UK Prime Minister Tony Blair this week gathered together leaders
from the food and farming industries to discuss their future in the
wake of devastation caused by the foot and mouth crisis. The
government confirmed its desire to promote...
Heads of Swiss food group Nestlé and New Zealand dairy group,
Fonterra Co-operative signed an agreement on Monday to form Dairy
Partners Americas (DPA), a new dairy alliance
Danish ingredients company Danisco announced this week that it is
use new production facilities in Denmark to produce Natamax - a
natural, biological preservative.
UK confectionery and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes has agreed to
acquire juice maker Nantucket Allserve, from cranberry growers
cooperative Ocean Spray Cranberries, the company announced this
week.
Leading Norwegian food company the Rieber & Søn Group has
entered into an agreement with Danish ingredients company Danisco
to take over the Danisco's crispy onions activities in Holland,
with a sales office in Germany.
After posting disappointing financial results earlier this week
Danish ingredients company Danisco announced on Wednesday that
business is booming in Russia with a massive potential for future
growth.
Hercules Aqualon, a supplier of cellulosic products used to modify
the physical properties of aqueous or water based systems, reported
recently that it has appointed the UK, French, Belgium and German
IMCD companies as partners in...
Cargill, the US agribusiness group, is looking to build one of
India's largest vegetable oils refinery in the coastal state of
Orissa, the Financial Times reports this week.
US agribusiness giant Cargill announced this week that it is to
open a new soy protein isolate plant in Ohio, US. The plant,
destined to make a wide array of soy protein products, is set for
completion in the autumn of 2002.
Consumer faith in food irradiation appears to be on the rise in the
US, arguably driven by an increase in food safety concerns since
the terrorist events of September 11, 2001. US food irradiation
company Food Technology Service this...
Products with both functional and emotional benefits may be the way
forward for manufacturers looking to make an impact on green
consumerism. In a new report released this week Datamonitor
highlights a changing shift in consumer attitude....
German specialty chemistry company Degussa reported a one per cent
increase in sales in 2001 this week, up to €12.9 billion from €12.8
billion for the previous year. The company claimed that extensive
restructuring, a focus on highly...
UK confectionery and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is preparing a
$2 billion (€2.27bn) bid for the chewing gum and cough drops arm of
Pfizer, the world's largest drugs company, a British Sunday
newspaper reported.
US health science company Forbes Medi-Tech announced this week that
it has exercised its right not to buy back the licensing and
distribution rights to its cholesterol-lowering food ingredient
Reducol from Novartis Consumer Health...
A British study has found that the global market for performance
foods and drinks is now worth in excess of $11billion(€12.5bn), and
is dominated by drinks, which account for over 90 per cent of total
sales.
Canadian brewer Molson made a significant leap forward in Brazil
this week by acquiring the country's second-largest brewer, the
Financial Times reports.
The organic dairy industry - producers, processors and retailers -
must ensure that it avoids the route taken by the conventional
industry if it is to survive, delegates were told at a Soil
Association conference this week.
US meat giant Tyson Foods has asked a Delaware court to throw out a
landmark ruling on its merger with IBP Inc. as the country's
largest producer of beef, chicken and pork seeks ammunition in a
legal tussle with shareholders...
The next episode in the saga of Snow Brand Milk Products, the
Japanese company hit by food safety scandals, unfurled yesterday
when the company announced that it is to tie up with two
agricultural cooperatives and request a capital...
Mead Johnson, the dairy product subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb,
has started production at its first powdered milk plant in Thailand
that will serve as a base to increase the company's business in
Southeast Asia, the Bangkok...
The market for European phytonutrients producers appears to be
threatened by cheap imports from Asia, cites a new report from
market analysts Frost & Sullivan this week.
Despite growing trends in the West towards healthier eating
patterns the desire for comfort food appears is still clearly
present. According to a recent report from the US retail sales of
butter increased by a significant 32 per cent...
Coffee was flavour of the weekend as scientists met in Florida
recently not only to share the latest research into this popular
drink but to enjoy latest consumption statistics.
