Consumers, worried about the current economic environment, are increasingly opting to entertain friends and family at home rather than dining out, which has seen the share of food spend in Australia channelled into supermarkets and away from cafes, restaurants and take-away outlets, a report released by research company Nielsen has revealed. Nielsen’s annual Grocery Report indicates that, as consumers seek ways to reduce their household costs, many are choosing to entertain at home more, cut... ...Read more »

After a number of changes between 2006 and 2007, the Nielsen Grocery Report Top 100 Suppliers list in 2008 saw few alterations to last year’s rankings. The leading five suppliers in Australia accounted for around 23.5% of packaged grocery sales (excl. private label) down from 24.1% in 2007, while the leading 100 accounted for about 90.6%. There were a number of changes to the top 10 food suppliers, with George Weston (9) taking Fonterra’s (11) spot in the ten and Unilever, Mars and Arnott’s... ...Read more »

Woolworths, Australia’s largest supermarket operator, has reported first-half sales growth of 8.8 per cent to $26.1b, driven by solid results from their Australian supermarket division and Big W. The retailer, which now operates 792 supermarkets in Australia, reported Australian Food and Liquor sales for the half year had risen 9% to $16.9 billion, with sales for the second quarter of $8.6 billion – an increase of 9.8% over last year. Comparable store sales in the division for the second... ...Read more »

While the stockmarket continues to head toward the floor the need for food relief has gone through the roof. Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank Australia, is discovering just how much impact the Wall Street crash has had on some here in Australia. “We can’t remember our warehouses being so empty and the need for food relief being so high,” Foodbank Australia’s CEO, Bronwyn Boekenstein, advised. “There’s no doubt that the economic downturn... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola will provide US$400,000 to MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to help establish a new Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability, designed to allow for food and beverage industry collaboration in the quest toward improved packaging sustainability. The planned facility will serve as a think tank for packaging innovation and sustainability and a research and education hub to measure and reduce packaging’s environmental impact. “The Coca-Cola Company... ...Read more »

The global energy drink market countered fears over the economic conditions to register an approximate 15% increase in 2008. Leading beverage agency, Canadean, reports that growth has come from across the globe and ranges from 2% in Asia to 34% in East Europe, taking the energy drink category to more than 5 billion litres. The category has enjoyed a prolonged period of spectacular growth and has trebled in size since 2001. Canadean expect that by 2011 each global consumer will drink, on average,... ...Read more »

The UK’s top grocery retailers, brands and manufacturers have committed to an industry-wide food waste reduction objective for the first time. This will be delivered under WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Love Food Hate Waste campaign, and is anticipated to result in considerable savings to UK consumers of more than £370 million. This equates to a saving of almost 700,000 tonnes of CO2 – the same as taking 220,000 cars off the road for a year. Signatories of the... ...Read more »

Falling oil and raw material prices in combination with the discounter threat will lead to a significant easing in grocery prices in Europe in 2009, while six main areas of grocery retailing will be adversely impacted by the economic slowdown. Opportunities still abound, however, with the potential to emerge stronger in the wake of the downturn. The credit crunch has subdued many grocers’ ambitious plans for mergers and acquisitions, format diversification, international expansion and has put... ...Read more »

McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food chain, announced overnight that, despite sales showing signs of slowing in the fourth quarter, they continue to be able to perform above market expectations and many of their peers. Global comparable sales rose 6.9% for the year spurred by growth in their international markets (outside the US), although the strength of the US dollar has begun impacting figures from markets such as the UK and Australia. For the quarter, global comparable... ...Read more »

Kellogg Company is beginning a six-month test of a “more consumer-friendly, space-saving box for its cereal brands” that could potentially redefine the cereal aisle, the company says. Kellogg Company is testing these new boxes with participating retailers in Detroit to gain valuable consumer and retailer insights that could inform a potential rollout. To better meet the needs of consumers and retail partners, the company is testing a new, space-saving box that offers the same amount... ...Read more »