DuPont announces price rise for locust bean gum

DuPont has announced it will raise the price of locust bean gum following a poor carob harvest in the Mediterranean basin this year and critically low stocks. 

The price rise will be effective from the 1 November 2015, or as soon as contracts permit, and will be determined on a case by case basis, it says, dependent on the region, currency and delivery term.

Locust bean gum is a hydrocolloid extracted from the seeds of carobs. The company said that carob kernel volumes are 20% lower than average this year and stocks are reaching record low volumes. Seed volumes are following the same pattern.

Seed extract business manager, Jean-Baptiste Dufeu, said: “The price increase is needed to maintain business fundamentals and continue servicing our customers with high quality locust bean gum.”

"The business continues to [have] a strong focus on productivity and cost reduction programs to enable the most competitive solutions to the global food industry," a statement from the company said.

A DuPont spokesperson could not specify what the maximum price rise would be. The company also produces hydrocolloids from  alginate, carrageenan, cellulose gum, guar gum, pectin and xanthan gum.