Cadbury has confirmed that it will “significantly” expand the production capacity for its confectionery portfolio in India. Officials for Cadbury India confirmed comments made yesterday (18 November) by managing director Anand Kripalu that capacity is a “challenge” for the firm and that the Dairy Milk maker will be looking to “drive up volumes”. Kripalu said the expansion will take place at the company’s existing six facilities in India but declined to... ...Read more »

Immense opportunities in the Indian confectionery market are encouraging confectionery companies from the West to enter into the Indian horizon by launching more and more new products for Indian consumers. India, today, is in its ‘sunshine period’ owing to the fast paced economic development in the country. The country’s healthy growth has insulated it from the impact of the global economic turmoil. All these have led to higher consumer spending in the country. As a result, many multinational... ...Read more »

Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech is to team up with Indian agribusiness group Global Agri in a bid to develop the market for the sweetener in the country. GLG said on Wedneday (6 October) the two sides will develop and market stevia extracts in India and the Middle East. Under the deal, Global Agri will market GLG’s products including BlendSure, Rebpure and Rebsweet. GLG chairman and CEO Dr Luke Zhang said the company was “enthusiastic” about its venture with Global Agri. “With... ...Read more »

Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, has confirmed that it is in talks with Indian co-op Iffco over the establishment of a dairy farm in the country. Kelvin Wickham, MD of Fonterra Global Trade, said yesterday that the New Zealand dairy giant was “interested” in the Indian market and said negotiations were taking place. “We are in exploratory talks with Iffco, a large Indian farmer co-operative, about potentially establishing a dairy farming operation in India,”... ...Read more »

Nestlé is to spend CHF 50 million (US$50.5 million) on setting up an R&D centre in India to develop its “popularly positioned products” that are sold to poorer consumers. The facility will be built in Manesar, close to Nestlé’s head office in India, which is in Guragon, in the state of Haryana. Nestlé said yesterday that the site, which is expected to be up and running by 2012, will focus on “popularly positioned products” for the Indian market but also worldwide. “The... ...Read more »

US food giant HJ Heinz has introduced a slew of new products into major cities in India.The company has launched chutneys, cooking sauces and mixes and ready meals “to meet the needs of the discerning Indian consumer”, Heinz India MD N Thiruambalam said. Heinz Home Style Chutneys are available in two varieties – coriander mint and tomato – and are priced at INR60 (US$1.28). The company has also launched Heinz Chef Style Sauces, a range of Mediterranean- and Chinese-style sauces. Heinz... ...Read more »

Food industry heavyweights including Nestlé, Kellogg and Mars Inc have pledged to use responsible advertising and marketing in India.General Mills and local Unilever arm Hindustan Unilever are also among the companies that have signed up to a code to not advertise food and beverages products where more than half of a media audience is under 12. Products that only fulfil “specific nutritional criteria based on accepted scientific evidence and/or applicable national and international dietary... ...Read more »

The Indian government has opened up the debate on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail by seeking comments on the issue from a range of stakeholders including overseas retailers and industry associations.Papers released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion suggest that the move would bring economic benefits, reduce prices and could even lead to greater sourcing from India. Perhaps the biggest beneficiaries would be consumers, it adds, “both global consumers... ...Read more »

UK retailer Marks and Spencer has reaffirmed its commitment to double its retail presence in India through its joint venture in the emerging market.The retailer currently operates 17 stores in India in conjunction with Indian-owned Reliance Retail. The firm said it plans to increase that number to more than 50 over the next three years. The affirmation comes on the back of the opening of a larger format store in Chennai last week. A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer told just-food on Friday (25... ...Read more »

French retail giant Carrefour has revealed that it is preparing to open its first cash and carry outlet in the Indian market. “The Carrefour Group will open its first cash and carry store in the next few months,” a spokesperson for the company told just-food today (12 May). Indian rules governing foreign direct investment in the retail sector prohibit international retailers from operating multi-brand outlets that sell directly to the public. However, overseas retailers are allowed to... ...Read more »