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Sept 20 (Reuters) - Consumer goods firms like Nestle (NESN.S), Lindt (LISN.S) and Unilever (ULVR.L) may face increased pressure across Europe to cut prices after being singled out by French retailers and politicians, industry experts say. France is a crucial country for consumer goods companies, having long outstripped Germany, Italy, Spain and others as the European Union's biggest market for groceries by supermarket revenues, according to research firm IBISWorld. That means consumer groups will face pressure to rein back prices across the European Union. Because these supermarkets are in different countries and do not compete with one another, they often combine forces to negotiate with consumer goods makers. Consumer goods makers have for more than two years grappled with sky-rocketing input, supply chain and labour costs that they have either absorbed - taking a hit to margins - or passed on to retailers.

Persons: It's, Laurent Thoumine, Thoumine, Ferrero's, Pernod Ricard's Ricard, Systeme, Germany's, Switzerland's, Italy's, Philippe Michaud, Leclerc, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, Richard Saldanha, Lindt, Saldanha, Richa Naidu, Helen Reid, Matt Scuffham, Catherine Evans Organizations: Consumer, Nestle, Unilever, Carrefour, PepsiCo, European, Reuters, European Union, Epic Partners, French Finance, Aviva Investors, Paris, Thomson Locations: Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Eurelec

☆ French supermarkets to demand food groups cut prices by up to 5%
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Helen Reid | Thomson Reuters | London-Based Reporter Covering The European Retail Sector Through A Global Lens. Focusing On Companies Including Adidas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

French retailers have criticised consumer goods giants like Unilever and Nestle for price hikes they say are unjustified. The government has also put pressure on the consumer goods makers to cut prices. "We should probably be able to demand that the big (consumer goods) groups cut prices by between 2% and 5%," he said. Consumer goods firms are likely to face increased pressure across Europe to cut prices, industry experts say. Lawmakers also asked about buying alliances, which some supermarkets use to negotiate prices jointly with peers at the European level, and whether they enable retailers to evade French regulations on pricing.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Les Mousquetaires, Thierry Cotillard, Cotillard, Mousquetaires, Jan, Alexandre Bompard, Lawmakers, Systeme, Dominique Schelcher, E Leclerc, Philippe Michaud, Miloud, Leclerc, Michaud, Helen Reid, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Unilever, Nestle, Carrefour, Senate, REWE, Thomson Locations: Carrefour, Montesson, Paris, France, Portugal, Spain, Europe, Greece, London

New anti-obesity drugs have the potential to transform public health, while obliterating demand for products and services from the medical, food and fitness industries. Drugs developed by Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N) appear to be the first truly effective diet treatments. In one clinical trial, patients taking Eli Lilly’s soon-to-be-launched weight-loss drug lost about 50 pounds (23 kg). Only about a third of those who started taking the drugs for obesity were still doing so a year later, according to one analysis. Yet even as Novo, Lilly and others see their addressable markets expand, some companies will see theirs shrink.

Persons: Lilly, George Frey, Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly’s, Novo, Wegovy, Kraft Heinz, Burger, LSEG, Michael Farrell, Zimmer Biomet, Smith, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Reuters, TAM, Drugs, Alpha, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cadbury, Mondelez, Fortune Business, Burger King, KFC, Yum Brands, Centers for Disease Control, Milken Institute, BMJ, Novo, Inspire Medical Systems, Novo Nordisk’s, WW International, Fashion, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, New, United States, Lilly, England

☆ Artificially sweetened ultraprocessed foods linked to depression in women, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Eating greater amounts of ultraprocessed food and drinks, especially if those items are artificially sweetened, may be linked to the development of depression, according to a new study. Ultraprocessed foods include hot dogs, sausages, French fries, sodas, store-bought cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream and many foods containing artificial sweeteners. For one, there is a known link between ultraprocessed foods and chronic inflammation, Chan said. For example, studies have linked ultraprocessed foods colorectal cancer in men and heart disease and early death in both men and women. In addition, the study is observational, which means that researchers can only find an association between the onset of depression and the intake of ultraprocessed foods.

