Business

08-Sep-2011 - Early feedback from trials of Pepsi Next - PepsiCo’s third attempt to create a successful mid-calorie cola - has been “very favorable”, bosses have revealed.

Is ‘taciturn’ Ralcorp acting in its shareholders’ best interests?

07-Sep-2011 - It may well be that Ralcorp was right to spurn ConAgra’s latest $94/share takeover offer. But its failure to explain why is troubling, according to corporate governance expert ISS Governance.

MGP Ingredients attributes Q4 loss to ‘extreme corn price volatility’

07-Sep-2011 - MGP Ingredients has reported a net loss of $10.26m in the fourth quarter, which the company has attributed to extreme corn price volatility.

Analyst: Campbell must invest in its brands if it is to right its ship

06-Sep-2011 - Analysts have welcomed Campbell Soup’s new focus on innovation and brand building to reverse its flagging fortunes in the soup fixture, but warned it could take time before the strategy delivers tangible results.

Imperial Sugar secures monk fruit supply deal for sweetener blends

06-Sep-2011 - Imperial Sugar Company has signed an agreement with Amax NutraSource for the supply of monk fruit extract, a fruit-derived zero-calorie sweetener that achieved FDA GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in February last year.

New fructose enhancers promise ‘significant amplification’ of sweet taste in HFCS

06-Sep-2011 - San-Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx has started taste tests on novel fructose enhancers that could help amplify the sweet taste of fructose, a key component in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Dannon opens R&D center to speed yogurt innovation process

02-Sep-2011 - Dannon has opened a new $9m research and development center at its White Plains, NY headquarters, in order to improve collaboration between departments and bring new products to market more quickly.

Interview: Mark Gottsacker, president, Global Bottling Partners

Smoothly does it. The secret to success in protein beverages

02-Sep-2011 - Protein beverages can have mass market appeal if firms get the formulation right, keep calories down and refocus marketing efforts on the people that are actually drinking their products, rather than the people they think are drinking them, according to one recent market entrant.

TCI predicts healthy future for high-stearic, high-oleic sunflower oil as it opens new biorefinery

02-Sep-2011 - Specialty oilseed firm Technology Crops International (TCI) is looking to boost its presence in the food and dietary supplements markets after opening a state-of-the-art biorefinery on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Solae raises prices by 8% - but says soy still ‘stable choice’ for food manufacturers

02-Sep-2011 - Soy “continues to be a more stable choice for food companies” than dairy or meat protein, a leading soy ingredients supplier has insisted after raising prices for the second time this year.

Fine filtered milk gets thumbs up in test market

01-Sep-2011 - Initial feedback from a trial in Ohio suggests milk fine filtered to remove ‘impurities’ could be a big hit with US consumers, claims Dean Foods subsidiary WhiteWave Foods.

News in brief

JBS moves Brazilian operations to make tax savings

31-Aug-2011 - Brazil-based beef giant JBS has said it intends to move all its meat packing to other locations in Brazil in order to make tax savings.

Entrepreneur: Energy strips could be worth $1bn in 3-5 years

31-Aug-2011 - The entrepreneur behind Sheets Energy Strips – novel dissolvable strips delivering an instant hit of caffeine and B vitamins - says the category could be worth $1bn in the next three-to-five years.

ADM invests US$4.4m to boost cocoa production in Ivory Coast

29-Aug-2011 - Global confectionery supplier Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is injecting US$4.4m (€3m) into its Ivory Coast cocoa programme as the country tries to recover from its recent civil turmoil and an EU ban on one of the region’s most important exports.

Mayan group claims Kellogg’s legal action over toucan logo

26-Aug-2011 - A non-profit organisation that defends indigenous Mayan culture says Kellogg Company is taking legal action over its use of a toucan logo.

Hain Celestial scores industry first with refrigerated energy shot

25-Aug-2011 - Hain Celestial will break new ground in the burgeoning shots market this fall with the launch of the first refrigerated energy shot.

Dairy prices to soften, says Glanbia

24-Aug-2011 - A modest weakening in dairy prices is expected, forecast Glanbia, as the company posted a profit jump in its half year results.

$4bn Chinese investment is just the beginning, says Coca-Cola

23-Aug-2011 - Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is investing $4bn (€2.8) in China in a bid to double revenues in the region by 2020.

Navigating the Asia Pacific food industry? Welcome to FoodNavigator-Asia.com

22-Aug-2011 - The leading source of news for the food and beverage industry in Europe and North America has now expanded to Asia, drawing on the knowledge and expertise of experienced local journalists.

Frutarom profits dip as raw material costs rise

19-Aug-2011 - Israel-based flavours, botanicals and speciality ingredients player Frutarom has reported lower profits in Q2, with raw material hikes cited as the principal cause.

Can we expect more M&A in bakery? ‘Absolutely yes’, says Flowers Foods

18-Aug-2011 - Punishing rises in input costs, cautious consumers and a predicted rise in capital gains tax will drive further consolidation in the US bakery sector this year and next, packaged bakery giant Flowers Foods has predicted.

OpenGate to acquire Dean Foods' US dairy plant

17-Aug-2011 - Private equity firm OpenGate is to buy Dean Foods' Waukesha dairy plant that the US giant was previously ordered to put up for sale as a result of a federal antitrust case.

NutraCea narrows Q2 loss

17-Aug-2011 - Stabilized rice bran (SRB) supplier NutraCea has narrowed its loss in the second quarter of 2011 and increased revenues 29 percent, although sales of rice bran for food and feed applications did not grow as quickly as anticipated, the company said.

Does the energy shot market have room for a new player?

16-Aug-2011 - A David vs Goliath battle is set to be waged in the US energy shots sector as two ex-Marines seek to carve out a niche in a market so competitive that even Red Bull has thrown in the towel and made a sharp exit.

GLG Life Tech downgrades expectations, sees share price fall to year-low

16-Aug-2011 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has slashed its revenue expectations for 2011 and has seen its share price slip to a year low, as it reported its second quarter results.