Widespread vitamin deficiencies in Russia reveal opportunities to
develop the country's functional dairy products market, yet further
progress will depend strongly on consumers' ability to pay,
writes Angela Drujinina.
The global market for RFID is set to reach €20 billion by 2015 as
the implementation of new laws and demand shape the an industry
that will make a significant impact on future food and beverage
packaging. Simon Pitman looks at the...
A mother's education and income seem to be the key factors
determining what their children eat, according to a study from the
University of Glasgow, Scotland.
Knocked by an economic slowdown and the strength of the Euro
against the US dollar, growth in turnover for the European food and
drink industry rose by a 1.9 per cent wisp from 2002 to 2003,
concludes a new report from the US government,...
Swiss food giant Nestlé has boosted its Romanian production
capacity with the installation of a new chocolate wafer production
line at its Timisoara-based unit, Joe. The investment reflects the
rapid growth of the Romanian snack market,...
The publicity craze surrounding nutritional content and labelling
has helped these two issues replace BSE as the biggest food
concerns among an increasingly sceptical British public - warning
the food industry to stay on its toes,...
In light of the current debate about the regulation of children's
food, Moscow-based market analysts Comcon carried out a survey of
Russian babies' eating habits, revealing that processed food
products are firmly on the...
Ongoing impact of consolidation in the global food and drink
industry is evident in the cost-cutting exercise by Novozymes', the
world's number one enzyme supplier, set to relocate all Swiss
supply chain operations to Denmark...
Strong growth and opportunities for sweetener use in food
formulations is assured with fresh figures from the UK finding
health concerns are driving nearly one in four consumers to use
sugar replacers, reports Lindsey Partos.
Premier Foods, the company at the centre of the UK's biggest food
product recall, said it was confident of suffering little or no
financial impact as a result of the food scare as it reported
figures for 2004 already affected...
The latest figures on research and development (R&D)
expenditure from Europe's statistic's gathering body Eurostat show
that overall investment is now nudging the two per cent mark.
South African winemakers are keen to capitalise on growing interest
in their wines from US consumers - and on the predicted growth in
the market there. Their US counterparts, meanwhile, continue to
focus on Europe, where sales have...
British confectionery and soft drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is
back on the path to growth after the acquisition of confectionery
group Adams and a complete overhaul of its US beverage business.
Cost reductions, investment in confectionery...
Supermarkets remain the most favoured type of the store in the CEE
region, despite the large number of western players entering the
region with hypermarket or discount formats. But the popularity of
supermarkets is built mainly on...
Diageo, the world's biggest spirit group, has announced a drop in
first half profits, caused by foreign exchange rates, weak demand
in Europe and the continued decline of the ready-to-drink segment,
writes Chris Jones.
Marketers of fast moving consumer goods in Russia may now think
twice about using free samples to promote their products, following
a decision to tax them. Angela Drujinina reports.
A substantial drop in organic sales growth in Asia and continued
problems with its eponymous anis brands were the only low points in
an otherwise impressive set of financial results for Pernod Ricard
in 2004, writes Chris Jones.
Convenience, that dominated growth in global product categories
form 2003 to 2004, will drive new product development in the next
12 months. Drinkable yoghurts, sugar substitutes and pre-prepared
foods all enjoyed year on year double-digit...
Britain's biggest supermarket group Tesco continued to out-perform
its peers over the Christmas period, bucking the general trend of
flat or declining sales with an impressive 7.6 per cent rise in
like-for-like sales. And with...
InBev, the company formed last year by the merger of Belgium's
Interbrew and the Brazilian giant AmBev, says it is on track for
solid profit growth in 2004 despite missing its full-year volume
growth target, writes Chris Jones.
Better-than-expected sales at Carrefour's domestic hypermarket
business have left France's leading food retailer optimistic of an
upturn in 2005 - although further price cuts are likely to make an
impact in the short term,...
For Britain's retailers, 2004 was a mixed bag, with the resolution
of the Safeway takeover ending with victory for Morrisons, a
startling decline in fortunes for Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury
and the continuing domination...
