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Schwarz Group (Lidl) expands into FMCG production


The Schwarz Produktion Group, part of the German giant Schwarz Group (owner of Lidl and Kaufland), announced its intention to acquire the honey and jam producer Göbber Group, founded in 1888 in Eystrup. The deal, which is subject to antitrust approval, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025. The seller is the parent company Mayntz, which has not disclosed financial details. Obviously, the products will serve the private label.

AntitrustLidlPrivate Label
 

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The agreement reached at the G7 on the exclusion of US digital giants from paying the global minimum tax (Gmt) is a breakthrough


From the Corriere della Sera Newsletter of 1 July: "There is a caveat, and how. It is the agreement reached at the G7 on the exclusion of American digital giants from paying the Global minimum tax (Gmt). With the Gmt, multinationals with more than 750 million turnover would have to pay a tax of at least 15%. Without Gmt, not even that. For Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti it would be 'an honourable compromise that protects our companies from automatic American retaliation'. De Bortoli's judgement, in his column Fragments, is opposite: "Why should large companies, not American ones, also be subject to an international tax agreement conceived, over the years, precisely to counter the shameful avoidance of those web multinationals that today one would like to save? The compromise, if there is one, will be dishonourable to Europe and also, in its own small way, to the Italian centre-right, which in its election campaign has always promised to fight the evasion of large foreign groups, especially digital ones. But Trump had not yet arrived in the White House'. If you want to understand why De Bortoli is right, read Amazon and big tech will never pay taxes.

Amazon
 

n.420

Co-op UK has announced that it will stop sourcing products from 17 countries, including Israel, where ‘internationally recognised’ human rights abuses and violations of law occur


The Co-op is the seventh largest grocery retailer in the UK, with over six million active members, more than 2,300 grocery shops and a workforce of 54,000. In a statement released yesterday (24 June), The Co-op explained that 'the violations are recognised by sources such as the United Nations; banning the products makes a difference directly or indirectly to those affected and would alleviate their suffering'. The countries are (lsta is in English): Afghanistan; Belarus; Central African Republic (CAR); Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Haiti; Iran; Israel; Libya; Mali; Myanmar; Russia; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Syria; and Yemen. About Coop Alleanza 3.0 read here

Coop
 

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Coop Alleanza takes Israeli products off the shelves. And puts Gaza Cola


The supermarket chain has decided to no longer sell certain brands of peanuts and sauces, as well as Sodastream, produced in Israel. 'The escalation in recent weeks has prompted us to give a signal of consistency' Below the Albiate Coop and some criticism on social media. Political stances are always 'at risk' as the Ben &Jerry'S - Unilever caseshows. Written 25 June, updated 27 June 2025

AlbiateCoopUnilever
 

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Tuscany: in less than 20 years it has lost half of its durum wheat cultivated areas


from 96,000 hectares in 2006 to 43,000 in 2024... "The crisis in cereals can be explained simply as follows: costs exceed revenues,' says the president of Coldiretti Toscana, Letizia Cesani. 'Today, with the volatility of prices, farms cannot even break even. In a country where a plate of pasta is never missing from the table, it would be natural to think that this is an important crop, but it is not so. In 2023, imports of Canadian wheat, for which glyphosate is used in the pre-harvest phase - glyphosate is a carcinogenic herbicide - increased by 68%'... On this topic read here

AgricultureCancerColdirettiPesticides
 

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Italian oil and supermarkets are once again INCOMPATIBLE


QUALITY, OIL and GDO: A PERMANENT CONFLICT. ITALIAN OIL AND SUPERMARKETS ARE BACK TO BE INCOMPATIBLE The bargain price proposed by several large-scale retail chains declares goodbye to Italian extra virgin olive oil on the shelves. The combined combination of the return of below-cost promotions,low-priced EU oil and the one-litre bottle clearly indicates that large-scale distribution is back to fighting solely over price, sales volumes, and making oil only a coquette product. For quality and Italian products, look elsewhere.. Paolo Caruso on LinkedIN