Despite the concern that it can cause TCA - the mouldy smell
attributed to bad wine - natural cork is the preferred closure for
most US winemakers, according to a survey carried out on behalf of
the Amorim cork group.
New research from Procter & Gamble suggests that there may be
more appropriate methods of preventing the formation of
cancer-causing chemical acrylamide than simply cooking food at
lower temperatures - but also that the compound...
The dispute between Ahold's Albert Heijn chain and the Anglo-Dutch
group Unilever, which saw several of the latter's brands removed
from shelves, has ended with a new supply agreement.
Greencore, the Irish ingredients and food producer, is predicting a
decline in its net debt for 2002 as its core operations continue to
improve despite continued difficulties in its ambient grocery
division.
The Catalan authorities claim that Spanish winery and cava producer
Miguel Torres is continuing to make wine from grapes grown on
illegally-planted vineyards - a claim denied by the producer.
British starch and sugars group Tate & Lyle said on Thursday
that it expected strong results for the six months ended September,
but said growth in second half profits depended on higher sweetener
prices.
Archer Daniels Midland became the first US company on Thursday to
sign contracts with Cuban food importer Alimport as an
unprecedented US agricultural trade show got under way in Havana.
The acquisition by Carrefour of the outstanding shares in its
Spanish unit, Centros Commerciales Carrefour, will not include the
8 per cent held by Guyenne & Gascogne, long-time franchise
partner of the French retail giant.
France's Intermarche and Spain's Eroski have formed a new alliance
which will increase their European buying power and allow each
company to benefit from the other's expertise. Other companies
could join the union in...
The weakness of the US economy has impacted the sales performance
of the Food Lion and Kash n' Karry chains run by Belgium's Delhaize
group, prompting the company to revise its full-year growth
forecasts.
Fees charged by European retailers such as Tesco and Carrefour have
been investigated by the Thai authorities, which claim that such
charges - levied on suppliers for the listing of their products -
are illegal.
South African wine sales in the UK have been growing rapidly in the
last few years, and four SA brands are now among the top 20
best-sellers there. But more can be done to promote Cape wines in
the UK, such as focusing on recognisable...
The board of directors of Swiss flavour and fragrance manufacturer,
Givaudan at its 16 September meeting agreed the repurchase of up to
725,627 registered Givaudan shares.
After a difficult few years of restructuring and debt reduction,
Brau und Brunnen has decided to combine its beer and soft drink
sales units to offer a broader range of products and to allow it to
react more quickly to consumer demand...
A further sign that food ingredients companies are continuing to
move steadily into the Chinese market came recently with the
announcement from Belgian lactic acid manufacturer , Galactic, that
it has signed a joint venture agreement...
Despite new regulations limiting the price discounts retailers can
offer, E. Leclerc has maintained its position as the leading French
retailer in terms of market share, stealing sales from all its main
rivals, the company claims.
Kagome, a Japanese producer of tomato-based processed foods, said
on Friday that it will purchase a lactic beverage maker from Snow
Brand Milk Products while studying a plan to invest in the
struggling dairy product manufacturer,...
CEDC, the Florida-based company which is one of the leading
distributors of alcoholic drinks in Poland, has added another
distributor to its portfolio, plugging a gap where it had
previously been under-represented.
Sales and profits at Belgian retail group Colruyt showed double
digit growth in 2001/02, and the company is predicting more of the
same for the current financial year.
The mysteries of peculiar shaped fruits and vegetables appear to
have been revealed. Scientists in the US have found that disabling
one gene in a tomato can make it pear-shaped. Squash, aubergines
and pears, they claim, probably owe...
Credit card payments made using chip and PIN technology - a much
safer method than the usual signature - are to be introduced in the
UK by 2005, but supermarket group Safeway is to begin its scheme
later this year.
Bunge, set to become the world's top soybean processor with the
acquisition of French rival Cereol, said on Monday that it expected
third-quarter earnings to rise at least 40 per cent over a year
ago, fuelled by the currency...
The European Commission on Friday cleared the proposed acquisition
of French-based food company Cereol by US company Bunge. The move
shoots Bunge ahead of US agribusiness giant Cargill into the top
slot as the world's largest...
The world's largest and most expensive collection of old Scotch
whiskies is embarking on a worldwide tour in a bid to drum up
interest in an eventual auction. All the whisky aficionado needs to
walk away with a bottle of The...
