Dated: 1 May 2008
AGE = OPPORTUNITY?
Growing old isn’t all bad news. A McKinsey report noted that capitalizing on the megatrend of greyng populations in the developed world could be a potentially lucrative business. The health care sector offers the greatest prospect, while food and beverages can expect a modest revenue boost from this.
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CARLSBERG ADVANCES IN VIETNAM
State-owned Vietnamese brewery Habeco, moving into privatization, has given Calsberg the nod for a strategic partnership. Now owner of a 16-percent share in Habeco, Calsberg can look forward to strengthening its market position particularly in North Vietnam.
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WHAT MAKES THAIS BUY?
It’s freshness, and this is what consumers in Bangkok rank as their top priority when shopping for groceries. This perhaps could have something to do with the surge in healthy foods and lifestyle features in local magazines, reports the Asia Food Information Center. Thais also seem to be lapping up articles on functional foods and weight control, the center reported.
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STRONG Q1 FOR ECOLAB
Strong growth from its Latin America and Asia Pacifi c operations, and gains from its US business led to a record first quarter for Ecolab, for the period ending March 31. Consolidated sales rose 16 percent to hit an all-time high $1.5 billion, while sales, calculated in fi ve major currencies, rose 11 percent.
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COCA-COLA IMPROVES EPS
The Coca-Cola Company reported first quarter earnings per share of $0.64, an increase of 19 percent versus the previous year, on a reported basis. Last year, EPS for Q1 was $0.54, owing to a write-off in the Philippines at that time.
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HIDDEN LYCOPENE
Pre-schoolers and older children might be consuming excessive levels of lycopene, both through naturally occurring sources or in food additives, said EFSA in a study. An ideal daily intake is 0.5 mg of lycopene per kilogram of body weight. Food colorings, especially those found in flavored drinks, are often a potentially huge source of lycopene.
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CATERING TO INDIA
Currently worth $90 billion and growing, India’s food processing sector is making global food players sit up. Despite investment rules that some MNCs say discriminate against foreign players, and a lacking cold storage infrastructure, companies are still eyeing a piece of the pie. The processed foods market is estimated to grow at 15 percent annually over the next four years as Indian taste buds become more adventurous and their pockets, deeper.
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ON TRACK GROWTH
Danone posted growth of over 10 percent for dairy, while sales of its water products grew a healthy 7 percent. The biggest earner came from infant nutrition, which raked a record 18.8 percent in its first quarter sales for 2008, the company reported.
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ISHIDA TACKLES COPIES AT INTERPACK
Ishida mounted a legal challenge against three Chinese exhibitors that were found to have infringed its patents in mutihead weigher machines at the Interpack trade fair in Düsseldorf. The copies were discovered by Ishida engineers walking around the halls just before the opening day of the show, said a company press statement. The three companies, High Dream, Jinyi and Saimo, were no longer allowed to exhibit the offending machines and had to either remove them or cover them up. Ishida said that by doing so, it is helping to maintain quality standards in the packaging industry.
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CALL FOR APPROVAL OF AMFLORA
Three leading European potato starch producers are calling on the European Commission to approve Amflora, a genetically enhanced starch potato developed by BASF Plant Science, for commercial cultivation in Europe. AVEBE, Emsland and Lyckeby have put forward that the amylopectin starch could yield great value to European starch potato farmers of up to 100 million euros a year.
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JAPAN TO CONTINUE US BEEF IMPORTS
Japan has said that it will not impose a blanket ban on US beef imports, after a recent discovery of a spinal column in a meat shipment from the US-based National Beef Packing Company. As the violation was apparently an isolated case and not a “systematic problem”, Japan said that it will not react by banning all imports from the US. Source: Datamonitor
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NESTLÉ OPENS NEW FACILITY
Nestlé on April 25 inaugurated a nutrition facility in Konolfingen, Switzerland, for the production of a new-generation probiotic infant formula under the NAN brand. This marks the first stage in a series of investments totaling around CHF 180 million over the next three years. The new nutrition site will tap on synergies alongside Nestlé's Product Technology Centre, also based in Konolfingen.
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GOVERNMENT ACCREDITATION FOR SPECTRUM CHINA
Spectrum China LTD announced that its analytical laboratory in Shanghai has received full accreditation by the China National Accreditation Services for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), a government agency. The laboratory, certified ISO 17025 last year, is designed and equipped to test chemicals and ingredients, as well as to meet USP, NF, BP, JP, European Pharmacopeia and Food Chemicals Codex requirements.
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