Breaking News on Food Marketing and Retailing

Coca-Cola to close concentrates plant

Coca-Cola said yesterday it would shut down one of its three ingredients plants in Ireland and cut 166 people from its workforce.

Line designed for high speed coffee capsule packaging

A customised packaging line is designed to produce coffee capsules, a huge growth area in the market.

DSM gains application IP rights for asparaginase use

DSM Food Specialities has reached an agreement with Frito-Lay and Proctor & Gamble that gives it intellectual property rights to use asparaginase, the enzyme that underlies its acrylamide-reducing PreventASe preparation, in food products.

Spirit brands drive Diageo profit growth

Diageo today forecast organic operating profit will increase by nine per cent in the current financial year after posting strong gains across the majority of its big brands, including Guinness.

Wine keeps Foster's in line for profit growth

Australian brewer Foster's has posted 4.7 per cent increase in sales to AUS$4.5bn (€2.6bn) for the full fiscal year as it continues to expand its operations outside of its core beer brands.

Cadbury's gum acquisition approved in Turkey

Cadbury's planned acquisition of the Turkey-based chewing gum manufacturer Intergum has been approved by the competition regulator, the company said today.

Lower demand for bread forces Hovis bakery closures

Premier Foods will close two of its bakery plants in the UK following lower consumer demand for bread.

Weekly comment

Is it harsh? Is it fair? No it's a consumer watchdog

In 1993, it seemed superheroes had reached their lowest peak when Superman was slain by an unstoppable monster known as "Doomsday".

Syral to present new structure, sweetener capabilities

Syral is set to unveil its new sales and industrial organisation in October, following the acquisition of Tate & Lyle starch assets that is currently underway, and says it will be able to respond to customers' changing sweetener demands.

DSM investment marks push into smart packaging

In a sign of the increased emphasis being put on food safety, Royal DSM has invested in a sensor manufacturing company.

BioGaia stays in the black with more sales in Europe

Swedish probiotic biotech company BioGaia has recorded increased sales in Europe but a downfall in the Asian market in its interim results released today.

Danone acts over Romanian dioxin fears

Danone has played down fears over the safety of some of its yoghurt products as it becomes the latest European company to be hit by concerns over possible dioxin contamination in guar gum.

Kellogg strikes back over superhero battle

Cereal giant Kellogg's has released a statement in response to the Which? campaign announced earlier this week that condemned the use of superheroes in advertising to children..

Salt per serving tricks consumers, regulator says

Some manufacturers are deliberately 'hoodwinking' consumers over salt content, claims a new report from UK regulators that says more action needs to be taken for salt reduction targets to be met by 2010.

Questions raised over coffee allergies

That all-important coffee boost sought by about 70 per cent of the UK population may be becoming a bit of a drag, with coffee related illnesses having doubled during the last four years, according to new figures released this week.

Nestle predicts calmer acquisition outlook

Nestle expects to significantly reduce its acquisitions spending for the foreseeable future following a hectic twelve month period of expansion.

Bakery segments behind sales turnaround for Sara Lee

Net sales for Sara Lee increased 7.1 per cent to $12.3bn (€9.1bn) for the fiscal year 2007 from $11.5bn (€8.5bn) the previous year, the company has said.

Grolsch plans plunder down under

Dutch brewer Royal Grolsch hopes it can extend its in Australia's burgeoning imported beer market through a new distribution partnership in the country.

Internet campaign encourages a Cadbury re-launch

Cadbury last week said it will be re-launching its Wispa bar in the UK following pressure from social-networking sites.

Spiderman and The Simpsons are food baddies, says Which?

Consumer watchdog Which? has launched a new campaign to oust cartoon characters from unhealthy snack advertising, claiming that superheros are being exploited to encourage kids to clamour for foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt.

McCain invests in wind turbines for chip plant

In a sign that the UK's push to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions is working, McCain Foods has announced it will install wind turbines at its potato chip plant in the country.

New Zealand tests find pesticide residue levels are safe

Pesticide residues largely comply with legal limits, according to the results of food tests conducted by New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) published yesterday.

Heinz's healthy food focus leads to fat profits

Heinz's sales grew by 9 per cent in the quarter ended 2 August, the company said today in a trading statement.

Astaxanthin off the menu for Tate & Lyle

Production of the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin at a plant in the UK has been called off after operating losses mounted to more than £3m (€4.4m).

New pregnancy research could cause another bump for food industry

The snacks industry has taken another hit this week after researchers suggest eating junk food during pregnancy and breastfeeding may lead to obese offspring.

Sports nutrition just for athletes - a thing of the past

The sports nutritional market sector is set to surpass growth expectations in the run up to 2011, hoisted up by emphasis on more mainstream consumers, according to a new report.

