Following the news last week that Premier plc sold its sweet pickles and table sauces business to Mizkan, just-food caught up with the Japanese firm’s Euro-Americas president Craig Smith to discuss its plans for the brand. Elsewhere, word reached UK shores of the devastation Hurricane Sandy has left on the east coast of the US. Mondelez  revealed an R&D site in New Jersey was still closed yesterday in the wake of the super storm. Elsewhere, the debate over the implementation of fat taxes continued.

“With the strength of the Branston name you have instant credibility to launch brand extensions” – Mizkan Euro-Americas president Craig Smith on the company’s plans for the Branston brand.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

“Instead of having small innovation everywhere we now focus on big innovations across countries…. Where previously we were more country-by-country we now innovate on the global scale” – McCormick regional chief Brice de Forsanz says the need to effectively roll out strong innovations has prompted McCormick to alter its internal R&D processes in recent years.

“Consumer trust in domestically sourced dairy products has been very low for years, and winning back that trust is hugely important for dairy companies” – James Roy, senior analyst at China Market Research Group believes that by developing a safe and secure supply chain dairy majors hope to rebuild consumer trust in the safety of their products.

“There is no proof that these taxes actually improve the obesity situation or improve health. They affect wealth more than health” – Shane Dempsey, head of consumer foods at Food and Drink Industry Ireland offers his views on the implementation of fat taxes.

“The UK demand for healthier food and drink alternatives is gathering pace and we are well-positioned to capitalize on Hain US and Canada experience to lead the way in the UK” – Rob Burnett, CEO of Hain’s UK unit Hain Daniels says the group will build up a portfolio of US Hain brands in UK grocery.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

“Our ability to re-stock the shelves of our customers will depend on the safety and accessibility of the roads, and whether or not our customers are receiving deliveries” – Mondelez said its sales, distribution and manufacturing were “operational” following Hurricane Sandy.

“We have a lot of product launches around ingredients and Unilever is very specialised in marketing so we want to combine those two things and maybe we will come with new products or innovations in products” – Jan-Willem ter Avest, a spokesperson for FrieslandCampina on its extended global partnership deal with Unilever.

“We believe that this was a betrayal of a hard working workforce by Tesco,” a spokesperson for Unite says it wants Tesco to step in and increase pressure on Eddie Stobart to reach a “reasonable settlement” in negotiations over redundancy.

“This moves us closer to our goal of reaching 75% of the US population through our direct-store-delivery system by 2016” – Flowers chairman and CEO George Deese on acquiring the licence to the Earthgrains and Sara Lee brands in California from Grupo Bimbo.

“At any one time, given the size of the business, we are going to have stores that are closing” – The Co-operative Group confirms plans to close six stores.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact