France's finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy has called on the
country's leading food retail groups to cut their prices in return
for a relaxation of some of the more restrictive legislation, in
particular the rules governing...
Consolidation in the European salt industry continues as German
firm K+S mounts discussions with Belgium's Solvay to buy its
minority stake in Europe's largest salt producer, the European Salt
Company (Esco).
Beleaguered British retailer Marks & Spencer has rejected an
initial takeover bid from Philip Green, preferring instead to put
its faith in a new management team. But the retail entrepreneur is
thought unlikely to give up so easily,...
Improving the quality and texture of beef for consumer tastebuds
could lift sales for a US beef industry knocked lately by the BSE
scare. In a recent link up, US agri-giant Cargill and life science
firm MetaMorphix have completed...
In a close vote cranberry co-operative Ocean Spray on Tuesday
snubbed a joint venture proposal from soft drinks giant PepsiCo,
instead opting to continue as a farmer-owned co-op.
Number one global xanthan gum supplier CP Kelco is on the auction
block as majority stakeholder merchant bank Lehman Brothers opts to
sell its slice in the leading hydrocolloid company, reports
Lindsey Partos.
In response to the Codex Alimentarius committee on deep frozen
foods that has come up with a revised code of practice for the
processing and handling of quick frozen foods the European
community this week issued a raft of comments.
As food manufacturers keen to jump on the low-carbohydrate train
continue to roll out a raft of new food products, US researchers
reveal the 21st century potato developed with a massive cut in the
low-carb content. The new spud will...
Stora Enso's Russian subsidiary Stora Enso Packaging VR has
inaugurated its second Russian corrugated packaging mill at Arzamas
in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, situated some 400 kilometres east
from Moscow. The mill has been built...
Long term investments in added-value products contributed to
British starch group Tate & Lyle's end of year results with
strong US performance offsetting squeezed margins due to surging
raw material prices. A lift in demand...
Whey protein is more effective than red meat in reducing body
weight gain and increasing insulin sensitivity, shows a new study
on rats. If the findings are confirmed in people, they could have a
significant impact on manufacturers...
A third of companies have been impacted by material health, safety,
social and environmental (HSSE) issues following an M&A
transaction, according to a recent report. And when an
environmental issue is discovered post-deal, 42...
China will continue to pull on tightening world oilseed and grain
supplies as the country's highly stretched agriculture sector
struggles to keep up with surging domestic demand.
Australian scientists say that adding soy to low-fat dairy foods
may offer consumers some of soy's health benefits without the
strong taste that many find unappealing.
Sweden's voluntary health claims code has approved a claim for a
cholesterol-lowering cheese made by dairy firm
Skanemejerier,reports Dominique Patton.
Food fortification, health claims and genetically modified foods
were tabled at a recent meeting of ministers in Australia and New
Zealand gathering together to tackle food policy. The ministers
agreed on a policy guideline for food...
Australian scientists say that adding soy to low-fat dairy foods
may offer consumers some of soy's health benefits without the
strong taste that many find unappealing.
During a Council meeting on 2 June, EU health ministers recognised
that cardiovascular diseases in Europe were 'the largest cause of
death of men and women in the European Union' and encouraged both
Member States and the...
French starch supplier Cerestar, a subsidiary of US agri-giant
Cargill, will tackle the stagnant European bakery market rolling
out a new generation of cold water swelling starches targeted at
bakery products with fruit, cream or...
French scientists say they have discovered how polyunsaturated
fatty acids like omega-3 fats work to protect against certain
neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, depression and strokes.
Bread may be the most traditional of staple foods, but there is
still plenty of life in the international baked goods market,
driven by growing convenience trends and a proliferation of new
products, claims a recent report.
Shopping for food while using your mobile phone might be one way of
defeating the obesity problem - or at least of getting the healthy
eating message through to a wider audience - claims a UK analyst
this week.
A green tea compound from DSM Nutritional Products could help
manufacturers of diet food and supplements looking to gain a share
of the increasingly important market for fat-fighting products.
Researchers in the US are to investigate the link between livestock
wellbeing and the risk of foodborne disease, a move which could
have widespread implications for animal husbandry and food safety.
