In this week's round up, Fonterra appoints its latest remuneration
committee, Parmalat keeps gunning for Citibank, and Smucker's makes
Canadian acquisition.
The future of research into the potential health benefits of cocoa
should focus on the mechanisms and active compounds, with well
defined clinical trials key to this burgeoning segment, says a new
review by Nestlé.
In this week's industry round up, there is acquisition fever afoot
as a number of dairy group's aim to expand globally into emerging
markets, and the environmental danger of cow flatulence is played
down by a US consumer...
New Zealand-based Fonterra claims to have made further steps
towards improved sustainability for dairy production by cutting
another 5 per cent off its energy bill.
There was more trouble for Danone's joint-venture operations this
week as the company launched legal action against
Colombia-based rival Alpina in a trademark dispute.
Unilever's European workforce will bear the brunt of the company's
proposed 20,000 job cuts over the next four years, a company
spokesperson said today.
Danone has played down fears over the safety of some of its yoghurt
products as it becomes the latest European company to be hit by
concerns over possible dioxin contamination in guar gum.
Leading dairy group Fonterra has hit out at new government
legislation in its native New Zealand that will force it to supply
local rivals with more milk over the next two years.
Groupe Danone expects to conclude its acquisition of nutrition
company Numico in the first half of November, the two companies
said today, setting a timetable for the French group's bid to lead
the field in health and nutrition.
Unilever today announced it will cut
20,000 jobs, accounting for 11 per cent of its total
workforce, as part
of a new "aggressive" growth strategy
for its operations.
Danone yesterday announced a major restructuring of its senior
management as it continues to refocus its operations towards being
a leading player in health and nutrition.
Unilever's plans to adopt a new protein for ice cream production
that uses a genetically modified (GM) ingredient came a step closer
to fruition today after receiving provisional approval from the
UK's Food Standards Agency...
Danone has increased like-for-like sales by 8.2 per cent to €7.5bn
during the first half of the year as it continues to refocus its
operations towards health and nutrition.
Standard & Poor's announced today that it has lowered
its credit ratings on French company Danone, based on
the projected increased debt due its proposed acquisition of
Numico.
Dairy group Arla continues to profit from its partnerships within
the emerging markets of Asia as sales of its powdered milk brands
in Bangladesh continue to rise rapidly.
Fonterra, New Zealand's largest food group has pledged to step up
its commitment to tackling climate change amidst new findings from
the country suggesting businesses could profit from greater
environmental concern.
Group Danone is experiencing further set backs to its plan to
expand its presence into Asia's booming dairy markets, as an Indian
joint venture partner turns the tables on the dairy giant,
according to press reports.
A legal disagreement between Danone and a Chinese business
partner today got personal, after the dairy giant was branded as
being "despicable" for launching a
court action in the US.
Sweden's Arla foods has today revealed it plans to enter Vietnam's
dairy market in October to boost its presence in the dynamic
emerging markets of Asia.
France's Danone and Japan's Yakult will continue their strategic
alliance involving closer cooperation on R&D and entry into new
markets, maintaining their positions as leaders in the probiotics
market.
Dairy group Arla Foods and packaging firm Constantia Packaging are
looking to sell off their joint venture on the Danish market to
focus on their core businesses.
Decline within Group Danone's Asian operations failed to dampen a
strong first quarter performance for the company as like-for-like
sales underwent a 10.1 per cent rise to €3.6bn.
As Tesco again displayed its power in the UK food chain with
another profits rise, dairy group Arla Foods joined a growing list
of processors to raise farmgate milk prices.
Food Giant Nestlé has sold off one of its Vietnamese dairy plants
to local group Anco Foods, as it looks to shift focus in the region
to the production of its core brands.
Low fat ice cream made using a GM yeast moved closer to being
approved for the European market, as the FSA published its draft
opinion on Unilever technology under novel foods regulation.
Scandinavian dairy giant Arla Foods has agreed to form a joint
venture with its Russian distributor, Artis, as competition for
space on the growing Russian dairy market intensifies.
The identity of the mystery multinational with which Provexis has
been exploring new formats of its Fruitflow technology is unveiled
as Unilever; and the two companies also plan to collaborate over
new IP on related products and processes.
Safety and innovation were on the agenda this week, when the head
of French dairy group Lactalis met with the Croatian vice president
to discuss the company's plans for rejuvenating the country's dairy
sector.
Fonterra has developed a technique that allows colostrum to be
added to ready-to-drink beverages with a longer shelf-life, opening
up opportunities for new kinds of products and building sales of
the ingredient in Asia.
Danone gave a bullish account of its 2006 performance, citing
strong growth for blockbuster dairy brands and an 'outstanding'
performance in beverage markets.
France's Danone must pay a €42m fine for its role in a cartel in
Belgium, an EU court has ruled, backing Commission plans to get
tough on repeat offenders.
French dairy group Danone has bought complete control of its
Japanese joint venture, lured by the promise of riches from rapidly
growing consumer demand for healthy dairy products.
Arla Foods, Europe's second largest dairy company, has signed an
agreement with US-based Integrated Genomics for access to the ERGO
database and genomic discovery system to enhance the company's
probiotic understanding.
Danone, the world's leading dairy producer, has announced plans to
work alongside a local counterpart Dutch Mill Co. to distribute and
manufacture a range of fresh dairy products within Thailand.