News

In the first three quarters (1 March to 30 November 2018) of the current fiscal year 2018/19, Südzucker AG reported slightly lower consolidated group revenues of € 5.192 (previous year: 5.302) bn. According to the company, the sugar and CropEnergies segments’ revenues fell clearly, whereas the special products segment’s rose substantially. The fruit segment’s revenues were about the same as last year.

As expected, the consolidated group operating result fell significantly to € 116 (previous year: 384) m. The decline was driven mainly by the sugar segment losses as of the third quarter. The CropEnergies segment’s operating result also dropped substantially, but in the third quarter at a slower pace than in the previous quarters. The special products and fruit segments’ operating results were slightly higher than last year.

Group consolidated revenues are expected between € 6.6 to 6.9 (previous year: 7.0) bn for total fiscal 2018/19. In the sugar segment, a sharp decline in revenues is anticipated. Revenues in the CropEnergies segment are expected to range between € 690 and 720 m. The special products segment’s revenues are expected to rise substantially and those in the fruit segment to increase moderately. Consolidated group operating result is expected within a range of € 25 to 125 (previous year: 445) m. The decline in results will be largely attributable to the expected losses in the sugar segment. The CropEnergies segment’s result is also expected to drop considerably. Results in the special products segment are expected to be at last year's level. In the fruit segment, a slight increase in operating results is anticipated.

On 26 January 2019 (6:30 pm), the eve of this year’s ISM & ProSweets trade fair in Cologne/Germany, Datasweet and Arsandis, consulting companies for the confectionery industry and for Industry 4.0, will host a workshop in Solingen/Germany to survey and discuss recent developments in industrial digitization and how they affect the confectionary business. Emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Internet of Things are expected to be essential components in future offerings of machine manufacturers. Consequently, established providers must develop strategies to incorporate these technologies if they want to stay on top of their game.

The workshop will assess opportunities in sales, production, service and training and give real world examples of applications that add tangible value. The goal is for attendees to understand how digitization impacts their business, to identify key areas where actions are needed and to establish potential first steps in their digitization journey. Attendees will get an opportunity to experience these digital applications live in a number of hands-on workshops with virtual reality and augmented reality devices. After the workshops, attendees will have ample opportunity to discuss with the experts directly or to network with peers. Entrance is free, catering is provided.

Leading members of Brazil’s chocolate and cocoa sectors have launched a sustainability initiative. “CocoaAction Brasil” aims to coordinate companies in Brazil, federal and state governmental bodies, sector associations, certification systems, other stakeholders to address a range of sustainability issues in the cocoa sector. Leading multinational chocolate and cocoa industry members that have joined the initiative include Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé and Olam, as well as the Brazilian chocolate maker Dengo.

According to Pedro Ronca, who made the announcement and manages the initiative on behalf of World Cocoa Foundation, CocoaAction Brasil aims to help private sector companies work together across the supply chain, speak with a unified voice with national and local governments, and learn together through a consolidated monitoring and evaluation system.

Mr Ronca, who works for the Brazilian agribusiness consulting firm P&A Marketing, stated that CocoaAction Brasil will work to find solutions that increase productivity, improve the quality of Brazil’s cocoa – including controlling pests and diseases –, improve farmers’ living and working conditions, strengthen farmer organizations, and support sustainable forest-positive cocoa production systems.

Corbion has launched Purac Powder MA 74, a so-called “revolutionary” malic acid coating for sanding sugar confectionery in high-temperature and humid environments common to Asia. Specially designed for the region’s unique requirements, the product unleashes new flavour opportunities while maintaining quality, shelf-life and consumer appeal, according to the company.

Purac Powder MA 74 is designed to help manufacturers overcome common confectionery challenges by using solutions that are not susceptible to environmental conditions. With a relatively mild malic acid-base, the coating retains stability even in products with a long shelf-life, guaranteeing the consumer an ideal taste experience. The solution has already received approval from Asian regulatory bodies.

Cargill has outlined its plan to eliminate deforestation from its cocoa supply chain. The Protect Our Planet plan provides concrete actions the company is taking to achieve 100 percent cocoa bean traceability and includes a commitment of “no further conversion” of any forest land in Ghana and Ivory Coast for cocoa production. It also expands the company’s forest efforts to five origin countries (Brazil, Indonesia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana) as well as the indirect cocoa supply chain, while securing the future livelihoods and resilience of smallholder cocoa farmers.

Cargill intends to achieve 100 % cocoa bean traceability. The company will map its entire cocoa supply chain, using GPS and polygon farm mapping globally, to identify the exact location of the farms and accurately assess farm size. It will also continue to introduce traceability technology to cooperatives and farmers such as a Coop Management System (CMS) and bar-coding of bags enabling us to trace beans back to individual farms. Cargill has already achieved 100 % traceability from farm to factory in Ghana using these technologies. The company is aiming to achieve the same in Ivory Coast in 2020, where it mapped over 80,000 of the 120,000 farms in its direct supply chain.