Bongrain SA has recorded net sales of €3,279.3m for 2009 compared with €3,555.1m for 2008.

The unfavourable economic environment of 2009 resulted in a fall of 7.4% on a like for like basis in the group's net sales compared with 2008.

Sales of other dairy products were severely impacted by the fluctuation in world prices for industrial products.

The positive level of cheese product sales noted at the end of September 2009 was maintained in most of the group's markets throughout the fourth quarter. For 2009 as a whole, the fall in net sales essentially reflected price reductions in turn reflecting the fall in raw material costs outside of France.

Fromapac (France) has been fully consolidated since the second quarter of 2008, but its impact isn't material.

The weakening against the euro of the currencies of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe was offset by the gain in the dollar.

The group's financial statements for 2009 will be published on 11 March 2010.

Source: Bongrain

With 70% of steel packaging being recycled across Europe in 2008, the steel industry remains ahead of glass, says the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging.

Glass, however, comes close to steel on 65%, with cartons and plastics trailing at 33% and 29% respectively.

Yet, Belgium already achieves a 93% recycling rate for steel, followed by Germany on 89%, then Luxembourg and the Netherlands on 87%. The UK lags seriously on 62%, just behind Slovakia on 63%.

The volumes collected for recycling are huge: 2.5m tonnes of steel and 11.5m tonnes of glass representing 25.5bn bottles and jars. It's a shame, though, that we don't do better.

Source: BevBlog

United Biscuits is launching a £2m marketing campaign for McCoy's to target football fans in 2010 and grow the bagged snacks category.

The campaign will consist of a six-month sponsorship activity with TalkSport, and will see McCoy's return to TV for six weeks with its 'Man Crisps' campaign from 1 February.

Helen Warren-Piper, marketing director of bagged snacks at UBUK, said: "McCoy's continues to strike a chord with male consumers and this partnership with TalkSport is bang on our target audience.

"The 'talkability' and word of mouth that the medium of radio and the World Cup generates are key reasons as to why we chose to partner with TalkSport in this way. This year, we've increased our media spend by 40% and retailers will see the benefit of the increased advertising for McCoy's in 2010.

Source: United Biscuits

The water innovation awards are designed to recognise excellence and creativity on a unique global platform for the packaged water industry.

“The worldwide packaged water industry continues to innovate at an impressive rate, giving consumers more choice and providing hydration solutions for every consumption occasion from on-the-go to fine dining,” said water innovation magazine editor Medina Bailey. “At the same time, the industry has taken the initiative in actively addressing the environmental agenda, and also adopted a leading role in the ethical and humanitarian arena. Add entertaining, and often educational, marketing to the mix and you can see why the water innovation awards provide a great platform to celebrate excellence and innovation across the global packaged water industry. They will also be an incentive and an inspiration for others in the industry to follow suit.

“There are 17 exciting categories, covering brands, products and packaging of every sort, as well as categories designed to celebrate success in environmental sustainability, ethical and humanitarian initiatives, and marketing. Be sure to check out our three new categories, which will enable ingredients and technical companies to also take part.

“Entries close on 10 September 2010, and an international panel of industry experts will gather to judge the entries in London on 3 and 4 October. The last water innovation awards saw over 200 entries from 40 countries. We are hoping to break that record this year, ensuring a major celebration of success for the global packaged water industry. All entries will feature in the 2010 water innovation awards Showcase magazine, so don’t miss out – enter your company’s products and achievements now. Good luck”.

“Beginning as the bottledwaterworld design awards in 2002, this is FoodBev Media’s longest established international awards scheme,” said FoodBev Media Group Editorial Director Bill Bruce. “Having presented previous water awards in Paris, Dubai, Ferrara and Wiesbaden, it’s great to see the programme coming home this year as the announcement of finalists and winners will be announced at a special awards Gala Dinner during the Global Bottled Water Congress in Gleneagles, Scotland, on 2 November.

“One clear measure of the popularity of the awards has been the interest from sponsors. I am delighted to announce that, at launch, we have already secured one company – Stora Enso – sponsor of the Best new label or decorative finish category.

A few days ago, Heinz unveiled an evolutionary packaging development catering to the fast food industry: a new 'Dip & Squeeze' ketchup package.

Heinz' concept of a 'Dip & Squeeze' condiment package is brilliant and long overdue, in fact. Yet, before we rid ourselves of the old sachets, let’s consider the functionality of the new package.

