Breaking News on Confectionery & Biscuit Processing

Karlshamns merges with Aarhus in chocolate consolidation

Number one Scandinavian fats and oils firm Karlshamns consolidates its position with the merger of fellow oils supplier Aarhus United now complete.

Sucralose sweetener to offset profit fall at Tate & Lyle

Sucralose supplier Tate and Lyle warns profits at its European sugar refining business have been "substantially reduced" due to higher costs and oversupplies.

Food industry and consumer group at odds over junk food ban

The ban on junk food in UK schools announced yesterday by the government is not an effective solution to tackling childhood obesity, the nation's food industry has said.

Flavanols may improve smokers' blood vessel health

Flavanols, the natural chemicals found in chocolate, fruits and tea, can boost the levels of nitric oxide in the blood of smokers and reverse some of the smoking-related damage to blood vessels, say German researchers.

EU sugar reform forces CSM to restructure

CSM's sugar beet processing plant in Hoogkerk, the Netherlands is now fully online following the closure of the firm's Breda factory earlier this year.

UK to announce school junk food ban

The UK government will announce plans to ban junk food in the nation's schools, bringing an end to the sale of crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks in school vending machines.

NutraSweet to enter the sucralose market?

American sweetener business NutraSweet are attempting to challenge the world monopoly that Britain's Tate & Lyle has over sucralose.

Increasing costs force DSM to raise citric acid prices

DSM Nutritional Products has announced a 15 per cent price increase for all its citric acid products, reflecting industry-wide concern about increasing energy, raw material and freight costs.

FDF heralds 'Quiet Revolution'

The UK Food and Drink Federation claims there is a "quiet revolution" underway as companies enhance the nutritional profile of their products.

Katjes Fassin to expand

Germany's third largest confectionery business, Katjes Fassin, has announced details of a major new production facility near Berlin.

Spearmint oil demand set for record increase

Demand for spearmint oil in 2005-06 is set to exceed the five-year average for an entire marketing year, as US agriculture authorities move to keep the market stable.

Hershey's to benefit from antioxidants research

The level of antioxidants commonly available in chocolate is directly linked to the level of natural cocoa contained in the product, says a new study from the US.

Weekly comment

McDonald's: facing fat

There is nothing so redolent of a corporate mid-life crisis as the strategic equivalent of a new car, new girl and new image, set firmly on the shoulders of the same old idea. McDonald's, it seems, is firmly in the throes of a mid-life crisis.

Nestlé to invest in becoming healthier

Global food manufacturer Nestlé is to invest €500m in developing its health and wellness image, the company announced today.

EU debates sugar ingredients

EU farm ministers met with African and Caribbean counterparts on Monday to discuss the sweeping EU sugar reform that will bring cheaper sugar ingredients into the bloc.

Scottish confectioner ready to expand

Confectioner Lees of Scotland is set to expand following impressive interim results, and sees acquisitions as the best way of achieving growth.

Kraft targets kids' advertising as part of health and wellness campaign

On the back of growing consumer interest in healthy eating, leading US food maker Kraft Foods is focusing on its increasingly successful health and wellness segment, announcing plans to further limit products advertised to children to healthy options.

Xlear launches xylitol-based 'healthy' candy

Xlear, the Utah-based manufacturer of xylitol-based products, is set move into the confectionery market with the launch of Fine and Dandy Candy.

Consumers snub convenience store confectionery

Retailers think confectionery sales will start to suffer in convenience stores as consumers look to bigger stores for better value, intensifying competition in the market, says a new report.

ConfectioneryNews.com's publisher to be branded as Decision News

Novis, the publisher of ConfectioneryNews.com, 22 other business news websites and more than 50 specialist e-newsletters, is changing its name to Decision News Media, to convey the editorial ethos that has made the group's news services into market leaders.

Weekly Comment

Food law: friend or foe?

The food industry is in danger of harming itself with its recent lobbying against the further harmonisation and deepening of EU food regulation.

Cadbury Schweppes to sell European beverages

Cadbury Schweppes' £1 billion sale of its European beverages business will enable it to focus and invest on the group's global confectionery business.

