Sustainability has emerged as something of a theme last week, as just-food set off for the Emerald Isle to attend a sustainability event organised by Ireland’s Bord Bia. The role of food multinationals in China has once again taken centre stage, with Smithfield shareholders approving its takeover by China’s Shuanghui International and Danone facing fresh allegations of corruption in its infant formula businesses in the market. Meanwhile, the UK’s Premier Foods announced change at the top and Fonterra revealed how it plans to drive value creation. Here is just-food’s week in words.
“Nutricia China pays serious attention to the recent media coverage, and has immediately launched an internal investigation,” a spokesperson for Danone’s Nutricia business in China responds to fresh allegations of corruption
“I am very much focused not on dairy but on nutrition, because that is what we sell to consumers. Nutrition for the young, that is very much a key platform. The ageing population is critical, so we are committed to that and even drive harder,” Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings on how the cooperative will add value to its members’ milk
“Cost cutting, complexity reduction and productivity improvement will stay in focus. We have a relatively long list of carry overs from the first programme. For example, plenty of ideas which did not fit to the first programme. Additionally group resources are better in place and as is facts are better known versus the first program. [Looking at] facility closures, we are likely to focus more on logistics and warehousing,” CEO Hannu Kottonen on phase two of HKScan’s restructuring drive
“This acquisition allows Inventure to add uniquely positioned frozen vegetables to our healthy, natural portfolio for the first time, while also expanding our individually quick frozen processing capabilities for fruits and vegetables in a new geographic region. The unique location of Fresh Frozen’s processing facility in Thomasville, Georgia will provide year-round freezing operations, which increases our geographic footprint,” Inventure CEO Terry McDaniel on the acquisition of Fresh Frozen Foods
“We are pleased with the outcome of today’s vote and thank all of our shareholders for their support. This is a great transaction for all Smithfield stakeholders, as well as for American farmers and US agriculture. The partnership is all about growth, and about doing more business at home and abroad. It will remain business as usual – only better – at Smithfield, and we look forward to embarking on this new chapter,” Smithfield president and CEO Larry Pope after shareholders approved the sale of the US pork company to China’s Shuanghui International
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By GlobalData“Alastair is an excellent addition to the team. His extensive strategic, commercial, financial and consumer branded experience will be invaluable as we continue our journey to transform the company and drive further growth. I’m confident he will hit the ground running,” Premier Foods CEO Gavin Darby on the appointment of Alastiar Murray as CFO
“We predict that by 2020, the chocolate industry will be under pressure and that could be a significant problem for us and cocoa farmers around the world,” Daniel Vennard, global sustainability director for brands, Mars Inc
“In the long run the investment in developing and maintaining a sustainable and socially responsible business model will pay dividends,” Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has called on the country’s food sector to “enhance” supply chain sustainability
“Producing enough food to feed an increasingly hungry world will require not only innovation and dedication, but also careful attention to the impact of agriculture on our environment,” General Mills CEO Ken Powell unveils commitment to sustainable sourcing on priority ingredients
“Demand from Waitrose.com shoppers in the capital has soared over the last year. Our dotcom fulfilment centre in Acton will reach capacity in 2014, and we have been looking for the right location for a second for some time. The dotcom fulfilment centre in Coulsdon provides the perfect, purpose-built site for us to take what we have learnt from Acton and step our online operation up a gear,” Waitrose retail director Rob Collins on soaring online demand in London