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 »

2011 can be a profitable year for consumer packaged goods brands but they must learn from 2010′s successes and failures. Research by Datamonitor identifies these successes and failures and the key factors behind why 2010 was a bumper year for some brands and the end of the road for others. Mark Whalley, consumer analyst at the independent market analyst said: “2011 will be a difficult year for brand innovators, so they can’t afford to make errors and will need to identify exactly... ...Read more »

Kraft Foods has insisted it has “no current plans” to sell Green & Black’s amid rumours that bosses at the former Cadbury-owned organic chocolate maker are mulling a management buy-out. A report in The Financial Times had claimed that Green & Black’s management was struggling to retain an entrepreneurial spirit at the business, which Kraft acquired as part of its takeover of Cadbury a year ago. However, Michael Clarke, president of Kraft’s European operations,... ...Read more »

The management running UK-based premium organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s is reportedly considering buying the business from parent company Kraft Foods. A report in The Financial Times said bosses at Green & Black’s, which Kraft acquired as part of its acquisition of Cadbury last year, are looking at possible plans for a management buy-out. The FT cited sources familiar with Green & Black’s that claimed the chocolate maker’s management were struggling to... ...Read more »