Engineering News | Food & Beverage

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Food & Beverage News

Competition Tribunal dismisses case against I&J

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 7th September 2020 The Competition Tribunal has dismissed a case of alleged cartel conduct against processed frozen foods company Irvin & Johnson (I&J) owing to a lack of evidence. The Competition Commission had accused I&J and beef processing company Karan Beef of allegedly dividing markets in the supply of... →

SPAR Group announces leadership appointments

By: Donna Slater 4th September 2020 JSE-listed household goods distributor SPAR Group, which is a member of SPAR International, with a footprint across 48 countries, has appointed Brett Botten CEO and Graham O’ Connor nonexecutive chairperson, following the retirement of Mike Hankinson. The effective dates for the changes will be... →

SPAR CEO Brett Botten

Libstar grows interim revenue despite supply chain, consumer demand challenges

By: Marleny Arnoldi 2nd September 2020 JSE-listed fast-moving consumer goods holding company Libstar has delivered robust interim results, with revenue increases reported for household and personal care products, as well as some food categories, despite Covid-19 impacts. Libstar recorded a 1.9% year-on-year growth in group revenue... →

Libstar CEO Andries van Rensburg talks interim performance and outlook for remainder of 2020

Sea Harvest records stable interim results in face of pandemic

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 31st August 2020 JSE-listed Sea Harvest Group reported a stable set of interim results for the six month ended June 30, with a 7% increase in revenue to R2-billion and headline earnings a share of 61c, in line with the prior interim period. The group says this was achieved despite the worst pandemic in over a... →

Felix Ratheb

RCL Foods leverages diverse portfolio for resilience amid ‘unprecedented hardship’ in South Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 31st August 2020 JSE-listed consumer goods company RCL Foods leveraged the resilience of its diverse portfolio to finish the 12 months to June 30 in a strong cash position, delivering revenue growth of 7.4% in a period of “unprecedented hardship for South African consumers and the local economy”. Underlying... →

RCL CEO Miles Dally

Bidcorp revenue declines as a result of Covid-19 measures

By: Donna Slater 26th August 2020 Food distribution company Bidcorp recorded net revenue of R121.1-billion for the financial year ended June 30, representing a 6.3% decline from the R129.3-billion in revenue reported for the 2019 financial year. Its gross profit margin, however, increased to 24.1%, up from 23.9% in the 2019... →

Bidcorp operations and financial performance impacted by Covid-19-hit consumer markets

DTIC, Wesgro to host virtual wine mission to South Korea

By: Creamer Media Reporter 26th August 2020 To enhance bilateral trade and investment ties, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) will, in collaboration with trade promotion agency Wesgro, host a virtual wine mission to South Korea. The event, to be held on August 27, will showcase ten wineries from the Western Cape region. →

Alcohol industry commits R150m to harm-reduction programmes

By: Simone Liedtke 20th August 2020 The South African alcohol industry has committed R150-million to direct harm-reduction programmes over the coming year. The investment is to focus on upscaling existing programmes and finding new, innovative measures to deal with key areas of concern, including drinking and driving or walking,... →

Fuelled by consumer demand, Tetra Pak takes steps to green processes and products

By: Donna Slater 18th August 2020 Food processing and packaging manufacturer Tetra Pak is taking steps to better align itself with the demand for more sustainable and environment-friendly packaging solutions. Tetra Pak president and CEO Adolfo Orive says the company has, over the course of 2019, witnessed awareness and... →

Libstar's retail, wholesale business achieves revenue growth as food service business struggles amid Covid-19

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th August 2020 JSE-listed fast-moving consumer goods holding company Libstar managed to grow its revenue from its retail and wholesale business segment by 10.7% during the six months ended June 30. The company’s businesses in this segment were able to operate for the entire duration of the national lockdown... →

Nestlé South Africa achieves Level 3 BBBEE certification

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 17th August 2020 Food and beverage producer Nestlé South Africa has received its Level 3 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) certification. This rating was attained after a thorough verification process by Mazars – the South African National Accreditation System (Sanas) accredited rating agency. →

Tiger Brands progresses disposal of its value-added meat products business

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 17th August 2020 JSE-listed Tiger Brands, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tiger Consumer Brands, has entered into two separate sale of business agreements (SBAs) for the disposal of its value-added meat products (VAMP) business units as going concerns. The two SBAs comprise an agreement with Molare, in... →

