Europe’s E. coli scandal was a feature of this week’s headlines, with signs that the outbreak has peaked, the EU agreeing on compensation for farmers and Russia’s ban on produce imports still in place. Elsewhere in Europe, Carrefour‘s French troubles continued, UK ice-cream maker R&R Ice Cream looked to expand across the Channel and Nestle was linked to Spanish firm Cacaolat. In the retail sector, Sainsbury’s issued its latest sales numbers and we looked at the problems that Metro Group’s Makro arm is having in the UK. Click on the headlines for more.
Europe’s E. coli outbreak – as it happens
The deadly European E. coli outbreak began in Hamburg but its impact spread across Europe. Here’s a timeline of the major developments in the story.
Go deeper with GlobalData
US: FDA uncovers listeria at Kellogg bakery
The US Food and Drug Administration has found traces of listeria at an Augusta, Georgia, bakery owned and operated by US cereal giant Kellogg.
FRANCE: Carrefour forecasts 35% fall in French profits
Carrefour, the French retailer, has forecast a 35% fall in half-year profits from its troubled domestic unit.
EU: EFSA rebuffs conflict of interest claims
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rebuffed claims from a commercial transparency campaign group that its expert panels are biased towards food manufacturers.
SPAIN: Nestle could join race for Nueva Rumasa’s Cacaolat
Nestle has added itself to a swelling roster of potential suitors for Cacaolat, the Spanish chocolate shakes-to-biscuits company owned by beleaguered food group Nueva Rumasa.
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By GlobalDataFRANCE: R&R eyes 3A ice cream unit
UK-based R&R Ice Cream is planning to acquire the ice cream division of Maison Boncolac, part of French dairy co-operative Alliance Agro Alimentaire, or 3A Coop.
On the money: Sainsbury’s plays down food’s impact on inflation
The chief executive of Sainsbury’s has played down the impact of food inflation on the UK’s Retail Prices Index, suggesting that government numbers have “overstated” their contribution.
Talking shop: Should Makro look to Booker for success?
Metro Group replaced four of the five board members working in its Makro UK cash-and-carry division last week, including managing director Hannes Floto. As the German retail giant works to turnaround the business, industry watchers suggest that Makro’s future in the UK may lie with local rival Booker, either looking to the resurgent chain for inspiration or through a sale. Petah Marian reports.
US: Own label “more popular than before downturn”
Private-label food is here to stay in the US, according to recent research that found that almost 45% of consumers are purchasing more own-label products than before the economic slowdown.
Comment: Price-cutting gathers momentum in Australia
The price war that has been raging between Australia’s two largest supermarkets, Woolworths Ltd and Coles, looks set to continue apace. However, as supplier discontent mounts, supermarkets’ bargain basement tactics are drawing increasing controversy in the market, Katy Humphries writes.
