Bühler joins “Partners in Food Solutions”

Bühler has joined “Partners in Food Solutions” as its fourth partner. PFS is a nonprofit organisation founded by General Mills, which also includes the other leaders in the global food industry, Cargill and Royal DSM of the Netherlands. They collaborate with the development organisations USAID and TechnoServe. The aim is to make the technical and business expertise as well as other resources of the companies involved accessible to small and growing food processors and millers in African developing countries through voluntary employee missions.  

Rather than simply sending technical staff to Africa, PFS is relying on a sustainable knowledge transfer system on the basis of personal employee missions of the companies involved. On the one hand, PSF is working closely with TechnoServe, which offers in-depth country knowledge that helps make for successful on-the-ground program implementation. The second experienced cooperation partner, USAID, helps shape and guide PSF by sharing strengths, experiences, methodologies, and resources through a public private partnership formed in 2010.

Jeff Dykstra, CEO of PFS, comments the new membership of Bühler as follows: “This alliance to which Bühler has now been added strengthens and expands our base of knowledge, deepens our expertise, and ultimately moves us much closer to our goal of helping more than 500 Africa-based food processors. PFS’s unique consortium of world-class industry players connecting their employee expertise with small and growing food companies has the power to improve the whole food sector in Africa and beyond.”

Ian Roberts, chief technology officer of Bühler, adds: “The PFS business model fits perfectly with our culture of commitment to improve the food chain. The over 150-year history of Bühler as a leading supplier of capital equipment to the food industry can now be made available by PFS to the small and growing food companies throughout Africa. We think this is a perfect opportunity for us to use our core competencies for improving food security in Africa.”

Read more about the partnership here.

Video: General Mills' uses Cheerios waste as biomass

It's Friday so here's a video treat.

General Mills are making a concerted drive towards sustainability.  Here we see how waste products from Cheerios production, in this case oat hulls, are being used as biomass.

General Mills to buy Brazilian food maker Yoki

US company General Mills has finalised plans to buy Brazilian food maker Yoki. 

Headquartered in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Yoki specialises in producing snacks, convenience foods meals, basic foods ( such as grains and beans), and seasonings.  The family-run company has been operating since 1960 and employs more than 5,000 people.

Boxes of General Mills cereals sit on the shelf at Santa Venetia Market on March 18, 2011 in San Rafael, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Chris O’Leary, General Mills’ executive vice president and chief operating officer, International, said, “We are delighted to add Yoki’s talented people and strong brands to General Mills’ growing international business. Yoki adds key capabilities and geographic scale that will accelerate our growth in Brazil. We plan to focus on building the strong Yoki and Kitano product portfolio, expanding our current Haagen-Dazs and Nature Valley businesses in Brazil, and introducing additional General Mills brands in this important market over time.”

Mitsuo Matsunaga, Yoki’s chief executive officer, said, “I am very pleased to see our Yoki brands and businesses joining General Mills. Our family is confident that General Mills' global capabilities, combined with Yoki's outstanding employees and brand portfolio, will lead to accelerated growth in Brazil for years to come.”

The news comes after General Mills announced it was cutting its global work force by 850. 

Read more...  

The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers. And blogs are written by the staff of Grain & Feed Milling Technology daily. Get your copy of 'PPLAPP', our mobile web application which will allow you to view this blog and other useful information while on the move.

General Mills to cut 850 jobs

The US food company, General Mills plans to eliminate 850 jobs in a bid to cut costs.

The plan is to strengthen business alignment, and actions to accelerate administrative efficiencies across the company. But this comes at a cost of 850 jobs.  

Read press release...

The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers. And blogs are written by the staff of Grain & Feed Milling Technology daily. Get your copy of 'PPLAPP', our mobile web application which will allow you to view this blog and other useful information while on the move.

US and global corn stocks projected lower

Record-high farm prices for corn in 2010/11 are expected to ration demand of corn over the coming months, concludes the US Department of Agriculture in its monthly Feed Outlook for February. This months increases in demand is pushing ending stocks lower, where as last month the lower production was the driver.

Corn is still strong, pushing projected US ending stocks to use to their lowest post war levels since 1995/96. The total domestic use of corn increased by 70 million bushels, with most of the increase in corn being used for ethanol. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.