C11 Food Product Manufacturing

Forrest outed as loan friend of farmers

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 17 : 1-Aug-14

Fortescue Metals Group chair Andrew Forrest has been revealed as the source of no-interest loans made to drought-affected farmers in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia (WA) during 2010. The well-known philanthropist has since also set up the Australia-Sino 100-Year Agricultural & Food Partnership scheme, which aims to strengthen the ties between local producers and Chinese food companies such as New Hope Group and Wilmar International. Forrest is optimistic Australia can become an even greater supplier of rural commodity exports to China. He has acquired WA meat processing market leader Harvey Beef for $A30m

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, HARVEY BEEF, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), NEW HOPE GROUP, WILMAR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, GOODMAN FIELDER LIMITED – ASX GFF, MEAT AND LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AAC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, MINDEROO PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Growers grumpy over hidden fees as Woolies makes us eat our vegies

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Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 17 : 31-Jul-14

Scott Davidson, head of produce at Woolworths, says the recent fresh food promotion featuring celebrity cook Jamie Oliver lifted sales in the category by 7% per customer and store visit. Over the six-week period in June and July 2014 the supermarkets chain says it sold an extra four million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables. However AusVeg, the lobbying body for the producers, says many are unhappy at having had to contribute $A0.40 a crate to the cost of the marketing push

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUS VEG

Retailers ‘will lose out to Chinese’

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Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 18 : 29-Jul-14

Dominant supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths have been urged to raise their farmgate prices, or risk losing supply as primary producers instead export to the lucrative market in China. The warning has come from Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, who noted that the companies are selling white label milk for just $A1 a litre when consumers in China are prepared to pay $A7 or more. Joyce also said he fully backed a Federal Court case by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission against Coles, over alleged unconscionable conduct in its relations with food sector suppliers

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, NORCO CO-OPERATIVE LIMITED, MURRAY GOULBURN CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY LIMITED

Food for thought in growing appetite for Bellamy’s Organic

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 7-Jul-14

Infant formula and baby food maker Bellamy’s Organic plans to raise $A25 million before it lists on 23 July 2014. The company, which will have a market capitalisation of $A95 million, is based in Launceston in Tasmania. Its 30 products are completely Australian and organic. Annual revenue has grown by an average of 55 per cent over four years. Bellamy’s supplies some large Australian retailers and some supermarkets in New Zealand and Asia. It sees China as a promising market

CORPORATES
BELLAMY’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX BAL, BELLAMY’S ORGANIC PTY LTD, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE, COSTCO WHOLESALE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, NESTLE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, QUF INDUSTRIES LIMITED, WILSON HTM INVESTMENT GROUP LIMITED – ASX WIG, KATHMANDU HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX KMD, ELLERSTON CAPITAL PTY LTD, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, SCHRODER INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THORNEY INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, KARARA CAPITAL LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, BEGA CHEESE LIMITED – ASX BGA

Supply deals the way to go, says Coles

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Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 19/22 : 4-Jul-14

Coles has signed a 10-year contract with Murray Goulburn for the supply of milk. On 3 July 2014, Murray Goulburn opened a new milk processing plant in the Melbourne suburb of Laverton. The plant will produce 1.3 million litres of milk per annum, which will be sold at Coles supermarkets under its own brand. Coles MD John Durkan said the company will seek similar long-term supply arrangements with other food manufacturers

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, MURRAY GOULBURN CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY LIMITED, COLES GROUP LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MASTER GROCERS’ AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Goodman agrees cut-price takeover offer

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Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 19/25 : 3-Jul-14

The board of Goodman Fielder has unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favour of a reduced takeover bid for the Australian-listed food manufacturer. Goodman chairman Steve Gregg said on 2 July 2014 that the offer was still attractive even after foreign suitors Wilmar and First Pacific reduced it by $A0.025 a share to $A0.675

CORPORATES
GOODMAN FIELDER LIMITED – ASX GFF, WILMAR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, FIRST PACIFIC COMPANY LIMITED, ELLERSTON CAPITAL PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Coles takes a bite of UK’s Tyrells Crisps

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 19/23 : 25-Jun-14

David Milner, CEO of UK premium snack foods company Tyrrells Crisps, has visited Australia to announce a new alliance with supermarkets chain Coles. The retailer will sell the product line in its 700 stores, and Milner says that if sales can be grown to Stg2m ($A3.6m) per annum a local processing plant may also be rolled out. Fresh potato production in Australia has declined 15% over the past 10 years while imports have risen from $A36m to $A132m. The domestic potato crisps market is dominated by Frito-Lay Australia and Snack Foods

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, TYRRELLS POTATO CRISPS, INVESTCORP SA, GUCCI GROUP NV, TIFFANY AND COMPANY, HELLY HANSEN, HORTICULTURE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, PEPSICO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FRITO-LAY AUSTRALIA, THE SMITH’S SNACKFOOD COMPANY LIMITED, SNACK FOODS LIMITED, ARNOTT’S BISCUITS LIMITED, CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY, PROCTER AND GAMBLE COMPANY, MARS INCORPORATED, THE KETTLE COOKED CHIP COMPANY PTY LTD, TESCO PLC