Russian TV viewers watching the Brand of the Year / EFFIE ceremony
for the first time were able to glimpse a snapshot of the state of
Russia's food and drink industry, writes Angela Drujinina.
Britain's biggest brewer Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) is to
combine its Indian brewing assets with those of United Breweries,
the largest beer maker on the sub-continent, to form a group
accounting for more than 50 per...
Increasing investment in new product development is expected to
help British confectionery and soft drinks producer Cadbury
Schweppes to achieve its ambitious targets for long-term growth,
according to analysts Goldman Sachs. And...
Premier Foods has added another popular British food brand to its
diverse portfolio with the acquisition of the Bird's Custard brand
from US-based food giant Kraft. And this continued focus on 'Great
British brands'...
Only 40 per cent of Muscovites trust the information on food
product labels, with the ingredients listing considered the most
likely to be incorrect, according to a recent survey by the CVS
Consulting group. Angela Drujinina reports.
Red wine has potent bacteria fighting properties, suggests new
research from scientists in the US that examined the impact both
red and white wines could have on a range of common food pathogens.
Russian brewers, facing the impact of a recent ban on advertising
their products, are hoping to keep consumer awareness high through
new product launches, including premium beers, reports Angela
Drujinina.
Nearly 150,000 visitors streamed through the doors of Europe's
major food fair SIAL 2004 in Paris last week that presented more
than 460 product innovations from 40 countries.
The recent bolt on acquisition of Rhodia Food Ingredients lifted
sales for Danisco in an otherwise challenging first quarter for
2004/2005 but efforts to improve margins appear to be paying off,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Sun Interbrew, Russia's second largest brewer, has announced strong
six month and second quarter financial results, reflecting a
continuing rise in beer sales backed up by a strong control over
costs.
Profits continue to fall for Russian dairy giant Wimm-Bill-Dann,
despite recording a healthy jump in sales for the first six months
of the year. The company said that both gross margins and net
income were hit by rising costs attributed...
Baltika
continues its strong performance in the Russian beer market after
announcing a double digit increase in its sales volumes for the
first six months of the year. But increased expenditure on
advertising and packaging...
Consumer demand for ethical products is growing steadily across
Europe and the major food manufacturers and retailers have
inevitably begun to step up their product offering in this area.
But a new study of consumer attitudes suggests...
Baltic Beverages
Holdings (BBH) has revealed falling market share in the Russian
market and sliding profits after announcing its first half results.
The performance underlines increasing competition and higher sales
and distribution...
France's lawmakers have banned soft drink and chocolate bar vending
machines in schools from the beginning of the 2005/06 school year,
a measure designed to nip the growing childhood obesity problem in
the bud.
Consumption of fresh fruit is on the rise in the UK, shows new
government data, leading to a notable increase in intake of vitamin
C. But a decline in other foods such as milk means calcium, iron
and other nutrients are still lacking...
Tesco strengthened its position as the leading grocer in the UK in
the last quarter, with sales growth more than twice that of its
nearest rival Asda. Upmarket retailer Waitrose also showed
excellent growth, while Morrisons continued...
French retailer Casino saw a slight downturn in growth in the
second quarter of the year, impacted by fewer shopping days and the
cost of revamping its convenience business. But a solid performance
from the discount business in France...
Openings for low-fat, weight-conscious foods are growing with new
findings suggesting US consumers believe they are to blame for
being obese. While confusion exists over artery-clogging trans
fatty acid, soy foods come out on top...
Baltika has reported that its sales for the quarter April to June
have improved by a healthy 61 per cent, to 5.5 million hecolitres.
This led to a jump in revenue to RUR 7.5 billion (€210m) for the
same period, although the company...
Food marketers will find more evidence to support their ongoing
drive to tempt the consumer with health conscious food products
from a new report that shows Britain's tastebuds are shifting away
and fruit is the number one snack.
Obesity levels in the US and Britain are among the highest in the
world, and it is not surprising, therefore, that it is in these two
countries that the debate over how to tackle the problem - and who
is to blame - is the most advanced....