Persons: ” Gunter Kuhnle, ”, Andrew T Chan, Daniel K, Harvard T.H, Chan, Kuhnle, ” Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard, ” Chan, David Katz, ” Katz, ” It’s, Katz, It’s, Paul Keedwell, Keith Frayn, Frayn, ” Frayn Organizations: CNN, University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, Harvard, of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, New York University, ” Association, JAMA, Nurses, True Health Initiative, Royal College of Psychiatrists, BMI, University of Oxford Locations: Chan, Boston, Massachusetts, McDonald’s

☆ Companies Might Be Forced to Report Their Impact on Nature. A New Framework Aims to Help.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Joshua Kirby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

New nature-reporting recommendations aim to help companies assess their impact on and risks from the world’s natural systems. This is despite growing awareness of the catastrophic effects of biodiversity loss, Capgemini said in a report, based on a survey of executives of large organizations from major economies. The TNFD recommendations are currently voluntary, but come as regulation tightens around degradation of the natural world. Separately, in the EU, many companies are already facing obligations to report their impact on nature under the bloc’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. “We recognize that nature loss poses both risks and opportunities for business, now and in the future,” said Jennifer Motles, PMI’s chief sustainability officer.

Persons: ”, Elizabeth Mrema, David Craig, TNFD’s, “, Capgemini, Aurélie, Philip Morris, Jennifer Motles, laurent gillieron, Gillon, Gucci, Zoe Balmforth, ” Balmforth, Joshua Kirby, joshua.kirby@wsj.com Organizations: Sustainable Business, United Nations, Force, Economic, World Bank, EU, Philip Morris International, European Union, Unilever Locations: “, France, Montreal, Canada, Switzerland, ”

☆ Carrefour uses 'shrinkflation' stickers to pressure PepsiCo, Nestlé and Unilever
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

French supermarket chain Carrefour has slapped price warnings on products ranging from Lindt chocolates to Lipton Ice Tea to pressure suppliers such as Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever to cut their prices. Carrefour is putting stickers on products that have shrunk in size but cost more even though raw materials prices have eased. After a new round of meetings last month, Le Maire said Unilever (UL), Nestlé and PepsiCo (PEP) were among companies not toeing the line on prices. Consumer groups say “shrinkflation” is a widespread practice, which supermarkets like Carrefour are also guilty of in their private label products. The shrinkflation warnings are in all French Carrefour stores, and will last until the targeted suppliers agree to price cuts, Bompais said.

Persons: Stefen Bompais, Alexandre Bompard, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, Nestlé, “, Bompais, — Organizations: Carrefour, Lipton, PepsiCo, Unilever, UL, Nestlé, Reuters Locations: France, Swiss, Carrefour

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday he had invited the heads of Canada's five largest grocery chains, including Sobeys (EMPa.TO), Metro (MRU.TO) and Loblaw (L.TO), to Ottawa next week to discuss how they planned to control sky-rocketing food prices. Trudeau's move comes when governments across the globe, especially in Europe, have expressed concern over soaring food prices as they seek to address a cost-of-living crisis that has intensified after the pandemic subsided and since the Russia-Ukraine war began. However, after a similar move from the French government in June, analysts were skeptical about Trudeau's warning. They argued it was a "political" tactic and might be ineffective in lowering lingering food inflation. "Both PM Justin Trudeau and François-Philippe Champagne (Canada's industry minister) spoke tough about this topic and it is difficult to envision what teeth they have to hold grocers accountable," said Ben Jang, portfolio manager at Nikola Wealth.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Trudeau's, François, Philippe Champagne, Ben Jang, Michael Ashley Schulman, Allan Small, Granth Vanaik, Pooja Desai Organizations: Metro, Loblaw, Nikola Wealth, Running, Capital Advisors, iA, Wealth, Carrefour, Lipton, Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever, Thomson Locations: Ottawa, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Carrefour sticks price warnings on food to shame suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - French supermarket chain Carrefour (CARR.PA) has slapped price warnings on products from Lindt chocolates to Lipton Ice Tea to pressure top consumer goods suppliers Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever to reduce inflation ahead of much-anticipated contract talks. After a new round of meetings last month, Le Maire said Unilever, Nestle and PepsiCo were among companies not toeing the line on prices. But Carrefour's move to name and shame suppliers marks an escalation in the war of words between retailers and big multinationals. The shrinkflation warnings are in all French Carrefour stores, and will last until the targeted suppliers agree to price cuts, Bompais said. Le Maire said last month consumer goods companies and retailers had agreed to bring forward annual price negotiations - which would normally have taken place next year - to September.

