NEWS & ANALYSIS
INDUSTRY NEWS
DSM opens world’s largest vitamin E plant
DSM Nutritional Products, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, opened in September what it is calling the world’s largest vitamin E manufacturing facility.
The factory, located in Sisseln, Switzerland, has the capacity to produce approximately 25,000 tons of vitamin E per year for use in food, feed, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products.
“This new facility will meet the stringent industry demands for quality by ISO certification and includes systems to monitor full product traceability,” said Paul Gilgen, head of the global Technical Dept, in a company statement.
The facility’s integrated process control and on-site laboratory will monitor quality aspects and provide analytical services.
DSM Nutritional Products is a division of DSM N.V., Heerlen, Netherlands.
Heinz plans new R&D center
H.J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., has announced plans to open an international research and technical facility in mid-2005. The Heinz Food Innovation and Quality Center will house the company’s research and development operations and quality assurance laboratories.
Located just north of Pittsburgh, the 100,000-sq-ft center will include the company’s International Center of Excellence for Ketchup, Condiments, and Sauces. It will also focus on a broad range of products, including frozen foods and soups.
More than 100 of Heinz’s chefs, food technologists, researchers, and package designers will work at the center to develop formulations for Heinz products and will provide assistance to Heinz research and development teams located around the world.
The center will also house quality assurance staff members who will conduct sensory analysis and organoleptic reviews of Heinz products. The center will contain a new pilot plant, a streamlined production facility that will be used for testing small batches and developing new recipes, packages, and processes.
COMPANY NEWS
Bravo! Foods International Corp., North Palm Beach, Fla., recently signed a licensing agreement with Masterfoods USA, a division of Mars Inc., McLean, Va., to produce, market, and sell Milky Way®, Starburst®, and 3 Musketeers® single-serve, fortified milk products under Bravo! Foods’ Slammers® brand.
Danisco A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark, recently moved Danisco Sweden AB’s flavor production to Danisco’s flavor headquarters in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Danisco Sweden AB will retain a focused sales unit in Norrköping, which will continue to maintain the daily contact with Danisco’s flavor customers in the Northern Europe and Russia.
Diamond Ranch Foods Ltd., New York, N.Y., has acquired Steiger Meats, New York, N.Y. Steiger Meats has been distributing meat, poultry, and a full line of Hebrew National products for the past 24 years to customers in the New York area.
Heineken N.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands, has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Central European Brewing Co., based in Russia. Heineken will become the third-largest beer company in the Russian beer market. Russia is the world’s fifth largest beer market.
Hershey Mexico, Jalisco, Mexico, a subsidiary of Hershey Foods Corp., Hershey, Pa., has entered into an agreement to acquire Grupo Lorena, Jalisco, Mexico. One of Mexico’s top confectionery companies, Grupo Lorena is a leader in the spicy candy market in Mexico with its Pelon Pelo Rico® brand.
J. Rettenmaier USA, Schoolcraft, Mich., recently announced plans to build a $23-million plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to manufacture dietary oat fiber. Construction is expected to end in late 2005, and the facility will employ up to 26 people. J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, Holzmühle, Germany, is the parent company.
Leco Corp., St. Joseph, Mo., has opened a new training facility in Ft. Myers, Fla. The company will provide training in the use of various separation instruments at the site.
Land O’Frost Inc., Lansing, Ill., recently announced plans to construct a 175,000-sq-ft USDA-approved production facility in Madisonville, Ky. The company, which has facilities in Illinois and Arkansas, produces pre-packaged lunch meats and specialty meat products.
McCain Foods Ltd., Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada, has purchased New Brunswick–based Midwest Foods Inc. The deal includes Midwest Foods’ French fry processing plant. With this acquisition, McCain will now operate 16 food processing plants in Canada. McCain operates more than 55 factories on six continents.
