A day before the enlargement of the EU, which will see eight
central and eastern European countries join the Union, one of
Europe's biggest retail groups, Metro, has reported first quarter
growth driven by an excellent performance...
A new strategy designed to give Britain's retail sector early
warning of new regulations which could affect the way stores do
business has been welcomed by the industry, which hailed it as a
first step towards improving the lot...
Marcin Morawiecki is the vice-president of Racke International, a
company that imports wine and spirits into Poland. He has cancelled
the company's planned accession celebrations tonight on account of
the bureaucratic nightmare...
Earlier this month CAOBISCO, the body which represents European
manufacturers of sugar-based foods, came racing to side of the
businesses it represents in the accession countries. Once installed
in an enlarged Europe, the new Member...
As 15 EU member states become 25, Europeans everywhere are reaching
for atlases that look suddenly archaic as they predate the
statehood of more than half the accession countries. The European
map has changed faster than the European...
Quality is key to the future success of the UK on-trade if it is to
emerge from the shadow of a buoyant take-home market and generate
new momentum for beer sales, according to a new assessment of the
sector by the UK arm of brewing...
Diets rich in lean beef can help teenagers maintain their levels of
useable iron and contribute to balanced eating habits, say
researchers at the University of Iowa College of Public Health.
Eight former Communist countries from central and eastern Europe
will tomorrow join the European Union, the culmination of 15 years
of rapid economic and social development since the end of Soviet
rule. But with most of the leading...
DSO Fluid Handling, a manufacturer of replacement and maintenance
parts for processing plants in the ready-to-eat food and dairy
industries, is offering antimicrobial protection for rubber parts.
The company believes that heat-cured...
Ongoing growth in cultures sales to the dairy industry and health
markets helped the Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen post a modest
rise in revenue for the food ingredients division in the first six
months. Organic growth for the...
Improved flavour sales in Europe gaining from modest gains in
currency conversions boosted first quarter results for the US
flavour giant International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF).
Strategies in 2003 to get the company back into...
Smart risk management moves guided the world's leading oilseed
processor Bunge to a massive 75 per cent rise in income for the
first quarter as the price of soybeans reached 15 year highs on
poor crop harvests last year.
Cafédirect, the UK's largest supplier of ethical tea and coffee
under the Fairtrade mark, has reported record sales for the year to
end March - a performance which confirms the growing importance of
ethical food and drink products...
Pushing the boundaries of food science to its actual physical
limits, a new experiment targetting high pressure preservation
techniques on Mediterranean foodstuffs saw cheese, sun-dried
tomatoes and Italian bread rocketing far into...
Stringent rules to protect the high quality, and high market value
compared to other vegetable fats, of Europe's olive oil are now in
place. But reliant on honest labelling, the market could remain
vulnerable. A new study from...
After a decade of concentrating on the ready-to-drink sector,
leading alcohol brand owners in the UK are turning their attention
to other segments as RTD sales begin to stagnate. Widespread growth
in the liqueur market means that...
Convenience store operator Costcutter is confident that its
business model is the right one to face the increasing challenge
from the major multiples in the small store sector - and that it
can persuade increasing numbers of store...
Antioxidant properties of carotenoids are thought to be at least
partly responsible for the protective effects of fruits and
vegetables against colon cancer. But there is little known about
the antioxidant impact of carotenoid-rich...
A government document designed to assist food packaging
manufacturers on the conditions of using recycled plastic packaging
has been published in the US. Although recycling is actively
encouraged, there are still health and safety...
Spearing growth in the speciality starch and health ingredients
domain MGP Ingredients links up with Penford Corporation to market
a new potato-based resistant starch for increasing fibre and
reducing carbohydrate levels in food products....
A naturally occurring compound in broccoli, already shown to fight
cancer in cells, may also be able to reduce risk of high blood
pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to a new
animal study.
Poor sales by a number of its leading brands have left results at
Anglo-Dutch food and consumer goods group Unilever well short of
its ambitious growth targets, with the impact of the Atkins diet
fad and weak global economies to blame...
Russia's leading dairy and juice producer has declared a steady
increase in its quarterly production output as well as a
reaffirmation of its Standard & Poors rating.
Leading gelatine producer GELITA will take a seat at the WHO-driven
bone and joint health initiative Bone and Joint Decade, one of just
a few food ingredients firms invited to the table, created to
improve research, prevention and...
