Europe Agri articles from July 2002

Europe Agri archives from July 2002

FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS: GERMANY AND ITALY WARNED OVER ALCOHOLIC DRINK AND DIETARY FOODS.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Italy.The Commission has already brought Italy to the ECJ for its authorisation procedures for nutritional products in 2001. In this case, it objects to the requirement for the number and date of the official authorisation to be indicated on...

BIOTECHNOLOGY: MEPS VOTE FOR THE WORLD'S STRICTEST GMO LEGISLATION.(genetically modified organisms)
July 5, 2002... The Commission proposals for Regulations on labelling and traceability (COM(2001) 182) and (COM(2001) 425) were controversial from the minute they were launched in July 2001 as the whole issue generates huge consumer concern and is a major...

EU/ANGOLA: NEW PROTOCOL SIGNED TO ROLL OVER FISHERIES ACCORD.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The share allocated to specific measures in favour of Angola's fishing industry will go up from 29% to 35% and is worth Euro 5.53 million annually. This money will be used to achieve sustainable development in fisheries and Euro 1.15 million...

COMMISSION FINES DEGUSSA AND NIPPON SODA FOR PRICE-FIXING.(Degussa Corp.)(Nippon Soda Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The European Commission has fined chemical giants Degussa of France and Nippon Soda of Japan for co-operating to fix the price of methionine, a protein supplement that is added to animal feed to promote growth. Fines were set at Euro 118...

COCA-COLA SETTLES MARKET ABUSE FINE WITH ITALIAN REGULATORS.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola has said it will respect Italy's decision to find it US 16 million for allegedly abusing its dominant market position in the country. The Italian Council of State rejected Coca-Cola's appeal last week against a 1999...

UNILEVER FINALISES SALE OF 19 FOOD BRANDS.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Consumer products giant Unilever has completed the sale of 19 food brands to a subsidiary of London-based Associated British Foods plc for US 360 million in cash. The Anglo-Dutch company signed the agreement with ACH Food Companies in April...

DANISH ALCOHOL COMPANY CARLSBERG SELLS ITS SHARE OF LITHUANIAN BREWERY.(Carlsberg Breweries A/S)(Svyturys Utenos Alus)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Carlsberg Breweries announced on July 1 that it is selling its 32% stake in Lithuanian brewery Svyturys Utenos Alus to Baltic Beverages Holding AB. Under the deal, BBH will own 76% of the brewery and is obliged under Lithuanian law to make a...

CAMPBELL SOUP TO BUY IRELAND'S SECOND LARGEST DRY SOUP OPERATONS.(Campbell Soup Co.)(Erin Foods)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Campbell Soup Co. has agreed to purchase Erin Foods, Ireland 's second largest dry soup business, for about USD26 million from Greencore Group PLC. The Erin Foods purchase agreement also includes William Rodgers Foods, a private label supplier...

FOOD SAFETY: NEW LABELLING RULES FOR FLAVOURINGS.(European Commission ruling)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2002... The European Commission has tightened up the labelling rules for flavourings such as caffeine and quinine in food and drink. Neither have to be listed at the moment and both can pose health risks if consumed in large quantities. And even when...

FOOD SAFETY: COMMISSION PROPOSES STRICTER CONTROLS ON SMOKE FLAVOURINGS.(European Commission)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2002... The European Commission has proposed new procedures for the safety assessment and authorisation of 'smoke' flavourings. And the embryonic European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will play a critical role in allowing such ingredients onto the...

CARLSBERG ACQUIRES 59.4% STAKE IN BULGARIAN BREWER SHUMENSKO.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2002... Danish brewing group, Carlsberg Breweries, said it had finalised an agreement with Ferroal Ltd to buy a 59.4% interest in the Bulgarian brewing company Shumensko, but did not publish the price. Under the terms of this agreement, submitted for...

CADBURY SCHWEPPES BUYS DANDY CHEWING GUMS FROM BAGGER.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2002... British food group Cadbury Schweppes said it had acquired Dandy chewing gums, which owns the Stimorol and other brands, from the Danish family-owned company Bagger-SA, for GBP201 million (Euro 314 million). Dandy is the fourth largest chewing...

TESCO BUYS HIT SUPERMARKETS IN POLAND FROM HIT GERMANY.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2002... Tesco, the British supermarket leader, said it had acquired the HIT supermarkets in Poland from the German group HIT. The financial details are confidential but "are not significant" to Tesco overall as a group, said the British retailer in a...

MCDONALD'S GOES CHINESE IN HONG KONG.(fastfood giant selling Chinese-style meals)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2002... McDonald's is selling Chinese-style meals in Hong Kong for the first time ever to stave off a deep economic downturn. The former British colony is trying to fight its second recession in four years which has seen disposable income collapse....