As the month of March closes, we reflect on another week filled with news in the FMCG sector. From a dairy company releasing a new peanut butter brand to eggs recalled from supermarkets due to salmonella contamination, have a read of what happened in the industry this week on Inside FMCG.
Bega adds new peanut butter brand
Dairy giant Bega Cheese has created a new peanut butter brand, Bega Simply Nuts, after it acquired the Peanut Company of Australia last year. Bega Foods executive general manager Adam McNamara said that after its acquisition purchasing the Peanut Company of Australia, it has worked consistently with farmers to increase the supply of peanuts in Australia. Since then Bega has also helped the production of Mitey Aussie Nuts from the Picky Picky Peanuts range.
Caltex enters the digital space
Petrol giant Caltex Australia is investing heavily in new technology at petrol stations and convenience store sites. It will enhance its new areas, such as fresh food, healthy fast food, parcel collection and other services. It will enable the customers to pay for fuel and pre-order coffee by using an app and updating prices and promotions in-store using digital signage. It is also testing use cases for payment via facial recognition and number plate recognition. Caltex believes these innovations will give it a competitive advantage in the lucrative A$8 billion and growing convenience market going forward. Viv Da Ros, Caltex Australia’s chief information officer for Caltex, said that in China they’ve seen some convenience retailers where “mobile checkout is extremely common.”
More eggs recalled over salmonella fears
Only last Friday, Coles and Woolies removed their eggs products from the shelves due to possible salmonella contamination. This week CR and M Ash and Sons recalled cartons of 12 eggs from IGA’s, independent stores, bakeries and butchers in NSW. NSW Food Authority has advised consumers not to consume the eggs and immediately dispose them. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services are working together to deal with the problem of salmonella in eggs in NSW.
Amazon’s FMCG boss moves to Unilever
Amazon’s head of ‘Core Consumables’ has announced his resignation to take up a leading role at Unilever’s beauty and personal care business. Sunny Jain has led Core Consumables at Amazon after a stint at Procter and Gamble. Jain handled Amazon’s products including health and personal care; beauty and grooming; luxury beauty; grocery and food; baby products; private label categories and pharmacy goods. Unilever CEO Alan Jope said Jain’s “unique experience” made him “exceptionally well suited to help us deliver our growth ambitions” for the division.
Kraft Heinz mulls over sale of Australian coffee business
Multinational company Kraft Heinz is considering selling its Australian instant coffee business, Cerebos, to a Sydney-based company, according to the AFR. Sydney-based FreshFood Services owns coffee labels including The House of Robert Timms and Bushells Coffee. It is said to be bidding for the coffee brand from Kraft Heinz. The AFR reported that FMCG business is open to offers for the business, with management “quickly identified it as being an orphan asset and non-core.”
That’s it for this week. Have a good weekend!
