Market analysts have branded Barry Callebaut’s $950 million takeover of Petra Foods' cocoa division ‘pricey’, but the Swiss chocolate giant has defended the move despite admitting it will hurt its pockets in the short-term.
Barry Callebaut is set to acquire the cocoa ingredients division of Petra Foods in a $950 million (€730m) deal that will see the firm ‘significantly strengthen its position in cocoa processing'.
Eight ingredients have won EU health claims that can be used to back messaging around metabolic syndrome – although the take-up to date has been lacklustre, says Euromonitor analyst, Diana Cowland.
Barry Callebaut’s joint venture cocoa partner Biopartenaire is now Rainforest Alliance Certified - a move that forms part of a wider puzzle of efforts towards sustainability, it said.
Action on sustainable cocoa must happen in two years, not ten and requires a holistic approach far beyond simple certification and increased production, the editor of a new report says.
Belgian supplier Beneo’s dessert thinktank is showing off some product concepts using sugar-free, ‘tooth-friendly’ isomalt and an already launched oligofructose-stevia blends for functional fibre candy.
Consumers have high expectations of chocolate in terms of taste and mouthfeel – so how easy is it to tinker with chocolate formulations to create an indulgent product that also appeals to the health conscious consumer?
Cocoa certification brings more advantages than disadvantages for farmers and communities as improved yields and pay outweigh rule differences among certifiers and potentially unequal payments, a study has found.
Sugar users in the EU have welcomed plans to release more sugar to the market, while counterparts in the US have condemned the sugar lobby for allegedly exaggerating available supplies.
A bumper performance in the sugar market has helped Associated British Foods balance sharply declining profits in its ingredients and grocery businesses.
Cambodian villagers who claim they were illegally evicted from their land to make way for a sugar plantation that supplies American Sugar Refining (Domino Sugar), have filed a complaint with a US government office that handles alleged breaches of OECD...
Nestlé has spent more than any other confectioner on lobbying in the US this year and has focused its efforts on waste-to-energy legislation and cocoa sourcing in West Africa.
Spanish chocolate and cocoa processor Natra has more than doubled its operating profit in its ninth-month results helped by relaxing cocoa prices, North American expansion and a shift to value added products.
Cargill has extended its sustainable cocoa program to Indonesia and plans to take preventative measure to turn ailing crops into high cocoa yielding money-spinners.
Asia’s cocoa grind for the third quarter has remained essentially flat compared to last year after growth in the previous two quarters, figures released yesterday show.
The European third quarter (Q3) cocoa grind has slumped 16% on the same period last year, but the statistics do not necessarily mean demand for chocolate is waning, according to an analyst.
UTZ Certified has said it will aim for half of the world’s coffee, tea and cocoa to be produced sustainably by 2022, at a tenth anniversary seminar held in Amsterdam this week.
Daily intake of flavanol-rich cocoa products could have benefits for mood and heart healt however there is a great need for detailed research into the mood modifying effects of such ingredients, according to a research.
New chocolate powerhouse Mondelez International will be the next major player to come under the spotlight over child labor on cocoa farms in Africa and will face pressure from NGOs to source 100% certified cocoa.
Chemical distributor Univar has entered into an agreement with Tate & Lyle Sugars to distribute its range of sugar-based sweeteners and texture modifiers across Europe, the company has said.
The Hershey Company has told this site that it plans to work with multiple organizations to meet its recent pledge to use only certified cocoa by 2020, and will communicate progress in annual reports.
Tate & Lyle Sugars is seeking 75 million euros in damages from the European Commission after what it claims to be the ‘mismanagement’ of the European sugar market.
The EU Sugar Users Association (CIUS) has welcomed debate on sugar reform scheduled in the European Parliament on Monday, ahead of an EU vote on whether to abolish sugar quotas under Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms.
Belgian chocolate brand Caluwé Artisan has moved the supply of cocoa for its entire product range to Barry Callebaut’s sustainable single origin Cameroon chocolate, the Swiss cocoa supplier has announced.
A multi-centre collaboration between academia and industry has confirmed a new validation method for cocoa flavanols and procyanidins that study backer Mars says could have, “far-reaching implications for researchers and consumers.”
The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform is making headway in preventing cocoa and coffee crop losses, improving supply and yields for manufacturers.
Functional gum is the obvious stand-out when it comes to nutrition-focused oral health solutions. Some of these products may be aimed at other health conditions like satiety, but the majority focus on battling dental diseases like periodontitis, caries...
Barry Callebaut has announced that it will collaborate with Rainforest Alliance to train members from five farmer cooperatives in Cameroon to produce certified cocoa.
Brazil has temporarily suspended imports from the world’s biggest cocoa grower Ivory Coast after bugs were found in a 10,000 tonne cocoa shipment, according to reports.
Singapore-based Petra Foods’ cocoa ingredients business had nosedived in its second quarter (Q2) results due to weakening chocolate demand in developed markets.
Flavanol-rich extracts from cocoa and green tea may reduce markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in obese adults at risk for insulin resistance, says a new study.
Cocoa products do not represent a major source of the potential carcinogen ochratoxin A in the diet, but may still requite monitoring, according to a new analysis of the supply chain.
The EU sugar industry benefits from a “quasi monopoly” situation as a result of the current EU sugar quota system, according to the European Starch Industry Association, Association de Amidonniers et Feculiers (AAF).
