Sugar shortage
As a consumer of sugar, I know full well that I probably take advantage of the commodity when consuming it in my breakfast and hot beverages. However, this is not the case for Egyptian consumers and confectionery manufacturers.
Egyptian authorities have reportedly seized 9,000 tonnes of sugar in raids on factories and warehouses amid a national shortage of the commodity. According to a Reuters report, confectionery producer Edita Food Industries had 2,000 tonnes of sugar seized from its facility in Beni Suef province, forcing it to suspend its operations.
With sugar slowly disappearing from supermarket shelves in recent weeks, the government has blamed the crisis on local factories and profiteering traders hoarding stocks to push up prices. Quoted in a BBC report, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said the raids have had a ‘positive impact’ on supplies, and there would be enough to cover the next three months.
What are your thoughts on this? Will this impact your business? Let us know by contacting [email protected].
We’ll start sending the November issue of Confectionery Production to press next week. In it, readers can look forward to a roundup of the International Cocoa Organisation’s Cocoa Market Outlook conference that took place in London last month, as well as the European Cocoa Association’s Forum that was held in Croatia in September. In addition, we have insights on the next flavour trends set to hit the confectionery sector, the challenges and opportunities in labelling and coding, and a look at how to protect against sugar and cocoa dust explosions in confectionery facilities.
On another note, the Confectionery Production 2017 media pack is available to download here. It includes our features list, advertising rates for print and online, as well as production requirements. You can find our Sweets & Savoury Snacks World media pack here. If you’d like to advertise with us next year, please contact [email protected]
For our December/January issue, we have features on conveyors and end of line packaging equipment, functional ingredients, candy and lollipop packaging. If you’d like to feature in the issue, please contact [email protected]
