Nestlé’s financial results highlight the UK and Ireland as growth markets for the company in 2012 despite the tough economic environment. Nestlé UK & Ireland delivered growth by responding to the changing shopping habits of UK consumers, particularly in the growing online, convenience and discounter sectors.
Sales of Kit Kat increased in 2012. The tough economy has not diminished consumers’ commitment to Fairtrade. Following the success of Fairtrade Kit Kat 4-finger in recent years, Kit Kat 2-finger achieved Fairtrade certification in January 2013. Kit Kat 2-finger is now the second biggest Fairtrade product in terms of individual products sold, second only to bananas.
Traceability is a crucial topic of concern that reaches into all aspects of the packaging industry. It impacts prudct security, affects consumer safety, thwarts counterfeiters and facilitates quality improvements. Further, it’s no longer simply a good idea; in many parts of the globe, implementing serialization and traceability technology is becoming a requirement.
New research from Mintel reveals that the sugar and gum market in Brazil has, for the first time, broken the R$10 billion (€3.8bn) barrier. And it’s a sweet outlook for the future of the sector too, as Mintel forecasts market revenue to grow at a rate of 5% a year, annual growth peaking at 6% in 2014 and 2016, when the World Cup and Olympic Games will take place. Furthermore, by 2017 the market is set to reach a mouthwatering R$14bn (€5.3bn). While value sales continued to grow, volume levels have remained stable, at an average of 260 thousand tonnes a year from 2007 to 2011.
Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V. announced that BBU Inc. , its business in the United States, has obtained approval from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to complete additional divestitures required by the DOJ in connection with BBU´s November 2011 acquisition of Sara Lee Corporation´s North American Fresh Bakery business (NAFB). The approved transaction includes perpetual, exclusive, and royalty-free licenses to the Sara Lee and Earthgrains brands for sliced breads, buns, and rolls in the state of California, and a perpetual and royalty free license to the Earthgrains brand in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, both to Flowers Foods Inc. of Thomasville, Georgia.
European Newsletter U.S. Wheat Associates – February 2013
Calls for revoking Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status on common ingredients seems to be the new norm for controlling excess consumption. In 2011, the American Public Health Association asked the FDA to “remove or modify” salt’s GRAS status because allows unlimited sodium in foods. Now the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is trying the same tactic to limit the amount of added sugars in beverages.
While some markets have remained flat and several of the Global Top 100 Confectioneries have lower sales figures than seen in the past, 2012 still saw several mega-mergers and positive gains by quite a few candy companies.
When we think of terrorist targets, skyscrapers and monuments probably come to mind before the national food supply. But researchers at Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) warn that the food supply is vulnerable and have urged the government and industry stakeholders to develop a plan to protect against biological, chemical, physical or radioactive contamination of the food supply.
