The president of Campbell Soup Co.’s operations in Asia-Pacific is to join Goodman Fielder as the Australian food maker’s chief executive.Chris Delaney will take the top job at Goodman Fielder next month, replacing Peter Margin, who quit in January. Delaney joined Campbell in 2004 as vice president of sales. He became president of the soup maker’s operations in emerging markets in 2006. In October 2009, Delaney became president of Campbell’s Asia-Pacific unit. Goodman Fielder... ...Read more »

Bel Group has announced the launch of two Mini Babybel cheese varieties in the US.The company’s Laughing Cow division said yesterday that it plans to launch White Cheddar and Sharp Original versions of its portion-controlled cheeses. The company said that over the past six years, Mini Babybel’s sales have doubled in the US, with 25% growth in 2010. “We are thrilled to introduce Mini Babybel White Cheddar and Sharp Original. We know our consumers work to lead balanced, active lifestyles... ...Read more »

Ebro Foods has seen its bid to buy Ricegrowers fall through, after the Spanish food maker failed to win over enough of the company’s investors. The results of a vote of Ricegrowers’ investors showed that Ebro had not secured the backing of both types of the Australian firm’s shareholders for its A$600m takeover offer. Ebro needed the support of 75% of both Ricegrowers’ Class A and Class B shareholders. However, although 76% of Class B investors accepted the offer, only 67%... ...Read more »

SPC has announced a new innovative packaging design for its baked beans – a resealable 1kg fridge pack, which allows bulk purchasers to consume their baked beans at their own preferred rate. SPC-Ardmona, owned by Coca-Cola Amatil since 2005, said the new pack has been designed to reduce wastage. “Those who only want a mouthful of baked beans can have their mouthful, screw the lid back on and put the pack back in fridge,” said a release from the company. “Alternatively, mums... ...Read more »

Frozen seafood supplier Pacific West has introduced a new sustainable tempura hake product for the Australian foodservice sector, certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The product will be sold under the new Sustainable Harvest brand, and bear the MSC ecolabel. Pacific West is sourcing the fish for its tempura range from the MSC certified hake fishery in South Africa. “Tempura fish is one of the flagship products for Pacific West, and is well known among food service organisations,”... ...Read more »

Germany’s national disease centre confirmed yesterday that it does not know the source of a E.coli outbreak that has lead to a number of deaths across Europe.It was initially thought that the contamination came from cucumbers that had been imported from Spain. Until yesterday, the European Commission suspected that the outbreak was due to fresh cucumbers that had come from Almeria and Malaga. There has also been a third suspect batch originating in either the Netherlands or Denmark that were... ...Read more »