Producing 70 per cent more food for an additional 2.3 billion people by 2050 while at the same time combating poverty and hunger, using scarce natural resources more efficiently and adapting to climate change are the main challenges world agriculture will face in the coming decades, according to an FAO discussion paper published this week. The UN agency will organise a High-Level Expert Forum in Rome on 12-13 October 2009 to discuss strategies on “How to Feed the World in 2050″. The Forum... ...Read more »

Finding consensus in the UK organic food movement can be like nailing jelly to a wall. Rapid growth in the last 15 years has meant organics has major brands with multinational backers (think Green & Black’s or Rachel’s Organic). But, hundreds of smaller, regional producers also battling the downturn remain – meaning the sector houses many different views over how to move organic forward. Tuesday (22 September) in London, the Organic Trade Board, laid out its plans to reignite... ...Read more »

Consumers are spending again in developed economies, but they’re buying less with the change in behaviour to impact dramatically on retailers, suppliers and brands within the grocery sector. Playbook 2: The Sky Did Not Fall, a report published by The Store-WPP, saw a need for sweeping change by retailers and manufacturers. “The new retailer will operate stores that are easy to navigate, respect the shopper’s time, and offer plenty of choice but less frivolity,” the report... ...Read more »

Building products and sugar company, CSR, is on track in their demerger process, announcing today that the Sugar and Renewable Energy Business will be launched with a “refreshed corporate identity and retaining the iconic CSR retail brand for sugar products”. The company announced plans to separate their sugar and renewable energy operations from the rest of their business earlier this year, with completion likely by the end of March next year. The changes will see Richard Lee appointed... ...Read more »

Agribusiness is becoming the “new mining sector” in terms of growth industries in Australia, according to the nation’s leading organisation representing food and grocery manufacturers, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). Speaking at the Agrifood Skills Australia conference in Sydney today, AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell highlighted that the agribusiness sector – which includes Australia’s $100 billion food, grocery and beverage industry – has been... ...Read more »

Grocery manufacturing giant General Mills has reported profit growth of 21 per cent in the first quarter as brands like Old El Paso and Cheerios continue to perform well. The maker of Latina and Haagen Dazs reported a sales increase of one per cent despite the negative impact of currency translation with volume growth stagnant. “We’re very pleased with this start to the year. We’re seeing continuing strong consumer demand for our products,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,... ...Read more »

A local city council in the UK and the Food Standards Agency have successfully prosecuted the company behind an organic food scam worth more than half a million pounds (~A$1million). A home delivery and wholesale business named One Foods Limited supplied a range of products falsely described as organic to consumers and businesses across the UK. The fraud took place over a five year period. One Food Limited Director Neil Stansfield has received a 27 month prison sentence, while Company Secretary Kate... ...Read more »

Colour plays a crucial role in the way consumers taste and perceive the food they eat but what will the future look like for natural food colours given the uproar about artificial colourings in recent years? In the October 2009 issue of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, an article discusses the rooted history of food colouring and looks into the future of the food industry’s move toward all-natural food colouring. History The article showed the history of food colouring... ...Read more »

Fonterra this week announced an increase in their payout to farmers of 55 cents to $5.10 per kg of milksolids as dairy markets begin to show signs of life after a horrendous year. It was only around a year ago that dairy prices were at their peak after a sustained rise, but the global financial crisis led to a significant crash as demand fell. Fonterra CEO, Andrew Ferrier, said the strong increases in prices for whole milk powder (WMP) at the globalDairyTrade events in the past two months echo a... ...Read more »

Cadbury Chief Executive Todd Stitzer has admitted there would be “some strategic sense” in a tie-up as Kraft and Cadbury set about embarking on talks with their own investors this week. The maker of Dairy Milk has, however, remained steadfast in their opinion that a deal remains unfavourable under the current terms of the non-binding offer. This week they sought to place pressure on Kraft to formalise their bid soon by seeking out assistance from UK authorities, according to reports. It... ...Read more »