Meat & poultry

Vion fined £100,000 over forklift death

19-Aug-2011 - Vion Food Scotland has been fined £100,000 following the death of a worker who was crushed by a badly loaded forklift truck.

Iglo Group sale tittle-tattle false: industry source

18-Aug-2011 - Reports that Iglo Group private equity owner Permira is planning an imminent £1.5bn sale of the business are false, according to an industry source.

'Death of the Drum' on hold, with UK firms slow on electrostatic uptake

18-Aug-2011 - Pioneering Oxford technology firm Spice Application Systems (SAS) has grown overall sales by 20% so far this year, but admits the UK market is lagging behind Europe in uptake terms.

New heat recovery system will save food firms thousands, Excalibur claims

15-Aug-2011 - Refrigeration specialist Excalibur has developed a patented heat recovery system that allows refrigeration systems to operate more effectively and deliver water at 55˚C.

Food manufacturers ride out economic storm

11-Aug-2011 - Despite fears of sovereign downgrades and tumbling share prices, UK food and drink manufacturers increased their output by 0.5% in June 2011, but many are suffering pain from rising input prices.

Microwave kit to 'revolutionise' food manufacturing

10-Aug-2011 - Longer shelf-life and improved nutritional qualities and flavours are the benefits claimed for a “revolutionary” new cooking and pasteurisation process from Advanced Microwave Technologies (AMT).

Results find Devro in ‘sizzling form’, says City

08-Aug-2011 - Strong growth in global meat consumption and the opportunity to convert manufacturers from natural to collagen casings are two factors underpinning Devro’s strong interim results, said City analysts.

Princes ponders ways to can Fray Bentos

02-Aug-2011 - Princes says it is “actively considering” options regarding the disposal of former Premier Foods canned pies business Fray Bentos.

Retailers may spring surprise audits on suppliers

02-Aug-2011 - Version 6 of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety could lead to more unannounced audits being forced on manufacturers, according to a third-party certification body.

Streamline sophisticated stock control

01-Aug-2011 - Glendale Foods has gone live with Solarsoft's Tropos enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in a bid to streamline processes, improve stock control and increase operational efficiency.

Adjudicator unlikely to stop retailers abusing suppliers

01-Aug-2011 - The retail promotional system is flawed, unsustainable and needs a complete overhaul, although manufacturers are divided over the ability of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) or the new adjudicator to tackle this.

What's the big idea?

01-Aug-2011 - As part of the Vion Group, Snowbird Foods is brimming over with new concepts for a host of meat products, from sausages to meatballs. We grill the man behind production

Online voters choose Linda McCartney's new vegan pie

01-Aug-2011 - Following a search for the 'UK's tastiest meat-free dish', Linda McCartney Foods is launching a new Mushroom & Ale Pie based on a vegan recipe that won 40% of public votes.

Meat processors 'go natural' for product preservatives

01-Aug-2011 - The retailer-driven trend for clean-label foods has hit finished meat products, according to a major ingredients distributor.

Get it all in one sausage

01-Aug-2011 - Snowbird Foods has launched an "all in one" breakfast sausage that includes bacon, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

Vion stands by ‘regrettable’ factory closure

01-Aug-2011 - Vion Food Group is standing by its decision to close its poultry processing plant near Doncaster despite pressure from a local MP to reconsider.

Sprinklers ‘could have saved’ Burger King supplier’s factory

26-Jul-2011 - A sprinkler system could have prevented the destruction of the UK’s largest frozen food processing unit, which supplied meat to Burger King restaurants, according to a new report.

Bringing home the bacon, ‘with added water’

25-Jul-2011 - Bacon producers have warned that a last-minute change to the Food Information Regulation (FIR) could prove expensive for both manufacturers and consumers.

Vion to close Sheffield sausage plant

25-Jul-2011 - Vion has confirmed its Sheffield sausage processing plant is to close, with the company's sausage facilities consolidated one site in Broxburn, Scotland.

Hilton Food Group grows turnover

21-Jul-2011 - Specialist meat packing business Hilton Food Group has braved challenging marketing conditions to report good turnover growth during the 28 weeks ending July 17 2011.

FSA Board rejects meat inspection proposal

18-Jul-2011 - Proposals to examine a move to a privatised system of third-party inspection of primary meat premises were rejected by the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) Board early last week.

‘Business builder’ Boparan aims for sharper focus

18-Jul-2011 - Ranjit Boparan says that running Northern Foods and 2 Sisters Food Group across five rather than four business divisions this year will give the group a “sharper business focus”.

News in brief

Gourmet hub launches

15-Jul-2011 - Startup Cacomo Gourmet has launched a website targeted at gourmet food lovers, as it pioneers the online sale of ready meals and baked goods made from scratch and delivered to your door.

Brakes demands suppliers pay for ‘amazing’ system

08-Jul-2011 - Food service giant Brakes Group is demanding that suppliers pay to use its online purchasing and supply management system, or lose contact with company buyers.