This week people across the world will be indulging in one of the
wonders of nature's waters - oysters. Unfortunately, for a handful
of people each year the pleasure can be disastrous if they become
infected by a deadly bacteria...
The impact of a recent, and ongoing, drought in Australia, will
soon be felt by retailers and the consumer, predicts market analyst
Euromonitor. And there is no let up in sight as El Niño, widely
responsible for the ongoing adverse...
Metro, the German retailer, this month opened its first Cash &
Carry outlet in Japan, a market where it sees great potential in
the years to come. The store is a joint venture with Japan's
Marubeni Corp.
The French retail giant Carrefour has opened a new logistics
platform in Spain which will serve its 30 hypermarkets in Spain,
plus four others in Portugal. The new facility will hold 14,000
different products.
The European Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition by US
agribusiness Cargill of Belgian edible seed oil packer Associated
Oil Packers bvba (AOP) - just three months after clearing Cargill's
acquisition of French-based...
Scientists at the University of Southampton in the UK have received
funding to study whether genes can influence the benefits gained by
some people from dietary antioxidants. The team is hoping to find
out why some people benefit...
A collaborative global effort has resulted in the completion of an
advanced draft, or blueprint, of the rice genome. Officials at the
US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Science
Foundation (NSF) and the Department of...
Swiss flavours company Givaudan has signed an agreement to acquire
International Bioflavors - a leading US producer of natural cheese
and dairy flavours.
The desire to show off and indulge is leading to a sharp rise in
sales of luxury food products, and in entertaining at home, claims
a new Datamonitor report. But increased spending means higher debt,
in turn causing stress - all of...
Four senior officials from French fast food chain Buffalo Grill,
including chief executive Christian Picart, have been accused of
manslaughter and fraud amid allegations that the company illegally
imported British beef infected with...
Demands for damages of around $6 million from the Ethiopian
government at a time when the country is facing famine have led to
a storm of protest against Swiss food giant Nestle. But the company
said it would invest the proceeds of...
In a bid to streamline its UK milling operations, food and
ingredients group Associated British Foods is to sell its British
third party flour milling business to ADM Milling, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland.
With health trends continuing to gain pace, and manufacturers
turning to 'added- value' ingredients, the market for beverage
additives should expect to see decent growth, rising to 1.7 billion
(€1.65bn) in 2006, claims market...
Food contamination is a major issue that the European, and global,
food industry faces today. A one day seminar in the UK will examine
how the industry can respond to the challenge and devise a strategy
to cope.
Research carried out at the Texas A&M university shows how
increasing the pressure during the milk homogenisation process
could improve dairy industry consumer products of tomorrow, claim
scientists this week.
With the flavoured spirits segment growing by around 25 per cent a
year in the US, it is not surprising that there have been a number
of major launches in that market in the last few months. The latest
is the additon of a 1.75-litre...
The European Parliament yesterday rejected a proposal to expand the
list of foods that can be irradiated within the European Union,
increasing pressure for greater caution in the US.
Cadbury Schweppes has had a busy week. While yesterday's
acquisition of the US confectionery group Adams was undoubtedly the
most important in the company's recent history, Cadbury has also
revealed that it is planning a...
Tesco's bid to increase its share of the UK convenience store
sector looks set to go ahead unchecked following the announcement
that its acquisition of the T&S group will not fall foul of the
competition authorities. A bitter...
In the first six weeks on sale in Sweden, the lactose-free milk
drink from Finland's Valio group has far exceeded even the
company's most optimistic expectations. Full year sales could be as
much as five times greater than...
The European Commission continues to crack down on unfair
competition and punish the illegal activities with the news this
week that is has fined three companies involved in a food flavour
enhancers (nucleotides) cartel.
US agribusiness Cargill digs deeper into its pockets with the
recent announcement that - via its venture capital arm - the
company is to invest more in emerging technologies in food
applications, animal productivity and industrial...
A variety of wheat from ancient Persia has been used to
successfully breed the world's first salt-tolerant durum wheat
variety, writes the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) this week.
UK carbohydrate giant Tate & Lyle this morning announced plans
to develop and manufacture a new range of food ingredients based on
its fermentation capability.
Allowing Spanish stores to open every day of the week will lead to
massive job losses and higher prices, supermarkets and small store
operators have warned. And the only people to benefit will be the
French hypermarket groups Carrefour...