The dipping concept is a given. It’s actually an intuitive extension of the many single-serve packs that accompany our toast and pancakes (think butter, jam and syrups). Better still, think chicken and rib-dipping sauces or salad dressings.

I would remind readers, however, that squeezing residual sauce from a semi-rigid tray is no easy task to perform. From a functionality perceptive, it’s inefficient, frustrating and messy by the time the last drop emerges.

How, then, to redesign the Dip & Squeeze for eco-effectiveness, specifically when it comes to completely emptying the packet? Before Dip & Squeeze hits the tables, rethink the squeeze concept, satisfy packaging sustainability criteria and above all introduce the fun element to the package.

As opposed to conventional case studies where the post-analysis serves as a 'lessons learned' exercise, Dip & Squeeze is commercialising in real time. Therefore, time travel will not be required to align the criteria for eco-effectiveness to meet today’s expectations.

Use this space/discussion to push the envelope on product development, thereby accelerating the commercialisation of a green package.

This blog is reproduced courtesy of Dean Bellefleur and Greener Package.

Carling has announced a three-year deal with Scottish Rugby, which sees it become the official beer of Scottish Rugby and Murrayfield stadium.

This is the latest in a string of high-profile sponsorships which has seen Carling become one of the most prolific investors in Scottish sport.

As part of the sponsorship deal, Carling will have a major presence at Murrayfield stadium, where the brand will be visible on billboards, LED pitch boards, bars inside and outside the stadium and staff uniforms.

Source: Molson Coors

The European Commission has unveiled the winning design for the new EU organic logo. The 'Euro leaf' design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background. Its simplicity conveys two clear messages: nature and Europe.

From 1 July 2010, the new EU organic logo will be obligatory on all pre-packaged, organic products that have been produced in any of the EU member states and meet the necessary standards. It will be optional for imported products.

Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. The organic farming regulation will be amended in the coming weeks to introduce the new logo.

"I'm delighted that we now have a fresh EU organic food logo," said Mariann Fischer Boel, commissioner for agriculture and rural development, who first proposed the competition to select the logo. "This exercise has raised the profile of organic food and we now have a logo which everyone will be able to identify with. It's a nice, elegant design and I look forward to buying products carrying this logo."

The winning logo was the result of a pan-European contest open to art and design students. Nearly 3,500 logo designs were examined by an internationally renowned jury. The best three logos were uploaded on the competition website and were subject to an online vote that ended on 31 January 2010.

130,000 people voted online to choose the new organic symbol from the three finalists. The winning logo was designed by Dusan Milenkovic, a student from Germany, who gained 63% of the overall vote for his 'Euro leaf' logo.

DSM has announced plans to expand its existing research and development facilities in North America with a Nutrition Innovation Centre in Parsippany, New Jersey.

The new Nutrition Innovation Centre will bring together DSM’s laboratory capabilities for the thriving beverage, bakery, dairy, savoury, dietary supplement and personal care market sectors, and will combine expertise from two key business groups: DSM Nutritional Products and DSM Food Specialties.

Mauricio Adade, president human nutrition and health at DSM Nutritional Products, said: “DSM’s latest investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing global customer support and proactively developing solutions to meet market needs.”

DSM plans to open the new Nutrition Innovation Centre in 2011 and expects it to have a significant impact on the industry. It will house dedicated customer application suites, sensory services and customer application pilot facilities, allowing customers to enjoy access to the broad portfolio of DSM’s ingredient and technological capabilities.

The Carluccio's chain of Italian-themed restaurants, owned by renowned chef Antonio Carluccio, will open five new branches in 2010 according to reports.

The chain stands at 40 restaurants across the UK.

Carluccio's announced an 8% year-on-year increase in sales for the quarter ending 24 January 2010. These results were achieved without significant discounting.

Source: Caterer

EnWave Corporation has announced the completion of successful animal feeding trials with Neova Technologies Inc of Abbotsford, BC – a division of Bioseutica plc.

The study used EnWave's Radiant Energy Vacuum dehydration technology to dry encapsulated lysozyme – a natural anti-microbial enzyme – to determine whether it can be used as a replacement for antibiotics in chicken feed.

The trials showed that the dried, encapsulated enzyme permitted the same level of infection resistance as is normally obtained with pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Countries around the world have been looking for ways to eliminate the routine usage of antibiotics in animal feed in order to reduce the perceived risk of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) in human and animal populations.

AMR is a serious concern in the global medical field, as an increasing number of harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts and parasites are becoming immune to the most effective measure to treat them: antibiotics.

Source: EnWave