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China has launched an investigation into dairy imports from the EU in what has been widely interpreted as the latest tit-for-tat in an ongoing trade spat. 

The announcement of the probe came a day after the EU published a series of additional levies on Chinese electric vehicle imports. 

The row has already seen China launch an anti-dumping investigation into pork and pig by-products from the EU from 1 January to 31 December 2023. 

Official state news agency Xinhua said China’s Ministry of Commerce had extended its scrutiny to dairy products from the EU. 

“The investigation will look into certain dairy products originating from the EU, including fresh cheese, curd and blue cheese and the period to be probed is set between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024,” Xinhua said. 

Mark Schneider, the chief executive of Swiss giant Nestlé, is set to depart the company after eight years at the world’s biggest food company. 

The KitKat and Maggi brands owner has appointed Laurent Freixe, the CEO of Nestlé’s Latin America business, as Schneider’s successor from 1 September. 

Nestlé said Schneider “decided to relinquish his roles as CEO and member of the board of directors”. 

Schneider joined Nestlé from Germany-based healthcare company Fresenius at the start of 2017, taking the reins from Paul Bulcke, who is now chairman of the Nestlé board of directors. 

Freixe joined Nestlé in France in 1986. His career at the company included managing its Zone Europe during the financial and economic crisis, from 2008 until 2014. He then took over as CEO of Zone Americas and, following changes to Nestlé’s new Zone structure in 2022, Freixe was named CEO of Zone Latin America. 

Just Food analysis: “We need to raise our game” – new Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe sets out stall 

Kamala Harris has pledged to ban what the US presidential candidate called “price gouging” in food. 

Harris has proposed introducing a law to prohibit the practice, characterised as purportedly artificially raising prices to levels deemed unfair or unwarranted. 

The Democrat nominee said: “Believe me, as president, I will go after the bad actors and I will work to pass the first-ever federal ban on price gouging on food. 

“My plan will include new penalties for opportunistic companies that exploit crises and break the rules, and we will support smaller food businesses that are trying to play by the rules and get ahead.” 

Last month, the US Federal Trade Commission set out plans to launch an investigation into why grocery prices remain inflated when food inflation has eased from its peak. 

In July, the US consumer price index for food and non-alcoholic beverages was unchanged at 2.2% year on year. In August 2022, the headline rate stood at 11.4%. 

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has identified “significant concerns” about the country’s infant-formula market but will not launch an in-depth market investigation “at this stage”.   

The regulator’s verdict came six months after launching a study into the sector. When the CMA announced its examination, it said it had identified a 25% increase in infant-formula prices in between March 2021 and April 2023. 

It also stated Danone and Nestlé controlled 85% of the formula market between them. 

The companies insisted they had sought to “absorb” the increasing costs they had been facing and offer value for consumers. 

Three months earlier, the CMA had reported that manufacturers had increased the unit prices on their infant formula by a higher amount than their costs had risen. 

According to today’s update, the CMA it is “concerned that many parents and carers are paying more than they need to for infant formula”. The regulator raised concerns about weak competition and the ability of manufacturers to influence shopper choices. 

The listeria outbreak in Canada from plant-based milk alternatives sold by French dairy giant Danone and retail heavyweight Walmart has been traced back to an Ontario factory. 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) revealed the contamination occurred on a “dedicated production line” at a facility in Pickering. 

The third-party manufacturer was identified as Joriki, which Danone has used as a co-packer for its Silk plant-based beverages. 

In July, the CFIA issued a recall of 15 Silk products, including almond, coconut and oat variants, alongside Walmart’s Great Value plant-based milks. 

According to the agency, twenty people have had listeria infections linked to the recall, with the majority occurring in Ontario. Three have died. 

The CFIA said the contaminated line has been “completely disassembled while inspection at the facility is ongoing”. It added it was “satisfied that any contamination has been identified and eliminated”.