Despite retailers and shoppers getting into the festive spirit, the latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, for the 12 weeks to 2 December 2018, show the sector is now growing at 2.0% – its slowest rate since March 2017.

European dairy co-operative Arla Foods has reached an agreement with US-based international confectionery, food, and beverage company Mondeléz International to acquire its processed cheese business in the Middle East region, which is currently licensed under the Kraft brand. The acquisition also gives Arla full ownership of a state-of-the-art cheese production site in Bahrain, which provides…

The Carlsberg Group has acquired 28.5% of the shares in Viacerm which is the controlling shareholder of Super Bock Group, holding 56% of the shares. The other 44% of the shares in Super Bock Group are owned by Carlsberg.

Super Bock Group is the market leader in Portugal, holding a market share of 47% with a…

Müller Milk & Ingredients has completed a £15 million project to substantially upgrade Scotland’s largest fresh milk dairy in Bellshill and secure 265 jobs. The project represents the largest single investment in Scottish dairy processing for more than a decade.

Edrington, the international premium spirits company, has announced that chief executive officer Ian Curle will retire in March 2019 after 15 years in that role. His successor will be Scott McCroskie, who is currently a member of the Edrington board and managing director of The Macallan.

Greencore Group, a leading manufacturer of convenience food in the UK, has reported a 4.2% increase in revenue from continuing operations to £1.499 billion for the year ending 28 September 2018. Adjusted operating profit rose by 3.6% to £110.6 million, with improved profits in food to go categories being partly offset by a decline in…

Mondelēz International has announced a new investment in its Global Technical Center in Wroclaw, Poland. Only 1.5 years after the center opening, the company invested a further $5 million, in addition to the initial $17 million investment, to expand the research and development activities beyond Chocolate and Bakery and serve Gum and Candy innovation. This state-of-the-art facility will now serve…

Royal FrieslandCampina, the global dairy group, has acquired US-based importer and distributor Jana Foods. The acquisition will further strengthen FrieslandCampina’s position in supplying Dutch specialty cheese to the US market. Jana Foods will be integrated in the FrieslandCampina Consumer Dairy USA business.

Europe’s beer production rose to an eight-year high in 2017 bolstered by record exports, a rise in micro-breweries and increased low-alcohol products. According to The Brewers of Europe’s latest report on Europe’s beer sector, production increased by 2 million HL 39.6 billion litres, exports reached an all-time high, with one in five beers shipped abroad and…

PepsiCo has completed its $3.2 billion acquisition of SodaStream International, the international producer of home carbonation systems. SodaStream is the largest sparkling water brand by volume in the world and the leading manufacturer and distributor of Sparkling Water Makers.

Cargill’s cocoa & chocolate business has commemorated its 10th anniversary in Ghana by announcing plans for future investment and farmer support. Cargill’s 2022 roadmap for Ghana includes:

* 80,000 farmers receiving capacity building support and facilitated access to inputs through our Farmer Field Schools

* The provision of one million new cocoa seedlings for rehabilitation of old farms…

Dutch impact organization Tony’s Chocolonely, retailer Albert Heijn and chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut have forged a strategic partnership to end child labour and modern slavery in the chocolate industry. Together the companies are setting a new industry standard that increases pressure on the wider chocolate industry to drive structural change to work towards a more…

India and China will host the forthcoming IDF World Dairy Summits in 2022 and 2023 respectively in their capitals. Both countries won the right to host the annual IDF flagship event with unanimous support from the General Assembly.

Tate & Lyle, a leading global food and beverage ingredients and solutions provider, is introducing two new no-calorie sweeteners extracted from stevia leaves. These are the latest additions to its partnership portfolio with Sweet Green Fields, one of the largest privately held, fully integrated global stevia ingredient companies.

With OPTIMIZER Stevia™ 4.10 and INTESSE® Stevia 2.0,…

Over 300 leading suppliers are already signed up for Packaging Innovations 2019, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 27 & 28 February 2019. Now in its 14th year, the UK’s largest annual event for the entire packaging supply chain boasts its largest ever exhibitor base, with more innovation and exclusive product launches than ever…

According to a new study by Carlsberg UK, consumers across the UK believe that low or no alcohol beer is becoming more socially acceptable. The brewer behind a growing collection of low and no alcohol beers including Carlsberg 0.0% and San Miguel 0.0%, commissioned a study carried out by OnePoll, which delved into the drinking…

The negotiators of the Council and the European Parliament with the presence of the European Commission have reached a political agreement on the new rules for the production and labelling of spirit drinks and for the registration and protection of spirit drinks registered as geographical indications (GI).

Global sales of premium bottled water reached US$16.5 billion at consumer prices in 2017, 48% more than five years ago, according to a new report from Zenith Global, the global food and drink experts. Consumption volume also rose strongly by 26% over the five years to 11.2 billion litres.

Celebrating its 21st year, The International Food & Drink Event (IFE) – the UK’s leading and largest food & drink event – is returning to ExCeL London 17–20 March 2019. A must-attend event, IFE 2019 will provide buyers with the chance to discover emerging trends; meet with thousands of international, future-focused producers and brands; and hear inspiring and…

Food retailers in Austria, like in many other European countries, are increasingly choosing vacuum skin packaging. This technology can be found in a growing number of varieties across the retail shelves, owing to its obvious benefits: securely sealed under deep vacuum, food products have a significantly longer shelf life and can be presented in a…

To present the highest quality asparagus and artichoke in a variety of dressings, Bonduelle has turned to Ardagh Group to produce an eye-catching rectangular aluminium can for its premium Cassegrain range. Each of the products in the range is identified through the striking design printed at Ardagh’s at the La Flèche facility, France,…