The majority of British consumers are 'confused' by health messages
on food products: meanwhile chocolate and snacks are the last
products to be ditched in a diet regime, finds a new report.
Widespread vitamin deficiencies in Russia reveal opportunities to
develop the country's functional dairy products market, yet further
progress will depend strongly on consumers' ability to pay,
writes Angela Drujinina.
A mother's education and income seem to be the key factors
determining what their children eat, according to a study from the
University of Glasgow, Scotland.
Knocked by an economic slowdown and the strength of the Euro
against the US dollar, growth in turnover for the European food and
drink industry rose by a 1.9 per cent wisp from 2002 to 2003,
concludes a new report from the US government,...
Stronger demand for chemicals lifted sales across all business
units at Cognis, the Germany company said this week, with one of
the best performances from its health ingredients division
confirming the group's focus on wellness,...
French plant extracts firm Naturex will continue to invest in
long-term growth this year, with a new office in Singapore to
increase its share of the Asian market and further acquisitions,
reports Dominique Patton.
The publicity craze surrounding nutritional content and labelling
has helped these two issues replace BSE as the biggest food
concerns among an increasingly sceptical British public - warning
the food industry to stay on its toes,...
Adding value to mature vitamin supplements by combining them with
new ingredients is driving good growth at Merck's consumer health
care business, reports Dominique Patton.
Common mushroom varieties offer significant amounts of heart
healthy fibres, say researchers investigating the carbohydrate
content of mushrooms for the first time.
Europeans are still not sufficiently aware of the risks of
unhealthy eating, according to a new consumer survey presented at
an industry conference last week.
The recent bolt on acquisition of Rhodia Food Ingredients lifted
sales for Danisco in an otherwise challenging first quarter for
2004/2005 but efforts to improve margins appear to be paying off,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Consumption of fresh fruit is on the rise in the UK, shows new
government data, leading to a notable increase in intake of vitamin
C. But a decline in other foods such as milk means calcium, iron
and other nutrients are still lacking...
Marketers of health foods will be encouraged by a new report that
shows Britain's tastebuds are increasingly favourable to fruit, now
the number one snack.
Energy and sports drinks continued their rapid rise up the soft
drinks rankings last year, driven by new product launches and an
increasing trend towards convenience and on-the-go consumption. But
while most of the growth has come...
The annual US Biotechnology Industry Association event started this
weekend in San Francisco with the usual showcase of new
biopharmaceuticals and other technologies. But aside from supplying
the drugs of the future, the biotechnology...
Merck KgaA, owner of the UK's leading supplement brand Seven Seas,
reported a strong rise in sales at its consumer healthcare
division, driven by its omega-3 products and probiotic
multivitamins.
The new vitamins business is already having a marked effect on
performance at chemicals group DSM, which has beaten analysts'
expectations with an 8 per cent rise in income for the first
quarter.
Dairy leaders are reaping the benefits of increasing consumer
interest in functional foods, with both Danone and Nestlé this week
reporting strong growth in probiotic and other healthy products,
report Danny Vincent and Dominique...
The British are not as pushed for time as they would have everyone
believe but convenience in healthcare and eating is seen as an
opportunity to free up time for other lifestyle gains, suggests a
survey of 2000 adults by Mintel.
People appear to be eternally optimistic when it comes to dieting,
always believing that the next diet will lead to weight loss. But
the results of a new study suggest that this cycle of dieting will
continue as most are not prepared...
The French are the most weight-conscious Europeans, reveals a new
study, with almost a third constantly trying to lose weight. They
are also the biggest eaters of 'light' foods and most likely to
check labels for lower calories,...
Almost one in four (23 per cent) German adults admits to often
skipping meals to keep their weight down - a massive 17.5 million
people. But according to a new survey of European dieting habits,
Germans are also the least likely to...
Recent acquisitions boosted sales at the consumer healthcare
business owned by German drug company Merck KgaA, but the company
is a long way from its targeted double-digit growth.
