nutrition
Nestle puts on weight with Jenny Craig
Nestle SA has agreed with a private equity group including ACI Capital and MidOcean Partners, the acquisition of Jenny Craig, a weight management company offering branded nutritional products and services in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The company achieved sales in excess of US$ 400 million during the past year with double-digit organic […]
Chocolate firm establishes health centre
A North American chocolate company has revealed results of ongoing studies at Yale University, linking the consumption of hot cocoa to improved cardiovascular function. The statement also coincides with the company’s announcement of the establishment of the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition. The Hershey Company plan is to direct scientific research to develop products […]
Diet plate is dish of the day at the House of Commons
The Diet Plate is a revolutionary new slimming tool that is making waves within the slimming industry and has now earned itself an invitation to the House of Commons. So popular has the Diet Plate become that the mighty Weight Watchers organisation has been quick to recognise it as serious competition to its own portion […]
Firms face challenge from health food fads
The current consumer enthusiasm for healthier eating is creating a challenge for food companies. According to a new report from JPMorgan, firms are unsure whether to continue with high margin products that are not deemed so healthy as the narrow margin wellness foods. A research report entitled Obesity: Re-shaping the food industry, says that profitability […]
Heinz has offer for seafood unit
Heinz has received an offer for its European Seafood operations, including the John West, Petit Navire and Mareblu brands, and four processing facilities. The unit has 5,000 employees and annual sales of £400 million. It produces more than 400 million cans of seafood products per year. The factories are based in the Seychelles, Ghana, France […]
Health emissaries bring up school meals
School meals were at the centre of a European Food Industry debate in Brussels recently. Talks were held on the current European health crisis and the impact to food and beverage manufacturers. Representatives from leading companies attended the event, including Cadbury Schweppes, Kraft, Ajinomoto, Nestle, Carrefour, Group Danone, Coca-Cola, and European Food & Drink Trade […]
Lack of trust puts consumers off functional food
A new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor reveals that sales of functional foods have rocketed across Europe, and were worth £4 billion last year. But many consumers are still deterred from buying these expensive products because they simply do not trust the makers. In the UK, where sales reached £419 million in 2004, over […]
Nestle outlook is bright
Nestle has announced sales of CHF67.7 billion for the food and beverage group worldwide during the first nine months of 2005. The 5.6% organic growth across food and beverage was due to the successful extension of distribution beyond the traditional supermarket grocery channel. Peter Bra-beck-Letmathe, chairman and CEO of Nestle said,“The acceleration in our core […]
Heinz and Unilever to exit frozen foods
Both Heinz and Unilever have announced preliminary plans to divest their frozen food businesses. Unilever said it was undertaking a study into ‘strategic options’ for the future of its frozen foods business in western Europe. This encompasses the main brands – Iglo, Findus and BirdsEye – and will cover the 11 countries in Europe where […]
Nestle to grow its own
The board of Nestle SA is to set up the Nestle Growth Fund with £500 million to be invested over five to seven years. This new fund is to help Nestle grow new science and nutrition businesses and ntegrate them into the group’s mainstream business units. This will contribute to the group’s expansion into health, […]
Industry slims on fat, salt and sugar
The UK food and drink industry is revolutionising the nutritional profile of its products, according to a nationwide survey. In September 2004, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) issued a Food and Health Manifesto which set out a series of commitments ranging from reductions in salt, sugar and fat, to action on portion sizes and […]
British Cheese is a favourite
Since the British Cheese Board (BCB) was established a decade ago, cheese consumption has increased by 12.5% – equating to approximately 60,000 tonnes more cheese being eaten in Britain annually. Looking back over the decade the BCB notes the number of named British cheeses has also grown. There are now more than 700 different types, […]