Danisco has reported a good result for its 2008/9 sugar campaign, which should be the last before the sale of its sugar division to Nordzucker receives regulatory go-ahead.
Chocolate makers are set to absorb yet more price rises for their key ingredient cocoa after prices crashed through the £2,000 (€2133) a tonne barrier last week.
The World Cocoa Foundation is offering a guide to the cocoa industry on sustainability principles that focus on equitable profit, labour standards and environmental issues.
The Real Good Food Company has announced it is consolidating two of its businesses which serve the baking industry to stream-line its management team and build on innovation capabilities.
The sale of Danisco Sugar to Nordzucker now looks unlikely to close this month as planned, as more time is required for the competition authorities to address important questions.
The Ivory Coast is taking steps to protect its cocoa industry with a plan to improve the quality of its crop which is said to have fallen in standards over the last decade, according to reports.
A recent study which claimed to suggest the existence of sugar addiction in animal studies created an unnatural circumstance and may be of little relevance to humans, according to a professor at the University of Swansea.
Scientists for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed two new sugarcane varieties which they have shown to increase yields when grown on Florida’s sand soils.
One of the key trends in product development for 2009 will be natural additives able to keep consumers active, leading to searches for alternatives to caffeine and sugar, according to market research.
An article published in the British Medical Journal today has dismissed the commonly held belief that sugar causes hyperactivity in children as a ‘medical myth’.
The rebuilding of Imperial Sugar’s Port Wentworth refinery following an explosion in February is expected to total $200m-$220m, taking its toll on the company’s full year results, despite stronger sugar prices.
Associated British Foods (ABF) has announced that it has reached an agreement with Ebro Puleva for the acquisition of its Spanish sugar business, Azucarera Ebro, for €385 million.
Troubles for West African cocoa supplies look set to continue following reports that the harmattan, a harsh, crop-damaging wind, has begun to sweep in from the Sahara.
Cocoa prices have proved resilient in the economic downturn, even as other commodity prices have slumped, and confectionery manufacturers are concerned that tight supply will keep prices high for some time yet.
Associated British Foods has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Ebro Puleva’s sugar business for €385m – a deal that would further fortify the world’s second biggest sugar firm.
Efforts this month under the sustainability mantle by leading pod-to-pallet cocoa player Barry Callebaut include a 250,000 tree-planting project in Tanzania, and a tripling of grindings in Ivory Coast.
With sustainability a buzz word for today's confectionery makers, a symposium that kicked off in Ghana today will attempt to get to grips with current issues impacting sustainability in Africa's cocoa supply chain.
The Imperial Sugar Company says it has entered discussions with joint venture group the Louisiana Sugar Refinery (LSR) over joining forces to construct and operate a new refinery in the US.
ADM has this week opened its new cocoa processing plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, a project it began in 2006 in a bid to expand and cater to growing demand for cocoa and chocolate materials from manufacturers.
Costs for cocoa have fallen from a peak of $3000 per tonne in July, to $2551.33 on Monday, but reports of the damaging black pod disease in Ivory Coast could drive prices upwards, compounded by political uncertainty that may see chocolate buyers eager...
While there has been more optimism hovering over the post-reform EU sugar industry this year, ABF cites the new regime as having an on-going effect on the profits of its sugar division.
Cocobod, the cocoa regulator for Ghana, has raised the fixed price it pays to farmers, a move that may not directly impact cocoa processors and buyers but could ultimately result in upward pressure on prices.
Confectionery manufacturers are facing increasing cost pressures as cocoa prices reach their highest in over 20 years as cocoa futures prices soared by 3 per cent.
The high price of cocoa butter has led to greater demand for AAK’s cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) from specialty vegetable oils, and in turn has yielded strong growth in its confectionery fat business area.
Focusing further on cocoa bean sourcing and processing, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut spins-off Chococam, the last of its consumer activities in Africa, to South African food firm Tiger Brands.
Cocoa supplies in Ghana, the world's second largest producer of beans, are being hit by smugglers taking the valuable beans abroad as prices crash through the $3000 barrier.
Strategies for confectionery makers to absorb rocketing price rises
are essential as cocoa prices crash through the $3000 barrier, with
demand outstripping supplies and pulling the stocks-to-grindings
ratio to a 22-year low.
Danisco has announced that it will sell its sugar division to
Nordzucker for DKK5600m, around €751m, bringing to an end months of
speculation as to whether it would agree to a sale or opt to spin
off sugar into a separate business.
Using sugar beet pectin to coat proteins could lead to the
formation of core-shell systems for use as encapsulators or fat
replacers, suggests new research.
UK sweetener group Tate & Lyle reduces risk to earnings from
today's volatile commodity markets, announcing the sale of its
international sugar trading operations to US oilseed giant Bunge.
The potential rise of sugar beet pectin use in the food industry
could see it substitute for gum arabic in emulsions, according to
new results from Wales.
The rare sugar D-psicose may be an ideal substitute for sucrose,
and have the added benefits of boosting antioxidant activity and
boosting shelf-life, say Japanese researchers.
There is a growing demand for cocoa from Latin America to meet the
increasing popularity of premium chocolates in Europe and the US,
according to a speaker at the recent meeting of the World Cocoa
Foundation (WCF) in Ecuador.
French sugar and food solutions company Tereos has confirmed it is
hoping to acquire Danisco's sugar business, and that it is bidding
against Germany's Nordzucker.
Latest figures from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO)
suggest that there will be a rise in world production of cocoa
compared to last year and a rise, though smaller, in world
grindings.
Some food and beverage manufacturers may switch from high fructose
corn syrup (HFCS) to sugar as a result of high corn prices, but
this is only likely to be the case for relatively small scale
users, according to a consultant.
The Imperial Sugar Co today said it will rebuild the parts of its
Georgia sugar refinery that were damaged in last year's explosion,
reinstating it as the second largest refinery in the US.
Barry Callebaut has acquired a 49 per cent stake in Biolands of
Tanzania, Africa's largest exporter of certified organic cocoa,
after purchasing 100 per cent of its top-end cocoa for the past
eight years.
Citizens for Health, a US consumer advocacy group, has launched an
online campaign to warn consumers about the dangers of genetically
engineered (GE) sugar beets in food products.
Ingredients firm Cargill yesterday announced the construction of
its first ever sugar refinery in the US, as part of the company's
plans to provide all possible sweeteners or sugars to the food
industry.
Cosun is expecting its recent acquisition of CSM Suiker to prop up
its margins somewhat in the coming year, as conditions remain tough
for the European sugar industry.
Swiss chocolate company Barry Callebaut is to purchase a 60 per
cent share of Malaysia's KL Kepong Cocoa Products in a move
designed to increase its sourcing capacity in Asia.
Danisco is reorganising its ingredients business in a bid to target
market trends like health and wellness more closely, and deal with
issues that have been affecting parts of its portfolio.
In financial news this week, cocoa prices go up yet again, Cadbury
reveals more de-merger plans, and Sweet China is allowed to return
to the London stock market.
A coalition of ethical stock market investors have called on 63 US
food, beverage and restaurant companies to stop using genetically
modified (GM) sugar beet.
More than half of consumers say they are willing to switch to
sugar-free versions of traditional confectionery lines, which
suggests that sweeteners are no longer considered a 'niche'
ingredient in sweets, claims Beneo Palatinit.
