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DANONE

Euro crisis sours Danone outlook

French food industry group Danone said Tuesday that the eurozone crisis had led to a drop in consumption in southern European countries and warned its operating margin would be squeezed.

The announcement sent shares in Danone, which also produces Evian water and Bebelac infant formula, plunging 6.05 percent to €48.71 euros in early trading while the market was up 0.41 percent overall.

“Since the end of the first quarter, the Group has faced a swift deterioration in consumption in Southern Europe that has proven steeper than anticipated, especially in Spain,” said Danone.

Prices for raw materials were also higher than initially expected. 

While it kept its target of 5.7 percent annual sales growth due to strong performance in the rest of the world, it said it now expected its trading operating margin would drop by 0.5 percent instead of staying stable.

The company recorded a trading operating margin of 14.7 percent in 2011.

It said the adjustment was needed to take initiatives to deal with the sales slump in southern Europe.

In April, Danone said that its 2012 first-quarter sales had gained 7.6 percent on a 12-month basis to €5.1 billion ($6.4 billion), and stood by its full-year targets.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

From cheese types to the amount eaten per year, via cheese favourites - here's a look at how France really feels about fromage.

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

March 27th is the Journée nationale du fromage in France – so here are a few facts about the delicious dairy delicacy.

246

Charles de Gaulle famously once asked of governing France: “How can anyone govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese?”.

His numbers were wrong. Producers in France make closer to 1,000 varieties of cheese – and some have estimated that figure could be pushed up as high as 1,600.

8

The number of cheese ‘families’ in France. A good cheeseboard in France is generally considered to consist of at least three ‘families’ – a soft cheese, a hard cheese and either a blue or a goat’s cheese. Remember, too, an odd number of fromages on a platter is better than an even number, according from cheese etiquettists

READ ALSO France Facts: There are eight cheese families in France

2.5

About how long – in years – it would take you to try every cheese made in France, if you tried a new variety every day. Life goals. 

95

The percentage of people in France who say they eat cheese at least once a week, spending seven percent of their weekly food bill on it.

READ ALSO Best Briehaviour: Your guide to French cheese etiquette

40

Two-fifths of French people say they eat cheese every day

57

The amount of cheese produced, in kilogrammes, in France every second, according to this website, which has a counter to show you how fast that really is. It’s estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of cheese are produced in France every year.

27

The French consume, on average, a whopping 27 kilogrammes of cheese per person per year.

READ ALSO Fonduegate: Why customer service is different in France

3

The three most popular cheeses in France, based on sales, are Emmental, Camembert, and Raclette – followed by mozzarella, goat’s cheese, Comté and Coulommiers.

63

Some 63 cheeses have been awarded the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status, which means they can only be produced in a certain region.

1

France has – or at least soon will have – one dedicated cheese museum. 

READ ALSO Three things to know about the new Paris cheese museum

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