Nutreco Holding N.V., Amersfoort, Netherlands, and Stolt-Nielsen S.A., London, U.K., have announced plans to merge their worldwide fish farming, processing, and marketing and sales operations into a stand-alone, independently financed new business entity. The new company, named Marine Harvest, will employ more than 6,000 employees. Its product portfolio will include salmon, trout, cod, halibut, sturgeon, tilapia, barranmundi, yellowfin, and other farmed fish.
Pechiney World Trade, Stamford, Conn., took over exclusive distributorship in North America of all Natraceutical, Greenwich, Conn., products. Natraceutical has patented innovative products, including chocolate and cocoa derivatives that pack the health benefits of flavanoids. Natraceutical is traded on the Spanish market.
Poore Borthers Inc., Goodyear, Ariz., has signed a licensing agreement with Cinnabon® Inc., a subsidiary of AFC Enterprises Inc., Atlanta, Ga., for the development, manufacture, and sale of snack food products using the Cinnabon brand name. The multi-year agreement grants exclusive brand licensing rights for certain snack food categories. Poore Brothers is conducting concept, product, and consumer tests on a variety of snack food products and plans to begin market testing of some of these products within the next six months.
Quaker Maid Meats recently announced the construction of a new processing facility at its headquarters in Reading, Pa. The 40,000-sq-ft facility will be used for processing and freezing and will open in June 2005.
RFI Ingredients, Blauvelt, N.Y., and Grupo CentroFlora, São Paulo, Brazil, have finalized a supply partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, RFI will be the exclusive partner in North America for all CentroFlora products. CentroFlora produces high-quality natural ingredients and promotes environmental and economic sustainability for the Brazilian community.
With the acquisition of the North American specialty phosphates business of Rhodia Inc., Cranberry, N.J., by Bain Capital, Boston, Mass., recently completed, the business is now operating independently under a new corporate name, Innophos Inc. Innophos will be operated by the same management team that oversaw the business under Rhodia’s ownership, and it will be headquartered in Cranberry, N.J. Innophos has seven plants in North America and employs approximately 1,100 people.
Riviana Foods Inc., Houston, Tex., recently announced that it has approved a merger plan by which Riviana will be acquired by Ebro Puleva S.A., Madrid, Spain. The acquisition will allow Ebro Puleva—the rice volume leader in Europe—to enter the American markets.
Royal Numico N.V., Zoetermeer, Netherlands, recently completed its acquisition of Finnish baby food brands Tutteli and Muksu from Valio Ltd., Helsinki, Finland. Tutteli is the leading brand in the infant milk formula category, and Muksu is the leading brand in the cereals category.
San Miguel Corp., Manila, Philippines, recently broke ground for a non-alcoholic beverage facility in South Vietnam. The facility, to be named San Miguel Vietnam Co. Ltd., will be located in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province. Its multi-product flexi-line will manufacture beverages such as bottled water and fruit-based drinks made from locally sourced raw materials. San Miguel also recently entered into a partnership agreement with Berri Ltd., based in Australia. Under the agreement, San Miguel will own a 50% stake in the fruit juice company.
Scholle Corp., Northlake, Ill., has opened a sales office in Weinheim, Germany. The office, a registered GmbH, will sell bagin- box packaging to markets in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and will supply bags from Scholle’s worldwide manufacturing network.
J.M. Smucker Co., Orrville, Ohio, recently announced that it intends to divest International Multifoods’ U.S. foodservice and bakery products businesses. Smucker says that these businesses acquired with Multifoods early this year are not aligned with its foodservice strategy.
Solae Co., St. Louis, Mo., recently installed a pilot-plant-scale bar line at its extrusion center in St. Louis. This line will be used to test the performance of soy protein and fiber ingredients as well as provide direction on the development of new ingredient innovations specifically designed for bar applications.
Solae Co., St. Louis, Mo., and Natural Harmony Foods Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., have signed a trademark licensing agreement. As part of the agreement, Solae® soy products will be used in Natural Harmony Foods’ Soy Lean® brand foods. Additionally, the Solae trademark and seal of approval will appear on all Soy Lean brand packaging.
Sun Valley Foods, a division of Cargill Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and Caravelle Foods, which is based in Canada, have signed an agreement for Sun Valley to acquire Caravelle Foods. Both are leading companies in the meat industry. Cargill Ltd. is a subsidiary of Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.