Fast food producers are frequently criticised for promoting
unhealthy eating habits and contributing to the growing obesity
problem, but a company in Sweden has recently created a new fast
food concept which shows that convenience...
A novel technique for analysing food samples to detect the presence
of Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli pathogens has been developed.
Whereas most conventional rapid techniques only analyse a fraction
of the standard 25 g sample,...
A new tamper-proof security seal for ensuring product integrity on
filtration products has been launched. The seals are one component
in a series of quality and security enhancements developed by
Millipore.
The UK's number one supermarket is introducing new food labels that
rank a product according to its position on the glycaemic index, a
system that measures the effects of food on blood sugar levels. The
move comes just a few...
Tough new EU labelling and traceability rules for GM products
should make it easier for food ingredients which are guaranteed
GM-free to grow sales - at least according to the only US
manufacturer of non-GM dextrose.
Egg quality and usefulness can be safely maintained beyond the
sell-by date if the eggs are stored properly - indeed, they can be
safely consumed up to four or five weeks beyond the recommended
use-by date, claim US researchers this...
Tate & Lyle, the British sugar and starches group, is to expand
production of the sweetener sucralose at its plant in the US to
meet increased demand for its Splenda brand.
A China-based manufacturer of freeze dried foods says that he is
planning to enter eastern Europe before he even considers the
domestic market because the ingredients market there is so much
more developed.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has confirmed
that it is awaiting the final review of a financing package that
will provide Russian retailer Lenta with €30 million to construct
four new hypermarket outlets in...
Sun Interbrew has confirmed quarterly production volume growth of
nearly 50 per cent, but has conceded that it has been hit by the
effects of a weakened euro.
The World Bank's Board of executive directors has negotiated a new
Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for the Slovak Republic covering
the period 2005-07, a move that is expected to bring further
funding to SME food and beverage...
Givaudan, the Swiss flavour and fragrance producer, is to
consolidate its European flavour production business, moving
production from its Dutch site to two other facilities in Germany
and Switzerland.
Antioxidants found in oats can significantly reduce blood
cholesterol levels by suppressing the adhesive molecules which make
blood cells stick to artery walls, report scientists from the US
this week - evidence of the cholesterol-busting...
Fruit and vegetables confirmed their position as the most readily
available products in UK supermarkets in the second quarter of the
year - although just six of 200 product lines were found to have
100 per cent availability during...
Water coolers are becoming an increasingly important part of office
life in the UK, fuelled by growing consumer awareness of the health
benefits of good hydration and - last year at least - by hot summer
weather. And while the British...
Orafti, the chicory and rice ingredients producer, has been given
the green light by the Chilean authorities to begin work on a
second chicory extraction plant there - a move which the company
claims will bring industrial-scale chicory...
Scientists have discovered a protein that controls the amount of
fat stored in the body, offering potential new clues for obesity
treatments - welcome news as the world's health leaders agree to do
more to tackle the growing...
Giant US retail group Wal-Mart maintained its already undisputed
lead in the global retail market in 2003, posting a 5 per cent
increase in sales. But despite the gulf separating Wal-Mart from
the rest, European leviathans Carrefour,...
Champagne is arguably France's greatest wine - at least in terms of
image if nothing else - the de rigeur celebration drink for
partygoers the world over. But in its home market, the sparkling
wine continues to dwindle in popularity...
The French food authority AFSSA has approved a health claim for
cranberry juice and powder and its effect on urinary tract health,
in the world's first health claim for the fruit, writes Philippa
Nuttall.
Nestle Cesko has announced a small profit for 2003, following a
loss in 2002 which was caused by a summer of heavy flooding that
led to extensive damage to the company's operations.
Orkla Foods has signed a deal to acquire Spilva, one of Latvia's
leading food companies and a key supplier of processed vegetables
to the Baltic region.
ADM Nederland and Ukraine company Risoil have agreed to become
50/50 shareholders in Illitchvskiy Maslo Extractionniy Zavod, a
joint stock Ukraine company specialising in oilseed crushing.
