Environment

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Food industry trends

Food industry trends for 2021

By Jerome Smail

Key industry figures predict where the challenges and opportunities will be found in 2021.

The road to net zero is long, but businesses must think now about how they will make the journey

Legal opinion

Moving to net zero greenhouse gas emissions

By Ben Sheppard & Graham Mackenzie

The Government is set to unveil its plan designed to put the UK on track for a zero emissions economy in the coming weeks.

Businesses said the climate of uncertainty was hampering investment to tackle climate change

Brexit and COVID-19 hindering green projects

By Rod Addy

Food industry environmental initiatives are being hampered by the financial impact of COVID-19 and uncertainties surrounding the UK's relationship with the EU after the Brexit transition period, according to an industry survey.

The project involved stakeholders ranging from Yorkshire Water to Future Food Solutions

Bird’s Eye builds sustainable crop production

By Rod Addy

The year before the 75th anniversary of Birds Eye peas in the UK, James Hopwood, UK agriculture manager and Steve Cann, director of Food Solutions, detail an important environmental project.

Policing the pollution of watercourses is fraught with difficulties

Food processors face environmental permit probe

By Gwen Ridler

A total of 52 companies with permits to discharge effluent from food into rivers and streams are being investigated by the Environment Agency (EA) for possibly polluting watercourses.

Alpro has unveiled its green pledges

Alpro invests in Kettering site and unveils green pledges

By Michelle Perrett

Plant-based food and drink manufacturer Alpro has unveiled plans to invest €30m in its factories as it publishes a five-year health and sustainability action plan, entitled ‘Feeding the Future With Plants’.

The report claims that food systems need to change

Food system should change to cut greenhouse gas emissions

By Michelle Perrett

Policymakers are losing ‘significant opportunities’ to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by missing commitments to transform national food systems, a report from WWF, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), EAT and Climate Focus claims.

Distilleries have been given support for a green future

Government launches further funding as CBILS deadline looms

By Michelle Perrett

The Government has launched a £10m research and development fund to help distilleries cut greenhouse gas emissions, and further supply chain aid, as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme deadline approaches.

Pladis said it had cut the sugar content in nine of its best selling McVitie’s biscuits last year

Pladis boosts profit and sales amid nutrition drive

By Rod Addy

Biscuits and snacks firm Pladis Foods, which makes brands such as McVitie’s, has reported significant annual growth in international profits and sales and outlined efforts to promote nutrition and healthy eating.

First Milk is a dairy cooperative owned by its farmer members

Food Man Talks

First Milk invests £5m to boost dairy factories' performance

By Rod Addy

First Milk is investing £5m this financial year to boost capacity and meet environmental goals, chief executive Shelagh Hancock and chief financial officer Greg Jardine reveal in this exclusive Food Man Talks video podcast.

Tennent's: Two 25 tonne tanks were lifted 60 metres above Wellpark Brewery’s silos

Tennent’s Brewery invests £2.6M in carbon capture

By Michelle Perrett

Tennent’s, the Scottish brewer owned by C&C Group, has invested £2.6m to install a carbon capture facility at Glasgow’s Wellpark Brewery, allowing it to capture more than 4,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Boredom, anxiety, stress and an inability to travel to supermarkets have sparked a rise in unhealthy eating during the coronavirus pandemic

Boredom sparks decline in healthy eating

By Gwen Ridler

Nearly two-thirds of people in Britain have attributed the main reason for eating less healthily than usual during the coronavirus lockdown to boredom, according to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).

Renewable energy forms part of ADM's commitment to sustainability. Picture from iStock

ADM announces sustainability scheme

By Gwen Ridler

Ingredients manufacturer ADM has revealed plans to reduce its carbon footprint and save enough electricity to charge every single mobile phone on the planet 250 times.

For every 100g of seafood, consumers are consuming an extra 170g of wild fish, according to Changing Markets Foundation

Fish supply chain faces lack of consumer awareness

By Gwen Ridler

UK shoppers unknowingly consumed 177,000 tonnes of wild fish in 2019 as retailers failed to properly set up supply-chain standards to reduce the impact of farmed fish diets on wild ocean ecosystems.

The AHDB has hit back at claims that giving up meat is the biggest single way to reduce consumers’ impact on the planet

AHDB hits back at BBC meat claims

By Gwen Ridler

Claims that reducing meat is the biggest single way to reduce consumers’ impact on the planet have been denounced by the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

Environmental and sustainability issues are now paramount to consumers according to food bosses

Business Leaders' Forum

Environment tops shopper concerns, firms claim

By Rod Addy

Shoppers see green issues as paramount, according to nine out of ten bosses of food and drink processors, responding to Food Manufacture’s State of The Industry survey.

