News on Chips and Snacks from Europe

August 28, 2008

Pepsi buys Serbian potato chips maker Marbo Product

PepsiCo Inc. has increased to 100% its stake in Serbian potato chips producer Marbo Product for an undisclosed sum, Serbian news agency Tanjug reported on Wednesday. Marbo Produkt employs more than 1,000 people in Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

August 24, 2008

Study finds small snacks encourage eating more

Spanish and Dutch researchers found that instead of reducing the amount of calories consumed by people, treats in small-sized packages ("diet"and “fun” packs) actually increase the amount of high-calorie foods eaten. The researchers had subje...

August 12, 2008

Chicken tikka flavour now for Britain’s favourite chips

Chicken tikka and Walkers’ crisps. Britain’s most popular ethnic food now has a chance of flavouring the country’s equally popular brand of potato chips. Walkers’ launched a “Do us a flavour, win a packet” campaign last month to invite ideas for new fl...

August 06, 2008

Kids' diets improve as savoury snack makers cut out fats

Savoury snack foods including crisps, popcorn and nuts now contribute less fat and saturated fat to the diet of the country's teens than three years ago. An analysis of the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) National Teen Food Survey 2008 sh...

August 06, 2008

France to put 'fat tax' on pizzas, crisps and hamburgers

France is considering plans to impose a "fat tax"by more than trebling the VAT on junk food to tackle soaring obesity levels. Ministers are being urged by health experts to raise VAT from 5.5 to 19.6 per cent on all foods considered to be &q...

July 30, 2008

Walkers was fastest growing website in the UK

Walkers Snack Foods was the fastest growing website in the UK over the last year, due in part to its Brit Trips discounted UK holiday promotions, according to Nielsen Online.The site's UK unique users grew from 17,000 in June 2007 to 444,000 in June th...

July 25, 2008

A Walkers crisp that looks like Lineker?

A happy-snacker was left star-struck when she discovered a Gary Lineker look-a-like in her crisp packet. Beth Benner was tucking into a packet of her favourite Ready Salted crisps when she pulled out what she thought was the spitting image of the footb...

July 25, 2008

Farmer wins go-ahead for plant to generate power from Walkers potato waste

Eco-friendly plans to generate power using waste from a crisp factory proved the real McCoy for Durham County councillors yesterday. Farmer Philip Johnson asked Durham County Council for permission to produce electricity – enough to heat 1,200 homes ...

July 24, 2008

Jobs threat at crisp site red Mills Snack Foods

A crisp factory employing 300 people in the Black Country could close after its owner lost one of its biggest contracts. Workers are facing redundancy at Red Mill Snack Foods Ltd in Globe Street, Wednesbury, which makes Transformers crisps and Mr Pork...

July 24, 2008

BASF Plant Science takes Amflora case to EU Court

BASF Plant Science today filed an action with the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg against the EU Commission for failure to act. According to the company, the approval process of the cultivation of Amflora, its genetically improved potato...

July 23, 2008

Jobs threatened at Tayto's Corby chips plant after P&G axes mini Pringles contract

Tayto announced to cease production at its crisp manufacturing plant in the Corby, threatening 264 jobs. The decision follows the cancellation of the only contract at the factory by Proctor and Gamble to manufacture Pringles Minis.Workers at the pl...

July 23, 2008

Grote groei chipsproductie FZ Organic

Het bedrijf FZ Organic in Wolvega heeft in het afgelopen jaar de chipsproductie fors verhoogd. De producent van biologische chips (waaronder het merk Trafo) zag de productie stijgen met 6 tot 8 procent stijgen. Volgens directeur Frans Andringa is dat o...

July 17, 2008

Potato Growers urged to quantify costs

As crop production costs spiral, serious savings can be made across a range of potato inputs if you manage and monitor them carefully.

July 11, 2008

Walkers launches 'Do Us a Flavour campaign'

Walkers is offering the public the chance to create a new flavour and make money by taking 1% of future sales of the crisps. Chef Heston Blumental will lead a panel of "flavour experts"from Walkers to select the finalists. The Do Us a Flavou...

July 09, 2008

Pringles no Potato Chips

In the UK the High Court ruled that Pringles are not crisps. Procter and Gamble successfully challenged the ruling of a VAT (tax) tribunal that Pringles should be standard-rated at 17.5 per cent as the product fell within the definition of 'potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch'.

July 08, 2008

Las Pringles ni siquiera son patatas

Las Pringles no son patatas, según el Tribunal Supremo británico. El popular aperitivo de inconfundibles rodajas ovaladas perfectamente encajadas en un envase de tubo tienen menos del 50 por ciento de patata y «una forma artificial». Esta decisión judi...

July 04, 2008

U.K. Tax Agency Burned By A Crisp

Their 'mouth-melt' taste and geometric shape 'not found in nature' ;means that Pringles must henceforth be struck from the list of snacks that Brits can call 'crisps' and, more crucially, that they can tax.

July 04, 2008

Pringles exempt from VAT because they are 'not crisps' rules High Court

A Pringle is is not a potato crisp according to a High Court ruling today.The result means the top-selling snack is exempt from VAT. It is good news for manufacturers Proctor &Gamble who now stand to save millions of pounds on UK sales.The ruling c...