Japanese beverage giant Asahi has announced takeover bids for two major Australasian beverage companies, P&N Beverages and Charlie’s Juices. Asahi, which purchased Schweppes in 2009, has entered into a binding agreement to purchase 100% of shares in P&N, which it will then divide, selling the company’s carbonated soft drinks and cordials arm on to Tru Blu Beverages, while retaining P&N’s water and juice businesses. The split comes as an attempt to appease the ACCC, which... ...Read more »

Nestlé has confirmed it is in talks about a possible takeover of Chinese confectionery company Hsu Fu Chi.The world’s largest food maker said yesterday (4 July) that it was “engaged in preliminary confidential discussions” with the Chinese firm. Nestlé declined to comment further. In a notice to the Singapore Stock Exchange, Hsu Fu Chi had said yesterday (4 July) that it was in “preliminary discussions” in relation to a “possible transaction relating to the company,... ...Read more »

Suppliers of stevia today lined up to welcome a ruling within the EU that brings full regulatory backing for the intense sweetener a step nearer. The EU’s Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health yesterday voted to recommend the use of stevia as an ingredient in food and beverages. Products containing stevia have been on sale in France for two years but suppliers are waiting for the EU to say that the ingredient can be used across the region. The European Parliament is set to look... ...Read more »

Fonterra today announced that it has  raised AU$300 million (NZD $388.3 million) through its first ever issue of corporate bonds in Australia.The bonds are for a five year term, maturing in July 2016. They were priced at a spread of 100bp over swap. The bonds were issued by an Australian subsidiary, guaranteed by Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited. The company said it expects them to be rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s and AA- by Fitch, consistent with the agencies’ current ratings... ...Read more »

UK supermarket chain Tesco is launching a healthy-eating range for children in the UK called Tesco Goodness, which is already on sale at its stores in the US.The range is a selection of healthy snacks, convenient chilled prepared meals and lunchbox fillers developed to meet children’s nutritional needs, the UK retailer said. It is also the first own-label range to be introduced to the UK market from Tesco’s international business. Goodness is already available in Tesco’s Fresh &... ...Read more »

United Biscuits is expanding its McVitie’s biscuits range in the UK with the launch of the brand extension McVitie’s Quirks.Available for retailers to buy from the middle of the month, Quirks biscuits are aimed at “new, younger consumers”, Victoria Gregory, marketing controller for McVitie’s at United Biscuits, said. Quirks have a “smooth, chocolately centre, fully-enclosed within a crunchy biscuit”, the company added. There will be three variants available... ...Read more »

Palm oil Bill unworkable and will cost industryA palm oil Bill – which compromises the nation’s food and grocery labelling system – is unworkable in its current form and must be referred to a House of Representatives Committee for further discussion and examination, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) urged today. The Australian Food and Grocery Council today called the recent Palm Oil labelling bill, passed in the Senate with amendments last week, “unworkable”,... ...Read more »

The E. coli outbreaks in Germany and France could have come from seeds sourced in Egypt, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said.The ECDC said that fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and/or 2010 have been implicated in both outbreaks. However, it added on Wednesday (29 June) that there is “still much uncertainty about whether this truly is the common cause of all the infections as there are currently no positive bacteriological results”. The ECDC said... ...Read more »

McCormick & Co. has reduced its full-year earnings per share forecast despite posting sales and profit growth in the second quarter of its financial year. The US spice manufacturer is cutting its EPS forecast for the full-year by US$0.06 a share to between $2.74 to $2.79 a share due to $9m in costs related to its acquisition of Polish spice firm Kamis and the joint venture it has formed with Indian company Kohinoor Foods. For the quarter ended 31 May, net profit rose 11.2% to reach US$73.6m,... ...Read more »

Aquaculture pioneer Clean Seas Tuna has announced the survival of some of their world-first captive-reared juvenile Southern Bluefin Tuna, beyond the company’s expectations. Some of the young tuna have now lived for more than 150 days, and survived transfer to sea cages at the company’s Arno Bay facility in South Australia. Clean Seas Tuna Managing Director Clifford Ashby said the survival of the young tuna was unlikely, with sea temperatures soon to drop to 11C-12C, but that merely making... ...Read more »