Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

Weekly comment

Water wastage syndrome

Praise where praise is due. And it is certainly due for one small-time drinks firm in southern Britain, which is spear-heading answers to global water shortages that threaten to wreak havoc on food producers everywhere.

Prices stable on stronger yields for confectionery nut ingredient, pistachios

As prices for hazelnuts, two-thirds of which are sourced from Turkey, slowly start to recover following global shortages, pistachio production also shows signs of improvement following last year's frosts.

Private equity stalking Cadbury Schweppes drinks

Cadbury Schweppes still looks likely to ditch its European soft drinks arm for the right price, yet it is difficult to find a buyer for a stumbling business with little growth prospects.

Nestlé, ADM and Cargill go to court over cocoa child labour

Leading cocoa suppliers Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland, and Cargill are being sued by a US labour rights firm over accusations of forced child labour.

Almond prices boost US exports

Agricultural exports are forecast at $63.5 billion for 2006, up $1.5 billion from the revised 2005 estimate, says new report from US department of agriculture.

Hazelnut prices to stabilise in forthcoming months?

Hazelnut prices remain at all time highs but the imminent crop from key producer Turkey could offer some stability to snack makers and confectioners impacted by the record highs.

Wrigley expands US capacity after acquisitions from Kraft

Wrigley will be expanding its Chattanooga factory to accommodate the production of Altoid mints, which will be transferred to the US from Wales, the leading confectionery company announced on Monday.

Ingredients boost 4Q for Cargill

Core business segments, including food ingredients, contribute to an 18 per cent leap in quarterly profit for expanding, and ambitious, US firm Cargill.

Lindt reports record premium chocolate sales

Leading premium chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli has reported record first half results on the back of increased demand for premium products in an otherwise slow-moving European chocolate market.

Scientists isolating 'useful' genes in milk

International experts in nutrition and genomics will meet in California to discuss the progress of research into links between the genetic make-up of milk and human health.

Chocolate maker Thorntons to be bought by chairman?

British chocolate maker and retailer Thorntons has announced that its chairman Christopher Burnett is considering making a buyout offer to the company.

Weekly comment

Waiting for the super-nutrition revolution

Henry Ford's famous aphorism that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses, provides food makers with a lesson they must learn.

Sweet innovation aids 'stagnant' Russian confectionery

Russian firm United Confectioners has used new technology to launch a new range of jelly sweets, tapping in to one of the most promising sectors in Russia's confectionery market.

Mega-trends: convenience food and health to double in ten years

Ten mega trends stretching from age to individualism will determine the success and shape of any new products to hit the market in the near future, claims market analysts Datamonitor.

Mopro Nord joins the whey ingredients wagon

Germany's two biggest dairy companies will pour funds into high margin whey ingredients, signing off €42 million for a plant extension.

Imperial Sugar sells subsidiary to manage losses

US sugar processor Imperial Sugar will sell subsidiary Holly Sugar Corp. as low margins coupled with high energy costs have put pressure on the company.

Olfaction's role in taste is powerful, confirms new 'dual sense' research

Ramifications for food formulation as fundamental research on chocolate smells finds olfaction is uniquely a "dual" sense, in that the brain perceives the same smell molecule differently if it arrives through the nose rather than the mouth.

Nestlé results dragged down by confectionery

Food giant Nestlé is being squeezed by tough international confectionery markets, its modest overall half-year sales dragged down by disappointing performances from its chocolate, confectionery and biscuit categories.

Cocoa research could guarantee crop quality and yield

A new research project aimed at improving the quality and yields of cocoa crops through a better understanding of the plant's genetic make-up is being undertaken by the UK's University of Reading.

Leading chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut doubles production in Ghana

Barry Callebaut, the world's largest supplier of bulk chocolate, is set to double its cocoa grinding capacity in the African country of Ghana.

Weekly comment

In food makers we trust?

