Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

Hershey will not bid for Cadbury

22-Jan-2010 - Kraft will not face competition from Hershey to buy UK confectionery company Cadbury, it is confirmed today. But a major Kraft shareholder has come out in opposition to this week’s raised bid.

Lindt expects input cost pressures to continue

22-Jan-2010 - The drop in demand for premium products in Europe impacted sales for Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli last year and the company expects pressure on margins to continue due to higher input costs.

Competition clamp-down shows need for compliance culture, lawyers say

22-Jan-2010 - As the competition authorities are stepping up scrutiny of the food sector, all companies should ensure they have compliance structures in place and do not view national activities in isolation, say lawyers at CMS Cameron McKenna

Kraft deemed winner of choc wars

21-Jan-2010 - Kraft is the overall winner in the battle for UK confectioner Cadbury, and it looks like the US food group has netted a bargain in the final price, claim US analysts Bernstein Research.

Obesity rates in US steady over past 10 years

21-Jan-2010 - New data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that obesity rates have not increased, but remained steady over the past 10 years.

Timeline: Cadbury and Kraft do battle

20-Jan-2010 - Kraft has struck an £11.7bn deal to acquire Cadbury in a move that could bring to an end months of fierce corporate battles, and Confectionerynews.com has constructed a timeline of key events in the takeover saga.

Cadbury recommends acceptance of new Kraft takeover bid

19-Jan-2010 - Kraft has struck an £11.7bn deal to acquire Cadbury in a move that could bring to an end months of fierce corporate battles.

News in brief

Sweet eaters focused on tweeting

19-Jan-2010 - New consumer-generated messages of love for the Valentine’s Day launch of the heart shaped Sweethearts including ‘Tweet Me’ and ‘Text Me’ reflect a generation focused on social networking sites, claims the New England Confectionery Company.

France ups Reb A limits for food

19-Jan-2010 - The French government has approved the use of stevia sweetener Reb A in table top sweeteners, and raised the levels at which it can be used in a range of no added sugar food and beverage products.

Weekly comment

Why Haiti must stay on the CSR agenda

18-Jan-2010 - 50,000 and counting. We'll probably never know exactly how many perished in the 7.0 earthquake that brought Haiti, quite literally, crashing down last Tuesday, 12th January 2010, just before 5pm. But for those who survived and who make it through the hard days, weeks and months ahead, getting enough to eat will be a long term challenge.

Kraft set to raise Cadbury offer, report

18-Jan-2010 - Kraft Foods will raise its bid for Cadbury to at least 820 pence per share, according to a report in the UK’s Sunday Times.

Cadbury shares up on reports of Hershey bid

14-Jan-2010 - Cadbury shares rose today on the back of media report that indicated that US chocolate maker, Hershey’s could be set to make a counter-bid for the UK confectioner, already the focus of a hostile bid from Kraft Foods.

Fines follow in chocolate processing plant death

13-Jan-2010 - Two companies have been served with serious citations for workplace safety and health violations from the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following the death of a worker in the summer of 2009.

Cadbury worth more than Kraft bid - analysts

12-Jan-2010 - US based market analyst firm Bernstein Research claims that there is more value for Cadbury shareholders in the UK confectionery giant remaining a standalone company should a higher bid from Kraft does not materialise.

Weekly comment

Cold snap could last longer for food sector

11-Jan-2010 - “More snow on the way.” So say the weathermen, and Europe is stocking up and hunkering down for a long, cold winter. But while the fluffy flakes will halt, at least come Spring, for the food sector the chill could be felt throughout 2010.

Nestle looking to emerging markets for confectionery buys

08-Jan-2010 - Nestlé claims its confectionery business is large enough to enable it to compete in the global sector even if Kraft Foods takeover bid for Cadbury is successful, and that its sights would be set on seeking smaller acquisitions in emerging markets.

Peanut processor facing fines for safety breaches, worker death

08-Jan-2010 - Birdsong Corp peanut processing company is facing fines of $137,250 after being cited for 41 health and safety violations by authorities in the United States.

Commission sets conditions for Kraft buying Cadbury

07-Jan-2010 - The difference between British and continental European chocolate preferences means the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft would not present competition problems, the European Commission has said, as long as Cadbury’s concerns in Poland and Romania were sold to a third party.

Kraft’s largest shareholder votes against Cadbury bid

06-Jan-2010 - Kraft’s largest shareholder Berkshire Hathaway, run by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, has voted against the issuance of up to 370m shares to acquire Cadbury, it said on Tuesday.

Sherbet Fountains heads to Australia in export push

06-Jan-2010 - Tangerine Confectionery has signed its “biggest ever” export deal in Australia as the British company looks to capitalise on demand for heritage brands in foreign markets.

No evidence for sugar addiction in people, claims professor

05-Jan-2010 - There is no evidence that sugar-addictive behaviors suggested by animal studies exist for humans, claims the author of a new scientific review published in Clinical Nutrition.

Kraft sells pizza business to Nestlé to fund Cadbury offer

05-Jan-2010 - Kraft has sold its frozen pizza business to Nestlé to help fund its offer for Cadbury after Nestlé pulled out of the bidding for the British confectioner.

News in brief

Bunge expands Brazilian sugar presence

04-Jan-2010 - Food and agribusiness firm Bunge has said it has entered an agreement to acquire a Brazilian sugar company with an annual crushing capacity of 15.4 million metric tons.

Seasonal Video Greetings From Decision News Media

22-Dec-2009 - Welcome to this seasonal holiday video from Decision News Media. As we prepare to celebrate our tenth anniversary next year and first year as part of William Reed Business Media, we present 10 fun number facts about our company. And, later this week, the holidays begin.