Key takeaways from the Business Leaders’ Forum

Key takeaways from the Business Leaders’ Forum

By Gwen Ridler

Energy, sustainability and the environment were the key takeaways from this year’s Business Leaders’ Forum from Food Manufacture, according to associate sponsor EDF.

The UK reduced food waste by 480k tonnes between 2015 and 2018

Significant drop in food waste

By Gwen Ridler

Food waste in the UK fell by 480,000t between 2015 and 2018, according to a new report from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Don't miss your chance to have your voice heard in our State of the Nation survey

Last chance to contribute to industry research

By Rod Addy

Senior industry personnel have less than a week to make their voice heard and outline their business’ expectations, aims and activities in 2020 in Food Manufacture’s exclusive State of the Nation survey.

Brits will throw away more than a million sprouts this Christmas, according to Warbutons

Brits waste 130m sprouts at Christmas

By Gwen Ridler

The great British public will throw away 130m sprouts and 91m slices of turkey this Christmas, as seven in 10 consumers admit to cooking too much food over the festive period, according to research by Warburtons.

UK beef production is already 2.5 times more efficient than the global average, according to farming unions

AIMS writes to BBC director general, complaining about Christmas trailer

Meat bodies push back against ‘vegan propaganda’

By Rod Addy

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) has pushed back at what it describes as the “creeping tide of vegan propaganda promoted in some part of the media”.

Britvic’s sustainable business agenda includes targeting zero waste to landfill and helping to develop a circular economy for packaging

Britvic claims pioneering climate change stance

By Rod Addy

Britvic has claimed a UK soft drinks industry first as it announced scientifically-approved climate change targets, designed to help prevent a global temperature rise of 1.5°C.

Kantar questioned more than 1,200 UK consumers between the ages of 16 and 65+ about their concerns on a range of environmental issues

Government inaction provides environmental chances for food firms

By Dan Colombini


A lack of support at Government level has provided food manufacturers with “a huge opportunity” to boost their environmental footprints after recent data revealed dwindling support for certain brands as a result of their policies on the issues.

The programme will match the atmosphere of Mars

Belgian firm reveals SpaceBakery sustainable food plan

By Dan Colombini

Belgian bakery firm Puratos is to lead a team of firms to launch the €6.3m-funded (£5.4m) SpaceBakery, which will explore sustainable food production and provide solutions to manufacturing food on Mars.

Each loaf contains around 336 crickets, which are dried, ground, mixed with wheat flour and grains and then baked

Roberts launches UK’s ‘first insect bread’

By Dan Colombini

Roberts Bakery has launched a new limited-edition brand of bread, manufactured using insects, in a nod to the return of jungle-based television programme I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here.

Darlington Borough Council is investigating more than 20 crates of dumped meat and chicken carcases

Dumped chicken carcases spark investigation

By Gwen Ridler

An investigation into illegally dumped meat has been launched by Darlington Borough Council, after more than 20 crates of putrid, decomposing chicken carcases and other waste meat were discovered on the outskirts of the district.

BFF chairman Nigel Broadhurst called for a swift end to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, whatever the outcome of the general election

Frozen food body calls for end to Brexit ‘black cloud’

By Dan Colombini

The British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) has called for a quick solution to the “black cloud” of Brexit uncertainty, which is impacting the work the industry has achieved in reducing its carbon footprint and other key areas.

The EU’s single-use plastics directive requires all PET bottles to contain at least 25% rPET by 2025

Brands bite the bullet on recycled plastic price

By Paul Gander

Regulatory and consumer pressure is likely to mean brand owners and retailers remaining committed to using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in their bottles, despite being more expensive than virgin polymer.

The report, entitled Branded Volume II: Identifying the World’s Top Corporate Plastic Polluters, was carried out by the Break Free From Plastic movement in September

Food and drink firms among 2019 worst plastic polluters

By Dan Colombini

Nestlé and PepsiCo have responded to claims in a recent report that they were the biggest contributors to plastic environmental waste in 2019, with Unilever and Mondelēz International also making the top ten.

Under a no-deal or unless smooth export terms are included in a deal, customs and tariff arrangements would lead to the scrappage of vast quantities of NI dairy products

No-deal impact on NI dairy sparks environmental woes

By Dan Colombini

Significant environmental concerns linked to the impact of a ‘no-deal’ on the Northern Ireland (NI) dairy sector have been raised after the EU agreed an extension to Brexit negotiations.

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