Persons: Bompais, Alexandre Bompard, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, Dominique Vidalon, Richa Naidu, Helen Reid, Silvia Aloisi, Richard Chang Organizations: Carrefour, Lipton, Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever, Finance, Thomson Locations: France, Carrefour, Paris, London

[1/2] A bartender pours a drink at a Campari inauguration of a new brand house for Aperol, its best-selling beverage, in Venice. Shares in Campari fell by more than 5% in Milan after the departure of Kunze-Concewitz, who is 56, was announced. Under Kunze-Concewitz, Campari roughly tripled its net sales and profitability, investing around 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) on acquisitions. Sales of Aperol have increased by 12 times since 2007 and it has become the group's largest brand. Kunze-Concewitz, an Austrian citizen who was born in Istanbul, will remain as a non-executive director at Campari.

Persons: Manuel Silvestri, Bob Kunze, Matteo Fantacchiotti, Kunze Concewitz, Fantacchiotti, Italy's, Cristina Carlevaro, Elisa Anzolin, Keith Weir, Jason Neely, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Asia Pacific, Nestle, Diageo, Carlsberg, Jefferies, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Aperol, Venice . Italy, Italian, Campari, Milan, Asia, Austrian, Istanbul

The private equity firm's follow-on investment translates into an additional equity stake of 0.25% in Reliance Retail on a fully-diluted basis, taking KKR's total equity stake in the Indian company to 1.42%, the retailer said in a statement on Monday. That year, KKR had invested 55.5 billion rupees ($669.65 million) in Reliance Retail. Morgan Stanley acted as financial adviser to Reliance Retail. Ambani said in 2019 that the group planned to list the retail business in five years. Reliance Retail reported a consolidated net profit of 91.81 billion rupees ($1.11 billion) for the financial year that ended in March 2023, on revenue of 2.6 trillion rupees.

Persons: Maggi, Niharika Kulkarni, Mukesh Ambani's, Jimmy Choo, Spencer, Pret, Ambani, Morgan Stanley, Aditya Kalra, Toby Chopra, Tomasz Janowski, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Co Inc, Retail Ventures, Reliance, Reliance Retail, Saudi Public Investment Fund, General Atlantic, United Arab, Asian, IV, Reuters, Qatar Investment Authority, Unilever, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, DELHI, United Arab Emirates

☆ For Western firms, the risk of leaving Russia could be higher than staying
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Greg Kennedy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA wave of Western companies exited Russia promptly after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. For firms wishing to quit, amid heavy reputational and financial damage, the prospect of leaving is becoming harder with time. Nabi Abdullaev, a partner at Control Risks and former editor of the Moscow Times, told CNBC: "Some companies decide to stay because the risk of leaving Russia, at this moment at least, is higher than the risk of staying." Western companies that remain in the country are able to continue doing business because, despite sanctions, numerous transactions and activities are still authorized. In comparison, sanctions on Iran and North Korea are a far more severe environment for Western companies to operate within.

Persons: Nabi Abdullaev, Abdullaev, Vladimir Putin, Maria Shagina, Philip Morris, Heineken, Shagina Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Moscow Times, CNBC, Companies, Carlsberg, Danone, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, Research, Heineken, Russian Arnest, Kyiv School of Economics Locations: Moskva, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, UniCredit, Raiffeisen, Ukrainian, Iran, North Korea

☆ Nestle buys majority stake in Brazilian premium chocolate maker
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) is buying a majority stake in Brazilian premium chocolate maker Grupo CRM, the Swiss food group said on Thursday. Grupo CRM operates a direct-to-consumer model, with more than 1,000 chocolate boutiques under the Kopenhagen and Brasil Cacau brands and a strong, growing online presence, Nestle said. The executive has been with the company for 25 years and has built up and significantly expanded Grupo CRM, which currently only operates in Brazil. In June, Brazilian competition regulator Cade approved Nestle's acquisition of Chocolates Garoto more than 20 years after it was first announced. Among the conditions for the approval, the company agreed not to make any acquisitions that account for at least 5% of the Brazilian chocolate market for five years.

Persons: Arnd, Nestle, Valor Economico, Renata Moraes Vichi, Laurent Freixe, Cade, John Revill, Friederike Heine, Janane Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Rights, Grupo CRM, Brasil, Advent International, Valor, Grupo, Thomson Locations: Konolfingen, Switzerland, Swiss, Brazil

☆ Gatorade's newest drink doesn't contain Gatorade
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The PepsiCo-owned brand, best known for its fruit-flavored sports drinks like Fierce Grape or Frost Glacier Cherry, is adding Gatorade Water. It’s a major bet that the brand can tap into the growing “functional water” category (i.e. Specifically, alkaline water is a water that has a higher pH level than tap water. Gatorade Water has pH levels of 7 and higher. Other popular brands include Nestle-owned Essentia and two other PepsiCo-owned brands including LIFEWTR and Propel, a flavored water, that the company sees Gatorade Water being “complementary” to.

