News in brief

Salmonella outbreak caused one death

02-Feb-2012 - A Salmonella Newport outbreak has affected 30 people in the UK, causing one confirmed death, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Firms fined after veg packing accident

31-Jan-2012 - Two Norfolk firms have been fined a total of £8,000 after a worker’s hand was crushed in a vegetable packing plant.

Top of the crop cleaning systems

30-Jan-2012 - Tong Peal, kit manufacturer for the vegetable industry, has introduced a new generation crop cleaning system.

Automated system speeds up study

30-Jan-2012 - US food and wine research centre, the Robert Mondavi Research Institute (RMI), is using an automated colony counting system to speed up studies on the growth of bacterial pathogens in food. This work could help prevent a recurrence of last year's large outbreak of E.coli in Europe, which was associated with contaminated salad vegetables.

Tamper-evident openings give easy access to clamshell

30-Jan-2012 - Tear tape has enabled a New York-based packaging firm to create a tamper-evident yet easy-to-open clamshell food pack for lettuce and bakery products.

Sprouted seeds pose an unacceptable risk to health

23-Jan-2012 - Evidence is emerging that sprouted seeds could present an unacceptable risk to human health unless effective control measures such as irradiation can be used to make them safer.

Horticultural firm fined after roof fall

09-Jan-2012 - An Evesham horticultural firm has been fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £6,835 costs after a worker suffered serious head injuries and fractured his hand when he fell through a glasshouse roof.

Food industry could be hit by GLA budget cuts

01-Jan-2012 - The policing of food industry employment standards could suffer if the Gangmasters Licensing Authority's (GLA's) remit widens while its budget is cut, as is feared.

New system takes a trip across the Atlantic

01-Jan-2012 - A time/temperature monitoring and management system for perishable foods launched originally in the US is now being made available in Europe.

Fresh opportunities as egg rules change

16-Dec-2011 - Ingredients suppliers are seizing the opportunity offered by EU regulations banning the use of battery farmed hens’ eggs to back food manufacturers struggling to source legitimate supplies.

Fresh Produce Manufacturing Company of the Year

05-Dec-2011 - Sponsored by: GIS Shortlisted: IPL Normanton and Willowbrook Foods

Call for adjudicator to ensure a deal's a deal

05-Dec-2011 - An adjudicator with teeth is needed to police the Groceries Supply Code of Practice to prevent overly powerful retailers reneging on deals with their suppliers, according to leading processors.

Kerry Foods wins training award

21-Nov-2011 - Fresh and convenience food producer Kerry Foods has won an award for the language training it offers employees at its Attleborough site in Norfolk.

Food and drink manufacturers celebrate success

08-Nov-2011 - The best of the best. Nothing less was celebrated last night at the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

Food price inflation: second highest in the EU

07-Nov-2011 - UK consumer inflation on food is the second highest in the EU – up 6.4% while world commodity prices are falling.

Feature

Keep 'em peeled

01-Nov-2011 - The md of Fourayes, Phil Acock, is always on the look out for emerging consumer trends. The ability to stay ahead of the curve is vital in order to prosper in a period of economic hardship and volatility, he says.

Food Manufacturing Awards: one week to go

01-Nov-2011 - There is just one week to go before the stellar evening when food and drink manufacturers celebrate the best of the best at the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

FDF’s social media campaign aims to recruit trainees

21-Oct-2011 - A social media campaign that could “provide a pipeline of talent into the industry” was announced by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) earlier this week.

Robotics workshop to help food firms match Europe

20-Oct-2011 - A robotics workshop will take place next month to help UK food and beverage manufacturers catch up with their European competitors.

Why water is the new carbon

19-Oct-2011 - Mounting pressure on dwindling water resources means that food manufacturers must cut consumption sooner rather than later, according to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

Food firms to double apprenticeships

17-Oct-2011 - The food and drink industry has pledged to double the number of apprenticeships in the sector by the end of next year.

Mars Food recall highlights contingency planning

13-Oct-2011 - Mars Food’s recall of some of its Dolmio PastaVita products underlines the need for effective contingency planning, according to legal specialists.

Food firms join chorus of disapproval on CAP reform

12-Oct-2011 - European food industry body FoodDrinkEurope has joined farmers and environmentalists in a chorus of disapproval following the publication of the Commission’s plans to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Bakkavör to create 60 jobs at new Scottish plant

12-Oct-2011 - Fresh food group Bakkavör will create about 60 new jobs with the opening of a second factory at its Caledonian Produce site in Bo’ness, near Falkirk, Scotland in December.