Breaking News on Food Marketing and Retailing

Supermarkets still using too much packaging, says survey

01-Jul-2009 - UK supermarkets are using too much plastic packaging for food products and both retailers and packing manufacturers could do more, a new survey has concluded.

Sainsbury’s to ditch cereal boxes as part of packing reduction drive

24-Jun-2009 - UK supermarket Sainsbury’s has unveiled plans to scrap cereal boxes in favour of plastic bags in a bid to cut down of food packaging.

France to intensify supermarket milk price scrutiny - report

16-Jun-2009 - As protests continue around Europe from dairy farmers concerned about covering their costs in the current market, French producers appear to have succeeded in speeding up government scrutiny of supermarket pay practices, according to reports.

UK plan to scrap ‘best before’ food labels dismissed by industry group

10-Jun-2009 - UK Government proposals to overhaul its food labelling system in a bid to help slash the ₤10bn worth of food wasted annually have been rubbished by a food industry body.

Authorities play down drink extract cocaine concerns

05-Jun-2009 - Decocainised coca leaf extract, which has been linked to the recent alleged discovery of traces of cocaine in some samples of Red Bull Simply Cola, will not face regulatory scrutiny regarding its wider use in formulations.

Retailers still under pressure over milk price-role

03-Jun-2009 - British retailers are facing calls to increase support for the country’s dairy farming sector amidst wider European concerns about the role of stores in maintaining a profitable milk supply.

News in brief

Supermarkets slammed for Amazon destruction

01-Jun-2009 - Greenpeace is demanding that companies refuse to buy products from companies that have carried out deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, following a three-year survey.

Bakers wary over salt reduction technical feasibility

25-May-2009 - Ongoing amendments to salt reduction targets across European markets like the UK are throwing up unknown challenges for bakers beyond just affecting taste, with fears over the possible wider impacts for product quality, according to industry leaders.

Storck Travel Retail expects stand-up bags to be high flyers

22-May-2009 - Stand-up bags are a way to increase the expose of sugar confectionery in the impulse-driven travel retail market, according to Storck Travel Retail, which is re-launching three of its brands in new packaging this summer.

Food safety threat from reusable food bags and packages

22-May-2009 - Reusable food shopping bags and packages can contain a high level of bacteria, yeast, mold and coliform counts which pose a significant food safety risk, warns a new study from Sporometrics, an environmental microbiology lab based in Toronto, Canada.

Frugality dominates US shoppers' alcohol plans - report

19-May-2009 - Alcohol’s ability to survive under difficult economic times has come into question amidst shifting consumer attitudes in the US to more value-focused offerings as opposed to their premium counterparts, says new research.

Asda not pushing wider wax-free cheese rollout

13-May-2009 - One leading British retailer is defying tradition by selling Edam cheese without its trademark red wax coating or skin as part of efforts to cut down on waste and costs, though says it is not looking to extend the focus to its other cheeses.

Craft and big beer brands striking European balance - industry

06-May-2009 - Regionally made craft beer brands are retaining national and even global importance to some of the world’s largest brewers, as the industry raises concerns over possible declines in sales, say brewers' groups.

New food launches halve recession-stuck quarter, says Mintel

29-Apr-2009 - New data indicates that food manufacturers are opting not to invest in new food and drink product launches during the economic down turn, as budgets are cut from R&D to marketing.

FDF calls for moratorium on red tape

29-Apr-2009 - The president of the UK's Food and Drink Federation (FDF), Ross Warburton, has called on the Government to cut unnecessary red tape in order to support the food industry through the recession.

UK sandwich ‘shockers’ should have nutritional labels: Which?

24-Apr-2009 - UK consumer group strengthens calls for sandwich makers in the UK to display nutritional information at point of sale after identifying high levels of fat, salt and sugar in a range of sandwich formulations.

Talking organics to the occasional buyer

20-Apr-2009 - FoodNavigator talks to Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, about communication efforts to help more consumers understand and engage in organics, and the all-important issue of climate change.

Green supply chain stance required by retailers - INCPEN

10-Apr-2009 - With recent research suggesting retailers like Wal-Mart are actively driving US manufacturers to adapt ‘greener’ packaging, one organisation says European counterparts need a more holistic supply chain approach to bolster their eco-goals.

News in brief

Environmental protection in the bag

09-Apr-2009 - Get A Bag Habit is the name of a new campaign launched by the British Retail Consortium to encourage shoppers to reuse carrier bags.

Private label innovation looms over big brands

19-Mar-2009 - Innovation is increasingly being marked out as a way for private label firms to gain market share – and for big brand players to keep it.

News in brief

UK drinking down amidst pub future fears

19-Mar-2009 - UK Alcohol consumption has fallen by three per cent during 2008, according to figures compiled by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Roundtable to unite green food assessment methods

05-Mar-2009 - The food industry’s new sustainability roundtable will seek to unify all the green assessment methods now in use and under development, says the CIAA’s environmental director, rather than developing yet another approach from scratch.

New code proposed for retailer-supplier deals

05-Mar-2009 - The rules that govern agreements between retailers and suppliers could be strengthened under a new proposal by the UK’s Competition Commission (CC) to protect manufacturers and others from restrictive practices.

UK consumer watchdog questions functional foods

03-Mar-2009 - The influential UK-based consumer welfare advocate, Which?, has poured scorn on some functional foods, despite the fact 59 per cent of its highly sceptical members buy omega-3, probiotic and other functional foods.