Lactalis, one of the world's largest dairy companies, has
strengthened its position in the health food sector via a stake in
Cema, a French company whose low-fat spread Primavere has been a
great success.
Alcoa has announced that its Alcoa Closure Systems International
(CSI) business is set to expand further into the $100 million dairy
packaging business.
Swedish dairy giant Arla has presented an ambitious strategy for
future growth. This sets out a broad outline of how the business
will be developed over the next decade.
Members of the National Farmers Union in the UK this week
demonstrated outside Dairy Crest cheese manufacturing and
distribution sites to call for a 2p per litre rise in the price
producers receive.
Russian dairy giant Wimm-Bill-Dann has increased its stake in Ufamolagroprom, the biggest milk processor in the southern Urals and one of the most modern cheese producers in Russia.
French cheese maker Bongrain has continued to invest in marketing
and promotions despite declining sales in the first half caused by
tough market conditions both at home and abroad.
Belgian firm Cosucra Groupe Warcoing is exiting the sugar beet
processing business to concentrate entirely on added value
ingredients for health foods, it announced this week.
When Cyclone Hudah struck the island of Madagascar in April 2000
destroying 15 per cent of the world's vanilla crop the news sent
prices rocketing for the peoples favourite ice cream ingredient.
New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative has selected EDS as
the company with which it will continue negotiations over
outsourcing its global IT infrastructure.
The decision not to join the single European currency will have a
negative effect on one of Sweden's biggest food companies, Arla
Foods, which has operations in the UK, Denmark and Sweden.
The decisions over who will buy the Safeway retail chain and
whether the Arla/Express Dairies merger will proceed could have a
significant impact on Scottish dairy group Robert Wiseman Dairies.
After a year of acquisitions and the launch of numerous innovative
products, Swiss dairy group Emmi is well on track to meet its
growth targets for 2003.
The Italian food group, Parmalat said that its sales in the
Americas were devastated by the appreciation of the euro against
the US and Canadian dollar during the first half.
Russia's leading dairy producer Wimm-Bill-Dann continued with its
solid double-digit sales growth in the first half of 2003, although
the cost of expansion weighed heavily on profits.
Ending months of speculation Dutch life science products company
DSM announced today that is to pay CHF 3.5 billion (€2.4 billion)
for Roche's vitamins and fine chemicals division.
When Roche launched the sale of the division...
Construction of Arla Foods' new milk powder factory in Vimmerby,
Sweden began yesterday after months of delay. According to the
original timetable, work on the factory should have begun in April.
The UK Competition Commission announced today that it has sent a
remedies letter to both Arla Foods and Express Dairies regarding
their proposed merger.
Good underlying performances from Glanbia's prepared food and dairy ingredients businesses partially made up for the firm's exit from the prepared meat market.
A new alliance, the first of its kind in Denmark, aims to focus on
new technologies to lead to faster and more targeted production and
marketing of new products for the dairy industry. Danish enzyme
company Novozymes will join up...
The global of Nestlé means that it is particularly susceptible to
currency effects, and first half sales at the food group were down
6.3 per cent as a result.
Russian dairy products group Wimm-Bill-Dann continues to go from
strength to strength, with first half volume sales boosted
considerably by its fruit juice and bottled water operations.
Dairy giant Fonterra is about to increase premiums to organic milk
suppliers who choose to meet United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) standards.
Organic dairy foods group Horizon Organic reported an increase in
sales of 21 per cent in the US and 20 per cent in the UK during the
second quarter of 2003, compared with the second quarter of 2002.
Dairy multinational Fonterra Co-operative Group has raised US$165
million (€145m) in a private placement of long-term debt to US
institutional investors.
Irish dairy group Glanbia has reached a settlement with the Irish
competition authority over allegations concerning the fixing of the
retail price of milk.
Ebro Puleva saw its sales drop but profits rise in the first half
as it continued to streamline its business around three core
sectors - dairy products, sugar and rice.
Two dairies, Danish-based Birkum Ost and UK-based Oakthorpe, have
been granted ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP accreditation. Both are owned
by dairy giant Arla Foods.
The Competition Commission's decision to investigate the proposed
merger between Arla UK and Express Dairies could have an adverse
effect on profits at the latter group.
Leche Pascual is to invest €33 million in a new milk processing
plant in Barcelona to supply the Catalan market, despite the recent
boycott of its products there.
The European Agricultural Ministers' decision to reform the
European milk market last week has caused a degree of concern among
the continent's dairy producers.
New supply contracts with the UK's leading supermarket groups have
helped Robert Wiseman Dairies get off to an excellent start in the
first three months of the financial year.