The mayonnaise industry continues to feel the impact of steep price
rises for the primary ingredients used in the formulation of the
popular salad condiment. In parallel, alternative ingredients are
starting to grow in popularity...
People may need to eat more beta-carotene to get enough vitamin A
as researchers reveal the nutrient may be less absorbable than
previously thought, writes Dominique Patton.
Tesco, Britain's leading food retailer, has this week reaffirmed
its intention of becoming a major player in the Asian supermarket
sector with the announcement of another acquisition there. But the
deal came not, as expected,...
The board of leading UK symbol group Londis has decided for the
second time in six months to recommend a takeover bid from
Ireland's Musgrave, owner of the Budgens convenience store chain.
Although Musgrave's bid was not...
Icelandic-Lativian confectionery producer Laima has confirmed that
it is about to start caramel production in Uzbekistan in an attempt
to fend off increased competition once enlargement has taken place.
The impact of EU expansion for processors and traders in both the
current and new member states of the European Union is the focus of
a new report that predicts the new member states are well
positioned in the long term because of...
The countdown begins to new food allergen labelling rules in Europe
that herald an end to the 20 year old '25 per cent' rule. Taken
together with escalating incidences of food allergies, new
opportunities have arisen in...
Kraft Foods is to close its Terry's confectionery manufacturing
plant and warehouse in York, UK, and transfer production to
alternative facilities in Western and Central Europe. The closure
is expected to take place in the second...
Tomatoes could hold the key to preventing the onset of age-related
diseases as UK scientists find the gene responsible for producing
the CGA antioxidant protects the celebrated Mediterranean food
against bacterial disease.
Only about half the meat and poultry recalled in the United States
because of suspected health hazards between 1998 and 2002 was
actually recovered by the manufacturers, according to a new study.
This suggests new federal food safety...
New sources of GM ingredients are set to enter the European food
supply chain as EU agriculture ministers failed to reach a
qualified majority yesterday on the biotech maize Bt11 and its
entry into the bloc.
German speciality chemicals firm Degussa is investing €10 million
in a new research and development centre in Shanghai, where its
numerous business units, including food ingredients, will seek to
develop products targeted for the...
A high intake of calcium-rich foods may reduce young women's risk
of developing kidney stones, report US scientists this week, but
taking calcium supplements is unlikely to offer any benefit.
Leading producers of baby food in China are continuing efforts to
reassure consumers as the scandal over fake baby food that is said
to have killed dozens of babies unfolds, report Simon Pitman and
Danny Vincent.
A compound in the curry spice turmeric appears to correct the
cystic fibrosis defect in mice, report Canadian scientists,
demonstrating the potential for treating the disease in humans.
A biotech battle will take place in Luxembourg today at a meeting
of EU15 agriculture ministers that could finally mark the end to
the GM ban in Europe, heralding the debut of a raft of GM foods.
A new system to detect salmonella within 24 hours is being
developed by scientists in Spain. The breakthrough is significant
as the bacteria is one of the most common causes of food poisoning,
and the new process could help food manufacturers...
Food manufacturers are in the firing line again with scientists
suggesting corn syrup and other refined foods could be the cause of
the obesity epidemic and the rising rate of type 2 diabetes. The
food industry immediately reacts,...
A recent market reports shows that in the Czech Republic - one of
the most developed markets in Central and Eastern Europe - the
consumption of soft drinks is rapidly catching up with the western
Europe average.
Sabaté has this week unveiled the successful results of a trial of
a new natural closure which it claims should remove the risk of
wine taint caused by compounds in cork - good news for the vast
majority of wine drinkers who still...
A fat hormone that causes weight loss could open up new routes to
tackling the rising tide of obesity currently affecting 200 million
people worldwide, say researchers in the US, following
investigations into the hormone adiponectin.
Brandishing the banner for genetically modified foods, a leading
scientist this week warns that by 2050 conventional crops will not
be enough to feed the 9 billion mouths.
Eastern European countries are starting to experience major growth
in the organic food market on the back of growing domestic demand
and exportation to western Europe. Simon Pitman spoke to the
Organic Monitor to find out more.
A new report suggests that competition in the European organic meat
industry is increasing, as the market begins to suffer from
overcapacity. This follows another report that linked the
popularity of organic meat in North America...
In one of the EU's most expensive food retail markets, Sweden's
Axfood group is to merge its supermarket and convenience store
businesses in a bid to cut costs and lower its prices - vital if it
is to see the same level...
