New non-EU export licences could help hard-pressed UK beef producers

06-Sep-2010 - Nine new export licences for UK beef could help home producers survive tough economic times, according to EBLEX, the UK trade organisation for beef producers.

News in brief

BPEX embarks on novel pig welfare scheme

06-Sep-2010 - The British Pig Executive (BPEX) has launched a new project that takes a novel approach to pig welfare by focusing on outcomes rather than inputs.

Union members at Vion Llangefni vote narrowly in favour of strike action

03-Sep-2010 - Members of the Unite union at Vion’s chicken processing plant in Llangefni will meet next Wednesday (September 8) to decide whether to take industrial action over pay after the results of a ballot were announced this week.

Samworths: Lincolnshire Sausage PGI will exclude producers accounting for 95% of sales

27-Aug-2010 - If a protected geographical indication (PGI) application for Lincolnshire Sausages is not derailed, producers accounting for more than 95% of sales will be excluded from the market, a leading manufacturer has claimed.

Vion eyes veal expansion after EC approves Weyl takeover

24-Aug-2010 - Vion said it plans to expand its veal processing operations after being given the go-ahead by the European Commission to acquire Weyl.

Unite: Staff at Vion Llangefni deserve more than 2% pay rise

24-Aug-2010 - Bosses at meat and poultry giant Vion should find out on September 1 whether staff at its chicken processing plant in Llangefni plan to take strike action over pay.

Ecclefechan Tart and Ayrshire bacon perfect for PGIs?

23-Aug-2010 - Ecclefechan Tart, shortbread, Scottish wild venison, Ayrshire bacon and several regional preserves and speciality cheeses are all prime candidates for EU protected name status, according to a new report.

Interim manager still in charge at Holland's Pies

06-Aug-2010 - Former Holland’s Pies md Neil Court-Johnston is still out of the business almost three months after being suspended in the wake of allegations that he had talked with third parties regarding a management buyout without the consent of company bosses.

COOL concerns help drive Vion meat processing investment

05-Aug-2010 - Growing demand for meat with a clear provenance was one driver behind a multi-million pound investment programme by Vion to expand its processing operations in Scotland and create 250 new jobs.

UK is missing out on lucrative overseas market for offal

03-Aug-2010 - Britain’s meat processors are missing out on lucrative overseas demand for offal, it has emerged. This is particularly the case with tripe (large stomach lining) – and other so-called ‘fifth quarter’ by-products of carcass ‘deconstruction’.

Loophole keeps unsafe slaughterhouses open

03-Aug-2010 - Some slaughter houses and meat cutting plants that are in breach of food safety controls and present potential hygiene hazards are still operating – despite the refusal or withdrawal of approval by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) – because of a loophole in the law.

Wessex Foods fire: staff face possible redundancy

03-Aug-2010 - Staff employed at a massive Lowestoft burger factory destroyed by fire last month have been warned that they face the risk of redundancy.

FSA investigates claims of ‘cloned’ milk in UK

02-Aug-2010 - The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said it is investigating claims that milk from a cloned cow has entered the nation’s dairy supply.

Opinion

Too COOL by far? Common sense and country-of-origin labelling

01-Aug-2010 - Recent announcements about the future of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) dealt with the handover of country of origin labelling (COOL) to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The illegal food grab

01-Aug-2010 - More than 50 people a day have illegal foods seized at ports and airports when entering the UK, according to the latest government figures.

Kofta can cough-up profit margins

01-Aug-2010 - UK meat manufacturer The Big Kitchen has launched a Lamb Kofta dish for caterers who want to take advantage of the growing demand for ethnic dishes.

Retailers launch plan to stem campylobacter in poultry

01-Aug-2010 - Retailers are behind a core part of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) latest five-year strategy of targeting the UK's biggest source of foodborne illness. They have come up with a plan to work with their suppliers to substantially reduce levels of campylobacter bacteria in poultry meat.

Government aims to fly the flag for British food standard

01-Aug-2010 - 'Buy British standards' is the coalition government's latest plan for public sector food procurement.

Moy Park to expand capacity at Derbyshire site by 25%

15-Jul-2010 - A £10m extension to increase production capacity at Moy Park’s Ashbourne poultry processing site by 25% is due for completion this autumn, FoodManufacture.co.uk understands.

Wessex Foods fire won't disrupt meat supplies, insists Burger King

14-Jul-2010 - Burger King will not run out of burgers this summer, despite a devastating fire at one of its key UK suppliers, bosses have insisted.

First quarter sales leap 19% at Cranswick

13-Jul-2010 - Pork products giant Cranswick has posted a 19% rise in first-quarter sales to £198m driven by "substantial gains" in fresh pork, bacon and sandwiches.

Nestlé: COOL extension is impractical and unwelcome

05-Jul-2010 - Lobbying to prevent the extension of country of origin labelling (COOL) to all meat and poultry products - even when used as minor ingredients in complex processed foods - has stepped up a gear as major food manufacturers have continued to question its feasibility.

Feature

Bird is the word

02-Jul-2010 - Kookaburra has been on a spending spree to spruce up its operation, as Rod Addy finds out

EU preservative ban to hit organic meat

02-Jul-2010 - UK producers of organic bacon and cured meat products look set to be hit by a proposed EU ban on the use of sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate in organic foods. These preservatives are essential to traditional UK bacon.