Top stories on just-food this week

The results season continued this week with US dairy giant Dean Foods, French food group Danone and PepsiCo all issuing their full-year numbers. Away from the balance sheets, UK food regulators urged the country to follow a more balanced diet with their campaign to curb the consumption of saturated fat. These are the ten most popular stories on just-food this week.

FRANCE: Danone sticks to targets after profits jump
Danone, the French food group, has maintained its earnings targets after posting a 15% rise in profits for 2008.

(For our analysis of how Danone performed in 2008 and the outlook for the company, click here).

US: Dean Foods enjoys Q4 earnings lift
Dean Foods has posted a jump in fourth-quarter profits despite falling sales as the US dairy group benefited from declining energy and commodity prices.

US: Revamp eats into PepsiCo Q4 earnings
PepsiCo today (13 February) reported a slump in fourth-quarter earnings, hurt by restructuring and impairment charges - but the company said underlying profits rose 6%.

UK: FSA urges action on saturated fat
Eating leaner meat, cutting down on cakes and biscuits and opting for stronger varieties of cheese should slash the levels of saturated fat consumed in the UK, the country's food watchdog said today (10 February).

BELGIUM: Delhaize pulls Unilever brands in price row
Unilever has become embroiled in a pricing row with Belgian retailer Delhaize that has seen 250 of the consumer goods giant's brands delisted.

US: Kraft freezes executive pay
Kraft Foods has frozen the salaries of its top executives for 2009 as the US food giant looks to be "prudent" during the economic downturn.

UK: Industry fund eyes premium chocolate
Premium chocolate and functional beverages are two of the food and drink categories being eyed by a investment fund set up to provide finance for small UK firms amid the economic downturn.

US: Congress spotlights PCA boss in salmonella scare
The boss of the US peanut processor at the centre of the country's salmonella outbreak falsified documents and pressured regulators as he riled against the cost and delay the contamination was causing his company, internal documents obtained by Congress reveal.

SPAIN: Strike disrupts Panrico production
Production at Panrico's facilities in Catalonia ground to a halt yesterday (8 February), after around 800 workers went on strike over pay and the Spanish baker's plans to transfer a production line to Milan.

AUS/UK: Free-from, ethical can help Oz thrive in UK
Australian food exporters, particularly those selling ethical and free-from products, can still thrive in the UK despite the recession, government officials told just-food today (12 February).