Philippines-based Universal Robina will spend P5.6 billion (€87m)
this year to expand its branded foods range and increase its
presence in other Asian markets, URC president Lance Gokongwei told
reporters last week.
The world's biggest instant noodle maker, Indofood, said yesterday
that its 2005 net profit fell 68 per cent on the prior year to
IDR124 billion (€11.4m).
US soft drinks giant Pepsi opened its first research and
development centre outside the US in Shanghai yesterday, signaling
its commitment to the fast-growing Chinese market.
Uni-President, Taiwan's biggest food group, is looking for private
equity to allow it to expand further in the Chinese beverage
sector, according to a report.
An RFID tracking system designed to slow the spread of avian flu
will be tested this month by China's poultry industry, currently
facing flagging demand and low prices following several outbreaks
of the disease in different provinces.
South Korean brewer Hite announced Friday it work with Jinro, the
country's leading distiller, to create the leading bottled water
brand on the national market.
South Korea and the United States are set to begin talks on a free
trade agreement that promises to benefit food and drink sector
firms on both sides of the Pacific.
PepsiCo has announced it will invest another $850m in China over
the next three years in recognition of the country as a rapidly
emerging market for soft drinks and snack foods.
A survey of the effects of bird flu on the Spanish poultry market
demonstrates the complex interplay between government intervention,
consumer concerns and industry reaction to a disease that has the
potential to cripple the sector.
South Korean kimchi exports have jumped in the first 10 months of
the year, after the media reported it may have a preventative
effect against avian influenza.
The proportion of value-added food and beverage products exported
from New Zealand has continued to rise steadily against commodity
products, with the value-added sector enjoying growth of nearly 10
per cent in the past five years.
A UK lobby group is targeting the Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil
industries, claiming that intense farming of plantations is
threatening the orang-utan with extinction.
Australian brewer Lion Nathan has responded to last week's
objections by Coopers, the subject of a hostile takeover by the
firm, with similar claims of foul play.
Foster's has taken a streamlined approach to 'brand Australia' on
the world wine market, announcing two wineries will be sold off as
the firm tries to realise cost-savings from its Southcorp buyout.
Australia has imposed an indefinite ban on the Selecta ice cream
brand over fears that its ingredients could be affected by the
incidence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the Philippines.
More productive sugarcane varieties can be delivered two to three
years earlier, say Australian scientists, helping the sugar
industry maintain its productivity and sustainability.
Consumption of vitamins and minerals in China is growing, thanks to
immense economic growth and the emergence of a new consumer
culture. There may be opportunities for foreign companies to export
to the country to make up for a shortfall...
A Vegetarian Food Industry Association will be set up in China this
year to combat the use of animal material in vegetarian products,
according to the China Food Culture Research Organisation.
India's dairy industry is priming the country's research centres
with funds in a bid to mechanise the region's indigenous foods
sector ahead of moves to apply international food safety standards,
Hridyesh Pandey reports.
There has been a rapid increase in the incidence of foodborne
parasitic diseases, stemming from the country's burgeoning demand
for raw food, according to new figures from the Chinese government.
Vietnam has announced that seafood exports have risen during the
first four months of the year, despite ongoing trading difficulties
with the US, Tom Armitage reports.
Australian prawn farmers have reacted angrily to the government's
proposed labelling reforms, which could provide the country's food
producers with increased competition from imports, Tom Armitage
reports.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has backed calls for a joint
feasibility study, which will look at ways of achieving the
European Commission's desire for closer trading links with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations...
South Korea's Lotte Confectionery Company, the country's largest
snack food manufacturer, has acquired a 100 per cent stake in a
Chinese confectioner - a move which will not only bolster its
influence among China's...
French dairy giant Danone has received approval from the Chinese
authorities to more than double its existing stake in China's
biggest dairy company, Tom Armitage reports.
The Philippines may have to import more rice than it has for seven
years if a prevailing drought cuts rice production as feared,
suggested a senior agricultural official.
Heineken last week announced its decision to acquire a 40 per cent
stake in the Chinese brewery Jiangsu DaFuHao, after intimating in
its February results that it would continue to look for investment
opportunities.
South Korea's Food and Drug Administration has begun inspecting
outlets of fast food restaurant operators after the Chinese
operation of KFC admitted that it had discovered traces of the
banned food dye, Sudan 1. The threat of...
The future of the milk formula market in China lies with better
product quality and greater brand loyalty following the revelation
last year that much of the formula on sale there was fake. The move
towards higher margin products...
Enzymotec, the Israeli company which develops lipid-based
ingredients for the nutraceuticals and functional foods markets, is
hoping to take advantage of a perceived demand for healthy cooking
oils in the Asia Pacific region.
As Chinese consumers become more aware of genetically modified (GM)
food, rejection of the technology is also growing in China,
according to Greenpeace.
Thirty-two Chinese companies are to appeal against a ruling by the
US Department of Commerce which found them guilty of dumping large
quantities of shrimps onto the US market and imposed punitive
import duties.
China is becoming an increasingly potent force in the worlds food
market, with sales continuing to grow each year in line with
substantial gains in consumer spending power, writes Chris
Jones.
Indofood, Indonesia's biggest food company, has reported 2004
profits severely hit by the devaluation of the rupiah, but remains
hopeful of an upturn in 2005 following efforts to reduce its
exposure to exchange rates and the...
One of Asia's biggest food retailers, Dairy Farm, has this week
announced strong sales growth for 2004 helped by the recovery of
many local economies and a raft of recent acquisitions. But
increasing competition from European...
Indonesia's largest noodle producer Indofood Sukses Makmur has
joined forces with the world's biggest food company Nestlé to
create a new joint venture which will expand production and
marketing of the two firms' various...
Scientists at the University of Derby and the University of Malaya,
in Kuala Lumpur, are working on a freezing technology that aims to
help save the Malaysian banana - which is in danger from being
wiped out due to fungal disease.
China Food Industries has announced plans to triple the size of its
cold room facilities, despite announcing a fall in sales for the
full year ending in December.
The world's biggest food retail groups are continuing to strengthen
their positions in the massive Chinese market, buoyed by a recent
relaxation of the regulations requiring them to use local partners.
Carrefour and Wal-Mart...
The Shanghai Jinshan District Government has confirmed that Suntory
Investment, a Chinese investment company, has acquired 74 per cent
equity of Shanghai Eastern Sea Beer, a leading brewery company
located in Zhangyan County of the...
China has announced a slew of initiatives to boost its agricultural
sector in the face of rising imports and domestic producers
struggling to meet demand, reports Anand Krishnamoorthy.
Europe and the US continue to dominate demand in the €4.5 billion
flavours market, but Asia Pacific region is quickly catching up
thanks to high single-digit growth, reveal figures from a new
report.
