Flowers Foods has expanded its bakery empire with the acquisition of certain Sara Lee and Earthgrains assets and trademarks in California and Oklahoma City from Grupo Bimbo subsidiary BBU, Inc, for an undisclosed sum.
Underlying sales growth in North America dipped 3.5% at Unilever in the third quarter of 2012, although emerging markets continue to “offer outstanding growth opportunities”, said the firm.
The Hershey Company has reported a profit drop in its third quarter (Q3) results after tax rate rises, commodity costs and charges related to supply chain efficiencies hit the company’s results.
After buying Vermont Hard Cider Company for $305m, C&C Group said the firm offered it strong growth prospects due to low US cider penetration, while the deal also snagged it 20% of a Chinese start-up brand.
Dr Pepper Snapple CEO Larry Young has urged patience on the firm’s new mid-calorie TEN portfolio, as analysts quizzed him on whether the brand was cannibalizing regular Dr Pepper sales, down 2% in Q3 2012.
Twinkies-maker Hostess Brands says it hopes it will be able to exit Chapter 11 in a few months, but has warned employees in the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) that strike action will force it to liquidate...
Food and nutrition giant Nestlé has reported improved sales in its 9-month results driven by growth in emerging markets, but Q3 was a little slower than last year.
A Chicago company has sued Nestlé over claims that 5-gallon water jugs it bought for its office dispensers were advertised as spring water when in fact they were filled with tap water.
Kellogg’s recent recall of two cereal products following a metal mesh contamination scare will cost the firm between $20-30m and will hit consumer trust in the short-term, an analyst says.
A California beverage company called LifeAID is trying to carve out new territory between energy beverages and sugary hydration drinks with a line of products aimed at golfers, cross fit enthusiasts and, now, partiers.
Unilever has added new ‘challenges and wants’ to its open innovation platform, this time seeking help with a stable natural red colour for fruit and dairy, and technologies to reduce sugar in ready to drink teas.
Diamond Foods has said it will file all of its late SEC filings ‘as promptly as practicable’ following a second NASDAQ determination letter threatening delisting.
Nestlé will launch a reformulated version of single-serve coffee product Nescafé 1+2 Original in China this month, and claims that consumer tastes in the nation have changed.
Dispatches from the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2012
PepsiCo is developing a novel protein-based product designed to appeal to women that “won’t show up on a shelf the way you envision it”, revealed bosses at its Nutrition Ventures arm at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) this week.
Constellation Brands claims that Mexican brew Modelo Especial is now the ‘hottest’ beer brand in the US, and CEO Robert Sands says he expects it to become the next Corona.
The Kellogg Company has reformulated its Special K Protein Plus cereal and pushed it as a favorable choice for consumers looking manage weight over the fall.
Twinkies maker Hostess Brands has got the green light from the bankruptcy court to force members of the union representing a big chunk of its staff to accept a deal they have overwhelmingly rejected.
Heart-health spreads maker Smart Balance has unveiled plans to split into two business segments, move its HQ to Boulder, CO, and change its name to Boulder Brands as it moves “from a single‐brand, single‐category model to a comprehensive, natural brands‐based,...
Gum titan Wrigley is engaged in a legal dispute in the US over a flavor of its 5 Gum that uses the trademarked name ‘Swerve’ belonging to sweetener makers Swerve IP.
The serial entrepreneurs behind Terra Chips and Stonyfield Farms look set to achieve similar success with gourmet world cuisine brand Saffron Road - another niche brand that is rapidly moving into the mainstream, this time in the frozen food aisle.
Campbell Soup Company has taken steps to cut costs and reallocate manufacturing capacity in light of volume declines in the canned soup business in the United States, the company announced Thursday.
British polymer firm Revolymer, the creators of Rev7 degradable gum, has suffered a loss in its first half results as US sales were lower than expected.
Big interview: Russ Moroz, VP Research Development & Quality, Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods has made significant cuts in sodium across its portfolio - and is currently working on “proprietary approaches to take this work to the next level” - but there is “not yet a silver bullet in the toolbox”, admit R&D chiefs at the firm.
Dallas-based dairy giant Dean Foods is inviting potential buyers to cast a slide rule over its Morningstar warehouse delivery business - the smallest of its three divisions - as it seeks to reduce its debt pile.
PepsiCo has won a US Tax Court judgment against the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which claimed the firm owed it circa. $363m in unpaid tax relating to operations in Europe and Puerto Rico.
ConAgra Foods is pumping $100m into expanding its facility in Russellville, Arkansas, to make Bertolli and P.F. Chang's frozen meals in a move that will create 80 new jobs.
Kelloggs’ 50:50 joint venture with agribusiness giant Wilmar must target the lucrative snacks sector as Western breakfast cereals remain unpopular in China and local competition is strong, say analysts.
US cereal giant Kellogg has struck a 50:50 joint venture with Chinese agribusiness monopoly Wilmar International that will manufacture and sell cereals and snacks across the country.
While higher ticket prices have dented volumes of its Banquet brand, ConAgra is predicting a steady rebound in the frozen case this year as innovative new products gain traction.
Coca-Cola has hailed a 'vote of confidence' in management, after staff voted against making its Fort Worth bottling site the firm's first corporate-owned unionized plant in the South.
Nestlé has invested almost $8m in a new production line at its factory in Jamaica which makes Supligen, a milk-based nutritional meal supplement popular in the Caribbean.
New Nature Valley protein bars will be as big as Fiber One brownies in their first year, General Mills has predicted as consumers replace “mindless munching” with healthier snacking options.
Hostess Brands is seeking a legal means to force members of the union representing a big chunk of its staff to accept a deal they have rejected by an overwhelming majority, or says it will have no choice but to liquidate the company.
Hershey has officially opened its expanded chocolate factory in West Hershey, PA, unveiling “technology never before used in the manufacture of confectionery”.
PepsiCo plans to invest about $38m on a new high-tech warehouse distribution system for its Frito-Lay factory and distribution center in Killingly, Connecticut.
The days of “spray and pray innovation at Kraft are gone” with “big bet” new products expected to meet more rigorous standards before they are launched in future, says the new boss of Kraft’s North American grocery business.
Four power brands, three priority markets and two innovation platforms will drive growth for Mondelez’s chocolate segment, according to the firm’s category head.
Jif peanut butter to Folgers coffee maker JM Smucker says K-cups have added almost $180m to its top line in just two years from a standing start and now represent nearly 8% of its $2.3bn coffee business.
The Hershey Company has agreed a deal to buy Godrej Industries 49% stake in the two companies’ Indian joint venture and has announced plans to set up its own subsidiary: Hershey India
Packaged foods specialist B&G Foods is in search of shelf-stable brands or groups of brands with “defensible, niche positions” in their categories and sales of less than $100m, says chief executive Dave Wenner.
Campbell Soup impressed investors with higher-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter but admitted that its turnaround “is taking us longer than we anticipated”.
Gruppo Campari today announced a US $414.7m deal to acquire Jamaican rum company Lascelles (LdM) de Mercado and said it planned to use its new heritage brands to spur 'underdeveloped' super-premium rum sales worldwide.
US dairy Dean Foods has announced a fresh round of lay-offs at its Evart, Michigan-based Liberty Dairy plant – the latest signal of its intentions to call time on production at the facility.