Discount stores have never been as popular in the UK as they are in
some other European countries - notably Germany - but British
retailers should not underestimate the power of low-price formats,
especially in international markets,...
Opponents of the low-carb diet fad in the US have joined their
counterparts in the UK in calling into question the safety of the
weight-loss regime. But whether the protests will be loud enough to
be heard over the increasingly raucous...
Food processors looking to boost sales in reduced-fat fried foods
are currently in the sight of hydrocolloid supplier CP Kelco that
has adapted an existing oil barrier coating technology.
Food safety concerns rise in the UK as the Food Standards Agency
launches an investigation into the apparent failure by the meat
hygiene arm of the food watchdog to test some casualty cattle aged
between 24 and 30 months for BSE before...
Following its accession to the European Union Poland has reported a
significant surge in both the exports of dairy products and beef
since it joined the European Union at the beginning of May.
Leading Polish alcoholic drinks distributor Central European
Distribution Corporation has added a new alcohol distributor in the
southeast of Poland to its growing portfolio in the country and
leading it to further raise its outlook...
Although 2004 is now expected to yield a bumper grain harvest in
China, with provinces announcing record crop levels, Beijing is
taking action to halt the country's fall in per-hectare yield of
cropland over recent years, writes...
Despite Germany's blisteringly hot weather in 2003, the country's
soft drinks market was badly affected by a controversial mandatory
deposit system which saw many retailers remove one-way containers
from their shelves, according...
Affordable refreshment and convenience were the underlying drivers
of growth in the UK soft drinks market in 2003 - although the hot
summer weather also played a major role.
Regulations governing the relationship between Spanish food
suppliers and their retail clients have been tightened, a move
which should significantly speed up the time it takes for suppliers
to be paid for their goods - albeit several...
Just days before shareholders in symbol group Londis are due to
vote on a £60 million offer for the group, one of the potential
rival bidders, the Co-op, ruled itself out of the running. The way
now seems clear for Irish group Musgrave...
The bakery sector is keeping up the pace as the fastest growing
market in food enzymes in the US, although recent controversy over
genetically modified organisms is set to eat into market growth as
food makers think twice before investing...
Canadian firm Burcon NutraScience, which has teamed up with ADM to
bring a new plant-derived protein to market, has filed another
patent application that further strengthens its bid to take over
sales of egg and other proteins.
Economic uncertainty in a number of European countries has given a
boost to sales of private label products over the last year, as
consumers switched from mainstream supermarkets to discount stores.
But the UK's continued dominance...
Eager to protect a burgeoning market in value-added ingredients
wheat protein supplier MGP Ingredients has filed a case against
rival ingredients supplier Manildra Milling corporation.
In a bid to gauge the popularity and concerns of new European rules
on food allergens the UK's food watchdog has launched a public
consultation on the regulations that will mean food labels will
have to list certain potentially...
A new report on optimising food texture and rheology has been
published to help food manufacturers achieve the specific qualities
consumers are looking for, reports Anthony Fletcher.
The European Commission used an international food conference last
week to announce its readiness to award €192 million to new
food-related research projects and networks.
Biotrace has been acquiring companies in order to extend its range
of safety products for the food manufacturing industry. The
takeover this month of Tecra Holdings, an Australia-based
manufacturer of test kits for rapid detection...
Dutch dairy specialist Nutrifeed has recently installed a number of
measures in its processing and packaging activities to ensure
complete quality and safety. One of these is a method to detect
poorly sealed bags.
As the food industry answers consumer health concerns expanding the
use of soybean-derived ingredients in food formulations, volatility
in price for the crop is set to continue with few signs that
supplies will improve this year.
As rising cereal prices continue to squeeze profit margins for food
industry participants, food technologists in the US are working on
teasing out new functionalities from the cheap, easy to grow, and
resilient crop sorghum, reports...
A new Europe-wide project will devote a £12 million budget to
investigating the added-value that organic farming could bring to
food products. The qualitative approach will give a boost to an
industry starting to slow down in pace.
A shift towards lower priced table wines helped lift Spanish wine
exports in the first quarter of the year, but the lower revenues
mean that double-digit volume gains were rather more modest when
converted into value figures.
As food makers in the developed world face ongoing collisions with
consumer groups over their choice of certain food ingredients and
additives - notably salt and potentially GM ingredients - a new
study from the US finds that undernutrition...
Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket group, continued to show why
it is the leader of the pack in the first quarter, posting an
impressive 12.3 per cent increase in sales for the 12-week period.
Alcoholics who fail to stop drinking during pregnancy may reduce
the risk of birth defects in their babies by taking antioxidants
during pregnancy, a study on mice suggests.
When food retailers and producers all over the world met at last
year's CIES industry summit, they were set five 'tests' by
celebrity speaker Bob Geldof to see if their company's business was
sustainable. Meeting...
In the face of rising meat and dairy prices, animal disease
outbreaks and consumer health concerns, world agriculture policy
makers, meat traders, dairy experts, veterinarians and private
sector producers have attended the 20th session...
A Spanish research team has devised a bioinsecticide for pest
control in the production of fruit and vegetables which is said to
provide a more effective and cheaper means of preventing crop
infestation.
Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, is to extend its electronic
products code (EPC) initiative to more stores and more suppliers,
announcing a timetable this week which will see the radio frequency
identification (RFID) tags...
As grain stocks are depleted across the world, China's food
producers have found sourcing the commodity an increasingly
expensive and time consuming issue, writes Simon Pitman.
However, a report from independent intelligence...
Controversy linked to the most common food ingredient in the world
continues as the UK health minister sparks a row with the food
industry after rejecting their plans to slash salt levels in food
products. The minister accuses the...
A study from the University of Southampton reveals that candles and
ion wind delivery systems containing certain essential oils can
reduce a range of commonly found bacteria in foodstuffs - a system
that could provide a cheap and...
The less than sparkling, but stable, full year results for Danish
ingredients giant Danisco mirror the current state of play for
ingredients companies in today's market marked by squeezed margins,
higher raw material prices and...
Ingredients supplier Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) said on Thursday
that it had reached a $400 million (€333m) settlement in an
anti-trust case that claimed the US firm conspired to fix the price
of the food sweetener high fructose...
It is six months since Dutch retail group Ahold announced plans to
sell its Spanish supermarket business as part of its wider
restructuring programme, and a number of foreign and domestic
players have expressed an interest in buying...
Philip Green, the billionaire owner of Bhs and Top Shop, has been
rebuffed once again in his bid to acquire ailing British retailer
Marks & Spencer. A new offer for the company, valuing it at
£8.3 billion, was rejected yesterday...
Europe rejects the entry of a GM food crop supplied by biotech
giant Monsanto into the food chain with officials from the 25
member states failing to reach a qualified majority at the vote
yesterday.
Oxoid, a leading manufacturer of microbiologicalculture media and
diagnostic tests, says it will participate in CAMPYCHECK, a
shared-cost three year project within the EU Fifth Framework
'Quality of Life and Management of Living...
Keeping French consumers interested in chocolate has been the
driving force behind brand owners' investment in innovation in
recent years, and the latest product launches highlighted by the
Global New Products Database (GNPD)...
A UK partnership between Ulma Packaging, the packaging solutions
provider, and one of the country's biggest producers of fresh
chickens, Banham Poultry, is said to have bought efficiencies that
benefit both retailers and consumers.
Last year's exceptionally hot summer weather gave a major boost to
soft drink consumption in the UK, but a new report from market
analysts Canadean shows that the heatwave merely accelerated
the already rapid growth in one of...
In response to market demand natural lactic acid, lactate and
gluconate supplier Purac wlll ramp up production of its sodium
lactate powder, unveiling a new production facility in Spain.
Leading ingredients firm Danisco heads deeper into the growing
semi-refined carrageenan market acquiring all the assets for
processing the ingredient from liquidated firm Scottish Scotcol.
New software from Teklynx is capable of centralising control of
enterprise-wide bar code printing. This should help manufacturers
achieve better control of the movement of goods from the warehouse
right through to the store shelf.
In a matter of months food manufacturers operating in Europe face
tough new rules on food allergens that put an end to the 20 year
old '25 per cent' rule, aiming to provide the consumer,
increasingly stricken by food allergies,...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved the use of
Hyperform HPN-68 for use in food applications, which means that
this high-speed nucleating agent for polypropylene from Milliken
& Company has now gained acceptance...
Nestlé Romania has confirmed that it is to invest a further €3.5
million in its factory in Timisoara, as the company reaffirms its
ambitions to dominate the all-important wafer market in the region.
Dutch infant nutrition group Royal Numico is to sell its
unprofitable South African baby food business as it looks to
concentrate on regions where it can gain a leading position.