Persons: Cherry, Michael Del Pozzo, it’s, Del Pozzo, “, ”, Malina Malkani, Leana Wen, ” Howard Telford, ” Telford, Gatorade’s Del Pozzo, ” Del Pozzo Organizations: New, New York CNN, PepsiCo, Gatorade, Academy of Nutrition, CNN, George Washington University, Coca, Nestle Locations: New York

A shopper looks at displayed food at a supermarket ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. November 22, 2022. "It feels like our consumers are asking for sustainability but they are not looking to compromise on price or quality." Scope 1 refers to a company's direct emissions, Scope 2 to indirect emissions from purchased energy while Scope 3 refers to all other indirect emissions, for example from a company's third-party suppliers. A joint study by consultant McKinsey and data firm NielsenIQ earlier this year found that 78% of U.S. consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. "We will go our own course as a company, but we have to communicate (with shoppers)."

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Clark, Oriol Margo, Kimberly, Frans Muller, Ahold, Albert Heijn, Richa Naidu, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, Consumer, Shareholders, Nestle, Walmart, Reuters IMPACT, McKinsey, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Kimberly, London, Netherlands, United States

“With us, you know what you get, which is rare nowadays!” Alexandre Edelmann, head of Presence Switzerland, a government agency that promotes the country abroad, says in an email. “People love our country without always knowing why,” says Jacques Pitteloud, Switzerland’s ambassador to the U.S. and a veteran diplomat. We are constantly leading the pack in terms of innovation.”This is evident in the prominent role Switzerland plays in some key areas of the global economy. Acknowledging "the elephant in the room," Pitteloud says Switzerland and the EU have "a complex relationship." And as a relatively small, landlocked country in which many areas are difficult to inhabit due to terrain, Switzerland is facing challenges related to population and resources.

Persons: Roger Federer, Philippe, –, Alexandre Edelmann, ”, Jacques Pitteloud, Pitteloud, ” Delphine Donné, Ruag, yearslong, ” Georg Klingler, Donné Organizations: Wimbledon, U.S . News, European Union, Bank, Presence Switzerland, Nestle, Roche, Novartis, Atlas, Logitech, ETH Zurich, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, EU, Greenpeace, Associated Press Locations: Switzerland, Europe, U.S, Swiss, France, China, Canada, Lausanne, Ukraine, Greenpeace Switzerland

☆ Biocredits Could Help Save the Earth. But a Market Is Some Way Off.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Joshua Kirby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Biodiversity credits could be key to funding the conservation of the Earth’s ecosystems, but setting up a functioning market to buy and sell these payment tokens won’t be easy. The World Economic Forum is working on bringing together stakeholders, but admits that a scaled-up market is still some way in the future. It follows the lead of so-called voluntary carbon credits that allow firms to buy credits to offset their own emissions. Those global carbon credit markets are now worth some $2 billion, up from $200 million five years ago, according to environmental-finance data provider Ecosystem Marketplace. “I feel a bit of ‘carbon envy’ when I look at the carbon markets,” Cornell’s Tobin said, noting that biodiversity markets lack a universal metric that can apply to every project, unlike carbon markets where each credit represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide.

Persons: John Tobin, de la Puente, Tobin, don’t, Cornell’s Tobin, ” Tobin, JULIAN HABER, Zoe Balmforth, ‘, ’ ”, Balmforth, ”, ” Nestlé, Nestlé, biocredits, Markus Mueller, ” Mueller, Joshua Kirby, joshua.kirby@wsj.com Organizations: Economic, Paulson Institute, Cornell University, Credit Suisse, Companies, UN, REUTERS, Sustainable Business, Unilever, Deutsche Locations: Australia, Switzerland, biocredits

☆ Nestle divests peanut allergy business Palforzia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Capsules of Palforzia are shown containing pharmaceutical grade peanut powder, for use in oral immunotherapy among patients with peanut allergies, manufactured by Aimmune Therapeutics, based in Brisbane, California, in this handout obtained by Reuters on February 5, 2020. Aimmune Therapeutics/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) has divested its peanut allergy treatment business Palforzia, the Swiss food company said on Monday, following its strategic review of the division. Nestle said it has offloaded Palforzia to Stallergenes Greer, a biopharmaceutical company which specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. Nestle will receive milestone payments and ongoing royalties from Stallergenes Greer, it said. Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nestle, Stallergenes Greer, John Revill, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: Aimmune Therapeutics, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Nestle, Thomson Locations: Brisbane , California, Swiss

