Breaking News on Food Marketing and Retailing

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Lactofree sales up 37% as Arla posts profit surge

01-Sep-2010 - Arla's lactose-free brand Lactofree is generating value growth of 37% year-on-year, bosses have revealed as the dairy giant unveiled a sharp rise in interim profits.

Salads saltier than a Big Mac, says survey

26-Aug-2010 - Manufacturers of ready-to-eat salads have “a long way to go” in producing low-salt foods after a new survey revealed that one in ten salads contains more salt than a Big Mac.

Turkish supermarket boom fuels private label growth

24-Aug-2010 - A new Turkish government report shows that the nation’s consumers are increasingly favouring the mass grocery retail (MGR) sector, while rising disposable incomes also mean an accompanying shift towards packaged, frozen and processed foods.

Amazon grocery suppliers “frustrated and disappointed” six weeks into launch – but most still won’t bet against it

20-Aug-2010 - Food manufacturers working with Amazon on its new UK grocery business remain frustrated and disappointed by its progress six weeks after launch, although most still say they would not bet against the online retailer in the long-term.

‘Household names’ trial new fruit-based sweetener as R&R Ice cream prepares new desserts launch

16-Aug-2010 - ‘Household names’ in food and drink manufacturing are conducting trials with fruit-based sweetener Sweet Freedom following its successful launch in the retail market.

Russian wheat woes unlikely to have big impact on European beer market

11-Aug-2010 - A poor Russian wheat harvest and a ban on grain exports are unlikely to have a major impact on the European beer market, but could represent another setback for the home market, according to a Canadean analyst.

Flour prices up 15-20% as harvest approaches, says Premier Foods

16-Jul-2010 - Flour prices could head further north this summer, driven by a combination of lower-than-anticipated corn planting in the US, reduced wheat production forecasts in Russia and Canada and lower yields in Europe, Premier Foods is predicting.

Waitrose audits new suppliers for Heston Blumenthal range

07-Jul-2010 - Prices in the new Heston Blumenthal range will "start from about £3 but are still pending confirmation", Waitrose bosses have revealed.

EU organic logo comes into force

05-Jul-2010 - The new European organic logo is now mandatory on pre-packaged organic food and beverage products produced in the bloc, after new labelling regulations came into force on July 1.

Hain Celestial: Churchill production will move to Luton

30-Jun-2010 - Hain Celestial will switch production from recently-acquired food-to-go firm Churchill Food Products from Nottingham to its larger facility in Luton, but insisted that staff would be “actively encouraged” to move to Luton “if they are able to do so”.

Food manufacturers pledge to clean up product data

14-Jun-2010 - Six-out-of-10 food manufacturers are planning to pump more cash into improving the quality of product data exchanged with customers this year, according to Food Manufacture’s annual state of the nation survey.

Fairtrade chocolate proving recession proof in UK

03-Jun-2010 - A hike in sales volumes of Fairtrade chocolate in the UK are expected following a retailer’s decision to extend its own brand range of the ethically sourced chocolate.

UK dairy farmers welcome Sainsbury’s new dairy welfare scheme

01-Jun-2010 - British dairy farmers have welcomed a new “unique,” animal welfare standard launched by retail giant Sainsbury’s shortly after a new Mintel report identified welfare issues as consumers’ top food concern.

UK government pledges greater regulation of grocery sector

21-May-2010 - The UK’s new coalition government said it intends to increase regulatory oversight of the nation’s grocery sector, under policy plans unveiled in a 34-page programme document released yesterday.

The time is right for the milk bag and jug format, says Dairy Crest

18-May-2010 - Dairy Crest and Sainsbury’s are putting their full marketing weight behind milk bags and jugs - confident that now is the time for the format to take root in the UK.

City: Bolland won't turn screw on M&S suppliers

12-May-2010 - New Marks & Spencer boss Marc Bolland may seek to extract fresh savings from his food supply base this year, but is unlikely to embark on another ‘project Genesis’-style crusade in the immediate future, analysts have predicted.

News in brief

Appeal verdict in Asda 'nasty' case expected in early June

12-May-2010 - The legal battle between Asda and Ajinomoto over the rights to describe aspartame as 'nasty' has moved into a new phase.

Labour conflict threatens Finnish food industry

07-May-2010 - A labour dispute in the Finnish food industry that saw 12,000 workers strike this week has escalated with a bigger strike being mooted for next week.

Co-op: Somerfield sales are not haemorrhaging

05-May-2010 - The Co-operative Group has insisted that Somerfield stores are performing “in line with our expectations” following press reports suggesting that sales had slumped in response to recent ranging and pricing changes.

Sainsbury: suppliers must clean up their data

05-May-2010 - More than 60 manufacturers are now exchanging product data with Sainsbury via the global data synchronisation network (GSDN) as part of a trial designed to tackle the delays, errors and stock shortages caused by bad data.

Food retail prices stubbornly resist the recession

07-Apr-2010 - New data has revealed that food price inflation remains a reality despite the global recession and the spike in prices that preceded it.

News in brief

Tetra Pak reaches eco-packing agreement with Carrefour

01-Apr-2010 - Tetra Pak will supply more than 100 million FSC-labelled carton packages to Carrefour stores across France during 2010.

Asda ‘sceptical’ about carbon footprint labels

29-Mar-2010 - Asda has no plans to follow Tesco by introducing carbon footprint labelling on own-label lines. The retailer believes that it is the job of its own buyers to discriminate between products on the basis of their environmental credentials.

Battery egg fraudster jailed

12-Mar-2010 - The perpetrator of a scam to sell some 36 million battery eggs as free range in the UK has been jailed for three years and ordered to pay hefty fines. The case has prompted the introduction of more stringent traceability measures.

Niche beverages take centre stage in saturated markets

04-Mar-2010 - In saturated European and North American beverage markets Euromonitor says the battle for new business has turned to niche drinks.

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