Breaking News on Food Marketing and Retailing

Yoplait processing reverts to France after Glanbia deal

18-May-2012 - Processing of Yoplait yoghurts for Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will revert back to France after dairy giant Glanbia’s sale of the franchise back to Yoplait.

News in brief

Plastic pieces in Sainsbury’s teacakes sparks product recall

15-May-2012 - UK supermarket Sainsbury’s has initiated a recall of its own-brand Basic Tea Cakes over fears the products may contain pieces of plastic.

News in brief

PET bottle to replace glass for Asda salad dressings

15-May-2012 - A polyethylene terephthalate (PET) manufacturer has developed a bottle for retail giant Asda which will replace current glass packaging.  

UK to begin consultation on food labelling

14-May-2012 - The UK government today launches fresh talks which could lead to a new universal way to label the nutritional content of food.

Sainsbury claims fastest web food retailer growth

09-May-2012 - The UK’s third largest supermarket Sainsbury claims to be the country’s fastest growing online food retailer in a statement published with its financial results for the year to March 17.

EU egg shortage: An alternate view on how long it will last

11-Apr-2012 - The bakery and confectionery industry claims it has been hit with a “dire and unprecedented” EU-wide egg shortage as suppliers of egg replacers look to profit and offer up their opinions on how long the situation will last.

Coke hopes revamped adult soft drinks brand will cause Tumult in Europe

10-Apr-2012 - The Coca-Cola Company has redesigned the packaging and branding for one of its more niche brands, a premium non-alcoholic adult soft drink now only sold in Paris, but poised for a European roll-out.

News in brief

Tesco rolls-out cream packaging redesign to stress tradition

04-Apr-2012 - Tesco has redesigned its private label brand of fresh cream - covering over 30 SKUs - to create a new quality seal that echo the design of old-fashioned dairy cream containers.

Iglo Foods Group sale will attract trade buyer interest

28-Mar-2012 - A major multi-national trade buyer is going to be the most likely bidder for frozen food firm Birds Eye Iglo, according to city analysts, after its owner Permira confirmed it was exploring a sale of the business.

Danone joins Coca-Cola in working with bio-based bottle producer

27-Mar-2012 - Danone has followed Coca-Cola in partnering with bio-technology developer Avantium, who will produce eco-friendly bottles for the global drinks manufacturer.

Unilever cranks up open innovation activities

20-Mar-2012 - Unilever is looking for new ideas to help it reduce the sodium levels in its food products by a further 15 to 20% without compromising taste - just one ‘want’ on its newly launched open innovation platform.

Nestle fined £180,000 for failures leading to worker's death

12-Mar-2012 - Food giant Nestle has been fined £180,000 in a UK criminal court after it failed to implement basic safety measures that led to a worker’s death.

Discount dairy retailers are our ‘key competitors’ in Europe and the US, says Arla

06-Mar-2012 - Dairy processor Arla has revealed plans to save at least DKK 500m (€67m) inside 18 months, and says that success demands the ability to reduce production costs, given tough competition with retailers.

Coca-Cola Enterprises tight-lipped on pending 375ml PET bottle launch

23-Feb-2012 - Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has given a guarded reaction to a media enquiries regarding the planned launch a new 375ml bottle onto the UK market, despite its GB managing director informing journalists at a press conference that the firm intended to make this move.

‘We can beat that 300ml feeling’: UAE raps Coke for ‘cheating’ consumers

21-Feb-2012 - Coca-Cola has sought to play down a row that has erupted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after the authorities pulled the soft drinks firm’s products from shelves for alleged violation of consumer protection laws.

Kraft cuts food manufacturing waste by half

20-Feb-2012 - Kraft Foods has cut manufacturing waste by half across its global business over the past seven years.

Thorntons plans store closures as profits slump

15-Feb-2012 - UK chocolatier Thorntons has suffered a 63% decline in profits in its half yearly report and intends to close almost half of its own stores and focus on commercial retail sales.

Monsanto scraps GM maize in France

01-Feb-2012 - Agriculture and biotechnology giant Monsanto has announced it will scrap plans to sell genetically modified maize in France this year, or anytime in the future.

Europe isn’t ‘squeaky clean’ warns expert, after new claims of Chinese infant formula death

13-Jan-2012 - A leading food safety expert has urged people to remember that Europe is not squeaky clean when it comes to scare stories, following the reported death of another Chinese baby from claimed infant formula consumption.

Tesco results disappoint in struggling retail market

12-Jan-2012 - A disappointing performance from Tesco over the make-or-break Christmas period means that festive trade for the multiples was “worse than expected”, according to city analysts.

Food props up sales at M&S

10-Jan-2012 - Retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) expects trading conditions in the new year to “remain challenging” despite a rise in food sales over the all-important Christmas period.

Warburtons cuts 73 jobs following plant closure

10-Jan-2012 - UK bakery firm Warburtons has announced that it is to axe 73 jobs at its Oldham bakery after closure of the site.

Revolutionary ethylene absorber is ‘berry’ good - Marks and Spencer

09-Jan-2012 - Marks & Spencer (M&S) said it has become the first retailer to use a “revolutionary” ethylene strip in strawberry punnets at the point of sale that will extend the shelf life of the fruit by up to 50%.

Cadbury invests £6m on shelf ready and resealable packaging

05-Jan-2012 - Cadbury UK has announced that it will introduce shelf ready packaging to make its chocolate bars stand upright in stores to better attract customers’ attention in a £6m (€7.2m) scheme.