A US court has ordered German company Bayer to pay US$1.5 million in damages to three US farmers after their crops were contaminated with an unapproved strain of Bayer’s genetically modified rice. This case followed a $2 million ruling in a similar case in December, with around 500 more pending. Bayer CropScience’s biotech rice strain LL601 or ‘LibertyLink’, a pesticide-resistant plant, was first detected in 2006 in US rice crops. Despite Bayer’s assurances that the... Read more »
China is set to overtake the US as the world’s largest grocery market for the first time by 2014, new research has suggested. According to market research firm IGD, the Chinese grocery market will grow to a value of EUR761bn (AUD$1,202bn), outstripping the US that is set to be worth EUR745bn in four years’ time. IGD said that the Chinese economy was not as badly hit by the global economic recession as the US. Meanwhile, the IMF has predicted that Chinese economic growth could outstrip... Read more »
Explosive new film, titled “Stop Killer Coke” debuted in the U.S. on Friday. The film documents the work of Ray Rogers, the long-time labour organiser behind the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, a New-York based group that has been putting pressure on the Coca-Cola Co. to take responsibility for the horrific violence taking place at their Colombian bottling plants. The film claims that Coca-Cola has been collaborating with violent paramilitary organizations in Colombia and other countries... Read more »
Australian producer The Chia Company has applied to the UK Food Standards Agency for an opinion on the ‘equivalence’ of their chia seed to be used in bread products in the EU. Their chia seeds will be eligible for a simplified novel foods approval procedure if the Australian grown seeds are substantially equivalent to the South American grown chia seeds already on the market. The Chia Company is currently the world’s largest producer of natural, raw chia seeds, and gaining entry... Read more »
US food manufacturer Heinz last week announced a reduction of sodium by 15 per cent in its core line of ketchup beginning mid year. “As the largest producer of ketchup in the U.S., Heinz is dedicated to meeting the growing consumer demand for better-for-you products, particularly with lower sodium,” said Idamarie Laquatra, Director of Global Nutrition, Heinz. “Heinz Ketchup is proud to provide consumers with lower sodium ketchup with the great taste that Americans expect.” In... Read more »
All stakeholders have a “duty to work together” to deliver safe food, delegates at the Global Food Safety Conference were told overnight, with the industry needing to unite in order to shore up consumer confidence in the food supply chain. In welcoming a record-breaking 675 delegates from 39 countries to the conference, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum*, Jean-Marc Saubade, said consumer confidence had been shaken the world over, following a series of high-profile food safety... Read more »
Dutch-based consumer products giant Unilever has reported strong volume growth in the fourth quarter, albeit at lower prices, with sales for the quarter rising 1.8% on an underlying basis and 3.5% for the full year. Volumes rose 5% during the fourth quarter and 2.3% for the year. The maker of Streets, Lipton and Dove products said a more efficient supply chain assisted margins and also helped improve on-shelf availability of their products. “We made good progress in challenging market conditions,”... Read more »
Soft drink giant Coca-Cola and local police in Beijing are investigating the second case of mercury poisoning allegedly from the consumption of Coca-Cola brand Sprite, after a 13 year old boy was hospitalised after consuming the drink. This is Beijing’s second mercury poisoning case linked to Sprite in 3 months - the first occurring last November. Coca Cola, maker of Sprite, said in a statement on Tuesday the company follows strict quality management, and its products are safe and in line... Read more »
Food manufacturer Sara Lee has again reported lower volumes in the second quarter, though favourable currency movements helped ensure sales remained flat. Profits rose, as the US-based firm cut costs, while the frozen food and bakery goods maker was confident that volume trends were now beginning to turn in their favour. “We’re pleased to report a strong second quarter, which was even better than our first quarter, and was highlighted by significant profit growth,” Sara Lee Corp.... Read more »
The world’s largest cereal maker has reported a net sales decline of two per cent for 2009, although cost reduction strategies helped them to a record profit. Reported earnings for full-year 2009 were $1.2 billion, an increase of 6 per cent from full-year 2008 of $1.1 billion - the figures failed to meet Wall Street’s expectations, however. “We continued our momentum in 2009, delivering another year of growth despite facing one of the most challenging economic environments in decades,”... Read more »