Asahi Breweries has agreed to acquire P&N Beverages, the third largest soft drinks company in Australia in its latest move towards the goal of joining the ranks of the biggest global food companies.
Danone has agreed to sell its stake in China Huiyuan Juice Group for significantly less than what Coca-Cola offered before its acquisition bid was blocked last year by Chinese competition authorities.
Second quarter income for US chocolate maker, Hershey, fell 35 per cent due to factors such as charges related to its supply chain efficiency programme and the joint venture in India but Asia remains a focal area, said the company.
More money for dairy producers, paid earlier in the season to ease cash flow problems are the aims behind a new incentive payment from Fonterra Australia.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has announced that it is looking to develop agricultural and extraction facilities for stevia in India, as well as market its stevia extracts in the nation.
Cargill’s bid to buy Goodman Fielder’s edible fats and oils business looks to be scuppered by the Australian competition authorities, who say it would be an unacceptable concentration of refining assets in the country.
Cargill has opened a new flavour facility in China, which is expected to enable it to better address regional demand and taste in Asia in a timely fashion.
Emerging markets continue to attract both food processors and equipment suppliers, with AMF Bakery Systems, a leading supplier of bakery equipment in North America, recently expanding its footprint in the Asia Pacific region.
Cargill has entered into an agreement to acquire the edible fats and oils business of Goodman Fielder in Australia and New Zealand, which it says will aid efficient future growth in the region.
AkzoNobel’s National Starch business has acquired Penford’s Australian specialty starch business in order to shorten its supply chain for specialty corn starches in the region - despite National Starch being up for sale.
Sweetener company PureCircle has raised $67.18m through share placing to invest in the development of its natural sweetener products made from stevia leaves.
DSM has said that it intends to look for new partners in China for its nutritional products and anti-infectives, after its contracts with North China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (NCPC) were suspended.
A $1bn food processing investment is being planned for Thailand by the Chinese venture management firm China Science and Merchants Investment Management Company.
Danone’s troubled relationship with China’s Wahaha looks finally to be at an end; and rumours of a new deal with Mead Johnson over baby food are flatly denied.
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.
Pure Circle, supplier of stevia-derived Reb A, is expecting to report a 420 per cent increase in profit in its full year results due to good reception for the first products launched in the US.
The European food and beverage industry could benefit from joint business opportunities in China, says Commissioner, especially for products that have already gained recognition on that market.
The first food-testing laboratory in China recognised to reach international standards for pesticide screenings, melamine and heavy metal testing and microbiological analyses, was opened last month by Eurofins in Suzhou.
Food and beverage companies should look to Asia to bolster their business in times of economic crisis, while differentiating their products closer to home, according to a Frost and Sullivan analyst.
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.
Barry Callebaut has sold its Van Houten Singapore consumer chocolate business to Hershey so it can concentrate on its manufacturer and gourmet customers targeting the Asian market.
Amidst ongoing restructuring of its global operations, Anheuser-Busch InBev says it has agreed to sell off its holding in Tsingtao Brewery, though remains committed to the wider Chinese beer market.
Cargill’s texturizing business is opening offices in Australia and New Zealand to serve local markets as well as customers meeting burgeoning demand for dairy products in Asia Pacific.
Symrise today inaugurated a new pilot plant for flavour encapsulation at its Singapore facility, which the company says is one more step in its expansion in the region.
New Zealand-based dairy group Fonterra says that a branded milk powder marketed in Bangladesh has been cleared for sale in the country after impendent testing found the product free from the industrial chemical melamine.
Two of the world’s leading suppliers and manufacturers of dairy goods have moved to play up their commitments in China as the legacy of the ongoing melamine scandal continues to impact on their operations.
After 20 years of doing business in China and the Asia Pacific,
Irish-based dairy and ingredients group Glanbia has established its
first plant in the Chinese city of Suzhou, near Shanghai.
NutraCea has announced plans to construct the largest rice bran oil
refinery in the world, a move that comes just months after the firm
entered the edible oil market.
Ingredients firm Natreon is set to expand its reach in the Asian
market after teaming up with Maypro, a US-based firm with a strong
presence in the Japanese and Asian markets for functional foods and
dietary supplements.
There is evidence that European potato starch suppliers are losing
out to Chinese competitors, as anti-dumping measures drive rampant
growth for leading Chinese starch maker.
Western suppliers and manufacturers are contributing to earthquake
recovery in China while trying to cope with the effect the quake
has had on their operations.
Purac has officially opened its new lactic acid factory in
Thailand, where it hopes to build on lactic acid growth in Asia as
well as cutting production costs.
Danish ingredients group Danisco today inaugurated a new
application and research facility in China, which the firm hopes
will help it further expand operations in an "important growth
area".