Despite the financial crisis, the food industry is continuing efforts to help consumers better manage their diets, an independent survey of over 1,500 food and drinks companies commissioned by the CIAA (Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU) in 5 major European markets has found. Over 20% of all surveyed companies reduced the amount of saturated fat, salt/sodium or sugars in their products last year, the survey discovered. A quarter of the companies stated that they increased the... ...Read more »

Winter wheat and barley crop production is likely to be higher this year despite recent rains ensuring the harvest will not quite meet expectations. Current summer cropping, however, is weaker than last year, with total wheat planting area forecast to decline by nine per cent. “A lack of rainfall over the summer cropping regions in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland has resulted in little grain sorghum planting so far,” said Dr Terry Sheales, Deputy Executive Director, ABARE,... ...Read more »

Goodman Fielder has today confirmed the retirement of Gavin Walker from their Board of Directors. Mr Walker advised that, following the recent merger of Lion Nathan and National Foods, he has continued his role with the merged entity and he now has a potential conflict of interest due to both companies’ interests in dairy. At Goodman Fielder’s recent Annual General Meeting Mr Walker indicated that he intended to resign from the Board before the end of 2009. In making the announcement... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company is confident about its soup operations as they still see grocery shoppers looking for cost-effective meal solutions. Soup sales were not particularly strong in the first quarter, but have improved since then, Campbell Soup CFO Craig Owens advised at a recent investor meeting in New York. “We are getting into the serious part of the soup season,” he said, according to Reuters. “I am hoping for ‘good cold weather’ in January and February.” The... ...Read more »

A commitment to reduce sugar levels in cereals advertised to children by an average of 20% has been announced by Cereal Partners Worldwide*, a global joint venture between food giants Nestlé and General Mills. In Australia, their brands include Nestlé’s Milo cereals and Uncle Tobys cereal. The joint venture said that the sugar reduction would be carried out using existing technologies – as well as through advances that will be developed by the new CPW Innovation Centre, once it is fully... ...Read more »

China’s dairy sales are starting to recover from the damage done by the melamine scandal last year, Philip Turner, managing director at Fonterra China, has revealed. “Sales were substantially damaged. We’re probably back to where we were in August last year. From now, we expect growth will revert to trend, at about 9-10% per year,” Turner said on the sidelines of a nutrition conference in Beijing this week. Fonterra is the largest exporter of dairy products to China. The company... ...Read more »

UK food and drink manufacturers have reduced their carbon emissions by 19% since 1990 – the equivalent of one million tonnes of CO2 – according to a new report published by the Food and Drink Federation. FDF members have committed to reducing their CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010 against a 1990 baseline. The new figures – the latest available under the Climate Change Agreement with Government – show they are well on track to achieving that goal. The data also suggests that FDF... ...Read more »

Australian winemakers and grape growers now have a formal way to highlight their green credentials nationally and internationally. EntWine Australia is a voluntary national environmental assurance scheme that requires companies to have their practices certified and independently audited and to report annually in relation to their carbon footprint and a number of specified indicators. The scheme was officially launched in Adelaide this week by the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry,... ...Read more »

Companies planning to launch American food brands into the unique Australian market could be doomed to failure, a franchising expert has warned. Stan Gordon, Managing Director of Melbourne-based Franchised Food Company, which holds the interests and rights of Mr Whippy, Pretzel World and Cold Rock Ice Creamery, said multinational retailers wanting to roll out concepts that worked in the US or Europe could find the same format is not always successful in Australia. His warning follows reports giant... ...Read more »

Simplot Australia has now taken over the frozen meals brands of Nestlé after reaching an agreement a couple of months ago. The Melbourne-based subsidiary of US firm J R Simplot took control of the licence of prominent frozen meals brand Lean Cuisine and Maggi frozen brand at the end of November. The deal also involves the acquisition of the Papa Giuseppi frozen pizza brand and the manufacturing facility at Pakenham in Victoria. The Pakenham factory will become the cornerstone manufacturing facility... ...Read more »