Top Headlines

FrieslandCampina seizes Balkan takeover opportunity under route 2020 'spearhead'

Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina has signed a memorandum of understanding with a UK-based venture capital firm to acquire Serbian dairy producers Imlek and Mlekara Subotica, and sees great potential to grow sales in the region.

News in brief

Commission regrets Parliament's blocking of nutrition claims revision

The European Commission said it strongly regrets the European Parliament’s decision yesterday to veto the ‘percentage less’ claims on foods, claiming its proposal, if backed, would have favoured industry efforts to reformulation.

FSA publishes priorities on science and evidence

Microbiological food safety, allergen risks, and novel technologies are among the top areas of priority for the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the forthcoming year.

Intersnack's seven figure investment in UK snacks

European giant Intersnack is challenging PepsiCo and United Biscuits brands in the UK as it prepares to dramatically increase its profile, with a seven-figure investment in UK production.

Tight supermarket milk margins set Dairy Crest stock ‘in doldrums’, analysts

Dairy Crest has issued a mixed trading update for the first nine months of its fiscal year, with persistent tight margins in its dairies business sector offset by strong performance across its branded portfolio.

Low-fat ingredients delivering for Russian group EFKO

Last year saw sales of food ingredients jump nearly 10% for supplier EFKO, a Russian manufacturer of industrial fats, including cocoa butter substitutes, used in confectionary, diary, bakery and other food industries.

Global Industry News

New probiotic strains will win health claims (but not for 10-15 years): Prof from NutraIngredients.com

Advances in genomics and understanding the human gut microbiota will lead to the discovery of probiotic bacterial strains that will deliver biomarker-measured health benefits – but it may take 10-15 years, according to a leading researcher.

Japanese dairy firms address consumer radiation concerns from DairyReporter.com

Top Japanese dairy companies have announced that they are set to begin screening products for radiation at around 180 factories, in response to growing consumer concerns about radioactivity levels in food.

Kellogg records modest growth driven by Latin America and Asia-Pacific from BakeryAndSnacks.com

Cereal and snacks giant Kellogg has announced growth in its fourth quarter (Q4) full-year results led by gains in Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

Bakers on sodium reduction: We can’t afford to make products consumers won’t buy from FoodNavigator-USA.com

Reducing sodium is expensive and difficult, and many bakers are beginning to wonder whether it is worth investing millions into reformulating products that consumers do not want to buy, according to the Association of Bakers (ABA).