☆ Why are all the cool Kit Kats only available internationally?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They create buzz and urgency, which help decades-old brands like Kit Kat stay relevant. A few years later, Rowntree’s renamed the product Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp. Nigel Roddis/ReutersAfter manufacturing and distributing Kit Kat for decades, the British company entered into a deal with Hershey, giving it control over US Kit Kat distribution in 1970. Nostalgic candies, like traditional Kit Kat bars, exert a powerful hold over those who loved them in their childhood, she noted. When people reach for a Kit Kat, they’re reaching for a reliable jolt of sweetness and good feelings, she said.

Persons: Kit, Kit Kat, Kat, Kats, Behrouz Mehri, Nestlé, Lynn Dornblaser, Dornblaser, “, Kit Kat wasn’t, Chocolate Crisp, Rowntree’s, Kat Chocolate Crisp, Rowntree's Kit Kat, Nigel Roddis, Hershey, Kit Kats, Rowntree Mackintosh, Milo Kit Kat, Chris O’Donnell, ”, O’Donnell, it’s, Milo, Kit Kat Japan, Kat Churro, Justin Kukura, Marcia Mogelonsky, they’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, Target, Walmart, Hershey, Getty, Mintel Consulting, Reuters, Nestlé, Lotus, Hershey Company Locations: New York, United States, Japan, AFP, British, Hershey , Pennsylvania, ., Australia, Hershey

Demand for carbon credits is on track to fall in 2023, according to two of the top data providers. Nestle, which has also not disclosed its spending on offsets, said it would stop using carbon offsets and was seeking other routes to net zero. Until this year, the voluntary carbon market had grown as more companies came under shareholder pressure to adopt net zero policies. SECOND THOUGHTSFor the carbon markets, another issue is that regulators and carbon market advisory bodies are limiting the scope of their use by companies. "You need to reduce emissions and that's how you will be judged in the market when you're disclosing your carbon emissions."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Gucci, Renat Heuberger, Stephen Donofrio, certifier Verra, EasyJet, Jane Ashton, Ashton, Naomi Swickard, Verra, Zimbabwe's, Steve Wentzel, Wentzel, Kristian Rönn, Rob Hayward, Susanna Twidale, Sarah McFarlane, Barbara Lewis Organizations: New England Forestry Foundation, REUTERS, Nestle, Reuters, Marketplace, Shell, Boston Consulting, Offset, GEO, Verra, Carbon, Investments, United Nations, Voluntary, Initiative, EU, KLM, Companies, Thomson Locations: Hersey, New Hampton , New Hampshire, U.S, Kenya, Pole, Stockholm, Ghana

A coffee machine featuring Novo Nordisk logo is seen at the company headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk briefly unseated LVMH (LVMH.PA) as Europe's most valuable listed company in intraday trading on Friday, ending the French luxury group's 2-1/2 year-long reign at the top. At 0843 GMT, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) had a market capitalisation of $421 billion including unlisted stock, according to Refinitiv data and company disclosures of its share count. By 1031 GMT, Novo Nordisk shares were up 1% while LVMH shares were down 0.4%. LVMH shares have fallen 13.8% from an all-time high hit in April, underperforming Europe's broader STOXX 600 which is down around 1.9% in the same time frame.

Persons: Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, LVMH, Ozempic, Wegovy, Novo's, Louis Vuitton, Marcel Stotzel, Stotzel, Eli Lilly, Axelle Pinon, Mounjaro, Novo, Carmignac's Pinon, Hennessy, Tiffany, Fiona Cincotta, Hermes, Samuel Indyk, Amanda Cooper, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Nordisk, REUTERS, Nestle, Dior, Fidelity European Fund, Fidelity European Trust, Barclays, Index, Financiere, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Danish, LVMH, United States, China, Covid

