romanian money

Fonterra added-value focus questioned
A member of dairy cooperative Fonterra's governance training program claims that the company should steer away from consumer brands to focus instead on commodities and ingredients production, according to press reports.

Les Keeper, who also manages his own dairy in the country, told The Dominion Post newspaper that he believes Fonterra will fail to sufficiently compete with food giants such as Nestle and Danone in the value-added market.

"We should sell the consumer business and invest that money in the supply chain," he was quoted as saying by the publication. "We have not achieved our targets in this area so we shouldn't keep spending money."

The focus would mean a major turnaround for Fonterra, which has increasingly invested in increasing value in its product by adding ingredients beneficial to health, in order to offset increased commodity costs.

Montec chases dairy demand amongst Chinese children
Montec international has this week announced it is extending its portfolio to include production of yoghurt-based drinks for children to target consumer demand for health and wellness products in the Chinese market.

The company says it will manufacturer the yoghurts, which come in four different varieties including a fibre-enriched version, through an existing agreement with the Jinhua Jalo Dairy Company.

The product will be distributed under Montec's 'dairypure' label, which along with its monounsaturated milk product will target a number of cities in the country's Zhejiang Province.

Group managing director Peter Herd said that the launch was not likely to be the last extension of the company's portfolio.

"Montec's strategy has always been to leverage the 'dairypure' brand beyond plain and flavoured milk," he stated. "In due course we expect to launch other premium products including ice cream."

Danone steps up Romanian investment
Danone has set aside a further �.5m to invest in its Romanian operations, according to local press sources.

Radu Baitos, the company's production manager in the country, told the Romanian national press agency that it had been forced to up its spending to ensure it could keep up with demand on the market for its products.BY ERIK RADVON
The Rutland Library was transformed into a miniature United Nations last week when it hosted five librarians from Romania. The group is in the U.S. as part of a State Department-sponsored trip. While in town, the visitors toured the library's facilities, took copious photographs, and talked shop with head librarian Kerry Remington.
Joanna Mazewski - Celebrity News Service Editor
London, England (BANG) - Amy Winehouse is set to donate $100,000 to a Romanian orphanage after discovering her hair extensions could have come from there.

The 'Rehab' singer - who wears a weave to boost her trademark beehive hairstyle - was shocked to discover orphans often have all their hair cut off to provide extensions for western women. Although Amy has ensured the pieces she uses come from ethical sources, she is determined to help.

A source said: "Amy met a lovely lady from the group Beauty Hurts and they started chatting about the real hair racket."

"She had no idea orphans were exploited. She knows where her weave comes from and to be honest, it's the U.S. where most of the unethically culled hair ends up but she still wanted to help."

Amy was keen to keep her generous donation secret but realizes it's important to highlight the issue.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed Amy has signed up to headline the 2007 mtvU Woodie Awards. The 24-year-old star - who has not performed in the U.S. since she pulled out of several high profile events and her American tour this summer due to "health issues" - has agreed to top the bill at New York's Roseland Ballroom on November 8.