In response to a surge in fruit ingredient sales, UK company J.O.
Sims, traditionally a fresh fruit supplier, has restructured its
business to create a dedicated ingredients division. The new unit
joins the other distinct divisions...
The two leading franchise operators of Carrefour stores, Hyparlo
and Guyenne & Gascogne, have reported contrasting first quarter
sales. Hyparlo was affected by the sale of its Italian unit, while
G&G was boosted by solid performances...
Two years after the merger of the Swiss co-operative retail group
with its 11 co-op suppliers, Coop Suisse has reported a 7 per cent
increase in sales for 2002 and double digit profit growth, boosted
in particular by strong sales...
Evidence mounts in support of the health benefits of regularly
consuming oats with a new study suggesting that kids who have a
constant intake of oatmeal may lower their risk of obesity.
The Food Standards Agency in England is seeking comments on draft
regulations that include requirements for honey to be labelled with
country of origin. The regulations set out compositional standards
that a product must comply with...
Despite tougher trading conditions UK food and food ingredients
business Associated British Foods (AB Foods) reported on Tuesday
that operating profit had risen 14 per cent for the first 24 weeks
ended 1 March 2003 to £204 million....
Did you know that British farmers produce enough beef and lamb for
over 500 million Sunday roasts every year ? And over 68 million
pints of fresh milk every day ? According to the findings of a new
survey the majority of Brits do...
Innovation is the key to growth for many food companies involved in
the competition food market of the 21st century. This week market
analysts Mintel report on some of the latest products to hit the
supermarket shelves and shows competition...
The uncertainty over the future of the Safeway supermarket chain -
the focus of an intense bidding war by all its main UK rivals - has
taken its toll on results at the company, which is now cutting back
on its store refit programme.
Safeway is not the only UK retail chain attracting interest from
potential investors. Smaller rival Somerfield yesterday confirmed
that it had received an approach from a consortium of bidders, said
to include the former chairman...
Axaron Bioscience has launched its iGentifier, a transcription
profiling technology for the food industry designed to identify
genes and biochemical pathways.
Researchers at a Dutch university claim to have developed a model
that predicts how cheese will change when a force is applied to it.
The new model will help to predict how cheese will be damaged
during the packaging or transportation...
Although the alcoholic drinks market as a whole is growing strongly
in Mexico, the country's consumption of spirits continued to
decline in 2002, according to a new report from industry analysts
Canadean.
North American Bakers Yeast division of Canadian company Lallemand
is due to complete its newly constructed yeast plant in Memphis,
Tennessee by the end of the month.
Last week the European Commission threatened 12 EU member states
with court action should they continue to ignore new EU legislation
regulating the release of GMOs into the environment. A new survey
released this week backs up the...
Metro, the German retail group, is to restructure its Extra Food
Stores unit, decreasing the number of outlets and thereby
increasing profitability across the business.
Swiss co-operative group Migros has reported turnover in excess of
SF20 billion (€13.4bn) for 2002, shrugging off poor economic
conditions and lower sales from three of its divisions.
US cranberry juice manufacturer Northland Cranberries, that
recently made a bid for rival Ocean Spray, on Monday reported a
rise in second quarter net income compared to the same period in
2002.
New methods for the detection of enterotoxins from Bacillus
cereus have been developed by European scientists. The
discovery paves the way for the identification of genes responsible
for the production of emetic toxins (vomiting toxins).
How, and why, can exposure to ochratoxin A result in DNA damage and
tumour induction? A new EU-funded project at the university of
Würzburg in Germany, will aim to answer these questions.
Entente cordiale between leaders in France and Great Britain
may well have been strained in recent weeks over the war in Iraq,
but elsewhere, in laboratories in the UK and France, scientists
have shown a united front in their aim...
How exactly do peanuts contribute to preventing cardiovascular
disease? A new study from the US finds that peanuts may improve
total diet quality by increasing a number of nutrients.
Companies across the food retailing sector are making good progress
with their use of new technologies and demonstrating the importance
of IT within their operations, according to the latest research
from CIES - The Food Business...
