Archives for April 6, 2004

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Own labels, the risk of NPD

British retail chains have led the way in terms of own label development, with many chains having several different ranges at a number of price points and quality levels. But with new research suggesting that own label penetration in the UK is now at...

Low consumer awareness on fat issues

Only 3 per cent of Britons are aware that being overweight increases their chance of developing cancer, according to a new survey commissioned by the cancer charity Cancer Research UK.

Friesland in Romania takeover bid

Friesland Romania has confirmed that it has made a public bid for a controlling stake in Romanian dairy group Napolact. The Dutch-owned company says that it intends to increase its 41 per cent stake to over 50 per cent.

Cinnamon to keep the brain alert

Participants at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences later this month will learn that cinnamon - as a flavour or fragrance - could boost brain simulation related to attentinal processes, according to scientists at...

Cappuccino domination

Leading Polish soft drinks and ingredients manufacturer Mokate says it is planning to boost its production on the back of an anticipated 15 per cent increase in sales, which it says will be largely derived from enlargement. But to help it acheive...

Designing the ultimate fat substitute, new research

"The brain's perception of fat cannot be completely reduced to viscosity," Dr. Ivan de Araujo at Oxford University tells Lindsey Partos, following new findings on the texture of food that suggest there is 'something special about fat'. This latest...

Germans switching to coffee variants

Roasted ground coffee is still by far the biggest category in the German coffee market, but sales dropped by 2 per cent last year as consumers switched to more exciting variants such as Cappuccino and Espresso, writes Chris Jones.

ISP buys into UK encapsulation

US hydrocolloid firm International Specialty Products (ISP) continues to consolidate its position in the ingredients sector announcing the acquisition of UK ingredients company Hallcrest. In March this year the ambitious company acquired the business...

Eroski to change supermarket banner

Eroski, the Basque retail group, is to rebadge all its 804 supermarket outlets this month after its joint venture with the Consum group was wound up earlier this year. The company will take advantage of the change to introduce a new multi-store...

Aarhus restructures to shave costs

Intensified competition in the ingredients marketplace and disappointing orders for Cocoa Butter Equivalents (CBE) following the new chocolate rules leads to job losses at Danish fats and oils firm Aarhus United.

Cereal stocks to continue to fall in 2004, says FAO

Rising prices for ingredients sourced from raw materials may find little relief in 2004 with the UN-backed Food and Agriculture Organisation yesterday predicting a fall in cereal stocks again by the end of the 2003/2004 season. 'Soaring ocean freight...

Will accession save Parmalat divisions?

Despite Italian food giant Parmalat's financial crisis, its divisions in both Romania and Hungary continue to operate. Indeed, Parmalat Hungary is expecting that in the run up to accession, production will increase in response to rising demand. Simon...

Thai poultry industry to restock

The Thai poultry industry could be about to restock on a massive scale after the devastation of the avian flu epidemic earlier this year. The country's feed industry is set to import cargoes of Argentine soybeans as the country prepares to declare...

Meeting EU standards

Food processors in the developing world are having to work hard to meet new EU food safety regulations that are due to come into force in January 2005. These laws will make it mandatory for all fruit and vegetable products arriving in the EU to be...

Retailers welcome labelling delay

British food retailers have welcomed the delay to proposed European food labelling rules which would have "reduced the ability of retailers to offer customers healthier eating options". But the legislation has just been delayed, not scrapped, and the...

Immunity boosting ingredient sees sales soar

The world's largest dairy ingredients business is aiming to ramp up collection of colostrum from its suppliers to meet growing demand for the ingredient in health products.