Taiyo Green Power Co. Ltd., the world’s largest green tea extract manufacturer, was recently formed through the acquisition of Wuxi Green Power Bio-Product Ltd., Jiangsu Province, China, by Japan–based Taiyo Kagaku. The merger results in the first and only pharma ceutical cGMP FDA-certified production facility of green tea extracts. One of the responsibilities of the new entity will be to maintain the exclusive Chinese license to Procter & Gamble’s patented solvent-free green tea processing technology.
Tharos Laboratories Inc. has opened its new corporate offices in Sharon, Mass. The offices will now serve as the nutraceutical ingredient supplier’s headquarters for all its sales, marketing, and management divisions.
Velvet Ice Cream Co., Utica, Ohio, has created a new Foodservice Div. and announced plans to construct a 12,000- sq-ft distribution freezer warehouse next year to expedite expansion in the foodservice sector.
SOCIETIES & ASSOCIATIONS
IAFP names president and executive board members
The International Association for Food Protection has named Kathleen A. Glass President. She is currently an Assistant Scientist at the University of Wisconsin Food Research Institute, and she earned her B.S. degree in biology, secondary education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, her M.S. degree in microbiology from Northern Illinois University, and her Ph.D. degree in food microbiology and safety from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a Professional Member of IFT.
The following individuals were named to IAFP’s executive board: Jeffrey M. Farber, President-Elect; Frank Yiannas, Vice President; Gary Acuff, Secretary; Paul A. Hall, Past President; and Stephanie Olmsted, Affiliate Council Chairperson.
Howell elected to ASAE board
Terry Howell was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Society of Engineers.
During his two-year term of office, Howell, Senior Food Scientist for McKee Foods Corp., Collegedale, Tenn., will lend his leadership and expertise to the governance of all ASAE operations.
Howell, a Professional Member of IFT, works in the research department at McKee Foods, assisting in and leading projects related to process and product development. Prior to this position, he was a faculty member at the University of Arkansas’ Dept. of Food Science.
AACC installs new board
The following individuals were installed as officers of the American Association of Cereal Chemists for 2004–05. George Lockhart, Research Chemist with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service facility in Manhattan, Kans., is the new President of AACC. Stuart Craig, Scientific and Regulatory Manager for Danisco USA, a division of Danisco A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark, is President-Elect of the association. Jan Van der Kamp, AACC’s new International Director, currently serves as Program Director of TNO Nutrition and Food Research in Zeist, Netherlands. Mary Ellen Camire, AACC Director, is a Professor in the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine and Director of the Consumer Testing Center. The new members of the board of AACC are James Dexter, Chairman; Elizabeth Knight, Treasurer; Filip Arnaut, Director; Khalil Khan, Director; Sakharam Patil, Director; and Virgil Smail, Director.
FMI awarded two USDA grants
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has awarded the Food Marketing Institute two grants from the USDA 2004 Emerging Markets Program. FMI will use the grants, which total nearly $183,000, for food retail education and training programs.
First authorized by the 1990 Farm Bill, the Emerging Markets Program supports the promotion and distribution of U.S. agricultural products, trade missions, and research on new markets, and encourages free trade policies.
von Zastrow named Senior Director of Field Services for FMI
The Food Marketing Institute has promoted Jeanne von Zastrow to Senior Director of Field Services. She will serve as FMI’s primary liaison between FMI leadership and the food industry in the Western half of the country and will be responsible for addressing the needs of members and developing new programs and services for members. In addition, she will continue to serve as one of FMI’s spokepersons at conferences, trade shows, and industry board of directors meetings.
AMI launches meat safety Web site
The American Meat Institute has created a new Web site—www.meatsafety.org—that offers consumers and the media information about meat and poultry safety, including helpful tips on safe cooking, handling, and storage of meat and poultry products.
