Not long after a New Zealand report damning the health claims
associated with organic foods, a new study which compared pesticide
residue data on fresh produce grown organically and conventionally
has found significant difference...
Nestle Japan is seeking to reassure consumers who discovered that
the company is using surplus stocks of old instant coffee products
to make new products.
The largest US food company Kraft Foods has approached the
consortium of shareholders that owns Britain's United Biscuits with
a buy-out plan, according to British paper The Business.
Crustless bread, tubular snacks and single-serve drinks -
convenience is driving innovation in the food industry, finds a
report on recent US product launches.
US company Nutraceutical Clinical Laboratories International
Incorporated (NCLII) has begun selling its NuPreserv product to one
of the leading American bakery groups.
The fragrance technology company, Senomyx, has signed an exclusive
research and license agreement with Swiss food group Nestle to
discover and produce new ingredients to enhance the taste of some
of its consumer food products.
Lemon, old-fashioned vanilla and cherry seem to be the most popular
flavours with the drinks giants who have all sought to innovate
with new flavourings in the last year. An industry report
highlights the reliance on new flavours...
Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, the US private equity group, has
bought several of Nestle's ambient food businesses for an estimated
120 million pounds (€192 million).
Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever announced on Thursday
that it intends to sell its international speciality oils and fats
business, Loders Croklaan Group, as part of its 'Path to Growth'
strategy, a drive to...
As the integration of Central and Eastern European candidate
countries into the European Union draws closer the Confederation of
the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) this week welcomed
the Slovakian food and drink federation...
Swiss flavour and fragrance company Givaudan on Thursday announced
the completed acquisition of Nestle's savoury flavour business,
Food Ingredients Specialities for €515.2m.
Almost half of all consumers questioned in a recent European survey
cited stress as a motivation for treat purchases. According to a
recent research consumers are willing to spend an average of 9 per
cent more on a treat purchase.
Tate & Lyle, a leader in carbohydrate ingredients, this week
announced that it has completed the sale of its Western Sugar
Company to the Rocky Mountain Sugar Growers Co-operative (RMSGC).
German chocolate manufacturer Stollwerck AG is working at about
half its production capacity, new parent, Switzerland's Barry
Callebaut, said on Monday
A second dairy report released this week reveals that European
sales of organic dairy products grew by 26.2 per cent in 2001 to
top €1.2 billion. Future growth looks healthy for organic dairy
products but a number of challenges are...
An increase in health awareness and the consumer trend towards
snacking has driven dairy volume sales to an all time high, claims
a recent survey from market analysts Euromonitor International.
Degussa Texturant Systems, a business unit of the German Degussa
Health & Nutrition Division, this week reported an upward trend
in sales with a 6 per cent progression in 2001 to €297 million.
The Dutch group reported a rise in operating profit for the first
quarter of 2002 from the fourth quarter last year, an increase of
€27 million to €93 million, although net profit was still 36 per
cent below the same period last year.
US industrial packaging company Greif Bros. said this week a new
range of water bottles, manufactured in the United Kingdom, should
help spring water producers to more effectively transport filled
containers and offer better protection...
An adviser to the European Union's highest court has given UK
supermarket chain Asda permission to carry on slicing its Parma ham
outside of the Parma region in Italy, a ruling which, if confirmed,
could have implications for...
The global confectionery market reached 12.7 billion tonnes in
2000, increasing by 8.5 per cent globally from 1996-2000, and
proving resistant to the much-hyped rise of health-conscious
eating, according to a report from market analysts...
The UK Consumers' Association sought to "name and shame" food
manufacturers who use misleading labelling this week when it
revealed details of food products which are confusing consumers.
Barry Callebaut, the world's top manufacturer of cocoa and
chocolate products, has confirmed that it will buy German chocolate
firm Stollwerck from Imhoff Industrie-Holding in a CHF256 million
(€174.9m) deal.
Bread, biscuits, crisps and french fries, foods frequently eaten by
millions of people around the world, contain alarmingly high
quantities of a cancer-causing chemical, according to Swedish
research released this week. The research...
French food group Groupe Danone and US soft-drinks giant Coca-Cola
in deal to make Coke the licensed importer and distributor of
Danone's Evian mineral.
Italian pasta maker Barilla said it would consider raising its 12
euros per share bid for Europe's leading baker Kamps, should a
rival bidder emerge, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.
British confectionery and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is set to
announce a 350 million pound (€569 million) takeover of privately
held Danish chewing gum firm Dandy, the Sunday Telegraph reported,
according to a Reuters story.
"As the economy took a dip in 2001, so did merger and
acquisition activity in the food industry,'' commented
Catherine Pfister, market analyst at the US Food Institute.
A tin of baked beans has the same healthy eating benefits as a
portion of fruit or vegetables, according to a controversial
marketing campaign from Heinz. In an unusual collaboration, the
British Dietetic Association (BDA)
Nutrinova, German based supplier of speciality ingredients, claimed
this week that the recent UK approval in March of sucralose for use
in food and beverages has opened up new opportunities for
developing blends with the high-intensity...
British food group Associated British Foods, the maker of Twinings
tea, reported a top of the range six per cent rise in half-year
profits on Wednesday and said it was committed to generating strong
cash flows and sustainable growth,...
Major institutional shareholders in Europe's leading baker Kamps
agreed on Wednesday to accept a €1.76 billion euro takeover bid
from Italian pasta giant Barilla, Reuters reports.
UK food ingredient specialist J.O. Sims this week announced record
growth in the sales of their fruit ingredients, with an increase of
over 50 per cent forecast by the end of 2002.
Organic farming could account for 3 per cent of all farmland in
Ireland by 2006, if the recommendations of a new report are
implemented quickly, said Noel Davern, the Irish junior agriculture
minister.
Colouring foodstuffs are making an impact in the European
colourings market according to new research carried out by market
consultants Frost & Sullivan. The study reveals that the
general shift from synthetic to natural colourings...
Scottish company Baxters, which manufactures soups, chutneys and
jams under its well-known brand name, is expected to slash its
board of directors this week as part of an efficiency drive which
will revolutionise the traditional company,...
America's biggest food company, Kraft Foods, announced a rise of 20
per cent in earnings for the 2002 first quarter, attributing strong
volume growth in beverages, desserts and new products to the
increased earnings.