Who is stronger - the retailer or the supplier? When the two
parties in question are Ahold and Unilever, that is not an easy
question to answer, but a dispute between the two companies over
annual supply agreements may provide the...
With the sale of the Agros Fortuna fruit juice and canned food
business, Pernod Ricard's Polish business is now 100 per cent
focused on drinks - which was the reason why Agros was acquired in
the first place.
A massive investigation into the role of diet on bone health
suggests that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables could be the
key to slowing down the onset of osteoporosis in women.
The world's greatest secret agent James Bond, whose latest film
premieres in November, is being used to promote sales of both
Finlandia vodka and 7 UP soft drinks - though not necessarily
together.
Britons want good, old-fashioned recipes and not the fancy food
prepared by celebrity chefs, at least according to a survey from
supermarket chain Asda, which is launching its own cook book.
Red Bull continues to dominate the western European energy drink
market with a 66 per cent share, and it also provides the model for
most of its rival brands. But despite the dominance of one brand,
the market shows no sign of stagnating,...
Italian food group Parmalat has been busy this week. Not only has
it opened its first bottled water bottling plant in the Canadian
province of Quebec, it has also begun legal proceedings against
Agrinove over an alleged copyright...
The Mentos line of mints has a new addition - Breathmakers - which
are a return to milder, fresher mints and away from the
throat-searing strong mints which have dominated the market in
recent years.
After acquisitions in Italy and Belgium, and reorgansiation in
Greece, Europe's leading retailer has turned its attention to
Spain, where it is proposing to buy out minority shareholders in
its CCC subsidiary.
In what will surely be seen as a victory for opponents to the sale,
Hershey Foods ended its controversial search for a buyer on Tuesday
after it rejected all bids for the confectionery manufacturer.
The European Commission this week gave the go ahead to private
equity fund EQT for the acquisition of two dominant German-based
flavour and fragrances manufacturers, Haarmann & Reimer and
Dragoco. The combined company will have...
Schweppes France is to take over many of the administrative duties
of Orangina-Pampryl, entailing the loss of 110 jobs. Some 48 posts
have already gone following the closure of a production facility.
A year after the formation of the Glenaird joint venture,
Glenmorangie's Broxburn plant is to begin bottling Drambuie Cream,
a new brand which has seen substantial growth since its UK launch.
US company Avatar Corporation has developed a food release agent
based on non-soybean derived materials that can avoid problems
posed by conventional Kosher release agents during the Passover.
Talks are rumoured to have taken place between the management of
the UK's Big Food Group and potential investors, but ongoing
concerns about its Iceland supermarket unit may yet scupper any
chance of a buyout.
Marks & Spencer is to introduce a do-it-yourself element into a
handful of its stores - not a diversification into a new business
area but a self-scanning trial which allows customers to scan, bag
and pay for their purchases entirely...
The expected slowdown in UK retail sales did little to dent Tesco's
first half results. The leading British supermarket group said that
its strategy of keep prices low and expanding its non-food offer
was continuing to bear fruit.
Cadbury-Schweppes and Nestle are reported to have struck agreement
on the brands and assets each would undertake if their joint bid
for Hershey Foods is accepted.
The sale of the cider unit CSR - announced last week by Pernod
Ricard - will see the disposal of the last remaining non-core
business, allowing the French group to finally devote all its
efforts to building its wine and spirits empire.
After cocoa bean costs soared to 15 year highs chocolate lovers
could soon be paying heavily for their indulgence. Shortages in the
world market supply of cocoa beans forced prices up by 50 per cent
in London last week - a rise not...
Europeans could pay more for everything from toys to heavy
machinery if Brussels follows through on a threat to impose
sanctions in a long-running trade spat with Washington, a US trade
official said on Friday.
Wall Street analysts and bankers generally dismiss the idea that a
multibillion-dollar sale of Hershey Foods could be killed by local
opposition in Pennsylvania. But legal experts are not so sure.
Ahold's enforced takeover of the Santa Isabel chain in Chile has
not been welcomed by everyone, with one of the company's minority
shareholders taking legal action to force the Ducth group to
increase its offer.
Britain's biggest dairy products firm Dairy Crest group is poised
to buy St Ivel spreads from Uniq for £50-60 million pounds (€79-95
million), to rival UK market leader Unilever, industry sources said
on Thursday.
Danish ingredients company Danisco announced this week that it has
achieved second place in Dow Jones' new global sustainability index
for food manufacturers, the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.