Reviewed by staff at USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, the site also includes links to nutrition guidelines, food safety publications and articles, and a “hot topics” section for the most up-to-date news on food safety. Members of the media will have access to a wide array of fact sheets, charts, links, and articles on important food safety topics.
PEOPLE NEWS
Allied Starch & Chemical, Keokuk, Iowa, has hired Matthew J. Andrick as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. He has previous experience with J. Rettenmaier, Avebe, ADM, and Staley.
A.M. Todd, Kalamazoo, Mich., has named Sharon Wicker President of Ingredients & Flavors Div. and Tony Willard Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Business Development of Ingredients & Flavors Div.
David Larson has been named Regional Sales Manager of Brookfield Engineering Laboratories’ new sales and support office near Chicago, Ill. The company is based in Middleboro, Mass.
Bunge North America, St. Louis, Mo., has named Richard Goodman Senior Vice President and General Manager of Bunge Oils. He replaces Thad Jones, who recently announced his decision to leave the company.
Chiquita Brands International Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, recently named John (Jay) W. Braukman III as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and promoted Manuel Rodriguez to Senior Vice President of Government and International Affairs.
Del Monte Foods Co., San Francisco, Calif., has hired Tim Cole as Executive Vice President of Sales.
Frutarom USA Inc., North Bergen, N.J., has named Michael Britten-Kelly Vice President and Business Manager of Aroma Chemicals. His responsibilities include developing the business strategy for Aroma Chemicals, establishing marketing strategies for each product line, and acting as the U.S. technical liaison with Israel and the United Kingdom.
Paul Durlacher has joined Imperial Sugar Co., Sugar Land, Tex., as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He has several years of executive experience with various food companies.
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., New York, N.Y., has elected Henry W. Howell, Jr., to its board of Directors and promoted Nicolas Mirzayantz to Senior Vice President, Fine Fragrance and Beauty Care, Graciela Ferro to Vice President of Sales, Global Accounts, Hernan Vaisman to Vice President and Regional Manager of Latin America, and Christopher (Kip) E. Gibson to Vice President and Regional Manager of North America.
Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., has named Kimberley Crews Goode Vice President of Worldwide Communications.
Mosaic Co., Minneapolis, Minn., has named Lawrence W. Stranghoener Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mosaic was formed earlier this year through the combination of Cargill Crop Nutrition, a business unit of Cargill, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., and IMC Global Inc., Lake Forest, Ill
PepsiCo Beverages & Foods has named Mary Dillon President of its Quaker Foods business unit. She will replace Polly Kawalek, who recently retired from the position. Dillon has worked for Quaker for nearly 17 years and most recently served as Vice President of Marketing. PepsiCo Beverages & Foods is a division of PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y., recently announced several management changes in its various divisions. Al Bru, Chairman and CEO of Frito-Lay and a 28-year veteran of the company, will retire February 1, 2005. He has been named Vice Chairman of PepsiCo, a position he assumed in September 2004. Irene Rosenfeld will replace Bru. John C. Compton has been named Vice Chairman of Frito-Lay and will retain his current responsibilities as President of North American Salty Snacks Business.
Seltzer Nutritional Technologies, Carlsbad, Calif., has hired Hugh Lippman as Senior Product Innovation Scientist. He recently completed a postdoctoral appointment in the laboratory of Bruce A. Watkins at Purdue University. Lippman will be responsible for formulation and product innovations.
Seneca Foods Corp., Marion, N.Y., has announced that Thomas Paulson has been elected to the company’s board of directors. He is the Senior Vice President and CFO of Innovex Inc., Maple Plain, Minn.
Nancy Poulos has been elected to Treatt USA Inc.’s board of directors. She has worked for the company, located in Lakeland, Fla., since 2000.
U.S. Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Wauconda, Ill., has hired Dana Van Eden as Senior Beverage Scientist and Ketan Shah as Senior Flavor Chemist.
Virginia Dare, Brooklyn, N.Y., has hired Jorge Stern as Director of International Sales and Marketing, Luz Alena as Regulatory Associate, and Joyce Igasaki as Account Executive.
by KAREN BANASIAK
Assistant Editor
[email protected]