Wal-Mart beefs up audits of supplier factories

Wal-Mart audited 8,873 of its suppliers' factories last year, part of the giant retailer's ongoing push to portray itself as an ethical and environmentally-conscious company.

Nestle nourished by health aims

Nestle's drive to be a major health and nutrition player resulted in a strong first half fiscal performance for the company.

Nestle recasts its Black Magic recipes

In a bid to take advantage of the new consumer fad for dark chocolate, Nestle has re-written its Black Magic recipes.

Masterfoods labelling move spurs new veggie debate

Masterfoods has announced plans to introduce a vegetarian labelling scheme for some of its chocolate products as of next year, but the Vegetarian Society says ingredients still do not meet its sourcing requirements.

Court favours Danone in 'cancer water' case

A court in Argentina has dismissed allegations against Danone that it had engaged in unfair trade practices in the country against rival Coca-Cola.

No payouts for former Parmalat groups

Two former subsidiaries of Italian dairy group Parmalat have failed in their attempts to win compensation from financial institutions alleged to have played a part in its one time parent company's financial collapse.

Weekly Comment

A helping hand to the confused consumer

Consumers are bombarded with an overload of nutritional advice and product marketing - be it from magazines, television shows, and product advertising - and without a degree in nutritional science, it's a wonder they can make sense of it at all.

Campbell reviews Godiva chocolate business

Campbell Soup is considering selling its Godiva Chocolate business in order to focus upon its simple meals and healthier options, the company said yesterday.

Emerging markets boost for Coca-Cola brands

Emerging markets in Europe and Asia continue to boost the global profitability of Coca-Cola's brands as two of its regional bottlers yesterday posted optimistic growth expectations for the fiscal year.

Payouts and organics on the rise for Arla

Arla Foods is to step up both the amount of payouts to its suppliers and organic production in an attempt to adapt to a rapidly changing global dairy market.

OFT in UK clears ABF's acquisition

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has cleared international food company Associated British Foods' acquisition of Indian food manufacturer Patak's.

European sports nutrition to hit 4bn

The sports nutrition market in Europe is set to surpass the €4bn mark by 2010 and is outstripping growth in North America, a report has said.

Lion Capital aims to squeeze Russian juice potential

Private investment firm Lion Capital yesterday became the latest foreign firm to enter the burgeoning Russian fruit juice market through the acquisition of local manufacturer Nidan.

Carlsberg confident over full-year growth

Carlsberg today lifted its fiscal earning expectations for the second time this year on the back of a stronger than expected performance during the six month period up to June 30.

Weather rains on Scottish & Newcastle's performance

Eastern Europe continues to boost the fortunes of brewer Scottish & Newcastle, driving comparable sales growth of 7.8 per cent to £2.1bn (€3bn) for the first half of the year as the company moved to offset increased input and production costs.

New CSM acquisition in premium market segment

Dutch-based bakery supplier CSM announced today its acquisition of UK-based Kate's Cakes in a deal worth £32.5m (€48m).

Vivartia drops ice cream for restructuring aims

Greek dairy group Vivartia has sold its entire 24 per cent stake in ice cream producer and retailer Dodoni to the National Bank of Greece Group as it continues to restructure its operations.

Bird's Eye switches fingers from cod to pollock

UK food manufacturer Bird's Eye has said it will use pollock in place of cod in some of its fish fingers as of September, in a bid to counter sustainability issues

Weekly Comment

Reflections from IFT

As the dust settles on this year's IFT Food Expo 2007 in Chicago, health and wellness and food safety came through as the star performers, and drivers for the future of the industry.

Bulgarian bakers hit by higher input prices

Bakers in Bulgaria are predicting a 30 to 50 per cent rise in bread prices due to increased input costs, according to a recent market update.

Unilever takes aggressive stance for growth aims

Unilever today announced it will cut 20,000 jobs, accounting for 11 per cent of its total workforce, as part of a new "aggressive" growth strategy for its operations.

Chocolate biscuit sales hit by obesity concerns

Sales of chocolate biscuits in the UK fell 17 per cent between 2001 and 2006 as consumers made the switch to healthier varieties, according to new figures.

Danone restructures senior management

Danone yesterday announced a major restructuring of its senior management as it continues to refocus its operations towards being a leading player in health and nutrition.

Bacardi invests for whisky success

Spirits group Bacardi yesterday announced a $250m (€183m) investment into production of its Scotch whisky brands amidst increasing global demand for the drink.

Cadbury's reports decline in operating profit

Cadbury Schweppes today reported an operating profit decline of 6 per cent to £180m in the first-half of the year, particularly due to high input costs and restructuring costs.