News brief: Caffeine chips, Zimbabwe and Dunkin' Brands

By Karen Willmer

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Dunkin' donuts

A healthy roundup of this week's bakery and snacks news;
caffeinated chips, Zimbabwe's flour problem and Dunkin' Brands' new
VP.

Keeping up with the caffeine buzz ​Jumping on people's demand to keep up with the pace of life, a new caffeine coated potato chip has been launched in the US. The NRG Phoenix Fury Potato Chips from Golden Flake Snack Foods contain the same amount of caffeine as in three and a half cups of coffee, according to its manufacturer. "Energy drinks are the No. 1 growth item in convenience stores and supermarkets. As we looked at it, the people buying those are the same customers we have," said Golden Flake spokeswoman Julie McLaughlin. However, the company warns consumers that the chips are not recommended for children, women who are pregnant of nursing, or those sensitive to caffeine. Earlier this year a molecular scientist in Canada launched Encaff, a range of caffeinated breakfast bars, cereals, donuts and bagels. Other products currently on the market include caffeinated chocolate, gum, mints and confectionery. Zimbabwe running out of flour ​Lobels Bread, one of Zimbabwe's largest bakeries is running out of flour in light of the country's wheat shortage, according to local media. "Flour availability has deteriorated and this has forced us to use our strategic stocks since May,"​ the company's operations director Lemmy Chikomo told the official Herald Daily today. "Now we are only left with two days' supply." ​ Chikomo said the company had to cut daily production to 40,000 loaves from 200,000 in May, as well as shut one of its bakeries, sending hundreds of workers home. The government is struggling with inflation and shortages of food, recently admitting it could not afford to buy 36,000 tonnes of wheat from Mozambique to help ease the crisis, according to Reuters. Dunkin' Brands gets helping hand for expansion ​US based Dunkin' Brands will get a new executive vice president for global communications and chief public affairs officer, the company said yesterday. Stephen Caldeira will join the company on October 29 as a senior member of staff overlooking the Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins and Togo's brands. "His varied experience in the legislative, political, public affairs and communications arenas will further strengthen Dunkin' Brands as we continue our aggressive expansion both domestically and internationally,"​ commented the company's chief executive officer Jon Luther. Caldeira was one of the restaurant industry's Top 50 Influencers in 2007, according to the company. "This is a wonderful opportunity to work with a great leader, an exceptional senior management team and a tremendous company with significant growth potential,"​ said Caldeira.

Related topics Markets

Related news

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars