Laurus, the Dutch retail group, has finally withdrawn from the
Belgian market, the source of some of its biggest losses in recent
years. Six of its last eight stores have been sold to the Colruyt
group, with the two remaining stores...
After several years of spectacular growth caused by meat-related
food scares, the UK vegetarian food market is expected to show a
slowdown this year. But the wide variety of products now available
will maintain the interest of even...
A patent battle has ended with a US court giving chemicals giant
DuPont the commercial rights for a patented gene that could one day
lead to healthier vegetable oils for food preparation, according to
reports in the US press.
Philip Green, the British retail entrepreneur, has reacted angrily
to reports in the UK press over the weekend that his Trackdean
Investments company was no longer interested in bidding for the
Safeway supermarket group. The Competition...
ICA, the Swedish retail group, has changed its name and simplified
its structure in order to meet the challenges facing the
supermarket sector in the Nordic region. The fact that it has
dropped the name Ahold is no reflection on that...
Americans' knowledge of genetically modified foods remains low and
their opinions about its safety are just as divided as they were
two years ago, according to a new survey released last week by the
Pew Initiative on Food and...
The spread of cola brands from the US to the rest of the world
could be copied by the spread of health drinks and iced tea and
coffee westwards from Japan, claims a new Datamonitor report. But
if cola growth is slowing, reports of...
As evidence mounts that trans fatty acids could be harmful to our
health, consumer organisations have placed the issue high on their
agenda, calling for industry to help tackle the problem. A new
study suggests a decline in consumption...
Our run up to the Food Ingredients Europe exhibition in Frankfurt
continues with a look at the selection of ingredients nominated by
the jury for the most innovative food ingredient award. Winners
will be announced at the show.
After a heated tug of war with the board, the man who last year
took speciality chemicals company ISP private has abandoned efforts
to gain control of US chemicals company Hercules.
Not for nothing does the acronym of Friends of the Earth spell
'foe' - the environmental organisation has been the most vociferous
critic of UK supermarkets for years. Its latest broadside concerns
pesticide levels in fruit...
The ageing of gel-like materials composed of tiny water-born oil
droplets that weakly adhere to one another is the focus of new
research at the UK-based Institute of Food Research. A way to avoid
unsightly separation in salad dressings...
The hot summer weather in the UK gave a major boost to sales at
Waitrose, the upmarket supermarket chain owned by the John Lewis
Partnership. A programme of store openings and refurbishments also
helped the company's first half...
Sales and profits at Jeronimo Martins continued to grow in the
first half, despite the weak economic conditions in Portugal and
Poland. The disposal of loss-making businesses appears to have paid
off, but the company is not completely...
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to commission new
research comparing the nutrient value and pesticide residue content
of key organic and non-organically produced fruit and vegetables.
Consumers tempted by bigger portions for less money might be
getting better value but they are also putting their health at
risk, the World Cancer Research Fund in the UK claimed yesterday.
Rising obesity levels - caused in part by...
Visitors expecting to see flavours company Flachsmann at the
upcoming Food Ingredients Europe exhibition will take note of the
'Flachsmann is now Frutarom' motto. The company - recently taken
over by Israeli company Frutarom...
Chadwicks of Bury, the UK's largest heat seal, pre-cut lid
manufacturer, has received approval from the US Food and Drug
Administration for its state of the art facility.
Morrisons' business model would have a major beneficial effect on
sales and profits at Safeway if the Yorkshire-based chain emerges
as the eventual winner in the battle to acquire the troubled
company. Like-for-like sales growth...
Hypermarkets and supermarkets dominate food sales in Spain, a new
report has confirmed. But the complaints of traditional retailers
there are nothing compared to their counterparts in Germany, France
and the UK, where the major retailers...
As growth in the organic food industry starts to slow down in
Europe, the food industry is deliberating ways to boost sales. A
new project launched by the UK food safety agency could provide the
answers.
Good news for food manufacturers and ingredients companies in the
dairy market with findings revealing that many consumers are
willing to pay more for dairy products marketed as organic or
natural.
How can Europe's infant food safety body function without staff?
For the newly elected board of the European food Safety Authority
this question was the central debate when they met yesterday in
Brussels.
Germany's third largest chemical company Degussa is to invest a
massive €350 million in a new amino acid plant, representing the
merged company's biggest single investment to date. Degussa - the
world's biggest producer...
Six months after Europe voted in a permanent ban on the use of the
food additive E425, otherwise known as konjac, in jelly
confectionery, food safety agency finds these illegal products for
sale in the UK.
Six months after a permanent ban on the use of the food additive
E425 in jelly confectionery, food safety agency finds these illegal
products for sale in the UK.
Good news for food manufacturers and ingredients companies involved
in the dairy market with findings from a recent study in the US
revealing that many consumers are willing to pay more for dairy
products marketed as organic or natural.
Danish food ingredients group Danisco has denied rumours
circulating in the local press that it is in talks to sell its
stake in US biotech company Genencor.
Henny de Ruiter, chairman of the Supervisory Board at embattled
Dutch retailer Ahold, has agreed to stand down, bowing to pressure
from shareholders. De Ruiter was blamed for agreeing a €10 million
pay package for new CEO Anders Moberg,...
Europe has launched a new functional food network for the European
food industry in a bid to strengthen innovation in this burgeoning
area. Expected to last three years, the network will encourage
close collaboration and new joint...
Tesco, the leading supermarket operator in the UK, stretched
further ahead of its rivals in the first half of the year thanks to
a combination of volume growth, the roll out of new store formats
and strategic acquisitions.
With tough new rules on food traceability entering into force in
Europe by 2005, FoodTrace, a European concerted action, will
develop a traceability framework for the whole food chain from farm
to fork.
Our glimpse of imminent product launches at the upcoming Food
ingredients Europe exhibition in Frankfurt this November continues
with UK starch business National Starch launching Advanta-Gel, an
instant structurising starch.
Concern over acrylamide levels in foodstuffs arose in April 2002
when scientists in Sweden discovered unexpectedly high levels of
this potentially carcinogenic compound in carbohydrate-rich foods
heated to high temperatures. Scientists...
Recently passed into the hands of US agribusiness Cargill, French
starch derivatives company Cerestar answers rising market demand
for organic ingredients with a new grade of organic glucose syrup.
Sainsbury is to launch a range of 2,500 non-food items, ranging
from cookware to electrical goods. But is the launch - ambitious as
it is - simply another example of the retailer running to catch up
with its more successful rivals...
As prebiotic know-how increases in Europe, suppliers continue to
launch new additions to their ranges. A new formulation from
pioneering inulin company Sensus, touted as a 'highly soluble'
source of dietary fibre, will launch...
Anders Moberg, new chief executive of embattled Dutch retailer
Ahold, has his work cut out to persuade investors and shareholders
that he is the right man for the job - and merits the €10m salary
he will receive. His first task may...
Increasingly mobile and health-conscious consumers are forcing food
and drink manufacturers to become even more inventive when it comes
to creating new products. Positive nutrition, convenient packaging
and even food which is good...
Calls for clearer labelling as new survey from UK food agency finds
that consumers agree that it is important to have nutrition
information on food products, but as many as one in four can not
find the information from current labels.
Innovation courses through the food and drink industry as
businesses continue to strive for oneupmanship in an increasingly
competitive market. As different sectors seek to satisfy key
consumer needs - 'beauty from within'...