Commission approves the acquisition of the German, French and US Messer activities by Air Liquide subject to certain conditions

The European Commission has cleared the acquisition of the Messer Group's activities in Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA by the French industrial gas company Air Liquide under the merger control regulation. The Commission was concerned that the acquisition could lead to higher prices for industrial gas customers, particularly in Germany, where Air Liquide would have had a strong position. However, the company offered significant divestitures that allowed clearance without an in-depth major examination.

Air Liquide (France) and the Messer Group (Germany) are industrial gas companies. Its activities include the production and sale of technical and medical industrial gases as well as the related services. Industrial gases are used in a variety of industries, including the manufacture of iron, steel, glass, paper pulp and electronic products, as well as in the chemical industry, food production, metallurgy, healthcare and aviation.

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Goal 2004: Exceed the 5 million / increase in sliced ​​ham

In 2003, Schwarzwälder Schinken, the No. 1 among the regional German ham specialties, was able to further consolidate its market position. The protection association of the Black Forest ham manufacturers pointed this out in the recently published balance sheet of the past year. According to this, the total production of Black Forest ham was 4,9 million pieces (27.200 tons). This corresponds to an increase of over 4% (2002: total production 4,7 million).

Sales of packaged and cut goods also saw positive development again. Last year, 83 million parcels (2002: 65 million) were sold via the self-service counters of the food retail trade. There was a clear trend towards 100 g packs.

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Participants in the 1st Bio InVision Camp® as ambassadors for good taste

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The upward trend is there - exhibitors very satisfied - around 103.000 trade visitors

Most exhibitors at INTERNORGA 2004, which closed its doors on March 10th after six days at the Hamburg exhibition center, reported high-class customer contacts and good deals. Around 103.000 trade visitors (previous year: 101.615) from Germany and abroad came to the 78th international trade fair for the hotel, catering, communal catering, bakeries and confectionery shops to find out about trends and innovations in the modern outdoor world from around 850 exhibitors from 20 countries. House market. Among them was a Greek delegation with the person responsible for gastronomy at the Olympic Games in Athens, Gerasimos Fokas.

"So far we had only seen a small silver lining in the economic sky. But this hope was strengthened by the course of INTERNORGA 2004", explains Werner Mager, Chairman of the Exhibitors' Advisory Board. "INTERNORGA 2004 was more successful than last year's event," reports Mager as a representative of the exhibiting companies. "There are clear signs that the investment backlog is beginning to dissolve." Manufacturers of commercial kitchen systems, equipment for the catering industry (cutlery, crockery) and the food industry are particularly satisfied with the results of the trade fair. According to Mager, the situation in the brewery landscape, which is in upheaval, is still difficult. Mager: "The catering industry knows that it has to invest again after years of decline. Accordingly, plenty of future-oriented concepts were on offer at INTERNORGA."

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Danisco A / S buys the food ingredients division of Rhodia SA. Danisco specifies the purchase price of the division at 320 million euros and expects until May. The transaction is expected to close in May, Danisco announced. Read the Danisco presentation of the purchase in the original text below. Danisco strengthens its global market position

Today [2004-03-11] Danisco takes a major step towards realizing its goal of being the leading supplier of ingredients to the food industry.

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The virus of early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE) is usually transmitted to humans through tick bites in our part of the world. But not only, reports the Ärzte Zeitung now. One could also become infected with TBE viruses through food, for example with raw milk fresh from the cow.

"There is also the alimentary (acquired through food) TBE", quoted the newspaper Professor Jochen Süss, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), from a travel medicine symposium in Frankfurt. Süss also reported on a butcher who was infected with beef. According to the Ärzte Zeitung report, cattle in particular are often TBE virus carriers.

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Shop fitting is left out

"We are focusing on our high-yield and high-growth areas of gas and engineering as well as material handling and at the same time strengthening the position of refrigeration technology."

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Interim report on the lack of BSE tests in slaughterhouses

At this point in time, QS ascertains that no QS goods without BSE tests have entered the market. According to the figures available so far, BSE tests were not properly carried out on 57 cattle in QS slaughterhouses in 2003. The cattle not tested for BSE are not QS cattle. QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH initiated extensive investigations immediately after the allegations became known. In 9 of 185 slaughterhouses in the QS scheme there were irregularities in the BSE test. The QS Sanctions Advisory Board will examine sanction measures against the companies concerned. The majority of all QS cattle are young bulls under 24 months of age. The legislature expressly excludes these animals from BSE testing. BSE tests that could be used effectively in this age group do not exist. With the support of the professional associations, QS identified the remaining weak points in the official sampling and in the self-monitoring system of the slaughterhouses directly with the companies concerned. According to this, human and technical errors in manual data entry and data transfer as well as in data comparison are responsible for the failure to carry out the BSE tests. QS is not responsible for the missing BSE tests. BSE tests are an integral part of the official meat inspection and are therefore the sole responsibility of the official veterinarians. QS actively supports the slaughterhouses and official veterinarians in further improving the seamless BSE sampling and control work. 1. Background and specifications for BSE tests in the QS scheme

According to § 1 Paragraph 1 BSEUntersV, an integral part of the official meat inspection is the implementation of BSE tests on cattle that are older than 24 months. The responsibility for the proper sampling lies with the official veterinarians, who also oversee the entire slaughter process. The sample material is also so-called specific risk material, which the slaughterhouse is not allowed to freely dispose of.

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USA expect higher slaughter weights

US pork production is expected to reach a record high of more than ten million tons in 2004. That comes from information from the local Ministry of Agriculture. Although the number of pigs for slaughter is likely to remain below the 1999 record of 101,5 million animals at the time, the higher slaughter weights are responsible for the increase in production.

American exports of pork are estimated at around 800.000 tons for the current year, which would correspond to an increase of three percent compared to the previous year.

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Young generation only weakly represented

The household consumption of eggs in Germany is clearly concentrated in households in which the household owner is 50 years or older. This age group accounts for more than half of the quantities of eggs bought by private households in Germany. Households in which the housekeeper is younger than 30 years only make 7,4 percent of all egg purchases.

 In 2003 private households in Germany bought 7,22 billion eggs, which corresponds to around 41 percent of the total market, which includes eating out, the consumption of egg products and the correspondingly processed products. According to the results of the ZMP / CMA market research based on the household panel of the Society for Consumer Research, consumers in the new federal states bought 1,26 billion eggs. That corresponds to only 17,4 percent of total household purchases of eggs. In contrast, the share of the East German population in the total number of German residents was 2003 percent in 20,6. Foreigner households are also rather underrepresented. They accounted for 7,5 percent of all purchases, but their share of the total population was 8,8 percent last year.

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Pickled cucumbers are the big hit

The consumption of pickled preserves in Germany, which had risen steadily in previous years, did not increase any further in 2003 for the first time. The consumption of private households remained exactly at the level of the previous year at 323 million liters, according to the market research results by ZMP and CMA based on the GfK household panel.
 
The preferences for certain pickled preserves have not changed either, in some cases the proportions of the purchase quantities have been the same for years. Pickled cucumbers, for example, make up 51 percent of purchases by private households, followed by canned sauerkraut with 19 percent, canned vinegar with 16 percent and canned red cabbage with 14 percent. The majority of the purchase of pickled canned food falls in the autumn and winter months, in summer the demand is rather low. Then, especially canned red cabbage and sauerkraut are spurned.

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