UK whey processor Volac International intends to remove its investment in Pritchitt Foods, the Northern Ireland dairy-based food manufacturer, in a bid to focus on the agri-food sector and to expand its international business, the company announced this...
Barely two months after acquiring a majority stake in French oil
processor Cereol, US company Bunge said this week that its new unit
has sold French cooking oil company Lesieur in a bid to reduce its
debt load.
With the rising tide of food intolerance in consumers, today's
society is increasingly turning to science to come up with new
tools to tackle the problems. New ambitious research underway in
Europe could see consumers with celiac...
Polish soft drinks and mineral water producer Hoop has acquired its
counterpart Woda Grodziska, a move which it says will enable it to
step up its plans for expanding to the German market for the first
time.
Expanding its Plus discount supermarket fascia in Spain and
Portugal, and good performances from non-food subsidiaries KiK and
OBI, helped Germany's Tengelmann group to a solid increase in sales
for 2002, despite difficult economic...
Obesity - a growing problem, not just in the West, and not just in
adults. Governments around the world are increasingly concerned
about the rise of obesity in childhood. But how are we tackling the
problem? Perhaps not very well....
The decision by the Navarra regional authorities to allow the term
'bio' to be used to describe non-organic dairy products has been
upheld by the local courts, the latest twist in the ongoing battle
between Spain and the...
Greencore Group, the Irish food ingredients and convenience food
company, this week reported a leap in operating profit together
with strong sales growth and a reduction in net debt for the year
ended 27 September 2002. Strong growth...
Starch ingredients company National Starch and Chemical, a
subsidiary of the chemical giant ICI Group, has moved further into
human nutrition with the announcement yesterday that it has
acquired the resistant starch business from...
New report confirms the growth of the non-dairy drinks sector as
the health and nutrition trend gains pace growth. Competition in
the burgeoning sector is set to increase, with the big players
turning to new product development as...
Pop a supplement of sip a juice - where are the benefits? New
research suggest that the juice of the concord grape has powerful
antioxidant effects that may offer extra benefits that supplements
do not.
Europe may remain reticent over the use of irradiation by food
manufacturers but other countries across the world are making steps
towards increasing the use of this controversial food preservation
technology. Canada made moves this...
The average food ingredients company in the UK over the past three
years has seen sales decrease, a fall in profits, and contractions
rather than growth marking many areas of business. On a positive
note, the food ingredients industry...
Smooth or crunchy? Which ever way you prefer your peanut butter,
the ingredients contained within could well keep diabetes at bay.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in the US report
this week that consuming a daily...
Is our future a lonely one? According to market analysts
Datamonitor - yes. The company has just released a report that
predicts by 2005 Europe will have five million more single people,
eleven million fewer people living as part...
Danish vegetable oils and speciality fats company Aarhus Oliefabrik
this week reports a drop in consolidated operating income for the
third quarter as intense price competition and the impact of global
recession takes its toll.
Cognac Godet is pushing ahead with its exports to the potentially
huge Russian market following an agreement with its new distributor
there, Ladoga. The St Petersburg-based firm will now market three
Godet brands in major Russian...
Food preservation is a key issue for every food processor today. As
such, demand for isoascorbic acid, ascorbic acid and citric acid is
expected to reach €1.7bn by 2007. But with the market entry of
Chinese producers offering these...
SureBeam, the US-based food irradiation provider, has been awarded
a patent that increases the processing efficiency of its technology
and provides the ability to simultaneously process products in a
variety of package configurations.
A prepared curry, presented in minimal packaging, washed down by a
cup of white tea, followed by a citrus sorbet anyone? According to
the Global New Products Database of market analysts Mintel, these
are some of the trends we could...
The European food and drink industry this week gave a vote of
confidence to the radical revamp of the 41 year old Common
Agricultural Policy proposed by European Agriculture Commissioner
Franz Fischler - but gave a clear warning about...
Berries of all shapes and forms are making the news on a regular
basis as scientists tap into the potential health benefits held
therewithin. Can blueberries boost our brain power? New findings
released this week.
Next January will see the launch of Fruity Smarties, a new
variation on the popular Nestle chocolate confectionery brand which
contains a fruity jelly produced by Haribo. Is this the start of a
beautiful relationship between the two...
