All news articles for November 2006

Thai rice exporters eye Europe's non-GM market

Thai and Vietnamese rice exporters are planning to make an official declaration that they have no genetically modified rice in production in a bid to enhance their sales on the global market.

Cadbury to expand chocolate crumb production in NZ

Chocolate giant Cadbury will spend NZ$20 million (€10.3m) to expand production of chocolate crumb in New Zealand, allowing it to meet forecast growth in demand from the Asia-Pacific region, it announced yesterday.

ABF takes control of Philippines baking business

UK group Associated British Foods (ABF) has taken full control of a yeast and baking ingredients venture in the Philippines, previously part-owned by Pilmico Foods, clearing the way for an expansion of the business.

Gene for red apple colour discovered

Scientists in Australia have located the gene that controls the red colour of apples, opening up opportunities for breeding new, redder apple varieties.

Fruit and veg gaining value for China

China, producer of half the world's fruit and vegetables, is set to overtake the Netherlands in the next two to three years to become the world's third biggest fresh produce exporter in value terms, predicts a new report from agriculture specialists at Rabobank.

San Miguel still undecided on future of bottler

San Miguel, the Philippines biggest food and beverage producer, said on Friday that it has not yet reached a deal deciding the future ownership of its bottling joint venture with Coca-Cola.

Competition watchdog warns against misleading labels

Australian food and beverage makers using terms like 'pure' or 'organic' need to make sure their ingredients live up to the claim if they want to avoid action by competition authorities, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned.

Biofuel demand swells edible oil prices in China

Edible oil prices in China have surged this month as strong global demand for oilseeds in biofuel production compounds a poor rapeseed harvest.

HFCS set for long-term growth in China

China's corn sweetener producers are embarking on a new stage of growth, with a recent upsurge in capital investment allowing them to offer significant volumes of value-added products.

Malaysia merges palm oil firms to boost production

Three Malaysian oil plantation firms are to merge to create the world's largest listed palm oil producer, accounting for 6 per cent of global production, revealed adviser CIMB Investment Bank yesterday.

China's health foods market set for growth

China's health foods market is small compared to developed nations but it is set to grow rapidly with government encouragement and rising incomes.

International standards body to work on halal guidelines

Malaysia's halal industry has joined up with global testing and certification service Intertek to undertake the major task of developing a set of international guidelines for the market.

Australian canola prices to stay bullish

Australian foodmakers, already facing higher wheat prices, can expect to pay higher prices for canola oil for several months, as drought leaves the country in short supply.

Winemaker creates next-generation recyclable bottle

Australian winemaker Palandri Wines has developed a new wine bottle made from a plastic and aluminium material that can both be recycled and save the firm costs.

China's Luzhou Bio-chem expands HFCS production

Luzhou Bio-chem, one of China's biggest corn sweetener producers, is set to boost production of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to meet growing use of the sweetener in Chinese beverages.

New markets fuel NZ dairy but rising costs to slow growth

New consumers of dairy products in the Middle East are taking a greater share of New Zealand exports, and will continue to be one of its major growth markets, predicts a new report.

CJ Corp buys US frozen food maker Omni

South Korea's CJ Corp has signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 85 per cent of the Los Angeles-based frozen food processor Omni Food for US$6.8 million, it said yesterday.

Sudan Red found in new regions of China

More duck eggs containing the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red have been found in China, food officials said yesterday, expanding the recall outside of Beijing to the country's east coast.

China's Tingyi creates high-tech beverage business

Tingyi, the Chinese company behind the leading Master Kong noodle brand, is investing in the latest processing technology from Europe to grow an efficient beverage business that is threatening the market share of its competitors.

Coca-Cola launches brewed beverages in Singapore

Coca-Cola is entering the hot beverage market in Singapore, where it says the opportunities are double those of its traditional fizzy drinks business.

Tingyi sees beverage focus pay off in 3Q

Tingyi, maker of China's leading instant noodle brand Master Kong, posted a 15.8 per cent profit increase for the third quarter of 2006, thanks to surging beverage sales.

China introduces rules on retailer-supplier conduct

China has introduced new regulations to ensure that its fast-growing retail sector deals fairly with suppliers but analysts are sceptical about their potential to impact current practice.

Chinese food packaging evolving

China's food packaging market is set to attract more foreign players as demand for rigid containers increases in coming months, predicts a plastics specialist.

