The emergence of 3G Capital into the food sector has shaken the industry and its latest move in 2015 – to merge Heinz with Kraft Foods Group – got people talking, us mulling the impact on the sector and you clicking. Elsewhere, we predicted the battle to buy buoyant for UK meat-free business Quorn Foods would be fierce, analysed some of the key trends in the UK foodservice and discussed how Danone would fare under its new CEO. Click on the headlines to read the commentaries in full.
Nestle reacts to world of 3G Capital and Warren Buffett
Nestle must adapt to emerging consumption trends and consolidation in the food sector with an “acceleration” of its portfolio adjustment efforts, chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe indicated yesterday (17 April). However, the struggling US frozen food business looks like it will avoid the axe – for the time being at least. Katy Askew reports.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Why Quorn Foods auction promises to be competitive
The starting gun on the race for Quorn Foods is to be fired this week, Dean Best wrote in October, and he said interest in the UK meat-free business was likely to be high.
Why USDA action on GMOs could block mandatory labelling
The labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products is a massive hot potato in the US. Not least because states like Vermont are attempting to push through mandatory labelling – something staunchly opposed by much of the food industry. The US Department of Agriculture entered the fray when it revealed the development of a certification and labelling scheme for GMOs under its existing Process Verified Program. Could this help stave off compulsory labels? asked Katy Askew in May.
Read our top ten interviews of 2015, featuring R&R Ice Cream, Wessanen and Bonduelle, here
Campbell Soup Co. should be more acquisitive – but avoid fresh
Campbell Soup Co. has looked to inject growth into its business through acquisitions in recent years and the indications are this is likely to continue. But where should the US giant look to do deals? In July, Stefan Kirk, just-food M&A columnist and advisor at M&A consultants Glenboden, weighed up the group’s options.
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By GlobalDataWhy Heinz-Kraft merger could herald more deals
The latest move by 3G Capital and Warren Buffett in the food sector dominated the headlines in March, with the Heinz owners swooping for Kraft Foods Group to create the third-largest food and beverage group in North America – and the fifth-largest in the world. There had already been signs food majors in the US were turning to M&A – and the mega-merger suggested deal-making could accelerate.
Emmanuel Faber-led Danone gets realistic
At the Consumer Analyst Group of Europe conference in London in March, Danone’s recently-appointed CEO Emmanuel Faber gave a presentation to the investors and analysts in the audience that gave a sense of seriousness, of realism at the French food giant.
How competition is intensifying among UK burger chains
As if hamburger-focused concepts in the UK did not already have enough competition, now the Americans are coming, wrote Technomic’s David Henkes in August, bringing many of their better burger brands across the Atlantic in order to capitalise on one of Britain’s hottest restaurant segments.
Why “simple” and “real” will be industry buzzwords this year
If there’s one thing the industry is sure of, it’s that consumer demand for cleaner, simpler food is on the rise in the US. This was underlined by the repeated mention of the topic through the course of the Consumer Analyst Group of New York event in February, Hannah Abdulla noted.
Fast casual is about to get serious in UK
Fast-casual outlets are a small part of the UK’s restaurant trade – but the sector is growing rapidly, with sales growth outpacing the number of locations opening. Technomic’s David Henkes argued in October fast casual is set to take off in the country.
Mars’ sugar call should be welcomed
Campaigners would contend companies do not often make progressive moves on issues of public concern until pressure has been exerted on them to do so. In the food sector, there is a fair deal of historical evidence to support this, so moves like the one Mars Inc has made on the labelling of added sugar in the US are somewhat rare.
