Generally, all of us have developed certain eating habits, that is, conscious behaviors that are repeated when consuming certain foods, according to the social or cultural influences of our environment.

According to the Communicable Disease Center (CDC), an organization belonging to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to improve eating habits on a permanent basis, it is recommended to follow an approach based on reflection, substitution and reinforcement. 

Tips for adopting good healthy habits

1. List your eating habits

Write down moments, food consumed, quantities and even feelings or emotional state. This will allow you to detect bad habits such as skipping meals or eating without hunger.

2. Detects unhealthy eating patterns

Once unhealthy habits have been detected, identify the factors that trigger them in order to eliminate or replace them. For example, these can be environmental, emotional or even not having a meal plan.

3. Replacing unhealthy habits

Being aware of your habits will make it much easier to take action to change them. It will also help to have a good meal plan to make sure your meals are healthy and balanced.

4. Reinforce new healthy habits

Habits are acquired over time. So be patient and don’t be in a hurry to take them on from one day to the next. Every small change is beneficial to your health.

A model that responds well in tough times

We have closed a year plagued with enormous tough challenges: 1) the successive waves of Covid-19; 2) extreme weather events; 3) significant reduction of harvests; and 4) major hikes in costs (€83 million more than in 2020 and €143 million more than in 2019). Yet we have the satisfaction of having confirmed once again the consistency of our business model, obtaining very positive results similar to those achieved in 2020, which was a record year in our company.

This was made possible by: 1) our diligence in decision-making; 2) the strength of our brands, which continue to consolidate their leadership and increase their market shares; 3) consumer recognition and confidence in the quality and differentiation of our products; 4) diversification and taking adequate positions in raw materials; and finally 5) the good health of the Group’s businesses, which have managed to mitigate the impact of spiralling inflation.

It has been a year of intense work, during which, while riding out the present difficult situation, the Group has forged ahead in the development of its strategy, closing a cycle that culminated with our withdrawal from the dry pasta businesses, and beginning a new one based on a firm commitment to the premium, fresh and convenience segments, in consideration of their greater profitability and better growth prospects.

As 2022 unfolds, it is expected to be even tougher owing to the evolution of inflation, the need to negotiate in order to pass on the increased costs into prices, and droughts, but we trust that our strengths, the generation of synergies and our continuous efforts to streamline costs will stand us in good stead to steer through the year.

We talked with Sandra Kim, director of the Marketing Department of Riviana Foods located in United States, to learn about her team’s work! Discover how we are in Ebro Group!

In order to alleviate the serious humanitarian crisis in Ukraine following the start of the Russian invasion, the Ebro Foundation has joined the wave of solidarity with the Ukrainian population by sending essential products, cash and donations-in-kind. 

In the area of food donations, thanks to the support of our Belgian subsidiary Boost Nutrition, we are collaborating with World Central Kitchen (WCK), the NGO of the chef José Andrés, by sending more than 80,000 kilos of rice to attend to the Ukrainian refugees in the town of Lviv (Ukraine). The trucks loaded with rice leave from our Boost society bound for the Polish-Ukrainian border, and once there, WCK volunteers are in charge of crossing the border and taking the rice to Lviv. So far, three trucks have already been sent and a fourth truck is scheduled to arrive on 6 April.  

On the other hand, through the Madrid Futuro Association, we have participated financially with the emergency campaign “Caritas with Ukraine” for the distribution of essential products, transport and safe shelter for Ukrainians who are leaving the country and to help refugees arriving to Spain. Also, through Madrid Futuro, the employees of the Madrid office have collaborated in the campaign to collect warm clothes for children and women, food for babies, medicines, etc. organised by the Madrid City Council.

This wave of solidarity has extended to other Group companies, such as Ebro Foods Netherland (Lassie), which is also supporting some local initiatives, or Tilda, which is currently finalising a specific project.

If any other Group company or individual employee is collaborating with any programme and would like to tell us about it, write to us at comunicacion@ebrofoods.es and we will report on it in the next issue.

We know you care about the environment, but sometimes it can be difficult to know what actions to take to make a positive contribution to our surroundings. That’s why today we’re going to give you some tips that you can implement in your workspace, whether at the office or at home, to make it more sustainable.

In addition, in recent years, the vast majority of companies have implemented plans to minimize our negative impact on the planet and the environment, while maximizing positive impacts. We, the people, also play a fundamental role in contributing to the overall well-being of the planet and future generations.

Do you accept our challenge to be sustainable in your workspace?

1. How is your water bottle?: use refillable bottles. You will reduce the volume of disposable plastic.
2. Set the “Power Saving Mode” on your PC or tablet: avoid leaving computers idle, as they consume unnecessary electricity. 
3. Print only what is necessary: reducing the use of paper promotes the preservation of forests. If you must print, use recycled paper.
4. Take the stairs: reduce the use of the elevator and save energy by taking the stairs
5. Create recycling areas: it is important to have different containers for all types of waste. You can add colorful labels to make it a fun practice.
6. Surround yourself with your favorite plant: plants regulate the environment, absorb the radiation emitted by electronic devices and improve motivation.
7. Adjust the temperature: adjusting the heating and air conditioning allows you to save, since each extra degree increases energy consumption.
8. Use sustainable materials: replace bulbs with LED lights, they are more durable and consume less energy. We recommend to take advantage of sunlight for natural lighting.
9. Use ‘eco-friendly’ packaging: we recommend carrying your breakfast in a tupper, avoiding the use of disposable packaging such as silver foil or plastic bags.
10. Avoid unnecessary travel: reduce your business travel. Choose virtual meetings, e-mails or phone calls to communicate.

The Group achieved net sales of €2,082.8 million during the first nine months, an increase of 6.9% in terms of CAGR 2021/2019, revealing the trust and interest of consumers in the differentiation of our brands and products.

After enduring an €83 million increase in costs, our EBITDA-A stands at €262.5 million, just 1.6% down on Q3 2020. Meanwhile, our Net Profit grew by 5.8% to €155.2 million, pushed up partly by the net gains on asset sales concluded during the period.

By business area, in the Rice Division, high cost increases in the areas of logistics, agricultural and auxiliary raw materials, energy, etc. continued to be the general trend during the quarter. The cost of transporting aromatic rice from Asia alone increased tenfold compared to the previous year. It is worth mentioning the double-digit growth in convenience products and, in this context, the start-up of the macro plant for rice-in-a-cup and other value-added products in La Rinconada is scheduled for the end of the year.

Regarding the Pasta Division, has also been affected by the high cost of ocean freight to the United States, a very important market for the Bertagni and Garofalo businesses, and the high raw materialsprices, owing to the sharp reduction in the North American harvest. From a business point of view, fresh pasta sales maintain their strong growth in Italy, France and Canada.

We have closed an extremely complicated quarter, owing to the relentless inflation of costs (estimated at €52 million for the Rice Division and €31 for the Pasta Division) with the satisfaction of having managed to weather the storm, thanks largely to our strong positions in raw materials, a consolidated portfolio of value-added products, diligent decision-making and the trust of consumers who, in spite of a rather unsettling economic environment, remain true to our brands.

Ebro forecasts a FY turnover of between €2,790 and €2,830 million in 2021, while EBITDA-A is expected to be between €347 and 352 million. These would be highly satisfactory results in the current inflation environment. Stripping out the extraordinary earnings posted in 2020 owing to the positive impact of the pandemic on our businesses, in terms of CAGR 2021-2019 forecasts point to a growth of over 10% in respect of the earnings obtained in 2019.