Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

Volume sales of UK chocolate confectionery hit, report

21-Dec-2009 - Brands such as Kit Kat and Wispa are performing well but new data shows the UK chocolate confectionery market appears to be taking a hit from the economic downturn

British Heart Foundation survey sparks festive food spat

21-Dec-2009 - UK food manufacturers have slammed the latest report from the British Heart Foundation which alleges they are misleading mothers with false information about the fat, salt and sugar content of their children’s foods.

Nestlé and Kraft probe palm oil sources after sustainability claims

16-Dec-2009 - The globe’s two biggest food firms, Nestlé and Kraft, have launched internal investigations after a Greenpeace report claimed both purchase palm oil from Indonesian company PT Smart whose parent group Sinar Mas allegedly engages in widespread illegal deforestation and peatland clearance in Indonesia.

News in brief

Mars takes on political heavyweight, report

16-Dec-2009 - Confectionery giant Mars has appointed a new sustainability and science communications director who up until now has been serving as a special advisor to the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband, according to media reports.

Kraft questions Cadbury’s long-term targets

15-Dec-2009 - Kraft has dismissed the raised long-term growth targets published by Cadbury on Monday, saying the UK confectioner’s prospects are subject to significant risk and uncertainty.

Unilever acts over Greenpeace’s palm oil claims

14-Dec-2009 - Unilever has halted all purchases of palm oil from Indonesian company PT SMART after a Greenpeace report alleged that its parent group Sinar Mas is engaged in widespread illegal deforestation and peatland clearance in Indonesia.

Cadbury's 'aggressive' stance could keep it independent - analyst

14-Dec-2009 - Cadbury’s updated statement on revenue growth for the next four years should incentivise its shareholders to hold out for a higher offer than the bid from Kraft Foods or remain independent, according to market research firm Sanford C Bernstein.

Weekly comment

Bisphenol A becomes test of leadership for FDA

14-Dec-2009 - Each day the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dithers in delivering its verdict on the safety of bisphenol A (BPA), its authority is diminished and its credibility wanes.

Mars loses Maltesers appeal case

11-Dec-2009 - Mars US has lost an appeal against a trademark infringement in an Australian federal court involving a rival to its well known Maltesers brand, an outcome which could impact other established brand marks.

News in brief

SCP roundtable gets critical mass

11-Dec-2009 - The Sustainable Consumption and Production round table has seen its membership swell in the 6 months since its launch, with nine new-comers announced this week.

Cadbury’s union moves to block Kraft takeover

11-Dec-2009 - British and Irish workers at Cadbury have announced a campaign to resist Kraft’s hostile ₤9.8bn ($16.3bn) takeover bid by appealing to shareholders and politicians to block the deal.

News in brief

Kraft’s Cadbury bid review deadline delayed

09-Dec-2009 - European regulators have pushed back the deadline for their review of Kraft’s $16.1bn bid for Cadbury after the American company offered concessions, they said on Wednesday.

International auditors rate Ghana cocoa plant highly, claims Cargill

09-Dec-2009 - A Cargill cocoa butter and powder plant in Ghana has obtained recognition by an international food audit group AIB International, which the ingredients giant claims is a validation that the facility is operating to the highest standards.

Restricting sugar could cause overeating: Study

09-Dec-2009 - Restricting sugary foods could lead to overeating, according to a new rat study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Imperial Sugar still suffering from refinery rebuild costs

09-Dec-2009 - Imperial Sugar is still feeling the financial impact of the explosion at its Port Wentworth, Georgia refinery nearly two years ago, as it reported a $23.8m loss for fiscal 2009.

Cocoa prices hit record highs

08-Dec-2009 - Confectionery manufacturers are facing increasing cost pressures as cocoa futures prices hit their highest levels for 25 years on supply fears.

Weekly comment

Counting the human cost of recession

07-Dec-2009 - Return to profitability. It’s a phrase that businesses have been yearning for, but as more of them are starting to use it, it’s time to ask: At what cost?

Kit Kat's move to Fairtrade will have knock on effect, says NGO

07-Dec-2009 - Kit Kat’s decision to go Fairtrade will bring the critical mass that is needed to tip the balance of trade in favour of disadvantaged cocoa farmers, claims the Fairtrade foundation.

News in brief

Cadbury set to issue formal response to Kraft

07-Dec-2009 - Confectionery giant Cadbury said today that it would post a formal response to Kraft’s takeover offer of $16.3bn (£9.8bn) on 14 December.

Special edition: Cranberries

Supply: Cranberries, from bog to cereal bar

04-Dec-2009 - In the second part of our special on cranberries, FoodNavigator looks at the supply for the berry, and asks ‘what issues are bogging down cranberry supply?’

Call for Ghana cocoa to be removed from US child labor list

03-Dec-2009 - Retention of Ghana produced cocoa on the US Department of Labor’s list of goods produced by child or forced labour could hinder efforts to eliminate the practice, claims a senior politician of the major cocoa supplying country.

Kraft still most likely to win Cadbury deal, says analyst

01-Dec-2009 - Kraft has mismanaged its Cadbury takeover attempt but is still the favorite to get the deal done, according to Andrew Wood, senior research analyst at Sanford Bernstein.

Barry Callebaut still aims to exit consumer business

01-Dec-2009 - Barry Callebaut still aims to dispose of its consumer chocolate business in 2010 following the failure of an attempt to sell to Spanish food group Natra earlier this year, the Swiss chocolate company's chief executive said in an interview in a Swiss newspaper.

New regulation to impact liquorice prices, says leading supplier

30-Nov-2009 - Confectionery makers can expect no let up in the current high liquorice prices due to the fact that pending EU regulation, setting limits for the first time on Ochratoxin A (OTA) levels in the ingredient, will impose further pressures, claims a leading German supplier.