Alcohol industry welcomes lifting of alcohol sales ban, counts losses

By: Donna Slater 17th August 2020 Both stakeholders in the South African alcohol industry and wine industry representative organisation Vinpro have welcomed government’s decision to lift the ban on alcohol sales as part of the move to Alert Level 2, which comes into effect at midnight on Monday. Vinpro states that the wine... →

Technology to mitigate water- treatment challenges

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 14th August 2020 The 2030 Water Resources Group - hosted by the World Bank - held a webinar last month to showcase three international technologies that can help the food and beverage sector rise above business continuity challenges amid diminishing resources within the sector. The webinar included partners such... →

DECREASE USE The food and beverage sector faces increasingly stringent environmental legislation, with the consequent need to drive water demand down to a minimum

Vacuum packaging increases fresh food shelf life

14th August 2020 Fresh foods such as meat, sausage, fish, and cheese are usually vacuum packaged at a pressure of around five millibars. At this pressure, the oxygen content in the remaining residual air is so minimal that the activity of various microorganisms is prevented. →

SEALED SHUT Typical R5 rotary vane vacuum pump from Busch for use in chamber packaging machines

Outsourcing key utility services could benefit food sector

14th August 2020 A possible consideration for food manufacturers to consider during these challenging economic times is the outsourcing of key utility services, which impact an operations’ power consumption and capital investment decisions, says industrial refrigeration services and solutions service provider... →

Company provides support for food sector during pandemic

14th August 2020 Engineering solutions specialist BMG provides critical engineering support to ensure safe and efficient food and beverage production and handling during the Covid-19 pandemic, says BMG group product and sales manager Mark Barbour. BMG’s solutions for the sector extend from processing, where raw... →

RAISING STANDARDS BMG works closely with the food and beverage sector to raise hygiene standards throughout the food and logistics chain

Collaboration improves quality of products

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 14th August 2020 Continuous engagement with original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users has allowed roller chain specialist KÖBO to continuously improve the quality and designs of its products, which meet the stringent hygiene and health and safety requirements of the food and beverage industry, says... →

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT KÖBO also has a continuous improvement programme, which entails doing research and introducing new products to the market

Liquor sales ban mounts pressure on agricultural commodities

14th August 2020 Since the initial ban on liquor sales, owing to Covid-19 regulations, there has been an accumulation of supply of raw materials, some of which could not be stored for extended periods and which also did not have any export opportunities, highlights agriculture industry body Grain SA. Alcohol is... →

GBK Restaurant meets July revenue target

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 13th August 2020 JSE-listed Famous Brands says it is satisfied with the operational performance of the GBK Restaurant stores that are trading. In an update to shareholders on August 13, it said 37 of the 62 GBK stores in the UK were open and offering delivery, collect and dine-in service. →

Nestlé launches initiative to tackle youth unemployment

By: Donna Slater 12th August 2020 Food and beverage company Nestlé is offering 100 young people an opportunity to join its newly established virtual internship programme as part of the organisation’s ongoing interventions aimed at reducing youth unemployment, across the East and Southern Africa region (Esar). The virtual... →

EU liquor trading partner puts pressure on South African govt to lift alcohol ban

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th August 2020 In a statement, the liquor industry of South Africa has acknowledged the concerns raised by SpritsEurope around imbalances in trade between South Africa and the European Union (EU), owing to the continued ban on alcohol sales. The EU is South Africa’s biggest trading partner and the economic... →

Coca-Cola changes Sprite packaging to increase recycling

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 7th August 2020 The Coca-Cola Company in South Africa has stopped the production of Sprite’s iconic green packaging to produce fresh, new clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle packaging. The transition to clear packaging means that more Sprite bottles can be collected, recycled and reused to make... →

Mobile factories reduce time, costs

By: Cameron Mackay 7th August 2020 Agricultural processing equipment supplier Dryers for Africa supplies containerised processing factories fitted with agricultural dryer units which enable clients without access to a factory to buy a mobile factory with the required components and equipment prefitted, reducing installation costs... →