In a bid to emphasise the importance of the UK food industry the
Food and Drink Federation (FDF) this week announced a new awards
scheme to promote the findustry's commitment to the community.
After a year of negotiations the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
has finally approved a new deal that allays anticompetitive fears
over the proposed acquisition of Goodman Fielder subsidiary Leiner
Davis Gelatin by German gelatine...
Danish oil and fat ingredients company Aarhus Oliefabrik fell in
line with market expectations this week when it reported a post-tax
profit of DKK 166 million (€22.3m). In the third quarter of 2001
the company had predicted a profit...
"Premium foods are the latest attempt by supermarkets to tempt
consumers," such were the vociferous words of the UK Consumer
Association (CA) this week.
Developing national standards that will help Canadian-grown apples
take a bigger bite out of the marketplace is the aim of a new
project that received financial backing from the Canadian
government this week.
UK company the Big Food Group, the recently renamed Iceland, on
Wednesday ruled out a rights issue but warned that the costs of a
£375m (E607.9m) spending plan would weigh on profits in future
years, the Financial Times reports.
Agricultural biotechnology is arguably one of the most
controversial scientific issues of recent decades. Agbiotech
products might have the potential to feed an increasingly hungry
world, but it is also weighed down by doubts over...
ConAgra Foods, America's second largest food company, is reportedly
in talks to sell a large chunk of its fresh beef and pork
operations, a move that analysts have been urging because the
operations have been a drag on earnings.
In a recent interview with UK newspaper the Times, Simon Clarkson,
Radio Times's marketing director, explained why he likes the
current ads for Benecol's cholesterol-reducing products.
Dotcoms in the food industry may have received a few blows in the
past year but there are signs that recovery is near. This week
ecFood, an e-commerce platform for the food and beverage industry,
announced that 2001 was an exceptional...
Irish dairy products and ingredients group Glanbia reported a 9.3
per cent increase in group turnover to E2,625.41m from E2,401.74m
in 2000. A boost in sales from the dairy food ingredients business
helped the results, the company...
Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, the world's number three bread-maker, said on
Monday it had completed a previously announced acquisition of the
US baking unit of Canada's George Weston for $610 million
(E702.5m), Reuters reports.
Under the theme, 'There's a new Cargill taking shape,' Cargill
recently announced a new brand strategy that focuses on helping
farm and food customers succeed, the company claimed. A new
corporate identity, or logo,...
RFM Corp, the Philippines' second largest food firm, confirmed on
Monday it was in preliminary talks to sell its meat processing unit
Swift Foods to food and beer giant San Miguel.
Cuba, which last year took advantage of a modified US trade embargo
to buy food products, passing it off as a one-time deal, is to
purchase another $32 million (E37m) of food, a US business group
said this week.
Australian dairy company National Foods said on Friday that it is
confident of growing its revenue and market share despite the
rationalisation of the milk processing industry, IndustrySearch.com
reports
Canadian market analysts, the NPD Group revealed this week that
Canadians in the 13 to 24 year age group are becoming increasingly
important to members of the Food and Consumer Products
Manufacturers of Canada.
Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever said on Thursday it
plans to open 75 Ben & Jerry's stores in Spain as a first step
to expand the ice cream maker's presence in Europe.
Despite the negative impact of a strong Swiss franc Swiss food
group Nestlé this week reported a net profit increase of 15.9 per
cent to CHF 6 681 million (€4 524m) from the previous year, setting
a new net margin record of 7.9 per...
Danone, the French foods group, said on Wednesday that it had
agreed to sell its Italian cheese and ham unit, Galbani, to BC
Partners, a private equity fund, for E1.02bn.
Consumers across Europe are moving away from restaurants and
towards their own homes as the dinner party culture picks up in
popularity, according to a new report from market analyst
Datamonitor.
US health science company Forbes Medi-Tech is currently in active
discussions with several major food manufacturers regarding the
commercialisation of its cholesterol-lowering food ingredients.
