In a major step forward for the ethical movement, confectioner Cadbury will this week launch Fairtrade Dairy Milk chocolate into their home market of Britain. The move has been hailed as a critical “milestone”, with Cadbury the first mass market chocolate to gain Fairtrade certification. Their flagship Dairy Milk brand accounts for more than one in every nine chocolate bar sales in the UK and will substantially add to the three per cent market share currently commanded by Fairtrade products. “Having... ...Read more »

Cadbury this week initiated a recall of their Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate for the second time this year. The voluntary consumer level recall was instigated due to the possible presence of milk protein, which is not labelled on the packaging. Apart from this labelling irregularity, there is no other fault with the product. “We are undertaking this recall as a precaution to protect consumer safety as well as to maintain our high quality standards,” the company advised. “We apologise... ...Read more »

Woolworths Limited, Australia’s largest supermarket operator, has reported a 7.5% surge in full year sales to $49.6 billion. Chief Executive Officer, Michael Luscombe, said their results highlighted the resilience of the Australian economy. “Despite the global economic turmoil, 2009 has been a successful year with solid results across our business overall,” he said.  “Continued solid sales growth in food retailing and especially in discretionary areas like apparel, consumer... ...Read more »

A new report from the UK has shone the light on the current food security situation and called for greater action to deal with the threat. “If people go hungry then political stability goes out of the window,” according to the Rt Hon Michael Jack – the Chairman of the Committee publishing the report on behalf of  the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). “This is a key lesson that Defra must learn from last year’s food price hike when some... ...Read more »

The Coca-Cola Company has seen volume growth rise by a robust 4 per cent in the second quarter as beverage demand remained strong. The result was led by the key emerging markets of India and China, where volume growth came in at 33 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively. Still beverages – which include juices, sports drinks, teas and water brands – outperformed sparkling beverages internationally, while the flagship Coca-Cola brand saw volumes climb by 3 per cent. “We continue to... ...Read more »

The price of food fell by 0.9% in the June quarter but still maintained a lofty 4.8% rate of inflation for the year to June. The food group fell in all capital cities and offset rises in most other categories measured by the ABS. The major catalysts for decline were vegetables (-6.9%) and fruit (-7.6%), both of which benefited from peak growing seasons and favourable weather patterns. Removal of a tax on milk and a weakened dairy environment contributed to a 3.0% fall in milk prices. Partially off-setting... ...Read more »

Confectioner Cadbury is currently discussing the possibility of a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement with Amcor, according to a report in The Age. Cadbury, one of the largest customers of Amcor, initiated a $235.8 million claim against the packaging giant for allegedly paying higher prices for cardboard boxes, cans and PET products as a result of collusion between packaging heavyweights Visy and Amcor. The claim was first filed in December 2006, but only made it to the courts for the first... ...Read more »

There are signs that panic emerging from the global financial crisis has begun to subside, although it has had a significant impact on global agricultural commodity prices, with the Westpac-NFF Commodity Index showing a 12.7% decrease over the past year. Recent indications suggest the fluctuating price movements of the past 12 months among global commodity prices are dissipating as traditional demand and supply forces re-emerge. “The world economy is beginning to pull out of one of the most... ...Read more »

Costco, the world’s ninth largest retailer, will open their first Australian store on August 17. The launch of their first warehouse club in the Docklands precinct – on the fringe of Melbourne’s CBD – has been eagerly anticipated and could lead to a new force in the retail market in Australia. Australian Managing Director Patrick Noone said in an interview today that the plan was for an opening in Sydney’s western suburbs in 2010, with expansion to kick on strongly from... ...Read more »

Independent Australian food and grocery group FoodWorks has received approval from the competition regulator for the purchase of 45 supermarkets and eight associated Liquorland outlets from Coles. The ACCC concluded that the proposed acquisition would be unlikely to result in a substantial lessening of competition in the relevant supermarket and liquor retail markets and in the relevant wholesale and procurement markets. “In areas where FoodWorks already has a member supermarket, there would... ...Read more »