Meat & poultry

Like the dairy sector, meat producers are coming under flak for the large carbon footprint of their raw materials and issues of animal welfare; while rising inspection costs and tight margins mean the sector is consolidating to take advantage of ‘vertical integration’ and economies of scale. Whether you’re in red meat, poultry or game, it’s important to avoid being skewered by unexpected change.

Thousands of food jobs saved by OFT 2 Sisters approval

19-Jun-2013 - Five thousand food jobs in Scotland and Wales have been safeguarded after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) approved the 2 Sisters Food Group’s acquisition of Vion UK’s poultry business.

2 Sisters workers treated for tuberculosis

19-Jun-2013 - 2 Sisters Food Group and health officials are probing an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB), which has hospitalised four workers at the firm’s Dial Lane site in West Bromwich yesterday.

Meat products firm to invest £2.4M in business

18-Jun-2013 - Meat products firm Gilbert’s Foods plans to invest millions in its supply chain after securing £2.4M worth of finance from HSBC.

Reports link 2 Sisters and Bernard Matthews

17-Jun-2013 - 2 Sisters Food Group is considering a bid for Bernard Matthews, according to recent press reports.

Paragon Quality Foods weathers horsemeat storm

17-Jun-2013 - Paragon Quality Foods – the food manufacturer formerly at the centre of a row about pork in halal lamb burgers – has reported a 20% increase in turnover for the year ended February 28 2013.

Don’t decriminalise food labelling offences: Which?

14-Jun-2013 - Consumer watchdog Which? has repeated its plea to government not to decriminalise food labelling offences.

‘Industry’s halal forum lacks focus on Muslims’

14-Jun-2013 - A new industry forum set up to discuss halal meat production issues fails to focus on Muslims’ main concerns and shows the industry’s understanding of the Muslim community to be “lagging behind”, according to the Halal Authority Board.

2 Sisters development underlines Boparan’s shrewdness

11-Jun-2013 - Positive developments at 2 Sisters Food Group plants in Scotland and Wales are more evidence of ceo Ranjit Boparan’s shrewdness, according to industry commentator Julian Wild of law firm Rollits.

10 food and drink firms make Investec Hot 100 list

11-Jun-2013 - A smoked fish supplier, the nation’s largest independent cider producer and a label manufacturer are among 10 food and drink businesses to appear on Investec’s Hot 100 list of the UK’s fastest-growing, mid-sized private companies.

King: Dunbia factory to help Sainsbury meet target

11-Jun-2013 - Dunbia’s new £12M Llanybydder factory in Wales will help Sainsbury’s plans to boost sales of British food, according to Justin King, ceo of the supermarket chain.

Harper Adams green meat pie scoops award

06-Jun-2013 - The More than Meat Pies team from Harper Adams University has been awarded gold prize at Ecotrophelia UK 2013 for their product, Hearty Meal, a ready meal offal pie.

Make GM food science research top priority: producers

06-Jun-2013 - Developing modern technologies and the genetic modification (GM) of crops and animals are the top two of eight research priorities identified by a group of primary producers bidding to influence the government’s agri-technology strategy, due to be launched this month.

Tesco struggles in Europe, admitting horsemeat effect

05-Jun-2013 - Tesco continues to struggle across Europe, with like-for-like sales excluding petrol down 5.5% as “tough economic conditions, challenging competitors and over-dependence upon out-of-favour hypermarkets” take their toll.

Food shortages could be only days away, warn MPs

05-Jun-2013 - The UK is “never more than a few day days away from a significant food shortage” and consumers should eat less meat, an influential group of MPs has warned.

Meat suppliers group slammed for horsemeat secrecy

05-Jun-2013 - The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) has been criticised by the chief executive of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for refusing to share precise details about a recent incident of horsemeat contamination in a shipment of beef.

Automatic meat portioner meets demand changes

04-Jun-2013 - Continuing increases in demand, along with the need to remain competitive, led Birtwistle Catering Butchers to switch from hand-cutting to automatic meat portioning using Marel's I-Cut 36 Portioner.

Meat stabilisers with cost benefits

04-Jun-2013 - Meat stabilising specialist Hydrosol presented its new ideas for the economical manufacture of cooked cured meats, minced meat and sausage products at last month's IFFA show in Frankfurt.

Breaking news

Horsemeat review launched by government

04-Jun-2013 - The government today (June 4) announced a wide-ranging, year-long independent review into the “integrity and assurance of food supply networks” in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

Feature

Quality counts

04-Jun-2013 - To build a successful family sausage firm, it's crucial to have good quality products and invest in the business, Rob Sessions tells Gary Scattergood

Greencore sales rise despite the horsemeat crisis

04-Jun-2013 - Greencore has reported a significant increase in its half-year results, despite the problems it has faced with the horsemeat contamination scandal.

Poultry processing fire in China kills at least 119

03-Jun-2013 - Fire at a poultry processing plant in north east China has claimed at least 119 lives, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

Bernard Matthews blames job losses on input costs

03-Jun-2013 - Turkey processor Bernard Matthews has blamed the pressure of rising commodity prices for putting 55 jobs under threat at its cooked meats site in Great Witchingham, Norfolk.

Kids think fish fingers come from chicken: BNF study

03-Jun-2013 - School children’s widespread ignorance of food origins and poor eating habits were revealed by a survey of more than 27,500 pupils conducted by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).

Cranswick to benefit from global pig merger: City

31-May-2013 - UK meat firm Cranswick is likely to reap strategic benefit from the merger of China’s largest meat processor and pig producer, Shuanghui International, with the world’s largest pork processor North America’s Smithfield Foods, according to City analyst Shore Capital.

More fruit and veg doesn’t make diet more sustainable

31-May-2013 - A healthy diet lower in meat and higher in fruit and vegetables is not necessarily more sustainable – and may lead to higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), a new study has claimed.