An increasing tendency to diet is restricting intake of essential
vitamins and minerals among UK consumers, suggests the Health
Supplements Information Service, an education initiative funded by
UK supplement makers.
New York-based supplement maker NBTY reported record first quarter
profits last week, with the recently acquired Rexall helping to
double the sales growth achieved in other units.
New ownership for European health retailers appears to have paid
off, with both the Netherlands-based De Tuinen chain and GNC's
stores in Britain reporting first quarter profits.
Lonza CEO Markus Gemuend said today he will step down as the group
announced profits had fallen by 59 per cent on the previous year
and a 'major setback' in performance.
Healthy foods targeted at children represent a major opportunity
for the food and drink industry, according to a new report that
demonstrates growing parental concern about the family diet.
In the wake of terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001
Europe's manufacturing industries have taken a knock but figures
released this week reveal that the food industry is managing the
course, registering a 'light...
An upbeat Numico yesterday lifted its outlook for the year after
showing good growth in its core baby food and clinical nutrition
units in the third quarter and first nine months, and even a sales
increase at the recently divested...
Britain is increasingly becoming a nation of extremes, with the gap
between the very rich and very poor, and the overweight and
underweight, becoming wider every year - all of which has
implications for the nation's food and...
Dutch infant food and nutrition company Royal Numico continues to
strive for profitability, but despite an improved performance
overall, divestments and continued poor performance by its vitamins
retail business GNC continue to plague...
The more nuts you eat, the lower your cholesterol, a new study
appears to suggest. Researchers at the Lorna Linda University in
California found that people who replaced 20 per cent of their
energy intake with almonds significantly...
More than 200 companies active in the nutrition, health foods and
dietary supplements sector are to exhibit at France's Natexpo,
taking place this year in October. The show also offers seminars on
the country's €274 million...
Cognis, the group behind Tonalin CLA, reported an organic sales
growth of €13.9 million for the first quarter, up 1.7 per cent from
last year, although total sales were hit hard by negative exchange
rates, falling almost 7 per cent.
The UK complementary medicines market has grown by almost 60 per
cent in the last five years to an estimated value of £130 million
(€187m), despite the impact of new legislation and negative
publicity regarding herbal remedies and...
Speciality chemicals company Cognis yesterday reported its
operating result before EBITDA rose 3 per cent to €393 million for
2002, despite flat sales during the year.
Reporting a 1 per cent drop in sales over 2002 and a significantly
lower net income, German fine chemicals group Degussa predicted
sales in core operations should rise to around €11.5 billion for
2003.
Changing lifestyles are driving self-medication in Spain, according
to a new report. More and more people are buying treatments over
the counter, particularly to help stop smoking, to help sleeping
and for eye care.
The health food and sports nutrition business of Novartis, now
called Nutrition & Santé, saw a small rise in sales for fiscal
2002. The Swiss pharma group is trying to grow the unit ahead of
its planned divestment.
Dutch natural foods group Wessanen reported a strong performance at
its Tree of Life Europe unit, with sales up 22 per cent in the
third quarter. Economic conditions are still affecting US sales,
however, although the company says...
The maker of Tropicana orange juice, the Gatorade energy drink, and
Quaker Oats said sales for the 2002 third quarter climbed 4 per
cent on the same period last year to $6.38 billion (€6.5bn).
Obesity continued to increase dramatically during the late 1990s
forAmericans of all ages, with nearly one-third of all adults now
classified asobese, according to new data from the 1999-2000
National Health and Nutrition Examination...
Speciality chemicals business Cognis saw first half sales rise a
mere 1 per cent on the same period last year, generating €1,633
million. The company's chief financial officer blamed the difficult
world economy for slowing growth,...
Two thirds of HIV patients are using therapies such as
multivitamins and Chinese herbs which could have serious negative
consequences, according to research from the US.
