Kraft Foods has confirmed that it is increasing prices of many of
its products in the United States by an average of 3.9 per cent
because of rising energy and packaging costs caused by higher
global oil prices.
US bakery and international consumer goods manufacturer Sara Lee
has announced the sale of its European branded apparel business as
part of the company's bid to redefine its over-stretched product
portfolio and turn around its...
Burns Philp's plan to raise A$2.1 billion (€1.3 billion) from a
share offering in its Goodman Fielder business underlines the
group's ambitions to dominate the Australasian ingredients market.
UK family baker Warburtons has bought up the Rathbones bakery in
Rogerstone, Wales, in a move to keep up with growing demand for its
products, the group announced last week.
Leading US bakery Sara Lee yesterday reported a decline in sales in
its first quarter, with net income hit hard as the company enters
the ninth month in its five-year transformation strategy to shed
unprofitable businesses.
US bakery franchise Panera Bread this week posted strong third
quarter results, boosted by good bakery-cafe sales, prompting the
company to raise its outlook for the fourth quarter.
Continual productivity improvements are behind Novozymes' solid
performance since it was floated on the stock market in 2000,
according to CEO Steen Riisgaard.
Leading player in the US bakery sector Panera Bread looks to be
holding its own in an industry squeezed by high raw material costs
and a powerful retail sector reluctant to pass on price increases.
Bankrupt US bakery group Interstate Bakeries Corporation (IBC)
yesterday announced that it is to close another bakery as it
continues its restructuring efforts in an attempt to get back on
track.
Nestlé says it will embrace moves by hard discounters to sell more
branded products as part of its plan to recover from difficult
times on Europe's food and drink market.
Two leading European manufacturers of oils and fats for the food
industry last week joined forces in a move the companies hope will
allow them to significantly expand their businesses in the US and
Northern Europe.
Crisp and snack company Walkers is to open a new UK plant in
Skelmersdale. The plant will produce Walkers snack products and
will take over some of the production from the soon to close
Swansea factory, the company has said.
Leading US bakery and international consumer goods manufacturer
Sara Lee has announced that it has entered negotiations regarding
the sale of its European branded apparel business. The move forms
part of the company's bid to...
Australian ingredients and food group Burns Philp cashes in on
value creation to fund future investments, spinning off its baking,
spreads and oils divisions into a separate firm.
CSM's sugar beet processing plant in Hoogkerk, the Netherlands is
now fully online following the closure of the firm's Breda factory
earlier this year.
Oversupply of sugar in the EU and higher energy costs combine to
knock profits for the year at British Sugar, its owner Associated
British Foods warned today.
Food giant Kraft Foods, the maker of Maxwell House coffee and
Nabisco cookies, will push funds behind 'fewer, bigger and better
new product ideas' to fuel sustainable growth.
Cash, cash, cash. Castigated as simple asset-strippers out to make
a quick buck, the entrance of private equity onto the food industry
stage has participants chattering in the wings.
The state of California is suing nine top food manufacturers over
their reluctance to issue warnings that some popular snacks could
contain a potential cancer-causing chemical.
Allied Starch & Chemical (ASC) has acquired Californian-based
firm Ingredients Unlimited as part of its plan to capitalize on the
lucrative North American tortilla market.
Strenghtening supply chain number one enzyme supplier Novozymes
will consolidate its numerous distributor agreements in Europe
under one firm, ingredients and additive distributor Fiske.
German-based ingredients firm Nutrinova passes raw material and
energy price rises onto the market, announcing double-digit price
hike for its sorbate products, used increasingly by food
manufacturers to preserve baked goods.
Hazelnut prices remain at all time highs but the imminent crop from
key producer Turkey could offer some stability to snack makers and
confectioners impacted by the record highs.
Leading Dutch lactic acid supplier is believed to be in discussions
to expand its presence in the East with plans to build an acid
plant in Thailand that uses sugar as a raw material.
International consumer goods maker Sara Lee has confirmed that it
is selling its direct sales cosmetics business to Tupperware for
$577 million. The move forms part of the company's bid to redefine
its over-stretched product...
US private equity group Apax last week announced its plans to
expand into the Spanish bakery market, after signing an agreement
to purchase Spanish bakery Panrico.
Dairy producer Arla Foods, which supplies butter to a number of
bakeries, has sent out one of the first signals that the dairy
sector is hurting from a reduction in EU agricultural export
subsidies.
Greggs Plc, the UK bakery business that has stood out as a growth
success story in a sector cramped by obesity concerns, last week
unveiled first-half results that suggest it may be running out of
steam in selling ever more bread...
Major cost-cutting at US-based Sara Lee boosted operating profits
at its bakery division by 36 per cent over 2005 but sales were down
on the previous year after a 53rd week in 2004 swelled turnover.
UK biscuit maker McVitie's is to cut 33 jobs at its Carlisle
factory, after damage caused by floods in January permanently
disabled four production lines, reducing the plant's total output
by 20 per cent.
Business is looking bleak for Atkins Nutritionals. As the
once-celebrated pioneer of a diet regime that took the world by
storm files for bankruptcy protection, Jess Halliday asks:
What went wrong?
Tate & Lyle has vowed to continue to pursue its ambitious
expansion plans despite warnings that proposed changes to the sugar
regime could begin to affect business as soon as 2007, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
