Amcor announced today that Mr Eric Bloom, currently President of Amcor Packaging Distribution (formally Amcor Sunclipse) in th US is moving to Australia to take up the newly formed position of Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing Australasia, reporting to Nigel Garrard.Eric has had 15 years experience in the Packaging Distribution business, and this experience will be directed at a range of opportunities within Australasia including further enhancing the focus on all aspects of customer service,... ...Read more »

Nestlé has announced their commitment to stop buying palm oil from companies owning or managing plantations or farms linked to rainforest destruction. This would apply to notorious Sinar Mas, a palm oil and paper supplier that Greenpeace has repeatedly caught destroying the rainforest – if it fails to meet Nestlé’s new criteria – and also have implications for Cargill, one of Nestlé’s palm oil suppliers which purchases from Sinar Mas. Nestlé has entered into a partnership... ...Read more »

Retail giant Wal-Mart has posted a 5.9% increase in revenues, as strong international sales offset slower growth in the US.The company said yesterday (18 May) that first-quarter sales climbed to US$99.1bn. Sales from Wal-Mart’s international businesses, which takes in markets including the UK, China and Canada, climbed 21.4%. Overseas sales were up almost 9% on a constant-currency basis. Earlier today, Wal-Mart’s UK arm Asda reported that its total sales in the first quarter had grown... ...Read more »

A clutch of the largest US food makers, including General Mills, Nestle and PepsiCo, have pledged to cut 1.5 trillion of calories by the end of 2015. The companies announced the plans on Monday as part of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation coalition, which is headed by Kellogg president and CEO David Mackay. “Through this effort, the companies that make up the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation will provide consumers with additional healthier food options that help them achieve and... ...Read more »

The world’s most prestigious and influential independent wine competition – the International Wine Challenge (IWC) – today unveiled the results of its 27th annual blind tasting at the London International Wine Fair (LIWF). It may be winter down under but Australia is basking in Gold medal success scooping 65 – a 33% Gold medal increase from 2009 and ranking second on the nation scoreboard. Australia gained a total of 602 medals overall, with 238 Silver and 299 Bronze. Australian... ...Read more »

Emerging Opportunities in the Indian Ready-to-Eat Foods Market – a recent consumer insight report published by Datamonitor, predicts that the RTE foods market in India which was mainly driven by the export demand until recently, has matured to a stage where there is a tremendous potential for growth over the next few years. In 2009, Indian RTE foods market was estimated to be around $33.5m, registering a CAGR of approximately 15% over the last five years. At present, RTE foods with normal shelving,... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) said at its AGM trading update that business remains in a “strong” financial position, driven by revenue management and efficiency gains. The Australian beverage company said last week (14 May) that it expects to deliver high single digit growth in both earnings before interest and tax and net profit after tax for the first half of 2010. In a trading update for the six months to the end of June, CCA said its Australian beverage business had made a solid start to... ...Read more »

French food giant Danone is to enter the Australian market through a dairy products venture with local milk co-op Murray Goulburn. Products from the venture are scheduled for launch next year but Murray Goulburn MD Stephen O’Rourke said on Friday (14 May) the companies could “enter the Australian yoghurt market with confidence”. The venture will use Murray Goulburn’s site at Kiewa in north-east Victoria and is expected to boost jobs at the facility. Danone has sent a warning... ...Read more »

Pressure from consumers and authorities for healthier soft drinks dominated a meeting of the key movers and shakers in the UK soft drinks industry late last week. Executives from the likes of Pepsi UK and Ireland, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) and Silver Spring Soft Drinks attended the 2010 UK Soft Drinks Industry Conference, organised by Zenith International. Victoria Milne, senior analyst for Zenith, forecast that the industry should expect a boost in consumption in the country in 2012, when the... ...Read more »

Fruit and vegetable manufacturers Golden Circle has apologised for out-dated labelling, packaging and advertising that still state Golden Circle is “Proudly Australian Owned”. The company was acquired by US company Heinz last year. Earlier this year Golden Circle donated more than 800,000 cans of Golden Circle fruit and vegetables to Australian welfare agencies in response to concerns raised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) about the misleading country ownership... ...Read more »