Myanmar edible oils sector gets funding boost

Myanmar's edible oil crop is set to expand with a US$12.3 million loan to increase productivity and quality.

Goodman Fielder to pass on wheat, canola price rises

Australian baker and spreads maker Goodman Fielder will pass on commodity price rises to customers and focus on higher-margin breads in order to meet its target profit for the coming year, chief executive Peter Margin told shareholders yesterday.

Profits down at F&N soft drinks, brewing shows growth

Strong growth in brewing and property helped Singapore-based Fraser & Neave lift operating profit nearly 20 per cent on last year but high raw material costs and weaker consumer spending have hurt its smaller drinks and dairy units.

Sudan Red found in Chinese duck eggs

Duck eggs containing the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red IV have been pulled from shelves in Beijing, in the latest food scare to hit the city.

New technology leads to lower costs on corrugated packaging

Food companies using corrugated boxes could be paying less for the packaging if suppliers took greater care to protect the key material during manufacturing, claims an Australian research firm.

New sterol-fortified foods permitted in Australia

Cholesterol-lowering margarines are set to be joined by cholesterol-lowering milks, yoghurts and cereals as Australia and New Zealand's food authority finally approves the new categories.

Zhongpin expands capacity in north-east China

Chinese meat processor Zhongpin has signed an agreement to lease a production facility in Heilongjiang province, significantly boosting its production capacity and expanding its presence in the north-east.

Coca-Cola Amatil enters spirits market

Australia's biggest soft drinks maker Coca-Cola Amatil has expanded its alcoholic beverages portfolio through a new agreement with premium spirits distributor Maxxium.

Australian juice processors face higher orange prices

Australian orange growers have warned that supplies of the fruit will be tight this year as frost followed by a severe drought has caused a sharp drop in the Valencia orange crop.

60 million Chinese urbanites overweight, warns govt

Increased meat and fat consumption, and lower grain and vegetable intake has left 60 million urban residents in China overweight and 160 million with high blood pressure, according to a report released at the weekend.

New regulations back drive for quality chocolate in China

China's increasingly savvy chocolate consumers will be better equipped to choose higher quality chocolate if new regulations entering into force next month are properly enforced.

Uni-President buys stake in Tait to expand sales

Uni-President, Taiwan's biggest food and beverage maker, is to buy a 19.5 per cent stake in Tait Marketing and Distribution to open up new sales channels to the hotel and restaurant sector.

Price not enough to stymy omega-3 growth in Asia

Price is the most significant barrier to companies looking to market omega-3 fortified products in Asia, says an analyst, but it is not big enough to prevent growth in demand.

Yurun takes control of assets for expansion

China's Yurun Food has bought out the assets held by chairman Zhu Yicai and his wife to gain greater full control of its subsidiaries ahead of an expansion.

Food miles issue no worry to Fonterra

Food miles, the trendy catchphrase alluding to pollution caused by food exports, is 'a red herring' that detracts from serious environmental issues to be faced by food producers, says Fonterra's trade strategy manager, Fiona Cooper-Clarke.

China's chocolate market looks sweet for Barry Callebaut

Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut is gearing up for the chocolate market of the future, with the final go-ahead for its first production plant in China

Asian Citrus to increase supplies to supermarkets

Asian Citrus, China's biggest orange plantation owner, has signed two new supermarket contracts, as part of a plan to increase its direct supply to this retail channel.

Limagrain, GRDC to bring GM healthy wheat to market

A genetically modified wheat variety that has significantly more resistant starch than regular wheat could reach the market in five years, say Australian scientists who have won financial backing to commercialise the crop.

New food labels in Australia 'confusing'

A new system of labelling foods unveiled by a group of Australian food makers yesterday is confusing, say the country's health campaigners.

New packaging protects meats in humid climates

Chinese firm J&A Industrial has introduced a new high barrier, multilayer package that protects meat from high-humidity environments.

Apollo Food plans further expansion

Malaysian confectionery maker Apollo Food will spend RM10 million in coming months on additional capacity and developing new products, as it seeks to strengthen its position in the sector.

Branded yoghurts lift Bright Dairy's 3Q income

Shanghai-based dairy Bright Dairy has seen a further decline in net profit for the third quarter but strong yoghurt sales during the summer season helped it lift operating income by 7.2 per cent.

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