Glisten reports glittering financial performance

UK-based confectionery firm Glisten has doubled its turnover from 2004, and has signaled its intention to expand further through strategic acquisitions.

Topps ends speculation over confectionery

Topps the American entertainment and confectionery business has decided after seven months of speculation to keep its confectionery operation.

Confectioners can no longer rely on seasonal sales boost

Confectionery companies could always count on consumers to boost sales at Christmas and other holiday seasons, but a report published by Mintel adds more support to the notion that consumer trends are changing.

Wrigley challenges confectionery giants

Wrigley has unveiled its new Global Innovations Centre in Chicago, asserting its commitment to expanding beyond chewing gum into the wider confectionery market.

Coffee futures subdued after post-hurricane fears

Coffee futures are subdued after post-Hurricane Katrina price spikes, with ongoing stability probable after reports that 700,000 bags of coffee stored in New Orleans warehouses were left undamaged by the hurricane.

Food scientist sought as journalist

Novis seeks a bright, driven food scientist for a reporter's post in southern France. The main mission is to deepen coverage of scientific breakthroughs in food techniques and nutritional understanding on flagship websites, FoodNavigator.com and NutraIngredients.com.

Weekly comment

The science behind food

The words clinical trial or scientifically proven on a label carry huge cachet. But behind the claims of scientific evidence, consumers expect a base level of rigour in ensuring thatfood or personal care products actually deliver the benefits they claim.

EU sugar regime bites away at ABF profits

Oversupply of sugar in the EU and higher energy costs combine to knock profits for the year at British Sugar, its owner Associated British Foods warned today.

Barry Callebaut credit to feed growth

Barry Callebaut's new €850 million credit facility could help the company expand further into emerging markets.

Barry Callebaut stabilises for future growth

Barry Callebaut's new €850million credit facility could help the company expand further into emerging markets.

Condensing machine targeted at food industry

Alfa Laval has designed a scaled-down model of its vapour condensing machine, offering the food industry a cheaper method of doing evaporation and condensation processes, the company claims.

Imperial Sugar targets swift return to operations

Refined sugar giant Imperial Sugar has announced a return to operations at its Gramercy, Louisiana plant following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

Weekly comment

Private equity hot on food

Cash, cash, cash. Castigated as simple asset-strippers out to make a quick buck, the entrance of private equity onto the food industry stage has participants chattering in the wings.

Cadbury Schweppes admits to European drinks sale

After months of secrecy and whisperings, Cadbury Schweppes has finally confirmed that it is looking to dump its European soft drinks arm for a greater focus on confectionery.

Russia brings strong export gains to EU food and drink makers

Fresh figures confirm Russia as a profitable target for food and beverage makers with exports to the region rising by 34 per cent since 2000.

Trans fats task force backs new labeling regime

An interim report from Canada's Trans Fat Task Force has underlined the importance of new labeling regulations in reducing trans fat consumption.

Risk to coffee stocks after hurricane supports price rises

Prices for the omnipresent beverage and confectionery ingredient coffee leapt this week after flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina put inventories of beans in New Orleans at risk.

France launches controversial school vending machine ban

All vending machines are now banned from schools across France in an attempt to tackle child obesity fears, but the move remains controversial amid industry accusations of heavy-handedness.

Decline in US seasonal chocolate sales

Seasonal chocolate sales in the US are forecast to reach $3.3bn (€2.6bn) in 2005, marking a substantial decline over the past five years, according to a new report published by Research and Markets.

UK food lab investigates volatile flavour perception

UK food laboratory extends its sensory analysis capacity to take on new business.

Bakemark UK launches trans fat-free margarine for cake makers

UK bakery ingredients BakeMark UK firm rolls out a trans fat-free margarine for cake makers, the latest in a series of launches as the firm sets to phase out hydrogenated fats from its entire manufactured product range by the end of 2005.

Premium chocolate demand tracks European tastes

Key to successful premium chocolate product development is an understanding of the varying consumer habits, expectations and behaviour in different countries, according to leading Swiss premium chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli.