also join Auchan's international buying organisation.
In November this year the European Council cleared new proposals to
end the '25 per cent rule' and to strengthen the current labelling
of food allergens on food products. Under the new rules, it will be
mandatory to list...
Campari, the Italian drinks group, has extended its agreement with
the UK's Morrison Bowmore Distillers, giving the Scotch whisky
maker the UK duty free and travel retail rights to its brands. But
this does not include its newest...
Poland, along with nine other countries in Central and Eastern
Europe, will join the European Union in 2004, but in the meantime
it will become easier for current EU food and drink producers to
trade with the country following a recent...
