Business

13-Mar-2012 - Bonduelle said its acquisition of three processing plants and one repacking centre in the US would boost the volume of its frozen vegetable offerings in the country by around 150%.

Hostess appoints new CEO to lead it out of bankruptcy

12-Mar-2012 - Beleaguered Twinkies and Wonder Bread maker Hostess Brands has appointed Gregory Rayburn as CEO to lead it out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, replacing Brian Driscoll, whose resignation was effective on Friday.

Post Q1 profits down 45% on lower cereal sales

09-Mar-2012 - Higher raw material costs and lower cereal sales saw first quarter profits at Post Holdings fall 45%, as it reported its earnings results for the first time since its spin-off from Ralcorp Holdings last month.

Imperial to sell Wholesome Sweeteners stake to boost liquidity

08-Mar-2012 - Imperial Sugar Company has agreed to sell its 50% stake in Wholesome Sweeteners for around $55m-$60m.

News in brief

ConAgra completes acquisition of Del Monte Canada

07-Mar-2012 - ConAgra Foods has completed a deal to buy packaged fruit, veg and snacks maker Del Monte Canada Inc. from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum, the company has said.

SunOpta reports Q4 loss, following job cuts announcement

07-Mar-2012 - Canadian natural and organics group SunOpta has reported a net loss in the fourth quarter on charges related to some of its assets and inventories.

Dole acquires Mrs. May's to boost natural portfolio

06-Mar-2012 - Fruit and vegetable producer Dole has acquired US-based snacks firm Mrs May’s Naturals for an undisclosed sum.

FoodJobs: People on the Move

06-Mar-2012 - FoodNavigator-USA brings you its latest photo gallery update of industry appointments, moves and promotions.

DuPont eyes increased food and nutrition focus to boost 2012 sales growth

05-Mar-2012 - An increased focus on food and nutrition is expected to become a major sales growth driver at DuPont in 2012, according to the company’s executive vice president James Borel.

Sara Lee sets the date for coffee and tea spin-off

02-Mar-2012 - The spin-off of Sara Lee’s international coffee and tea business is expected to be completed by the end of June 2012, the firm has revealed.

General Mills boosts natural foods portfolio with gluten free snacks deal

01-Mar-2012 - General Mills has boosted its presence in the natural foods market with the acquisition of Massachusetts-based gluten free snack foods firm Food Should Taste Good for an undisclosed sum.

DSM readies €2bn+ acquisitions war chest as 2011 profit jumps 15%

29-Feb-2012 - Nutrition and polymers were the stand-out divisions for Royal DSM in 2011, a year that saw operating profits rise 15% from €752m to €866m, as the newly life science-oriented ingredients giant singled out Martek buy-out success and committed to ongoing pursuit of an aggressive growth strategy.

Price increase will continue into 2012 after ‘challenging’ fourth quarter – Maple Leaf Foods

29-Feb-2012 - Food processor Maple Leaf Foods intends to further increase prices across all segments to offset the raw materials price hike that affected earnings in final quarter of 2011.

Ferrero plans first production site in Mexico

27-Feb-2012 - Italian confectioner Ferrero has announced plans to construct a $190m production plant in Mexico - its first in the country.

Kraft says 'sorry' to burn victims after defective Tassimo systems spray hot coffee

27-Feb-2012 - Kraft Foods has apologised to US and Canadian customers after a manufacturing flaw led to Tassimo T Discs spraying consumers with hot liquid and coffee grounds, leading the firm to voluntarily recall around four million discs and almost two million machines.

ADM announces plan for 20% more job cuts

22-Feb-2012 - Grain processing giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has said it will lay off about 20% more employees than previously announced, bringing the total number to about 1,200 or 4% of its global workforce.

Power brands and BRIC countries drive growth for Kraft in 2011

21-Feb-2012 - Kraft Foods has posted growth in its 2011 results driven by strong performance for its power brands and BRIC and European markets.

‘Post-holiday pressure’ to blame for weak consumption in US grocery, says Campbell Soup

20-Feb-2012 - “Post-holiday pressure” is to blame for lackluster sales figures across most packaged food categories in January according to Campbell Soup boss Denise Morrison.

Heinz: We’ll ‘hope for the best and plan for the worst’ in the US market

20-Feb-2012 - Improving economic data notwithstanding, the US market will remain challenging for packaged food companies for some time, according to bosses at Heinz.

JM Smucker in Q3 'sticker shock': We thought volumes would decline, but not this much…

17-Feb-2012 - Bosses at Crisco oils, Jif peanut butter and Folgers coffee maker JM Smucker expected third quarter volumes to dip on the back of higher ticket prices, but they were not expecting them to fall off a cliff, chief executive Richard Smucker has admitted.