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Maple Leaf and Canada Bread profits slump on weak fresh bakery volumes

03-May-2012 - Canada Bread and its parent company Maple Leaf Foods were both harmed by weak fresh bakery volumes in the first quarter (Q1), negatively impacting companies' profits.

Corn Products Q1 profit falls on higher costs

02-May-2012 - Corn Products International’s net income fell 38% in the first quarter largely due to a one-off gain a year earlier, and less growth than expected in international markets, while adjusted net profit was down 2%.

Coca-Cola denies Monster takeover rumors

02-May-2012 - The Coca-Cola Company has denied rumors that it is in talks to acquire Monster Beverage Company, after media reports sent shares in the energy drinks giant soaring on Monday.

News in brief

DuPont buys out Bunge’s share in Solae joint venture in $440m deal

01-May-2012 - DuPont has taken full control of soy ingredients giant Solae after buying out Bunge’s stake in their joint venture.

Mizkan Americas opens new Florida R&D center

30-Apr-2012 - Mizkan Americas has opened a new R&D center at its manufacturing facility in Lake Alfred, Florida, where it intends to work with food companies on developing new products containing its wine reductions, cooking wines, specialty vinegars and denatured spirits, the company has said.

Transatlantic beef trade war comes to end

30-Apr-2012 - A deal between the Council of Europe, the USA and Canada will see the long dispute over the presence of hormones in imported beef come to an end.

Unilever: Recovery in US economy is mixed and slow

27-Apr-2012 - Conditions will remain difficult in the US food and beverage market, despite periodic glimmers of hope, bosses at Unilever have cautioned.

News in brief

Sweet Green Fields plants first commercial stevia crops in North Carolina and Georgia

27-Apr-2012 - Sweet Green Fields has scored another industry first with the planting of the first commercial stevia crops in the Southeast United States.

Pepsi NEXT lures new consumers into cola category as sales exceed expectations

27-Apr-2012 - Sales of new mid-calorie cola Pepsi NEXT are ahead of expectations, while early feedback suggests it is attracting new consumers - as well as lapsed cola drinkers - into the cola category, PepsiCo has revealed.

‘Exceptional’ new salt-enhancer discontinued as ex-Firmenich execs exit Horphag

26-Apr-2012 - Horphag Research has parted company with the executives it brought in to run its new functional foods and beverages division Horphag Research Nutrition (HRN) and discontinued Salty-R, the first product to emerge from it.

News in brief

Kellogg blames lackluster Q1 results on ‘continued weakness’ in Europe and high input costs

26-Apr-2012 - Kellogg blamed disappointing results in Europe and in some categories in the US, high commodity inflation, and ill-judged supply-chain initiatives for a 6.5% drop in first quarter operating profit.

BPI employees launch social media campaign to spread ‘beef is beef’ message

26-Apr-2012 - Workers at Beef Products Inc. (BPI) have launched a Facebook campaign countering attacks on lean finely textured beef (LFTB), saying they hope information about the safety of the ingredient will go viral – as misinformation did last month.

Dr Pepper Snapple hints at new TEN launches in 2013 as non-carbonate sales slump

26-Apr-2012 - Dr Pepper Snapple Group's net income fell year-on-year in Q1 2012 with a marked slump in non-carbonate sales, although Dr Pepper TEN drove higher carbonates sales, with the firm hinting at further launches on this platform in 2013.

'Breakthrough innovation' sees PepsiCo launch Tropicana juices with tea

24-Apr-2012 - PepsiCo brand Tropicana has launched two new US Trop50 varieties, including an innovative juice with tea mix and a red orange juice with 50% less sugar and calories.

Hershey sales up 10.7% on strong Easter and international growth

24-Apr-2012 - The Hershey Company has recorded growth in its first quarter (Q1) results driven by pricing, solid Easter performance and growth in international markets.

Cargill: Decision by retailers to drop ‘pink slime’ was ‘disappointing but understandable’

24-Apr-2012 - The decision by retailers to remove finely textured beef (FTB) - aka ‘pink slime’ - from ground beef products was “disappointing but understandable given the immense volume of misinformation and hyperbole” surrounding the product, according to Cargill.

Kellogg issues profit warning ahead of Q1 results

23-Apr-2012 - Cereal giant Kellogg has lowered its financial guidance for 2012 as declining European sales led it to perform below expectations in its first quarter (Q1) results.

Chr Hansen shares jump 9% on strong H1 profits

19-Apr-2012 - First half EBIT profits for 2011-12 surged 19% to €83m at Chr Hansen as it shrugged off the effects of severe fluctuations in the price of red colorant carmine, and ongoing probiotic health claim uncertainty in Europe – its biggest yet most stagnant market.

PureCircle outlines its carbon and water footprint

19-Apr-2012 - Stevia supplier PureCircle has released an analysis of its carbon and water use throughout the supply chain, which it claims could help food and beverage manufacturers to meet their own sustainability targets.

DuPont profit climbs on higher prices and agriculture sales

19-Apr-2012 - DuPont posted higher profits and revenue for the first quarter of 2012, citing higher prices and increased sales in developing markets, as well as continuing benefit from last year’s acquisition of Danish specialty ingredients firm Danisco.

Chocolate titans in fresh antitrust lawsuit for alleged US price fixing

18-Apr-2012 - Hershey, Nestle, Mars and Cadbury have been hit with a new antitrust lawsuit that alleges the companies conspired together to fix chocolate prices in the US between 2002 and 2008.

ConAgra Foods’ buying spree continues with Odom’s Tennessee Pride deal

17-Apr-2012 - ConAgra Foods has made its third acquisition in six months after striking a deal to buy Odom's Tennessee Pride, a leading producer of frozen and refrigerated breakfast sandwiches and sausages, for an undisclosed sum.

Kraft withdrawal shows penetrating US Greek yogurt market isn’t easy: Danone

17-Apr-2012 - Danone has hinted that Kraft’s withdrawal from the booming Greek yogurt category in the US is proof of how hard it is to penetrate the sector within a refrigerated yogurt market Mintel estimates was worth almost six billion dollars in 2011.

Union leader has ‘zero confidence’ of agreement with Hostess

17-Apr-2012 - A union leader representing about 7,500 Hostess Brands workers has said he has zero confidence that the company will come to an agreement over workers’ pensions, ahead of a bankruptcy court hearing on Tuesday.