The Coca-Cola Company has completed the conversion of its minority investment to full ownership of Nigeria-based Chi, Africa’s leading producer of juice and value-added dairy beverages. Founded in Lagos in 1980, Chi produces juice under the Chivita brand and value-added dairy under the Hollandia brand, among many other products. Coca-Cola acquired a 40% stake in…

Mondelēz International has reported a 0.2% rise in net revenue to $25.938 billion for 2018 despite the impact of currency and divestitures. Organic net revenue increased by 2.4%. Operating income decreased by 4.3% to $3.312 billion and margin decreased 60 basis points to 12.8%, driven primarily by the impact from pension participation changes in North…

Despite volatile market conditions, Unilever has reported continued profitable growth for its 2018 financial year. Underlying sales, excluding the spreads business that was sold last July, rose 3.1% to Eur49.6 billion with 2.1% volume and 1.0% price growth. Underlying operating margin increased 90bps and underlying earnings per share increased 5.2%.

The demand to live a healthier lifestyle is increasing, yet 4 in 5 people across Northern Europe do not know about the essential nutrients they have in their diet. New research from Arla Foods* has uncovered a big knowledge gap when it comes to our understanding about food, with 40 per cent also admitting they feel…

Dole Food Company, having received approval from the European Commission, has completed the sale of Saba Fresh Cuts and Saba Fresh Cuts to BAMA International. Saba Fresh Cuts, with a production facility at Helsingborg in Sweden, and Saba Fresh Cuts, with a production facility at Espoo in Finland, are producers of washed and ready-to-eat salads.…

The latest successful tender sale of skimmed milk powder public stocks means that 99% of the total stocks bought and managed by the European Commission have now been sold. The stocks have been prudently released, maintaining market balance and supporting the recovery of the dairy sector, following the 2015-2016 market crisis.

In total, 380,000 tonnes of…

The directors of Walsh Whiskey Distillery have decided to split the business by separating out the existing drinks brands part, built on the Writers’ Tears and The Irishman premium and super-premium Irish whiskeys, from the distillery operation at Royal Oak, in County Carlow. Current sales, marketing and distilling objectives are being fully met, however the…

HKScan has landed an important contract with the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. With its Omega-3 Pork® quality products HKScan is the first company in the Finnish meat industry to place products in Alibaba’s grocery retail reinventing Hema supermarkets and online store.

"Hema chain stands out in the Chinese market with high-quality and exceptional products. This chain…

Nestle has inaugurated its new Bonjorno coffee factory in Egypt, with an investment of SFr13.9 million (€12.3 million).The new 12,740 sq m factory is located in the 6th of October industrial zone in Egypt. It has a workforce of about 240 employees and provides around 7000 indirect jobs. The Bonjorno factory has eight state-of-the-art production lines of soluble coffee…

Vitafoods Europe 2019 (7-9 May, Palexpo, Geneva) will this year explore the collaboration required to shape a more sustainable future for the nutraceutical industry. This follows the growing popularity of plant-based ingredients, as well as the demand for more responsible farming methods, and the unprecedented backlash against packaging over recent years.

2 Sisters Food Group has completed the sale of its sandwich business to Samworth Brothers, the UK-based family owned group that produces chilled and ambient foods, both own label and branded. The facility, located at Manton Wood, Nottinghamshire, produces a range of retailer chilled sandwiches, wraps and rolls.

Experts from some of the world’s biggest brands, including Marks & Spencer, Pepsi Lipton and Church & Dwight Co, together with British Plastics Federation, A Plastic Planet and WRAP, will come together under one roof at Packaging Innovations 2019 to tackle the industry’s most contentious issue – plastics in packaging. The Big Plastics…

Müller Corner Lactose Free[1], the dairy company’s first step into the lactose free sector has been crowned Product of the Year 2019 in the Free From category[2]. Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation, with 10,399 people surveyed.

Solutions to help fruit growers and processors deal with some of the sector’s latest global packing challenges will be the theme of the Proseal stand at Fruit Logistica 2019.

Major current trends include the anti-plastic backlash that is leading to the introduction of alternative materials for trays, and the increasing focus on the importance of minimising…

Acrylamide is fast becoming a big concern for the food industry, due to the growing body of evidence of its role as a potential carcinogen. Acryleast™ is a new fully non-GMO solution for acrylamide reduction brought to market by Kerry Group, the world leading Taste & Nutrition company, in partnership with Renaissance BioScience.…

Growing demand for functional packaging of fresh produce that is suited for automation has prompted StePac to tailor its branded range of Xtend® Modified Atmosphere/Modified Humidity (MA/MH) packaging solutions to be compatible with both automated bulk and retail packing lines.

Label&Print, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 27 & 28 February 2019, will offer visitors an exclusive look at the future of the industry, showcasing the very latest products, services and technologies available to the packaging community. From leading sellers and manufacturers of print and labelling equipment, through to designing, branding and finishing…