ACCESS TO INFRASTRUCTURE Small-scale farming can be encouraged to provide produce for the containerised factory, which comes prefitted with dryer units

Agri SA joins call for alcohol ban to be lifted

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 6th August 2020 Industry organisation Agri SA has noted its concern about the impact of the current alcohol ban on the entire alcohol value chain. It says South African Breweries (SAB) is the only beer producer that procures almost all of its input ingredients locally, and the impact of the ban on the sale of... →

Astral Foods says chair, CEO have recovered from Covid-19

By: Donna Slater 5th August 2020 Poultry producer Astral Foods reports that its chairperson Dr Theuns Eloff and CEO Chris Schutte have both recovered from Covid-19. The company announced on July 16 that Eloff and Schutte had contracted the disease, following which Eloff self-isolated and received medical treatment. →

Alcohol industry welcomes positive response from Treasury on excise tax deferment

By: Simone Liedtke 4th August 2020 The alcohol industry has welcomed the positive response from the National Treasury to its request for a deferment of excise tax on alcoholic beverages. In response to the industry’s request, Treasury has proposed a 90-day deferral for the payment of excise taxes on alcohol to be made in August... →

Consol halts R1.5bn expansion project amid low demand

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 4th August 2020 Manufacturer Consol Glass has indefinitely suspended construction of a new R1.5-billion glass manufacturing plant in Nigel, Gauteng, owing to the reduction in demand for glass products. The company attributed this reduced demand to the Covid-19 pandemic and government’s actions to slow its... →

SAB reconsidering capex projects worth billions amid alcohol sales ban

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd August 2020 South African Breweries (SAB) has cancelled R2.5-billion of scheduled investments that were earmarked as part of its yearly capital and infrastructure upgrade programme. These funds were previously scheduled as part of its capital allocation programme for this financial year, while an additional... →

Alcohol industry welcomes SAMRC's call to lift alcohol ban

By: Donna Slater 3rd August 2020 Stakeholders in the alcohol industry welcomed a recent call by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) for government to start preparing for the lifting of the ban on the formal sale of alcohol. According to the alcohol industry, the call made by SAMRC president Dr Glenda Gray and... →

V&A Waterfront to launch food incubator

By: Schalk Burger 31st July 2020 The V&A Waterfront will develop the Makers Landing, a local food incubator for South African flavours and culture, as part of the Cape Town Cruise Terminal. This is expected to be completed by September and open to the public by December. →

At least give a timeframe around alcohol ban, asks Consol

By: Marleny Arnoldi 30th July 2020 Glass manufacturer Consol has written to the Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel, requesting that he urgently assist in pursuing a resolution of the alcohol ban. There has been much debate about the impact of the alcohol ban and which way government should go about the decision in recent... →

Burger King South Africa deal re-negotiated on lower enterprise value terms

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th July 2020 Listed empowerment group Grand Parade Investments has had to renegotiate the terms of its agreement to sell its interest in Burger King South Africa and Grand Foods Meat Plant to private equity group Emerging Capital Partners. The decision to renegotiate the deal was owing to Covid-19 and the... →

South African wine industry questions alcohol ban

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd July 2020 Stellenbosch Wine Routes and about 300 wineries in South Africa, together with Visit Stellenbosch, are supporting an official legal application requesting evidence from the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to explain the reintroduction of a blanket ban on the domestic... →

Sundale, Schreiber JV to increase local content for quick-serve industry

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd July 2020 East London-based Sundale Dairy is set to break ground at the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) in August as it launches Sundale Schreiber. Sundale Schreiber is a joint venture (JV) between Sundale and international processed cheese company Schreiber, which is expected to create... →

Agri SA calls for contributions to R1bn food drive

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd July 2020 Industry association Agri SA has called on government and the private sector to contribute to a R1-billion food drive initiative. The association says that, with winter putting strain on food systems and with Covid-19 and general economic conditions leaving many households food insecure, a... →

TPT facilitates export of higher-than-expected volumes of citrus

By: Donna Slater 22nd July 2020 State-owned port operator Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is tracking ahead of a planned 13% increase in citrus export volumes across four of its 19 terminals this year. In the face of Covid-19, actual citrus volumes are 29.4% higher across all terminals combined when compared with 2019 volumes. →

A forklift manoeuvres a reefer unit

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe