Leading producers of baby food in China are continuing efforts to
reassure consumers as the scandal over fake baby food that is said
to have killed dozens of babies continues to unfold, reports
Simon Pitman and Danny Vincent.
The EU has made no secret of the fact that it is now looking into
sourcing dairy products from Russia. Simon Pitman spoke to
the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to find out about how
under-utilisation of production facilities in both...
Parmalat, the financially-hit dairy group, has resumed control of
its Brazilain unit this week. Last month the group announced that
it is to sell around half of its assets as part of its
restructuring programme, however, it is unclear...
Russian ice cream producer AlterVest has bought up two major
production facilities, one in Germany and one in Poland, in an
effort to spread its business reach and to reduce the costs
associated with exporting its products.
In recent years the Russian dairy sector has undergone tremendous
upheaval, with the consolidation of old dairy plants changing the
face of the industry. We spoke to the Russian National Dairy
Institute to find out what impact these...
The Russian dairy market has seen phenomenal growth in recent
years, driven largely by the development of Wimm-Bill-Dann and
other western dairy companies. France-based dairy equpment supplier
Erca-Formseal shares its experiences...
Danone has announced plans to increase the production capacity of
two of its Russia-based dairies. The move has been influenced by
the company's increased Russian profits caused by the growth of the
Russian sector which is expanding...
In an attempt to protect local producers from the competitive
prices of cheese from Europe, Russia is considering increasing the
import duty on cheese.
Set against the backdrop of difficult trading conditions for
branded food manufacturers, raw material prices and a negative
currency impact played down first half figures for ingredients
giant Danisco.
Royal Numico has announced the sale of its Mumbai-based dairy and
baby food activities Nutricia India to a consortium of four Indian
companies, for an undisclosed sum.
The return of Unilever to the Russian ice cream market after a
two-year absence has helped push up volume sales in the first half
of 2003. Market Advice warn however the future is likely to be
turbulent.
Italy's deputy minister for productive activities with portfolio
for foreign trade, Adolfo Urso, has announced that Italian cheeses
can finally be exported to China.
International Specialty Products (ISP) continues to consolidate its
position on the ingredients market with the news this week that it
has acquired Brazilian ingredient systems company Germinal.
Krest'yanskoe, a Soviet-era brand produced by a number of different
companies, remains the most popular brand of butter in Russia, but
its popularity is coming under increasing international pressure.
The subsidiary of Raisio Group, Raisio Nutrition, has bought a
dairy in Istra, just outside Moscow and is due to start production
there as soon as government regulations are fulfilled.
SIG Combibloc, part of the Swiss international packaging giant SIG,
has begun to construct its first factory in China, dedicated to the
manufacturing of asepsis packaging equipment.
Last week's food poisoning outbreak in the small town of Kropotkin,
in the Krasnodar territory of eastern Russia has led to the sacking
of a local dairy factory director.
Major feed producer Sichuan New Hope Agribusiness has said it is
investing 16 million yuan (€2m) in a dairy processing joint venture
in northern China.
Indian food processor Heritage Foods, involved in the business of
milk and milk products, is to set up four more milk procurement and
processing centres during the current fiscal year.
Russia's leading dairy products and fruit juices company is set to
launch an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in
the next few weeks.