Carrefour, Europe's biggest food retailer, continued to improve its
market dominance in the first quarter of 2003, but sales were once
again impacted by currency problems in Latin America, Asia and
Eastern Europe.
Wm Wrigley, the US-based gum maker, is staring defeat in the face
in its bid to register its Doublemint trademark in the EU. A senior
legal advisor at the European Court of Justice yesterday said that
an earlier decision by a lower...
How to grab a slice of the growing functional food market came
under the spotlight last month when the Irish food board held a
seminar to identify opportunities for food companies.
Spanish retail group Eroski has reported an 11 per cent increase in
profits for 2002 to €89.4 million, driven by the expansion of both
its stores and the products on offer there.
Following hot on the heels of last week's announcement that net
income for the first quarter is set to exceed projections,
privately owned US agribusiness Bunge said yesterday that it now
owns 100 per cent of French oil processor...
Twelve out of the 15 European Union Member States could soon face
court action should they continue to ignore EU legislation on
genetically modified crops.
Competition in the world's leading drinks markets is due to get
fiercer as consumers in the developed world continue to increase
their consumption, according to drinks industry analysts
Canadean.
German pharmaceutical and ingredients group Boehringer Ingelheim,
outpacing market growth, ended 2002 with a healthy rise in profits,
the company reports this week.
A sweeping review of research on low carbohydrate diets over the
past thirty years casts a shadow over the long term effects of this
immensly popular dietary regime,
International Flavours & Fragrances is to launch CoolTek, a
high-intensity cooling technology designed to add 'fun and
originality' for a wide variety of products including food,
beverages and even pharmaceutical products.
Supermarkets are cynically cashing in on growing consumer concerns
about health and nutrition, and many of the so-called 'healthy
ranges' they offer are not as beneficial as they claim - or so
claims the UK Consumers'...
The local coffee shop has evolved radically over the past few years
in the UK and the US. Gone are the days when the consumer is
presented with a watery cup of lukewarm coffee. Today, not only do
we have a plethora of styles - cappuccino,...
European Union farm ministers have agreed a number of changes to
the rules governing geographical indications such as Rioja and
Parma ham, allowing producers to argue their case for preparing and
packaging the product in the region...
Ingredients company Kemin Foods to present a new water soluble
formula of its established FloraGLO brand lutein at the upcoming
Vitafoods exhibition in Switzerland.
Catfish farmers made sad and blue by blue-green algae that cause
'off-flavours' in their fish may soon get some relief. Agricultural
Research Service scientists claim to have discovered a
natural-based algaecide that not...
In 2000 sales of margarines containing plant sterol and plant
sterol esters were disappointing but despite this raw material
suppliers of these products...
Food sales boosted results at Marks & Spencer in both the final
quarter and full year 2002, with Q4 sales boosted by initiatives
relating to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day more than compensating
for the fact that Easter...
The debate on the yield superiority of traditional crops over
organic crops is set to continue as a recent study reveals that
corn and soybeans were only minimally reduced when organic
production practices were used instead of conventional...
The Food Standards Code in Australia and New Zealand
requires that all cheeses sold in Australia must be made from milk
which has been pasteurised or had a similar heat treatment, so
confirmed the food safety body Food Standards Australia...
The Food Standards Agency citizens' jury rendered its verdict
yesterday afternoon, narrowly deciding that GM foods should be
available to buy in the UK. Confidence in safety measures, freedom
of choice, and moving with the times...
After Blastin' Green, Funky Purple and Mystery Color comes Stellar
Blue, the latest variant of the traditional red ketchup from HJ
Heinz. The blue sauce - created at the request of consumers across
America - will be available...
The benefits of fruit and fruit drink consumption could be
seriously compromised by the use of herbicides and pesticides,
cites a new study from researchers in Honolulu that investigated
high fruit consumption and the risk of Parkinson's...
Tesco has tightened its grip on the leadership of the UK food
retail market, announcing full year figures for 2002 which will,
ironically, do little to improve its chances of winning the battle
for control of Safeway. But the group...
Reflecting current worries about the safety of the food chain,
attendance at last month's Fifth Annual Food Safety Summit in
Washington D.C. jumped by a staggering 34 per cent. The key topics
of the event were food safety, food...
