Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

Lactalis launches €3.4bn takeover bid for Parmalat

27-Apr-2011 - Lactalis has mounted a €3.4bn takeover bid for Parmalat after government resistance frustrated its initial move to gain control of the company.

Danone partnership helps boost Dairygold’s profit by 60 per cent

22-Apr-2011 - Danone’s decision to select Dairygold as its key supplier in its expanded Infant Formula Facility Global helped boost the ingredients supplier’s annual profits by 60 per cent to €18.9m last year.

Dean Foods actively seeking bidders for Wisconsin dairy

20-Apr-2011 - Dean Foods announced yesterday it is seeking a buyer for the Wisconsin dairy it put up for sale last month as part of a settlement it made with the US Department of Justice.

Cheese success sees Dairy Crest create 80 new jobs

19-Apr-2011 - Dairy Crest has confirmed it will create up to 80 new jobs at its cheese packing facility in Frome, Somerset.

EU legal challenge over Parmalat protectionism unlikely, says lawyer

15-Apr-2011 - Threatening noises from the EU have little chance, as things stand, of turning into a successful legal challenge to frustrate Italian protectionism over the future of Parmalat, according to an EU competition lawyer.

Danone's Russian dairy buy helps boost sales by 20 per cent

15-Apr-2011 - Danone’s new Russian dairy acquisition helped drive up Q1 sales by 20 per cent, the fastest quarterly growth the company has seen in three years.

Arla Foods plans Swedish plant closure to recover cheese competitiveness

13-Apr-2011 - Arla Foods is to close its Swedish Falkenberg dairy and will invest DKK 615m (€82m) in two of its Denmark facilities in order to improve its competitiveness in yellow cheese production.

Milk Link announces £4m soft cheese investment

12-Apr-2011 - Leading UK cheese producer Milk Link has begun work on the first phase of a new production facility at its Cornish Country Larder (CCL) Trevarrian Creamery to meet growing customer demand for British soft cheeses.

EU investigates Italian bid to protect Parmalat from Lactalis' advances

12-Apr-2011 - Recent Italian moves to frustrate the Lactalis approach on Parmalat have prompted the head of EU antitrust policy to warn that, if necessary, he is determined to use EU powers to preserve the openness of the internal market.

Could Müller be mulling over Dairy Crest bid?

08-Apr-2011 - German dairy giant Müller is a more likely candidate than Groupe Lactalis to mount a takeover bid for Dairy Crest, one City analyst has told FoodManufacture.co.uk in light of recent whispers of a move for the UK firm.

Kerrygold owner reports fall in profits despite sales growth

08-Apr-2011 - Irish Dairy Board (IDB), the owner of the Kerrygold brand, has reported a slip in profits despite a 6 per cent improvement in total sales.

News in brief

FAO index shows slight drop in food prices

07-Apr-2011 - The FAO Food Price Index showed the first drop in March after eight months of continuous spikes – but it may not be a sure sign that the trend is reversing.

News in brief

Fonterra and Nestle abandon Chilean subsidiary tie-up

06-Apr-2011 - Fonterra has revealed that a proposal to merge its Chilean subsidiary, Soprole, with the fresh dairy operations of Nestle Chile has been scrapped.

Battle heats up in milk supply chain

31-Mar-2011 - Pre-close trading updates from Robert Wiseman and Dairy Crest today highlighted the continued turf wars between the major UK processors, with no clear winner in sight.

Dean agrees to sell Wisconsin plant to settle antitrust case

30-Mar-2011 - Dean Foods has agreed to sell a milk processing plant in Wisconsin as part of a settlement with the US Department of Justice over the acquisition of a division of Foremost Farms.

Italian government gives Ferrero a chance in fight over Parmalat

25-Mar-2011 - The chances of Ferrero making a move on Parmalat to create an Italian food super-group have increased after the Italian government pushed through a decree to frustrate Lactalis’ bid to gain management control of Parmalat.

Lactalis buys sizeable stake in Parmalat

23-Mar-2011 - Lactalis has acquired a 29 per cent share in Parmalat as the Italian government looks into ways of preventing the dairy company from falling into foreign hands.

Could be “best year ever” for Fonterra as firm posts $293m half-year profit

23-Mar-2011 - Dairy giant Fonterra is heading towards its “best year ever”, according to the firm, which reported a strong $293m half-year net profit.

Arla and DMK form new €44m whey joint venture

22-Mar-2011 - Arla Foods is to establish a whey processing joint venture with the merged Nordmilch-Humana company DMK to produce whey protein concentrate (WPC) and lactose for the food industry.

General Mills wins race for stake in Yoplait

21-Mar-2011 - General Mills has fought off big name bidders from across the global food industry to buy a 50 per cent stake in the French yoghurt maker Yoplait.

News in brief

FrieslandCampina reports jump in annual sales and profits

16-Mar-2011 - FrieslandCampina has reported a 10 per cent increase in annual revenue but the top-line has some way to go before reaching 2008 levels.

Prospective CEO calls for M&A drive to push Parmalat into global dairy top-5

16-Mar-2011 - A leading businessman, tipped to become Parmalat’s interim CEO, has advocated an aggressive expansion strategy but a Nomura analyst cast doubt on the M&A prospects of the Italian dairy firm.

Bullish milk powder market to boost raw milk prices, Euromonitor

11-Mar-2011 - Further raw milk price increases are expected over the next six months as a projected recovery in demand for ice cream and other indulgence foods boosts the milk powder market, according to Euromonitor.

DairyCo report highlights fierce competition in processing

07-Mar-2011 - A new DairyCo report, surveying the performance and strategy of the main UK milk buyers, has drawn attention to an unrelenting price war between processors.