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Food & Beverage News

Bidcorp says sales starting to recover

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 15th June 2020 JSE-listed Bid Corporation's (Bidcorp's) group sales for the week ended April 5 reached a low of 37% versus the corresponding week year-on-year, but has recovered to 65% of the sales of the corresponding week in 2019 for the week ended May 31. The company on June 15 provided an update on the... →

Adoption of automation, robotics expected to accelerate

By: Schalk Burger 9th June 2020 Increasingly automated processes and the use of robotics are expected to support greater production and the provision of services safely in a contactless society, says robotics multinational Yaskawa Southern Africa chairperson Terry Rosenberg. He notes that many businesses are rapidly adopting... →

Fair Cape launches yellow lid to mark renewable energy investment

By: Donna Slater 9th June 2020 Dairy products producer Fair Cape Dairies has launched a limited edition yellow-lidded EcoFresh milk bottle to commemorate the 254 155 kWh-worth of renewable energy produced at its facilities and used since October 2018. Since the Fair Cape solar switchover took place on October 24, 2018, all... →

Brait sells stake in British supermarket chain

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th June 2020 JSE-listed investment holding company Brait has announced the sale of its 63.1% interest in British supermarket chain Iceland Foods for £115-million. The disposal is in line with the company’s revised strategy to maximise value realisation from its assets over the next five years. →

RCL warns of at least 30% slump in headline earnings owing to pandemic

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 8th June 2020 JSE-listed RCL Foods expects its headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the financial year ending June 30 to be at least 30% lower than the HEPS of 37.9c reported for the prior financial year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown implemented by the South African government has had a... →

Oceana records solid interim results

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 4th June 2020 Fishing company Oceana Group delivered a resilient operating performance for the six months ended March 31. Group revenue was up 2% to R3.63-billion, primarily owing to a 3% increase in revenue by its African operations, an increase in cold storage occupancy levels and the favourable impact of... →

Imraan Soomra

Barloworld, Tongaat contractual dispute to take longer to resolve

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th June 2020 JSE-listed industrial group Barloworld has advised that it has not reached consensus with fellow-listed Tongaat Hulett about an independent accountant that is supposed evaluate the terms of a sale and purchase agreement between the companies. Barloworld in May raised a concern about Tongaat’s... →

Standard Bank, Sefa partner to help spaza shops

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd June 2020 Standard Bank has partnered with the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) to help spaza shops operating under the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic. The agency helps spaza shops secure government funding, which can then be used to buy stock from Sefa-approved wholesalers at discounted... →

CCBSA installs new ceramic water filtration system at its Polokwane plant

By: Simone Liedtke 2nd June 2020 Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has successfully installed a new ceramic water filtration system at its Polokwane bottling plant. It expects the system to deliver almost R2.6-million in water savings a year. →

Covid-19 pall hangs over Nampak’s recovery prospects

By: Terence Creamer 29th May 2020 Packaging group Nampak announced on Friday that impairments of R3-billion, which related to its Nigerian and Angolan operations, had contributed materially to a slump in its interim results for the period to March 31. The outlook for the business was also uncertain, with the Covid-19 pandemic... →

Nampak CEO Erik Smuts in conversation with Engineering News editor Terence Creamer on the group's interim results and its future strategy and prospects. Editing: Nicholas Boyd

Manufacturers can use lockdown to fine-tune ERP

By: Darren Parker 29th May 2020 The priority for many manufacturers amid the Covid-19 lockdown involves “getting back to basics” in terms of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management, says ERP systems provider Syspro professional services head Doug Hunter. “This includes ensuring visibility of what is... →

TAKING STOCK OF THE SITUATION The lockdown has provided a good opportunity for companies to check their ERP systems and ensure that they are being used properly and to their full potential

Company invests in geared motors, employee training

By: Simone Liedtke 29th May 2020 A range of geared motors from Brazilian motor and controls manufacturer WEG will be available from the third quarter of 2020 to clients in South Africa and the rest of Africa from subsidiary Zest WEG. Dubbed the WG20 range, the geared motors – with benefits such as efficiency and reliability –... →

