Unilever yesterday said it achieved underlying sales growth of
5.4 per cent to €9.5bn during the first quarter, while
continuing to restructure in a drive to make its food
operations more profitable.
Energy drinks last year stormed the US beverage market,
outperforming all other categories, while one sports drink inched
its way into the nation's top five trade marks by displacing a
popular soda brand, according to a new report.
The rehabilitation of one of Britain's top soft drinks firms,
Britvic, has continued over the last 12 weeks with a 4.8 per cent
rise in branded sales, the group announced.
The results of a consumer survey on healthy chocolate suggests that
the substance once considered solely as a sweet confectionery item
has made huge strides towards the realm of health foods.
China, South America and Europe combined to offset disappointing
performances in North America and South Africa during brewer
SABMiller's third quarter.
Australia's dairy industry may see export earnings drop by more
than 24 per cent to under A$2 billion (€1.2bn) in 2006-07 because
of drought, potentially causing global prices to rise.
Sugar replacer firm Palatinit are set to highlight the trend
towards health and convenience in the growing sugarfree
confectionery sector at the ISM trade fair next year.
West Europe's energy drink sales accelerated by 15 per cent to a
volume of 383 million litres and a value of over €3 billion in
2005, according to drinks consultancy Zenith International.
Asia's elite are drinking more wine, champagne and imported beer as
their growing spending power makes them increasingly important for
the luxury goods industry.
Scientists at Symrise have reported the potential of benzyl amides
as potential bitter-masking compounds for food and drink, research
that may lead to cheaper alternatives for food scientists and
formulators.
Carlsberg raised its profit prediction for the year after beer
sales rose eight per cent in the first half of 2006, thanks to a
limited recovery in Western Europe and more gains in the East.
Driven by tougher waste legislation and set EU targets, the
recovery of plastics in the bloc is growing steadily, according to
a new report by Applied Market Information (AMI).
European post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) collection
recycling rates reached 796,000 tonnes in 2005, a 15.1 per cent
increase over the previous year, according to a trade association.
The UK's food, beverage and tobacco producers spent the
mostcompared to other industries on meeting environmental
protection requirements,according to new statistics released by the
government.
World coffee production over the next year will rise by nearly ten
per cent, or nearly 11 million bags, over the previous year,
fuelling a rising demand for the brew, according to a forecast
report.
Sales of sparkling juices, bottled water and flavoured milk soared
in Queensland this summer, as the Australian state experienced one
of the longest and hottest summers on record.
The average UK citizen spends £34.31 per week on food and drink and
is increasingly spending this money on healthier foods, according
to a recent Defra report.
A new report has injected a much-needed shot of optimism into the
stagnant US beer market for 2006, yet the bad news just keeps on
coming in Western Europe.
Troubled chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has increased sales
volumes during its financial first quarter, but the growth has
meant a tumble in profit margin.
A 3.1 per cent growth in UK exports of food and drink during the
first half of 2005 indicates that the industry is on track to break
the £10bn barrier for the first time in a decade.
A 40 per cent increase in marketing funds should help French wine
makers tackle falling sales in the UK and combat the very real
threat from New World wines.
The amount of fake food and drinks entering the EU grew by 200 per
cent last year, with the higher quality of counterfeits making
detection more difficult, the bloc's administrative arm said this
week.
Nestlé's bottled water sales are rising again in Europe but
competition from both private labels and brands, as well as soaring
plastics costs, are increasing pressure in the sector.
San Miguel, the biggest food and drink company in the Philippines,
reported a 4 per cent drop in first half profits yesterday, after
higher raw material and packaging costs eroded the benefits of
strong sales growth.
Grasping the booming opportunities in the Chinese food and beverage
market, Japanese food conglomerate Kagome has linked up with
Chinese firm to bring vegetable and fruit juices to the market.
Food makers and ingredients firms will benefit from a new European
platform that will prioritise research and development initiatives
to keep the €800 billion food and drink industry
competitive,reports Lindsey Partos.
The first ever survey of research and development (R&D)
personnel across all industrial sectors in Europe reveals most
participants predict there will be little change in their
companies' R&D investment levels over the...
Two of the world's biggest brewers have announced plans to expand
in Russia, yet competition will intensify as an outdoor drinking
ban and slow economic progress threaten the market's blistering
growth, writes Chris Mercer.
Falling beer sales in the US have left big brewers like Anheuser
Busch banking on new products and better marketing to revitalise
growth as small-time craft beers go from strength to strength,
writes Chris Mercer.
Knocked by an economic slowdown and the strength of the Euro
against the US dollar, growth in turnover for the European food and
drink industry rose by a 1.9 per cent wisp from 2002 to 2003,
concludes a new report from the US government,...
Norwegian group SINTEF, in co-operation with recycling firm Tomra,
has developed a patented technology that makes it possible to sort
different types of plastic and different colours of glass and metal
easily, effectively and inexpensively...
South African winemakers are keen to capitalise on growing interest
in their wines from US consumers - and on the predicted growth in
the market there. Their US counterparts, meanwhile, continue to
focus on Europe, where sales have...
British confectionery and soft drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is
back on the path to growth after the acquisition of confectionery
group Adams and a complete overhaul of its US beverage business.
Cost reductions, investment in confectionery...
Diageo, the world's biggest spirit group, has announced a drop in
first half profits, caused by foreign exchange rates, weak demand
in Europe and the continued decline of the ready-to-drink segment,
writes Chris Jones.
Beer was the main driving force behind a solid if unspectacular
performance from San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the
Philippines-based food and drink group, in 2004. But with the
performance falling short of many analysts' expectations,...
Danone, the French dairy conglomerate, announced today that net
profits had plummeted 62 per cent, following the costly €600
million write down of its water-cooler business last month, Tom
Armitage reports.
A substantial drop in organic sales growth in Asia and continued
problems with its eponymous anis brands were the only low points in
an otherwise impressive set of financial results for Pernod Ricard
in 2004, writes Chris Jones.
InBev, the company formed last year by the merger of Belgium's
Interbrew and the Brazilian giant AmBev, says it is on track for
solid profit growth in 2004 despite missing its full-year volume
growth target, writes Chris Jones.
Britain's biggest brewer Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) is to
combine its Indian brewing assets with those of United Breweries,
the largest beer maker on the sub-continent, to form a group
accounting for more than 50 per...
Dutch Brewer Heineken is expecting beer sales in China to far
exceed its own forecast market growth expectations in the next few
years. Indeed, sales of its flagship brand are expected to increase
by 25 per cent next year.
Consumers and producers are united in their desire for lighter,
functional packaging on the Russian food market, driving the
development of plastics and paper in the dairy, bakery and
confectionery sectors and sending traditional...
Russian brewers, facing the impact of a recent ban on advertising
their products, are hoping to keep consumer awareness high through
new product launches, including premium beers, reports Angela
Drujinina.
French food group Danone has reported steady if unspectacular
growth for the third quarter of the year, with poor weather in much
of northern Europe impacting sales compared to last year's
heatwave-boosted performance.
