China is launching a new national food safety drive following a wave of recent damaging revelations over melamine-tainted milk products in the country.
Chinese authorities have closed a Shanghai dairy involved in the 2008 melamine scandal and arrested three of its executives after finding more milk powder tainted with the toxic chemical.
India is developing guidelines that may mean probiotic strains will have to be backed by clinical trials conducted on Indian populations if they are to gain market approval.
Distribution of probiotic one-shot drinks is broadening in India, with a major push occurring in cities like Mumbai, as disposable Indian incomes rise, and more people take an interest in health benefits promised by functional foods.
The different language, culture and regulatory set-up may make running an ingredients company in China a daunting proposition for Western executives. But Yossi Gohary, general manager of Solbar Ningbo, says it’s all about cultural compromise.
The increasing importance of sustainable packaging as a consumer issue means companies need to constantly reassess the amount of packing they use, according to a new report.
Rising income levels in China will fuel a robust growth in demand for beverage containers in the country over the next three years, a recent report has said.
Chinese authorities have said its new food safety law, which comes into effect today, will help prevent the food contamination incidents that have caused so much damage to the reputation of its domestic producers.
Unilever’s activities in the developing and emerging markets and the US have proved key to growth in Q1, but private label presents a challenge to brands.
Fonterra has this week confirmed that it is divesting a number of its operations in Australia and India as it focuses on what it calls core strategic objectives.
With a number of dairy manufacturers committing to emerging market growth, countries outside of the EU and US will continue to hold strong potential for processors, despite undergoing difficulties during 2008, says new research.
DSM has linked with the North China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation in three separate projects that will see DSM take a minority 10 per cent share in the Chinese company.
The impact of last year’s melamine milk-contamination in China continues to be felt after dairy exports fell by 10.4 per cent on a year-on -year basis in 2008, creating growing interest for imported brands, claims state media.
The impact of this year’s melamine dairy crisis has rumbled through the food chain and although quality assurance measures can benefit responsible firms, downturn in Chinese dairy has still led to lost of ingredients sales.
Cheese continues to dominate growing global dairy product demand, which has risen by 15 per cent to 40.9 million tonnes in the last five years, though the product’s dominance may yet be challenged, suggests a new report.
The global furore over the recent melamine contamination scandal in China appears to have driven major shifts in the country’s dairy industry, not all of them to the detriment of manufacturers, says a new report.
This week, Fonterra announces support for a Chinese charity to protect infants and mothers in rural areas and Friesland says it will not budge on its provisional 2007 milk price.
The signing of a new free trade agreement between China and New
Zealand predicted to open up numerous benefits for dairy trade will
not setback the interests of producers in Europe, according to a UK
trade association.
This week, Robert Wiseman Dairies says it is on track to meet its
2007 profit expectations, and the founders of ice cream maker
Ben & Jerry's takes a stand.
The improved quality of the Chinese ingredients supply chain is
forcing European operators to lift their game, according to one
leading UK-based supplier.
Unilever is to extend its presence within ice cream manufacture
after announcing this week that it has agreed to acquire Russian
ice cream company Inmarko.
Danone yesterday remained tight lipped over the possibility of
making an imminent acquisition into India's high growth dairy
market, as part of the company's longstanding expansion aims for
the country.
Nestle has confirmed that it will work with New Zealand dairy
cooperative Fonterra in constructing and running a new dairy in
Brazil as part of a joint $40m (€27m) investment to step up raw
milk production in the country.
Russian milk production remains well below the country's output
targets for 2007, ensuring continued price hikes for the product on
the back of increasing global demand, according to the US
Department of Agriculture.
France-based Danone has successfully frozen the assets of a number
of enterprises allegedly linked to Chinese joint venture partner
Wahaha, on the back of increasing legal pressure over property
rights in the country.
Raisio is to cease production of margarine at its plant in Istra,
Russia from September, when it will transfer the operation to a
subcontractor in an effort to reduce over-capacity and boost
profitability.
Group Danone is experiencing further set backs to its plan to
expand its presence into Asia's booming dairy markets, as an Indian
joint venture partner turns the tables on the dairy giant,
according to press reports.
Dairy group Wimm-Bill-Dann has tightened its grip on the country's
dairy market by increasing its holding in one of the country's
major production facilities.
Sweden's Arla foods has today revealed it plans to enter Vietnam's
dairy market in October to boost its presence in the dynamic
emerging markets of Asia.
Scandinavian dairy giant Arla Foods has agreed to form a joint
venture with its Russian distributor, Artis, as competition for
space on the growing Russian dairy market intensifies.
Tetra Pak plans to tighten its grip on China's growing beverage and
dairy markets with a €60m state-of-the-art packaging materials
plant in the country, it announced Tuesday.
Nestle announced it has opened a factory in Brazil to supply milk
powder and coffee to low income families there, in yet another sign
of ethics becoming big business.
French biscuits, water and yoghurt group Danone said yesterday that
it had signed a joint venture with China's leading dairy Mengniu to
cooperate in the production and distribution of fresh dairy
products in China.
New Zealand dairy co-op Fonterra said today that it will set up a
best practice dairy farm in China to provide quality milk for
Shijiazhuang SanLu, the Chinese dairy in which it holds a 43 per
cent stake.
Asia's biggest dairy, Japan's Meiji, has started shipping
pasteurized milk directly to Shanghai from Japan, the first time a
foreign dairy has supplied fresh milk to the rapidly growing
market.
Chinese dairy Yili, one of the country's top two, has increased
sales and profits in the first six months of the year despite
rising raw material costs, reinforcing its market share in the
fast-growing dairy sector.
Leading carton maker Tetra Pak will double capacity at its Beijing
factory, it said yesterday, allowing it to meet the expected
ongoing growth in China's dairy sector.
China is preparing to launch a new national standard on raw milk to
prevent dairy products containing antibiotic residues from reaching
the marketplace.
Swiss food maker Nestle has launched the premium ice cream brand
Movenpick on the Chinese market, where it says it sees growing
demand for luxury food products.
