‘Veggie snacking has seen tremendous growth’, says General Mills

General Mills has thrown its weight behind mainstream veggie snacking  with two new snack lines under its Green Giant brand.

Walkers crisps supplier to move 150 jobs to Hungary

A Merseyside factory that manufactures flavours for Walkers crisps is moving 150 British jobs to Hungary.

BIG INTERVIEW - CHEWING OVER SNACK CHALLENGES WITH THE SFA

Global obesity: ‘We want to be part of the solution, not the problem’, says SFA president

The president of the Snack Food Association (SFA) acknowledged that there are concerns about the snack industry’s role in global obesity but said healthy product development and clear communication on...

News in brief

Tyrrells goes miniature for Virgin Atlantic

UK hand-cooked potato chip specialist Tyrrells has collaborated with Virgin Atlantic to develop miniature, red packs exclusive to the flight company.

Exclusive interview

Intersnack will merge UK business with KP Snacks in 2014

European Intersnack Group will merge its UK business with KP Snacks in 2014, a spokesperson says.

Sustainable supply seen as emerging future risk for food companies

Food safety, quality and financial issues are considered the top three risks to business for most food companies, but sustainable supply is emerging as a growing area of concern, according...

News in brief

Hostess latest: United States Bakery wins Sweetheart, Eddy’s, brands; Flowers to take brands to new areas

United States Bakery has won the auction for the Sweetheart, Eddy’s, Standish Farms and Grandma Emilie’s brands as part of the sell off of chunks of the Hostess Brands empire....

Snaxpo 2013: From the floor

Start-up hopes to burst into US snacks market with Punjabi Popcorn

US start-up Punjabi Popcorn says its Indian spiced range should lure the curious consumer and profit from the booming snack segment.

McKee Foods secures Drake’s portfolio as Hostess cancels auction

It’s too early to say when Devil Dogs and Ring Dings will be back on shelves, but they - and other brands in the Drake’s snack cake portfolio - will...

How will new owners stage a Twinkies revival?

Apollo and Metropoulos will have to work hard to drive forward Hostess’ snack cake brands in a saturated market but dollar stores could hold promise, an analyst says.

The luck of the Irish? Keogh’s Crisps hopes to charm UK with Shamrock chips

Irish family-run business Keogh’s Crisps will use St Patrick’s Day as a springboard to launch its Shamrock & Sour Cream potato chip into the UK market for the first time....

Weetabix seeks to clean up image of kids’ chocolate variant

Weetabix has invested in a re-launch of its Weetabix chocolate variant in a bid to better communicate its positive health credentials, its brand manager says.

News in brief

Frito-Lay launches barbecue SunChips

Frito-Lay has developed a barbecue flavour variant of its SunChips brand.

EFSA health claims chief to share ‘magic recipe’ insights in Geneva

The chief of EFSA’s health claims panel will discuss where the agency stands on the topic in 2013, at this year’s Vitafoods conference and expo in Geneva in May.

Demand prompts Snyder’s-Lance to extend reduced fat Cape Cod line

Snyder’s-Lance has extended its Cape Cod reduced fat line to include a consumer favorite and strong performer; Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper, its marketing manager says.

News in brief

United Biscuits wins ‘Savory Snack Product of the Year 2013’ for Jacob’s Oddities

United Biscuits brand Jacob’s Oddities has been voted the Savory Snack Product of the Year 2013 from a 10,000-strong consumer survey.

Frito-Lay may appeal loss on Tostitos Scoops patent row

Branded snack titan Frito-Lay may appeal the year-long patent row it lost with private label specialist Ralcorp over use of ‘bowl’ shaped tortilla snacks.

Cereal bar targets free-from, nutrition and energy sectors, says The Frank Food Company MD

UK start-up The Frank Food Company will target the free-from, nutrition and energy sectors with its new cereal bar range, its managing director says.

Horizon Milling and ConAgra Mills to join forces to create Ardent Mills: ‘We will bring some hybrid vigor’ says VP

A major new player in the flour milling industry will emerge later this year following the merger of ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling (a joint venture between Cargill and CHS)...

Raisio sells €7m oat, soy and rice business to Norwegian firm

Finnish ag-food giant Raisio has sold its €7m a year oat, soy and rice foods business that includes its Soygurt business to €330m Norwegian food company Kavli.

Federation of Bakers: Real Bread Campaign report is ‘selective and misleading’

The UK's Federation of Bakers has snubbed the Real Bread Campaign’s report and described it as fundamentally flawed, selective and misleading.

Oxfam thanks food industry for ‘bland’ and ‘complacent’ response to damning CSR report

Oxfam will step up its campaign to improve the treatment of people and resources that form part of the supply chain of the world’s biggest food conglomerates, after it cast...

Flowers Foods wins majority of Hostess bread assets for $360m without auction

Flowers Foods has won the bid for a majority of Hostess bread assets including Wonder Bread and Nature’s Pride outside of auction after no other bidders stepped forward.

Finsbury sells free-from business to Genius in £21M deal

Finsbury Food Group has sold its free-from business to Genius Foods for £21M to focus on its core bread and cake business  ̶  and reduce debt.

Unilever & Nestlé tell Oxfam to bring other stakeholders to food ethics table

Unilever and Nestlé say Oxfam missed an opportunity for a wider and more comprehensive debate about food ethics after the NGO published a damning report on the supply chains of...