Glendale Foods Group has reported a 40% year-on-year increase in sales and is planning further acquisitions - a year after it was formed out of the merger between Glendale Frozen Foods and sausage manufacturer Supreme Foods.

The Salford-based group said that synergies between the different operations, the concentration of production on to one site, increased buying strength and expansion into new retail and foodservice markets had driven growth.

A company statement said that acquisitions "form a large part of current plans for growth" and that it would be "actively seeking partnership opportunities and inviting discussions if there are potential acquisition deals to be negotiated". The acquisition of some Medway Foods’ production assets in June had enabled it to add dumplings and baked cobblers to its range of food products.

Chairman John Mortimer said: "Like every other food manufacturer, we find that escalating prices have impacted considerably on production, storage and distribution costs. Across the industry it’s clear that consolidation and further acquisitions are going to take place, if food suppliers are to survive."

He said the company was "open to discussions with industry producers, as part of the strategy to continue growing our business".

Glendale has recently developed the Great British Pudding Company into a retail brand, with new single-portion consumer packaging and it is now on the shelves of supermarkets, including Tesco, Netto and Booths. Meanwhile, its Concepts food development service has allowed the firm to diversify into catering dishes and cooked meal components, supplying pub and restaurant chains and con- venience meal producers.

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=== In Short ===

== Japanese ingredients firm to open in China ==

Bakery companies who have opened up in the growing Chinese market will have the chance to obtain local supplies of food emulsifiers, as the Japanese ingredients firm Mitsubishi-Kagaku Foods plans to open up its first factory in China by spring 2009. The company said it would mix emulsifiers with other food ingredients for use in breads and other bakery products.

== Price rise survivor ==

One country, Paraguay, is actually profiting from the global rise in commodity prices. With its subtropical climate, five harvests every 24 months and huge tracts of wheat-growing land, perhaps it’s no surprise that the landlocked South American nation has gained most from the economic turbulence, according to the International Monetary Fund.

== Carrefour’s success ==

The forays of French supermarket giant Carrefour into emerging markets are paying off. The world’s second-largest retailer saw its sales in Latin America rise by 41.8% and in Asia by 8% in the first six months of 2008. But it fared less well in France, which accounts for 40% of total sales, as revenue there rose only 1.2% over the same period.

== Bars live up to claims ==

Research in the US has shown that nutrition bars broadly do what they say on their labels. ConsumerLab tested the nutrient claims of 20 different bars and found them to be accurate. But it also warned of the presence of "unwanted ingredients" including saturated fat, total fat and sugar alcohols. Ted Cooperman, ConsumerLab president, said bars could be a "good occasional source of nutrients... for people on the go" but added that they "vary dramatically in their content".

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