Latest food industry analysis

What are the prospects for insect-based food? 10 May 2018

Simon Creasey

Two major European retailers have started to stock edible, insect-based food, a sign a growing number of consumers are starting to accept the idea of eating the likes of crickets and mealworms. Simon Creasey looks at the scope of the market so far, consumer interest in the products and what the outlook for the sector could be.

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TreeHouse Foods' CEO Steven Oakland faces turnaround challenge 7 May 2018

Simon Harvey

New TreeHouse Foods chief Steven Oakland has only been in the hot seat at the US own-label supplier for a matter of weeks but, despite better-than-expected underlying earnings per share, the company's results for the first quarter of 2018 gave an indication of the challenge ahead. Simon Harvey reports.

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How frozen food is seeing renaissance in Europe 7 May 2018

Olly Abotorabi, IRI

For years seen as the less glamorous alternative to fresh, frozen food has been making a quiet comeback across Europe. Olly Abotorabi, senior insights manager at IRI International, considers why demand for frozen is hotting up.

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Food industry M&A eases again in April - data 4 May 2018

Dean Best

just-food's index of mergers and acquisitions in the international packaged food sector highlights the volume of deals being announced, as company strategists look to M&A to gain an edge on their competition.

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How can food companies engage in the Global Goals agenda on water? 1 May 2018

Ben Cooper

Following just-food's in-depth look at how food companies are aligning sustainability objectives with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Ben Cooper examines how food companies can engage in UN SDG 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

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What does the Sainsbury's-Asda merger mean for food suppliers? 30 Apr 2018

Andy Coyne

The news that Sainsbury's and Asda, two of the UK's 'big four' supermarkets, are to merge, creating a new entity with a 30%+ market share, is likely to have a marked impact on suppliers, especially as the retailers have already spoken of slashing costs. Andy Coyne reports.

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Ceres report suggests food sector taking lead on sustainability - analysis 27 Apr 2018

Ben Cooper

Major food multinationals are often mentioned as being among those taking a leadership position in the drive to make global businesses more sustainable and engage the corporate sector constructively in collective efforts to tackle global sustainability challenges.

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Hershey steps up rationalisation to boost margins after tough Q1 - analysis 27 Apr 2018

Simon Harvey

Hershey yesterday (26 April) reported a rise in reported first-quarter sales and earnings but took down its forecast for annual organic sales and cut its estimate for full-year adjusted gross margins. Simon Harvey looks into a challenging opening quarter for the US candy giant.

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Is Nestle's new sugar-reduction technology a game-changer? 25 Apr 2018

Ben Cooper

Nestle has launched an addition to its Milkybar range containing 30% less sugar than a comparable ordinary chocolate bar. Ben Cooper looks at the technology behind Milkybar Wowsomes and assesses its potential to be used more widely in the confectionery sector and other food categories.

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Nestle on Brazil, China, US, AgeCore row and M&A - top takeaways from Q1 commentary 19 Apr 2018

Dean Best

On an organic basis, Nestle's first-quarter sales beat analyst expectations as volumes offset the company's weakest pricing since 2000. The result meant the world's largest food maker stuck to its forecast for its organic sales to grow by 2-4% this year. However, beyond the numbers, Nestle's senior management issued some interesting commentary on trading in countries key to many food multinationals, on its pricing dispute with European buying group AgeCore and gave a flavour of its appetite for M&A

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Has organic become mainstream in the US? 16 Apr 2018

Victor Martino

Continued progress in the US organic market seems inevitable, Victor Martino writes, but there could be some bumps in the road ahead. In his latest column for just-food, Martino looks at how we got here and at where the category is likely to go next.

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Coca-Cola's Innocent eyes UK appetite for dairy-free - analysis 12 Apr 2018

Dean Best

Coca-Cola Co.'s decision to take UK smoothie and juice brand Innocent into the dairy alternatives market raised eyebrows but the move has garnered a largely positive reaction. Dean Best reports.

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UK sports nutrition deep-dive part two - what does the future hold?  11 Apr 2018

Andy Coyne

In part two of our look at the UK sports nutrition category, Andy Coyne takes a close look at the opportunities in the market and at threats to its continued growth.

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UK sports nutrition deep-dive part one - what's fuelling the growth? 11 Apr 2018

Andy Coyne

In part one of a two part feature, Andy Coyne takes a close look at the drivers behind the rapid growth of the UK sports nutrition market.

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Becoming a B Corp 9 Apr 2018

Ben Cooper

Here, just-food details the process a food company will have to go through in order to gain B Corp certification.

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Food M&A dips in March but climbs in Q1 - data 9 Apr 2018

Dean Best

just-food's index of mergers and acquisitions in the international packaged food sector highlights the volume of deals being announced, as company strategists look to M&A to gain an edge on their competition.

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Why should food companies consider becoming B Corp? 5 Apr 2018

Ben Cooper

A B Corp business takes into account stakeholders in general, rather than holding as pre-eminent the return to its shareholders. The B Corp movement has grown substantially since its launch in the US in 2007 and now claims a foothold in some 150 countries. Food manufacturers, from the very small to just about as large as they come, have found themselves drawn to the B Corp ideals of sustainable business. Ben Cooper spoke with B Corp food companies and advocates for the B Corp movement in the US and the UK to find out more.

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What is driving Europe's salty-snacks market? 3 Apr 2018

Olly Abotorabi, IRI

Shoppers across Europe are looking for healthier and lighter options when it comes to food and drink choices and we're also seeing the rise of the ‘on the go’ consumer, which is helping to drive demand for more convenient products. Europe's salty-snacks category is not immune to these trends, as IRI's senior regional insights manager, Olly Abotorabi, explains.

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General Mills' profit warning - five things to learn 27 Mar 2018

Dean Best

General Mills caused grumbles on Wall Street last week with another downward revision to its forecast for a key profit metric - the second change announced in a month. The US group "feels good" about its top-line performance but knows it needs to work on its profitability, even if it insists some of the factors affecting its bottom line are sector-wide. How General Mills reacts will be keenly watched by investors and industry. Dean Best reports.

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Is Spain's healthy-eating push enough? 22 Mar 2018

Ben Cooper

Spain has become the latest country to see government and industry jointly launch a plan to cut the levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat across a range of foods. Ben Cooper looks into the initiative.