Fonterra, New Zealand's largest dairy co-operative, predicted world
commodity prices would continue rebounding strongly over the next
few months as supply and demand tightened.
French biscuits, water and yoghurt group Danone said yesterday that
it had signed a joint venture with China's leading dairy Mengniu to
cooperate in the production and distribution of fresh dairy
products in China.
It is not a task for the faint-hearted, but French dairy and food
group Danone has pledged to use more research and development
resources to tackle malnutrition around the world.
A consumer boycott across the Middle East on dairy products made by
Arla Foods has set the firm back two years in the region, and
allowed rivals to gain ground.
A dispute over Roquefort cheese has again erupted in Australia
after authorities there rejected a recent shipment, prompting
French dairy group Lactalis to cancel exports to the country in
protest.
Danone is planning to introduce a new line of cosmetic yoghurts
next year, according to press reports, as it seeks the next level
of differentiation in the increasingly competitive functional dairy
market.
Arla UK ended its three-year strategic plan with a three per cent
drop in full year profits, after higher selling prices failed to
save the dairy group from high input costs in the first half.
Scandinavia's Arla Foods has bought nearly a third of Finnish dairy
company Ingman Foods, as consolidation continues to run apace in
the European dairy sector.
Manufacturers will have another opportunity to reduce salt in their
products thanks to a new dairy-based ingredient from New Zealand
co-op Fonterra, which claims to replace salt and maintain flavour.
Food miles, the trendy catchphrase alluding to pollution caused by
food exports, is 'a red herring' that detracts from serious
environmental issues to be faced by food producers, says Fonterra's
trade strategy manager,...
Food manufacturer Unilever has reported a 20 per cent decrease in
third quarter pre-tax profit of 1.12bn, despite bucking the trend
in the European market.
Britain's advert watchdog has told dairy group Danone to pull a new
television ad for its Actimel probiotic drink because the health
claims made are misleading for consumers.
Arla Foods has indicated it will continue to expand aggressively on
the US speciality cheese sector after a successful 2006, holding up
European dairy firms' push for added value markets across the
Atlantic.
Rows over dairy price fixing allegations in Scotland took another
twist this week, after Arla Foods UK revealed it would sue rival
Robert Wiseman to recoup lost revenue.
Dairy firm Arla Foods Amba has entered into talks with its British
subsidiary to buy out the remaining 49 per cent of the company it
does not already own.
Arla Foods UK said it had seen a significant improvement during its
second half, helped on by the sale of underperforming doorstep milk
business to rival Dairy Crest.
French dairy firm Lactalis has bought out domestic rival Celia in
its latest move to expand, giving the group a foothold in the
emerging North African dairy market.
Americans are eating Danish havarti cheese faster than Arla Foods
can make it for them, the firm has said, helping it to build a
better foothold across the Atlantic.
French food and water giant Danone has built up a war chest of up
to €1bn to spend on acquisitions over the next three to five years,
according to a report.
A boycott across the Middle East on dairy products made by
Denmark's Arla Foods has hit the group's profits in the first of
half of the year, it has announced.
Emerging markets and new 'health products' helped Danone to
continue its strong sales growth in the second quarter of 2006,
though the group has struggled to turn around losses on its home
French market.
Yes, that's right. Freshly retired French footballer Zinedine
Zidane may yet be selected to join the board of dairy, water and
biscuit giant Danone, says a report.
New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra sold almost a tenth more
milk-derived ingredients this year than the previous 12 months,
pushing its overall revenue up 6 per cent to NZ$13 billion
(€6.4bn), it reported yesterday.
Dairy Crest has signed a deal to buy the doorstep milk delivery
business of rival Arla Foods UK, claiming the prospect of cost
savings outweighs falling demand in the sector.
Protestors who stole €2,000-worth of milk and cheese from a
Lactalis dairy factory and then handed out the products free in
local villages, said they would continue the fight against falling
milk prices, after escaping prison sentences...
A group of scientists has claimed that Unilever's genetically
modified (GM) fish antifreeze protein for ice cream should not be
approved without further comprehensive tests.
Rows over farmgate milk prices have intensified in France, with
leading French dairy processor Lactalis accusing its rival Sodiaal
of irresponsibly cutting the price it pays to producers.
Arla Foods is scrapping its lower calorie Mini30 milk in Denmark
only six months after the product was launched, because consumers
do not like the taste.
Fonterra, the New Zealand dairy co-operative, said it sold more
dairy ingredients this May than in any other month ever, as it
continues to expand on the world dairy market.
Arla Foods has re-started cheese production for the Middle East
dairy market, but warned the move did not represent significant
progress in beating the boycott there.
Unilever has developed a new genetically modified protein that it
says will serve up low-fat ice cream without compromising on taste,
as ice cream firms step up the race to please health conscious
consumers.
Unilever must change its British television advert for Flora
pro.activ margarine as it contains unsubstantiated health claims,
said the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
A breakdown in the processing method of Unilever's Flora Original
Spread brand in the UK has led the company to recall some of the
product throughout the country.
Arla Foods has bought up speciality cheesemaker Tholstrup in its
native Denmark, as the group looks to expand its cheese export
business amid rising competition.
French dairy group Danone has seen shares rise after rumours again
surfaced that the firm may be taken over by a foreign company, this
time Kraft Foods.
Leading US organic dairy firm Stonyfield Farm and Danone have
joined forces to create a European subsidiary, which the groups
hope will duplicate Stonyfield's US success in Europe's organic
dairy industry.
Fonterra's suppliers have set a new record for the just-completed
production year, bringing more dairy ingredients on to an already
competitive market.
International food giants Arla Foods and Danisco got more subsidies
from the EU than anyone else in their native Denmark last year,
says a new report, adding yet more controversy to Europe's farm
support scheme.
Arla UK announced it would make more controversial cuts to farmgate
milk prices and fine producers for churning out too much milk, as
cost pressures on the dairy industry intensify.
Uncertainty continues to hang over Arla Foods in its key Middle
East dairy market, after it said sales there have been slow to
recover from a region-wide boycott against its products.
Arla UK's Cravendale milk brand has seen its strong growth stunted
by cheaper, supermarket milk in recent weeks, reminding processors
how easily private label could destabilise branded dairy growth in
Britain.
Groupe Danone's growing interest in the Algerian dairy market
underlines the importance of the North African / Middle East region
to European milk processors.