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire attends the China-France Economic and Financial Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, July 29, 2023. He said they had also agreed to bring forward annual price negotiations - initially planned for next year - to September. Le Maire went a step further on Thursday, naming Unilever, Nestle and Pepsi Co as being among the companies which he said were refusing to toe the line on prices. "The large multinationals could do much more," Le Maire said. "No one is willing to say 'I am going to reduce my prices' because the government is saying so," he said.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, Thomas Peter, Le Maire, Le, Sybille De La, Silvia Aloisi, David Holmes, Frances Kerry Organizations: Finance, France Economic, REUTERS, Rights, Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, Federation du Commerce, Pepsi Co, Thomson Locations: China, France, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Paris

☆ France announces more food price caps in effort to curb inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Joseph Ataman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Paris CNN —The number of price-capped products in French supermarkets will double to 5,000, finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Thursday, as data revealed another month of double-digit food inflation. Speaking to French broadcaster France2, Le Maire also criticized several multinational companies, including Unilever (UL) and PepsiCo (PEP), for not doing enough to help French consumers. The price caps, agreed with producers and distributors, aim “to definitively break the spiral of food prices,” he said, noting that the affected products made up around a quarter of a typical supermarket’s offerings. In June, Le Maire said 75 top food companies had agreed to cut prices on hundreds of products from July in line with declines in raw material costs. According to provisional data released by the country’s statistics institute Thursday, French food prices rose 11.1% this month compared with a year ago, less than they did in July but still more than double the rate of overall inflation.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, France2, Le Maire, “, ”, ” Le Maire, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: Paris CNN, Unilever, UL, PepsiCo, Nestle

☆ Inceptio sees big jump in China sales of driver-assist truck tech, plans overseas foray
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Dongfeng truck with autonomous driving system developed by Inceptio is showcased at Shanghai Centre in Shanghai, China August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Zoey Zhang Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Chinese startup Inceptio expects the number of trucks in China using its driver-assist technology will quadruple by mid-2024 from around 600 currently, and also plans to begin sales overseas next year. "This is a new 'blue ocean' market," he said, using a phrase that describes an underdeveloped market with few competitors. Over the next three to five years, Inceptio is looking at offering services to help manage truck fleets, Ma said. Inceptio eventually hopes that trucks will be eventually allowed to go fully autonomous, enabling it to build a robotruck fleet.

Persons: Zoey Zhang, Inceptio, Julian Ma, China's, Ma, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Inceptio, Shanghai, REUTERS, Rights, Dongfeng Automobile, Nestle, Budweiser, Deppon Express, Reuters, East, Boston Consulting, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, U.S, CATL, Sequoia China, East Asia, East, Japan, Inceptio

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsChocolate makers are banking on the traditional resilience of their product to price increases. The data showed Hershey's sales volumes increasingly declined during the period as the company hiked prices. "We are seeing consumers starting to react more than before, I'd be very cautious with price increases," said Dan Sadler, a candy expert at U.S.-based market researcher IRI. Barry Callebaut (BARN.S), the world's biggest chocolate maker supplying most major brands including Nestle (NESN.S), doesn't expect any growth in sales volumes this year. Pennsylvania-based Hershey, is hoping that as it eases off the rate of price hikes, its sales volumes will reverse their current downtrend.

Persons: Nielsen, Dirk Van de, Luca Zaramella, Patrick Folan, Mike Blake, Mondelez, Hershey, Zaramella, Bernstein, I'd, Dan Sadler, Barry Callebaut, Hershey's, Michele Buck, Matt Scuffham, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Nielsen, Hershey, Reuters, Consumers, Cadbury, Barclays, REUTERS, IRI, Nestle, Rabobank, El, Kailyn, Thomson Locations: Europe, United States, North America, Encinitas , California, U.S, Pennsylvania, El Nino, West Africa, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kailyn Rhone, New York

☆ Cargill ingredients are probably in every meal you eat. That makes the company's environmental goals a big deal.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Cargill, the largest private company in the US, buys from farmers and ranchers in 70 countries. Some environmental groups, including Greenpeace and Stand.earth , accuse Cargill of not doing enough on those fronts. What is Cargill doing about the climate crisis? What is Cargill doing about that? (A Cargill spokesperson added that the company also offers premium payments to soy growers in South America enrolled in a company sustainability program.

Persons: Cargill, Pilar Cruz, Burger, didn't Cargill Organizations: Service, Privacy, Cargill, Greenpeace, Stand.earth, Latina, Soil Health Institute, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Innovation Fund, Tropical Forest Alliance, US, Brazil —, Gran Chaco, South America Locations: South America, Southeast Asia, Cargill, North America, Germany, Romania, Poland, Southern, Brazil, West Africa, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, South

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