Finsbury Food Group has completed its acquisition of foodservice supplier Johnstone’s Just Desserts, saving 150 jobs at the firm, after buying the business out of administration.
Fruit snacking has many forms but industry collectively agrees the future must be about stripping back ingredients and giving consumers fruit in its purest form.
A raft of candy makers are moving into snacks and this influx of innovation will serve the category and consumers well, says the CEO of the Snack Food Association (SFA).
Where are the opportunities for bakers in retail? How important will grain research be for the future? And what kind of policy hurdles are industry truly up against?
Snack makers can boost sales and secure stronger retail relations with data-driven product pairing rather than guesswork, says Nielsen Perishables Group.
Rudolph Foods’ sweet and spicy Gaslamp popcorn variants should intrigue consumers and stave off fierce start-up competition, says its marketing and innovation head.
The Snack Food Association (SFA) is determined to correct misperceptions held among consumers, government and regulators about the nature of the snack category and its role in health, its CEO says.
General Mills says US sales of Yoplait are booming, just a year after analysts expressed worries over the yogurt brand’s future – with the rebound driven by Greek and stripping out artificial ingredients, while the company sees clear potential for yogurt...
Irish premium chip maker Keogh’s has invested heavily in quality control as business booms, but while exports are set to increase the MD wants to remain 'small'.
The European chip sector is being shaped by complex and premium flavor blends, innovative craft players and convenient packaging, says Innova Market Insights.
Grupo Bimbo’s acquisition of Saputo Bakery is a surprise because the Canadian packaged cake firm is unprofitable and struggling, says Euromonitor International.
The UK will publish an extensive report on the role of carbohydrates in the diet next year, presenting opportunities for bread makers to fight back against carb-bashing, says the Federation of Bakers (FOB).
Antioxidant-rich cereals, protein-packed snack bars and bread tailored to women’s nutritional needs were just some of the product innovations identified by Datamonitor Consumer during 2014.
The explosive shift towards co-manufacturing in bakery and snacks presents challenges for equipment suppliers because of a greater need for interchangeable lines, says Kliklok-Woodman (KW).
DIGGING INTO INNOVATION AND NPD WITH DATAMONITOR CONSUMER
America has voted: they want wasabi ginger Lay’s chips. No big surprise, but a vote that should see snack makers running back to the lab to dream up ‘new’.
A&B Ingredients has introduced a new pea protein isolate to the US market to meet the demands for vegetarian forms with greater functionality, the company said. The new variety, called Pisane B9, is optimized for baked goods applications.
UK gourmet popcorn maker Joe & Seph’s has secured listings with World Duty Free and Cineworld, adding to its airline presence – channels its co-founder says spark unprecedented brand attention.
Graze realizes subscription snacking opportunities stretch far beyond its desk-friendly concept and is taking a leap into sharing with big box varieties, its CEO says.
General Mills has defended the future of Annie’s natural and organic snacks under its ownership, but two experts say the company will have to work hard to beat the critics.
DIGGING INTO INNOVATION AND NPD WITH DATAMONITOR CONSUMER
Cereal pots appeal to consumers seeking faster, easier ways of eating breakfast, but manufacturers must go beyond simple, on-the-go pot packaging, says Datamonitor Consumer.
Premier Foods has put £10m ($16m) behind a multi-media promotional Mr Kipling campaign, just months after committing £20m ($32m) for a snack pack production line.
Younger consumers are reaching for snacks to accompany and round out meals, and the better-for-you category is set to benefit most, finds The NPD Group.
Deli breakfasts have boomed in the US as consumers seek faster, fresher alternatives to traditional ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal category, according to Nielsen.
UK flavor house Maverick Innovations will set up a US manufacturing hub in the next five years; bolstering its presence with British flavors like banana and custard, its CEO says.
DIGGING INTO INNOVATION AND NPD WITH DATAMONITOR CONSUMER
There is hope for cheaper and more accessible wheat as a draft genetic blueprint of bread wheat genome is unveiled by the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium.
Gluten-free bread made with omega-3 and flavonoid-rich chia seed and tartary buckwheat flour has 12 times greater alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content and 75% greater total antioxidant capacity than wheat bread, according to researchers.
Finnish firm Fazer has announced the closure of two of its bakeries – a move it said was unavoidable considering a market shift from pre-packed bread to in-store baked.
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) will buy WILD Flavors for €2.3bn citing fast-growing demand for natural food and beverage flavors and ingredients as the rationale.
Sales of wraps, sandwich thins and gluten-free products have helped Warburtons offset “difficult” trading conditions to increase turnover and operating profit in the 52 weeks to September 28 2013.
Instant hot cereal is rising in Russia as urban consumers seek healthy, convenient options, but beware - indulgence remains top of mind, says an analyst from Canadean.
Since it was created in 2012, Chapul Inc. has been on a mission to integrate edible insects into Western diets, using its cricket energy bars as the vehicle.
Liquid snacking is a healthy, convenient alternative to snack bars – a segment many consumers are bored of, according to the co-founder of NUWI Quinoa Snacks; a drinkable snack.
Synder’s-Lance will kick-start a restructuring plan to improve margins and drive focus on its branded products following the completion of its private brands divestment to Shearer’s Foods.
Breakfast biscuit makers should reduce sugar and calorie content and develop healthier variants if they want to secure continued growth, says Euromonitor International.
KP Snacks has gone pub-themed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup; recreating a local UK pub in Rio for the games and running a consumer competition fronted by celebrity pub landlord Al Murray.
Craft snack brands will lead innovation because of their fresh take on an old market, and balancing health and indulgence will be top of the agenda, says Innova Market Insights.
![The breakfast biscuits sector needs healthy innovation to secure future growth, says Euromonitor International. BelVita [pictured] kickstarted the market.](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/7/8/4/9/1789487-1-eng-GB/Euromonitor-Breakfast-biscuits-threatened-by-health-concerns.png)
