Kerry Ingredients & Flavours today confirmed that is has completed the acquisition of the Durban-based flavours company, FlavourCraft, for an undisclosed sum. This sees Kerry expand its presence not just in South Africa, serving food manufacturers in the country, but across the African continent.

The chicken market has been in the headlines this week over alleged dumping by Brazilian producers. SARS has imposed a provisional levy on Brazilian chicken following an investigation by the International Trade and Administration Commission (Itac) which found that some Brazilian companies had dumped their products at a value of 60 percent less than in their respective markets. Other groups had dumped their products at a margin of more than 40 percent below the prices in Brazil.

Upmarket retailer Woolworths will try to woo its well-heeled customers into buying more than just meat and fresh produce from its stores by introducing more categories and bulk value buys in its new full-line supermarkets.

Stellen Fine Wines has entered the competitive cider market with the launch of a new cider, Tell's. According to Distell, cider is the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage, outpacing the growth in beer, wines, spirits and flavoured alcoholic beverages. Datamonitor reports that in 2010 the cider market grew at 3.1% year-on-year and shows a 5.7% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate).

Branded foods and beverages company, Clover, recently launched the “Way Better” campaign to communicate its new brand positioning statement to consumers. Fast-moving interviewed Clover’s Brands and Marketing Executive, Dr Chris Lerm, about the general intricacies of re-branding and the best steps an FMCG company should take to position a brand successfully.

A UK trade mission is hoping to convince South Africans to once again serve up British beef on their plates, after a 15-year ban on its products was lifted at the end of last year.

Most South Africans living in urban areas believe that their tap water is safe to drink, a study commissioned by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and the South African Local Government Association has found.

The first issue of SAAFoST’s very own quarterly magazine, FST (South African Food Science and Technology), was mailed out to all SAAFoST members this week. Published in February, May, August and November FST is SAAFoST’s official mouthpiece and reflects its role as the primary association in South Africa for food science and technology professionals in business, government and academia.