Financial Times - Diageo is eyeing a move for a stake in Cobra Beer, according to the Financial Times. Diageo, the world’s largest drinks group, is in talks to acquire a 30% share in the Indian-themed brand, with the value of the stake likely to be between £25m and £30m. If a deal were completed, it would continue a recent push by Diageo into emerging markets in Asia and Africa. 

Daily Mail - Sandwiches are not the ‘healthy option’ consumers perceive them to be, claimed the Daily Mail. A study by the paper in association with the Channel 4 programme Dispatches found that some pre-packaged sandwiches contained up to 10 times as much salt as a bag of crisps. The Food Standards Agency estimates that 14,000 people die in the UK each year from consuming too much salt, with high blood pressure among the associated health problems.

The Times - Cornish pasties could be in line to get protected status from European regulators, wrote The Times. Rural affairs secretary Hilary Benn is backing a campaign by local producers for the term to apply only to pasties made in the county of Cornwall. Members of the Cornish Pasty Association produce 86 million pasties a year, with the domestic market worth about £60m. 

The Daily Telegraph - The price of a ‘99’ ice cream cone has rocketed by as much as 10%, warned The Daily Telegraph, as vendors pass on the soaring cost of powdered milk. The commodity rose in price by 70% last year, while cones are also becoming more expensive due to rising wheat flour prices. Other contributing costs include rising fuel prices and council permits.

The Sun - Supplies of English honey could run out by next year, warned The Sun, blaming a number of factors including last year’s wet summer and large numbers of bees deserting their hives. Yet demand for honey has risen by 11% over the past 12 months, it reported.