In among the hollers about obesity and the concerns over nutrition, food companies now need to work hard to ensure they clinch public trust, as a matter of insurance. This means more than compliance on traceability and labeling. This means being seen as a force for good.

Hershey high on chocolate acquisitions

US confectionery company Hershey is marching along the acquisition trail, announcing this week that it has bought another premium chocolate firm, Californian-based Joseph Schmidt Confections.

UK Dime chocolate to become Daim, in line with Europe

Kraft Foods is to re-brand Dime bars in the UK in a long awaited move to standardize the name of the popular crunchy milk chocolate bars throughout Europe.

Should sugar labeling laws be changed?

The Sugar Association wants the FDA to introduce more aggressive labeling regulations that would split out the different sugars and sweeteners on the nutritional facts panel, just as the labeling of trans fats will be mandatory from January 1 2006.

Taste for the exotic drives ice cream strategy

Sensitivity to changing regional tastes, exotic flavour mixes, labelling and packaging will determine how successful processors are in attacking Western Europe's stagnant ice cream market.

European consumers give US peanuts thumbs up

A survey of European consumers about peanuts sourced from across the globe reveals a distinct preference for the quality and flavour of US-produced nuts.

Chicago keeps hold of 'candy capital' title

Despite some of the best-known confectionary brands leaving the area, Chicago still deserves its 'candy capital' epithet, according to Food Chicago's Candy Institute.

New oat-based fat substitute targeted at Europe

A new fibre-based fat substitute that can reduce the fat content of baked goods by 50 per cent is to be launched in Europe by Swiss marketing group DKSH.

Food regulator approves four food contact chemicals

As part of its work to ensure food safety within the EU, a regulatory panel has given approval to four chemicals that may be used by processors in packaging or in equipment that comes in contact with their products.

Cadbury Schweppes to focus on confectionery?

British confectionery and soft drinks giant Cadbury Schweppes may be turning its focus to the confectionery market, if recent speculation on a decision to sell its European soft drinks business is fulfilled.

Corn refiners challenge validity of fructose study

The Corn Refiners Association has claimed that a recent study linking fructose in soft drinks with added body fat "mischaracterizes high fructose corn syrup".

Weekly Comment

Turning food into trash

Water, we save. Energy, we conserve. But food, it seems, we can waste, junk and bin and no-one cares. Except one crusader, whose 20-year project has proven what should have been obvious in the first place: our attitude to food is costing us a fortune.

Biscuit maker McVitie's cuts jobs after floods

UK biscuit maker McVitie's is to cut 33 jobs at its Carlisle factory, after damage caused by floods in January permanently disabled four production lines, reducing the plant's total output by 20 per cent.

High fat diet could aggravate snack attack

A high-fat diet may lead to over-consumption of tasty snacks, say researchers involved in a rat study. They believe that regular eating habits could affect sensitivity to a hormone that tells us when to stop eating.

Fructose in soft drinks linked to body fat increase

Drinking large amounts of beverages containing fructose adds body fat, and might explain why sweetening with fructose could be even worse than using other sweeteners, according to a new report.

UK chocolate fountain demand doubled in past year

Chocolate fountains are emerging as a must-have accessory at weddings and, as the craze spreads to other events, confectioners could be set to benefit, writes Lorraine Heller.

Tate & Lyle targets US ice cream market

Tate & Lyle has launched a new ingredient solution for low- fat, no-sugar- added ice cream for the US market and vowed to continue its ambitious expansion plans.

Hershey set to acquire dark-chocolate maker Scharffen Berger

Leading US confectionery firm Hershey announced last week its plans to acquire Californian-based chocolate maker Scharffen Berger in a deal which the company hopes will allow it to break into the niche premium quality dark chocolate market.

Weekly Comment

Making GI a quality mark

Whether it is a pork pie from Melton Mowbray or olive oil from Nimes, every Tom, Denis and Haemon seems to believe their local food deserves the EU's protection from big, bad corporations.