Global snacks giant Kraft Foods Inc has announced  that it will be launching more than 70 new products during 2012 in the U.S. ‘Meal solutions’ Kraft Foods is unveiling “meal solutions” that include Kraft Sizzling Salads Dinner Kit, Kraft Fresh Take and Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit, complete with a new range of cooking sauces including Zesty Fajita and Teriyaki Ginger, and salad dressings such as Barbecue Ranch and Toasted Sesame. A Kraft Foods press release said, “The Kraft... ...Read more »

A market report on Australia’s packaged food sector from market research consultancy Euromonitor predicts that ongoing economic uncertainty and weak consumer confidence could provide Australia’s packaged food retailers with enhanced opportunities to grow retail volume sales. Euromonitor’s ‘Packaged Food in Australia’ market report, released yesterday, says the packaged food industry displayed resilience against lowered consumer confidence following the global financial crisis of 2008 and... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank, is to launch a campaign called Bridge the Hunger Divide on Sunday 16 October 2011, to coincide with World Food Day. World Food Day is a United Nations initiative to raise awareness of global food insecurity issues such as hunger and poverty. Foodbank said it will be building a sculpture of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, made almost entirely out of donated food. The Foodbank initiative has been supported by: Aldi, Cerebos, SPC Ardmona, Coles,... ...Read more »

Kraft Foods is encouraging the Indian government to develop a comprehensive cocoa production development policy, claiming domestic supplies are too poor and scant to fuel its growing needs. Atul Bhatia, executive director for research and innovation at Cadbury’s Indian subsidiary, stressed in an interview with just-food that while cocoa is an essential part of his company’s business, imports are often essential. Production is not widespread – cocoa is not a native crop – and... ...Read more »

The Consumer Goods Forum has unveiled a new set of industry-wide resolutions designed to promote health and wellness. On the first day of its annual global summit in Barcelona today (15 June), the Forum committed to improving access to healthier products, providing “transparent, fact-based” information to allow consumers to make informed dietary decisions and promoting educational programmes that raise awareness of healthy lifestyles. The collaborative work to promote these resolutions... ...Read more »

Cadbury has apologised to Naomi Campbell after its Dairy Milk Bliss adverts “upset” the supermodel. The print campaign for Dairy Milk Bliss featured the slogan: “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town”. After Campbell threatened to sue the company, the chocolate manufacturer published an apology on its website on Friday (3 June). Cadbury said that it was “seriously sorry” and that it was not its intention to “offend Naomi, her family or anybody... ...Read more »

Cadbury has released a newly reformulated range of Mousse chocolate, in chocolate, caramel and hazelnut flavours. The new Mousse blocks feature large triangular instead of square pieces, with more up-market, less playful packaging than standard Cadbury Dairy Milk blocks, aiming at a luxury/indulgence buyer and the after-dinner market. The new product will be advertised with the tag line “So delicious it’s best kept hidden”. Cadbury Dairy Milk Mousse is available from Coles, Woolworths,... ...Read more »

Cadbury has launched a new marketing campaign for its Favourites line, aimed at encouraging the product’s gift status in between the usual special occasions. The new “What to bring when you’re told not to bring a thing” TV commercial features an Australian family searching for the a gift when faced with a host who says they don’t want anything. In a dream sequence, family members struggle with inappropriate gifts, including a ridiculously large croquembouch, a 30L jelly... ...Read more »

Kraft Foods has launched a project to drive sales of its “entreprenuerial” or ‘ghost’ brands – smaller products than its “power” brands like Cadbury – but lines from which the US food giant wants to drive growth. The company has developed “Operation Spark”, a project to “stimulate the capabilities” of brands like Athenos Greek yoghurt, Stove Top stuffing and Breakstone’s cottage cheese and sour cream, a spokesperson told... ...Read more »

German competition authorities have imposed fines totalling EUR38m (US$53.2m) on three food companies – Kraft Foods, Unilever and Dr. Oetker – for illegally sharing “competition-relevant information”. In a statement released last week, the Bundeskartellamt said that the fines were imposed after information was provided to the competition regulator by Mars Inc, who made an application for leniency. Under the Bundeskartellamt’s leniency programme, Mars avoided being fined. The... ...Read more »