#WeeklyRoundUp: All The Food News From The Past Week

So much happens in the world of food on a daily basis and sometimes it’s difficult to cover everything, so if we missed anything, we’ll add it to our weekly round-up and give you the lowdown on everything food related happening in India and around the world. From startups getting new funding to established brands expanding into new businesses, rebranding and revamping of popular brands and names, we’re covering everything that you might have missed out on.

We’re bringing you the brief versions of the big stories.

Mondelez International To Invest Rs. 100 Crore in Global Research Centre in Thane

Rob Hargrove, executive vice-president for RDQ at Modelez said that the proposed technical centre in Thane will focus on chocolates and its part of the company’s plan to invest $65 million to develop nine global RDQ locations over the next two years.

The company also plans to have an RDQ centre in China for biscuits and in Singapore for gum and candy. “We’ve a long, strong history in India and it’s a priority market for us. We’ve had tremendous success in getting the ‘best of global, best of local’ formula right in India to accelerate our growth momentum in India and throughout Asia with continuous innovation,” Hargrove said.

Sula Vineyards Wins Three Awards at delWine Excellence Awards

At the recent delWine Excellence Awards, Nashik-based Sula Vineyards bagged three big awards including Indian Wine Producer of the Year, Wine Tourism Winery of the Year and Indian Winemaker of the Year – Ajoy Shaw.

The organisers of the delWine Excellence Awards have together launched and organised the first-ever wine-specific award in India to encourage the wine culture, awareness and excellence and the winning awards were decided via a public vote. The highlight of the evening was a ‘by invitation only’ “Wines of the World” Showcase where guests were able to sample more than 120 wines including some from Sula Vineyards and Sula Selections.

Frooti and Maaza To Soon Face Competition From Pulse

The candy brand which has been taking over the market this year has a surprise up its sleeve. Noida-based DS Group is planning to take on brands like Frooti, Maaza and Slice with a ready-to-drink mango beverage called Pulse Mango, Masala Maar Ke.

This drink, will be an extension of Pulse candy, is to be priced at Rs. 15 for a 250ml PET bottle and is currently being test marketed in Delhi NCR. Shashank Surana, senior VP (new product development) at DS Group said, “The test marketing activity is being supported by sampling and displays and the initial consumer feedback is very encouraging.”

Other stories you might have missed:

– Deepika Padukone stars in a new ad for Britannia’s Good Day Biscuits

– A new animated Paper Boat commercial shows that dreams can be achieved with hope

– A McCafe outlet in Paris has forgone the usual fare of burgers and fries for club sandwiches, freshly ground coffee and macarons

– Oreo Candy Bars are coming to the US thanks to Mondelez

– Burger King has just introduced another hybrid food to their menu – Cheetos Chicken Fries

– Grofers is looking for the government’s approval for FDI, which will allow it to trade in food products manufactured and produced in India