Rising prices and transport costs are looming for UK millers and
bakers as final results on the rain-drenched UK grain harvest
confirm that yields are up but quality is at its lowest for 10
years in some regions, reports Chris Mercer.
Convenience foods eaten on the run continue to experience strong
growth as individuals skip the union meal for a solitary event but
new findings from the US suggest that the security of a family meal
could help steer adolescent girls...
High energy costs bite into margins for the number one pectin
player CP Kelco with the company passing the prices onto the
market, announcing increases for a range of hydrocolloids in its
portfolio.
The EU has initiated a dispute against Canada and the United States
in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over the continued imposition
of sanctions against EU exports because of the EU's ban on hormone
beef.
Food formulators working in Europe will steer away from using GM
ingredients in their recipes as long as consumer sceptism towards
biotech foodstuffs continues but at a meeting herded by Europe's
food agency this week attendees...
Israel-based Enzymotec is introducing non-GM variants of its high
grade lecithin and phosphatidylserine (PS), to boost its share in
the supplements market.
Russia's meat processing sector could be on the verge of collapse,
with declining cattle numbers reducing domestic production and
government moves to reduce low cost imports combing to create a
serious shortfall in supplies....
The Schwartz Group has acquired another plot of land in Bulgaria
where it plans to construct a new Kaufland hypermarket. After years
of delays, the first Kaufland outlets are due to open next year,
helped by new investment incentives...
Exceptional charges relating to a major overhaul of its UK business
took their toll on first half sales at Uniq, the chilled foods
group - and the firm is now looking increasingly vulnerable to a
takeover from stalking horse, Duke...
Stella Artois, the flagship brand in Interbrew UK, continues to
steal market share from its rivals, overtaking Holsten to become
the number three premium packaged lager brand in the British
on-trade, according to data from AC Nielsen.
In what could prove a useful insight for companies such as
Sainsbury, whose stores seem to be in a permanent state of
refitting, market research group Mintel has today revealed that
British shoppers are most interested in getting...
Cocoa prices have leapt in London, driven by fears that instability
in Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global crops,
could impact supplies.
Danone is entering the UK market this month with its first product
containing plant sterols. Joining another industry heavyweight
Unilever, the move underlines the potential of the
cholesterol-lowering category and also signals increasing...
A new Danish farm to fork food strategy urged the Danish Parliament
to free up funding to investigate the key role biotechnology could
play in designing better tasting, safer, foods, and ultimately the
opportunity for higher quality,...
Polar views and mixed messages on genetically modified foodstuffs
continue across the globe. Furthering the debate this week, a new
report contends that GM corn will not threaten indigenous species
in Mexico, opening the way for an...
Barry Callebaut, the world's top supplier of industrial chocolate
to the confectionery industry, has delivered strong profit for the
year, boosted by the integration of recently acquired US
confectionery firm Brach's and...
Norwegian firm Orkla has closed in on a takeover deal for Finnish
snack firm Chips with a view to dominating established snack
industries in Scandinavia and rising markets in Russia, writes
Chris Mercer.
A new version of the globally recognised British Retail Consortium
(BRC) Food Standard is about to be published next month, with a
view to coming into force on 1 June 2005.
UK food and ingredients firm Associated British Foods has beaten
full year profit expectations after posting double-digit growth
against a backdrop of firmer commodity pricing and adverse currency
movements. The performance underlines...
Last month Plzensky Prazdroj, the biggest Czech brewer, announced
that it was to hike the price of all of its domestic beer brands,
reversing a reduction made in May. But fears that other brewers
would follow suit appear to be unfounded.
Hungarian canned food producer Globus has continued its westward
expansion, taking a stake in Austrian food distributor Vital Food
this week, part of its new strategy designed to tighten is grip on
the route to market.
Northwestern University is seeking to discover whether lycopene -
an antioxidant commonly found in tomatoes and tomato-based products
and commonly perceived to reduce the risk of developing prostate
cancer - can reverse pre-cancerous...