Last week we reported on a study that suggested the buzz we get
from coffee may not, unlike the widely held belief, actually be
from caffeine. This week, new reaseach finds that brewed coffee
raises homocysteine levels and risk factors...
We reported yesterday on recent research carried out by scientists
in Australia on genetically modified sheep capable of producing
more milk than their non-GM sisters. Today the link between genetic
modification and milking continues...
The first research of its type in Australia has concluded that
genetically modified sheep grow bigger and faster, produce double
the amount of milk, can grow more wool, but require more care,
reports the Commonwealth Scientific and...
Surebeam, the leading US food irradiation provider, has lambasted
allegations made by Public Citizen that its directors have received
excessive pay-outs.
Since a Swedish study send a shudder of fear throughout the food
industry earlier this year, scientists have been fervently
investigating the presence of the potential carcinogen, acrylamide
in starchy, fried foods.
Migros, the Swiss co-operative retailer, has refuted claims that it
is secretly preparing massive lay-offs, but confirms that not all
staff who leave the company will be replaced.
The world's leading chocolate producers have joined forces with
international labour organisations to promote ethical production
practices in West Africa, the main cocoa-growing area. Child labour
is top of the list of current...
Cargill Sweeteners North America forms marketing alliance with
sugar beet cooperative to sell and distribute its sugar products to
food and beverage manufacturers. Both companies hope the agreement
will lead to the development of...
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local has called for the
Pennsylvania General Assembly to let the Food Employees
Certification Act of 1994, a voluntary measure designed to train
and certify food workers and ensure food safety,...
Folic acid could dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease,
deep vein thrombosis and stroke according to researchers in this
week's British Medical Journal. Scientists report that the
vitamin can reduce levels of homocysteine...
Five former officials at the now-defunct Japanese company Snow
Brand Foods conspired to falsely label imported beef products as
domestic beef and swindled an industry body out of millions of yen
in a government buyback scheme, so...
Finlandia, the Finnish vodka produced by Altia, is already the
world's third-largest premium imported vodka brand, but it is set
to improve its position even further following the transfer of the
brand's marketing to Brown-Forman,...
Christmas in the UK is a time of tradition - turkey, mince pies,
carol singing... and huge amounts of over-spending. The latest
report from market analysts Mintel reveals that Britons are
likely to continue this last tradition this...
More research to suggest that chocolate could be of benefit arrived
this week with scientists in the US suggesting that dietary
flavonols found in certain chocolates and cocoa could improve blood
vessel function.
The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture has this week presented its
second annual food industry awards, recognising the achievements of
companies in the fields of export, innovation, technology, the
environment and rural development.
A report from the US-based Institute of Food Technologists
highlights a series of methods to control food bacteria using
antimicrobial food preservatives and sanitisers.
Anglo-Dutch group Unilever has sold its US-based distributor Iberia
Foods to the Brooklyn Bottling Group for an undisclosed sum. The
unit distributes and markets a wide of Unilever and other branded
products to the Hispanic American...
International BioChemical Industries has said that it has moved
into the second round of testing in a cooperative effort with a
global food and beverage company after initial testing for its
antimicrobial agents proved effective.
US agri-giant Cargill, the new owner of French starch company
Cerestar, made further steps to increasing its texturiser business
when the company announced this week its intention to form a 50/50
joint venture with Chinese company...
The 'caffeine' buzz we get from our regular cups of coffee might
not actually be caffeine after all. Researchers in Switzerland
reporting on a recent study found that when occasional coffee
drinkers drank a triple espresso,...
UK sugar group Tate & Lyle continues to divest itself of
non-core or under-performing assets with the announcement this
morning that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of its
monosodium glutamate (MSG)production unit...
The European Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and
Animal Health (SCFCAH) this week voted in favour of a European
Commission proposal to allow the resumption of imports of certain
fishery products (crayfish and...
Switzerland's Coop group is to buy the Waro supermarket chain for
an undisclosed sum, a move which will enable it to meet its target
for expanding the size of its stores and product range without the
lengthy approval procedure...
Safeway, the oft-maligned UK retailer, has posted a good set of
interim results, an indication, it claims, that its much-needed
revitalisation programme is paying off. This programme will
continue in the second half, with more new...
European companies continue to make inroads into South America as
German-based GeneScan Europe announced this week that it has opened
a new laboratory in Brazil to test for the presence of genetically
modified organisms in food products...