France's Auchan group has agreed to sell its five Mexican stores
for an undisclosed sum to local market leader CCM. The Mexican firm
could also join Auchan's international buying organisation.
In November this year the European Council cleared new proposals to
end the '25 per cent rule' and to strengthen the current labelling
of food allergens on food products. Under the new rules, it will be
mandatory to list...
In a move to boost industry research and enhance nutritional
applications of wheat and other major cereal crops, chemical giant
DuPont announced this week that it is making proprietary wheat
genome data available to public and private...
Campari, the Italian drinks group, has extended its agreement with
the UK's Morrison Bowmore Distillers, giving the Scotch whisky
maker the UK duty free and travel retail rights to its brands. But
this does not include its newest...
Poland, along with nine other countries in Central and Eastern
Europe, will join the European Union in 2004, but in the meantime
it will become easier for current EU food and drink producers to
trade with the country following a recent...
Canadian biopharmaceutical company Forbes Medi-Tech this week
reports on study results showing that chocolate, containing its
cholesterol-lowering phytosterol ingredient Reducol, significanly
reduced LDL cholesterol in people with...
Early next century there will be more Europeans over 60 years old
than under 20. A major European funded project currently underway
will examine the factors that determine food choice and acceptance
for older people in a bid to improve...
Caffe Nero has given up its bid to take over rival coffee bar
operator Coffee Republic after its latest offer was once again
rejected. But the company said it would wait and see how Coffee
Republic planned to improve shareholder value...
The food safety authority down under - Food Standards Australia New
Zealand (FSANZ) - launches the latest edition of the Food
Industry Recall Protocol to assist the food industry on steps
to take when a food recall becomes necessary.
Pepsi-Cola earlier this week announced plans to revamp its
packaging, and so it came as no surprise yesterday when arch rival
Coca-Cola unveiled changes to its diet and light brands.
The World Health Organisation has defined osteoporosis as the
second leading health care problem after cardiovascular disease. A
new European funded project - called 'Osteodiet' - will set out to
investigate dietary strategies...
In the US, an agreement has been signed for Marathon Products, a
leading supplier of food safety equipment, to supply Food Safe with
its requirements for temperature monitoring equipment.
The new commissioner for the US Food and Drug Administration, Dr
Mark McClellan, this week indicated his support for reviewing
current rules on health claims on food labels.
With the aim of improving scientific understanding in the European
Union, in November this year Brussels witnessed the launch of one
of the biggest research programmes in the world - the Sixth
Framework Programme (FP6). A slice of...
A new company, Advercan.com, has been formed in the US to tackle
the problem of drinks can hygiene while simultaneously providing
another means of can advertising.
Dutch food retail group Ahold - whose exemplary business
performance of the last few years has become decidedly tarnished in
recent months - has announced it is to sell its Netherlands-based
health store chain De Tuinen to Holland...
Environmental sustainability and bioscience technologies are key
priorities of Australia's dairy sector, according to the new
manufacturing head of the industry's research and development
organisation.
A follow-up survey of soy sauce carried out by the UK Food
Standards Agency (FSA) has shown a significant improvement since
the agency's previous survey in 2001.
A five-fold increase in the number of daily orders has prompted
Carrefour to invest in new facilities for its home delivery
business in Spain. But the unit is yet to make a profit, and
persuading consumers outside of Madrid to buy...
Quaker has introduced its low-fat snack brand Snack-a-Jacks to
Spain after a highly successful launch in the UK. The rice- and
corn-based products are touted as a healthy alternative to other
snacks which can be eaten at any time...
Do you remember the following words from European Commissioner for
health and consumer protection David Byrne? : "I am determined
to ensure that the momentum we have created on food safety
continues… the Commission is forging...
US company Spherix Incorporated reports that the US Food and Drug
Administration has allowed the claim that the low-calorie sweetener
tagatose does not cause tooth decay, and that it may actually
reduce the risk of this disease.
Food manufacturers and retailers must prepare the ground for the
arrival of some of the toughest GMO legislation in the world when
environment ministers in the European Union agreed on Monday to
comprehensive new rules.
Iron deficiency in infants is a cause of concern in the UK when a
conference heard that one in four infants over six months old is
iron-deficient in some parts of the country. Leading nutritional
experts are calling for new initiatives...
Proteomics technology company Proteome Systems is to work with
Swiss food giant Nestle in a bid to investigate 'sweet medicines'.
Under a glycoproteomics research programme, the two companies will
analyse the sugars attached...