Research into walnuts, a key ingredient used in a range of cake
products will help lift stagnant sales for food makers in the
sector giving them an opportunity to cash in on the growing
functional food market, reports Lindsey Partos.
The US probiotic industry needs to step up a gear and finance
further research in order to win over consumer confidence by
providing scientific proof of its health benefits, according to
research published by the International Food...
Sales for the ingredients arm of UK firm Associated British Foods
are expected to rise in the full year as the owner of British Sugar
sees strong growth, beating back raw material costs and adverse
currency movements.
The recent move to ban beer advertising in Russia is just one of a
number of challenges facing brewers there, but a recent survey of
the country's leading operators suggests that most of them are
relishing the challenges to come....
Russian confectionery group Mechta has launched a new premium
product line - the latest in a growing number of local producers
entering an upmarket segment which was once the sole domain of
western companies. Angela Drujinina reports.
Red, potentially carcinogenic, dyes continue to dog the UK food
chain with the food watchdog last week highlighting a further batch
of products for recall.
Gellan CP Kelco, bought by JM Huber last month, has launched
Kelcogel HM-B gellan gum, a hydrocolloid system designed to provide
suspension of cocoa and minerals in ready-to-drink dairy based
beverages, writes Philippa Nuttall.
EU health commissioner David Byrne has expressed his confidence in
the food chain as a contamination scare highlights the value of
traceability and the progress made in reducing risks to the complex
food production industry.
Russian edible oils producer Solnechnie Produkti has reported sales
growth in excess of that for the market as a whole, the second
major producer to do so in as many weeks. As with market leader
NMZhK, Solnechnie Produkti's growth...
A large sample study in the US finds that obesity could more than
double an older woman's risk of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML),
an often fatal cancer of the bone marrow and blood.
Mounting evidence backs the role red wine may play in promoting
heart health but a new study from Spain finds this increasingly
popular beverage might offer some protection against lung cancer.
CP Kelco, bought by JM Huber last month, has launched Kelogel HM-B
gellan gum, a hydrocolloid system designed to provide suspension of
cocoa and minerals in ready-to-drink dairy based beverages.
Food makers are encouraged to target the light meal market as new
figures show that by 2008 consumers will be eating more than one a
day of these full meal replacers, driven by convenience and health
concerns.
Danisco has taken up the low-carb, low-sugar baton and run with it,
developing a line of flavors aimed at food manufacturers developing
artificially sweetened and reduced sugar beverages and dairy
products.
Philadelphia based FMC BioPolymer the number one supplier of
food-grade carrageenan will raise prices for this gum by up to 8
percent as raw material costs cut into margins, suggesting that
cheaper alternatives, such as the semi-refined...
Clearing up any confusion over food labels, US food authorities
have given the green light for food ingredients firms to use
ethanol in precipitating food grade xanthan gum and to still allow
the ingredient to keep the 'xanthan'...
Philadelphia-based FMC BioPolymer, the number one supplier of
food-grade carrageenan, will raise prices for this gum by up to 8
per cent as raw material costs cut into margins, suggesting that
cheaper alternatives, such as the semi-refined...
European companies are increasing their presence in the green tea
extract market, looking to reach supplement makers with highly
concentrated products.
Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent asthmatic cough
and allergy to house dust mites in children, report Australian
researchers, adding new evidence to the ongoing debate.
Testing equipment manufacturer DeltaTRAK has launched the FlashLink
Wireless System, a temperature and humidity sensor that expands the
use of RFID technology in food production.
Poland's largest meat processor has increased its domination of the
market after buying up one of its biggest rivals and has also
expanded operations in Romania - pre-empting future EU enlargement.
A risk assessment of 1000 flavouring substances is underway at
Europe's food agency with a first slice of 77 substances cleared on
genotoxic and carcinogenic criteria.