INTERCHANGEABLE SETTINGS WEG K geared units can also be equipped with a hollow shaft, output shaft, shrink disc, torque arm and mounting flange

South African wine industry on its knees as lockdown set to ease

By: Reuters 28th May 2020 Two years ago, South Africa's first black female winemaker Ntsiki Biyela watched anxiously as the worst drought in a century scorched vineyards across Western Cape. After surviving that, Biyela's small business Aslina Wines recovered and was poised for growth this year - until the new coronavirus... →

Distell welcomes opening up of sector, but calls for clarity on key concerns

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 26th May 2020 South African drinks company Distell Holdings has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the country’s move to Level 3 of lockdown would include the sale of alcohol for home consumption under strict conditions. Ramaphosa confirmed that these conditions had not been finalised... →

Famous Brands grows full-year cash and profits

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th May 2020 Food services franchisor Famous Brands managed to increase its cash generation, earnings a share and operating profit in the financial year ended February 29. CEO Darren Hele attributed the strong performance to the company continuing to commit resources to ensuring its offering has a strong... →

Famous Brands CEO Darren Hele

Alcohol industry submits safety protocol proposals to govt

By: Simone Liedtke 25th May 2020 The South African alcohol industry, which employes more than one-million people across the value chain, has submitted various proposals, including safety protocols for the manufacturing, distribution and trading of alcohol, to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). South... →

Tiger Brands expects at least R500m profitability knock owing to Covid-19

By: Marleny Arnoldi 25th May 2020 Consumer packaged goods company Tiger Brands says it experienced challenges within its Grains, Groceries, Value Added Meat Products (Vamp) and Exports divisions in the six months ended March 31. So much so that its earnings per share (EPS) were down 75% year-on-year to 221c apiece, and its... →

Can maggots fuel sports drinks? South African startup thinks so

By: Bloomberg 22nd May 2020 A South African startup aims to produce high-quality protein powder from maggots for use in food products and sports drinks by the end of the year. By doing so, it will become the first company in Africa to make insect protein for human consumption. South African rivals currently harvest larvae... →

Tiger Brands expects interim earnings to decrease by at least 36% y/y

By: Marleny Arnoldi 20th May 2020 Consumer packaged goods company Tiger Brands expects its earnings per share (EPS) for the six months ended March 31 to be at least 36% lower year-on-year. EPS from total operations are expected to be between 190c and 216c apiece, which is between 75% and 78% lower than the 864c reported for the... →

PepsiCo appoints new CEO for sub-Saharan Africa

By: Donna Slater 19th May 2020 Following the $1.7-billion acquisition of Pioneer Foods in March, food and beverage maker PepsiCo has appointed current Pioneer Foods CEO Tertius Carstens CEO of its sub-Saharan Africa business, with immediate effect. The sub-Saharan Africa headquarters will be based in South Africa, which... →

Rhodes' interim performance buoyed by strong sales ahead of lockdown

By: Simone Liedtke 19th May 2020 JSE-listed Rhodes Food Group’s headline earnings a share for the six months ended March 29, 2020, decreased by 2.8% year-on-year to 31.2c, while its earnings a share decreased by 2.3% to 30.2c. Diluted headline earnings a share were down 3.1% at 31.1c. →

Astral Foods reports marginal increase in interim profit

By: Donna Slater 18th May 2020 Poultry producer Astral Foods' revenue for the six months ended March 31 increased by 4% year-on-year to R7.06-million, primarily as result of the increase in poultry’s external revenue, which contributed 79% to the consolidated revenue. Operating profit, at R546-million, increased by 8.5%... →

Covid-19 could exacerbate food insecurity, malnutrition in Africa – WHO

By: Sane Dhlamini 15th May 2020 The World Health Organization has expressed concern at the potential impact of the coronavirus on food security, which it says could worsen malnutrition in Africa. WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti has warned that the virus is threatening livelihoods and household economies... →

WHO urges African countries to prioritise malnutrition, food scarcity issues

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th May 2020 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern about the potential impact of Covid-19 on food security, which will exacerbate the already significant burden of malnutrition in Africa. WHO Africa regional director Dr Matshidiso Moeti says Covid-19 is unfolding in Africa against a... →

Long4Life delivers 'credible' full-year performance, cuts costs as Covid-19 impact starts to bite

By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th May 2020 JSE-listed lifestyle investment company Long4Life says it has delivered a credible performance in the financial year ended February 29, with trading profit up 15% year-on-year to R520-million. Headline earnings a share increased by 12% year-on-year to 43.4c. →

SAB permitted to move stock between facilities

By: Donna Slater 12th May 2020 As of May 11, the South African Breweries (SAB) is permitted to move its stock of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks between its manufacturing plants and its depots, after reaching an agreement with government. Prior to this agreement, no alcohol was permitted to be moved, either by individuals... →

Barloworld, Tongaat to evaluate starch sale terms amid Covid-19 impacts

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th May 2020 JSE-listed industrial group Barloworld believes Covid-19-related impacts on the earnings of JSE-listed sugar manufacturer Tongaat Hulett’s starch business has resulted in a material adverse change (MAC) to the terms of a sale and purchase agreement between the companies. Barloworld in February... →

South Africa records stellar wine season – report

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 5th May 2020 South Africa’s 2020 wine grape crop will bring “exceptional” wines to consumers, following favourable conditions throughout the season, the South African wine industry’s yearly 'Wine Harvest Report 2020' shows. “Although it’s always important to take our diversity over ten wine grape growing... →

Famous Brands opens domestic delivery-only food services as lockdown restrictions ease

By: Donna Slater 4th May 2020 Branded food services franchisor Famous Brands has reopened a limited number of restaurants for delivery-only services across a broad geographical spectrum in South Africa in a phased programme, with effect from May 1. In terms of the Famous Brands international jurisdiction and in compliance... →

South African agriculture is dependent on imports for key inputs

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st May 2020 While South Africa was a net exporter of agricultural products, the country had to import a large proportion of the inputs required to produce this surplus, independent research body the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has warned. In its latest brief report, The Use of Agricultural... →

Agricultural inputs supply chain likely to be tested by Covid-19

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st May 2020 Measures adopted by countries around the world to counter the Covid-19 pandemic had sent shockwaves across the global economy, triggering turmoil and volatility, noted independent South Africa research group the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) in its latest brief report, ‘The Use... →

KwaZulu-Natal vital for bearing distributor growth

By: Mamaili Mamaila 1st May 2020 Power transmission products distributor Bearings International (BI) has earmarked KwaZulu-Natal as a key growth area for its business going forward. →

POWERING ON Bearings International’s Durban branch stocks a range of bearings, electric motors, gearboxes, lubricants, seals, tools and power transmission products for several industries

Covid-19 lockdowns, rand depreciation set to accelerate food inflation

By: Rebecca Campbell 24th April 2020 The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has, in its latest brief report Food price outlook for Quarter 2 2020 and beyond, warned that food prices in South Africa are set to rise during this, second, quarter of the year. The country’s staple foods – maize, wheat and rice – would not be... →

Solidarity Fund raises R2.6bn

By: Sane Dhlamini 23rd April 2020 Government’s pro bono organisation, the Solidarity Fund on Thursday expressed gratitude to all those who have so far donated to the fund, which has received R2.6-billion in pledges to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The mandate of fund is to mobilise and coordinate financial and... →

PepsiCo launches feeding schemes to ease access to food burden

By: Donna Slater 22nd April 2020 Food company PepsiCo South Africa has launched a R12-million initiative, led locally by PepsiCo companies Pioneer Foods and Simba, to provide more than 11-million meals to communities most impacted by the socioeconomic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The #GiveMealsGiveHope initiative... →

Solidarity Fund starts delivering food parcels to distressed families

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 20th April 2020 The Solidarity Fund on April 17 confirmed it had started the roll out of food parcels to more than 250 000 families across South Africa. The fund, which receives donations from corporates, citizens and foundations, has made R120-million available for food relief for distressed families. →

Massmart management contributes to feeding the vulnerable

By: Donna Slater 17th April 2020 Wholesale and retail group Massmart's management board and executive committee have resolved to personally fund, through a waiver of a portion of their salaries, 230 t of food for distribution to vulnerable communities. The contribution will be made to FoodForward South Africa (SA) through the... →

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