Horsemeat: learning the lessons of an avoidable crisis
WRBM
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Milk processor Arla is to produce Anchor butter in the UK for the first time, after the firm moves production to its Westbury site in Wiltshire from New Zealand.
Sales of global food products with low-no-reduced-salt have fallen in number in recent years, according to the latest Mintel survey.
A Shropshire dairy company has been ordered to pay £12,500 after a worker suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by a steel beam at a Derbyshire farm – on his second day at work.
Union leaders are taking legal advice after workers at Cranswick’s East Yorkshire food factory walked out in a dispute over working terms and conditions.
UK food manufacturers claim Denmark’s decision to drop its fat tax and shelve plans for a sugar tax prove that such measures don’t work.
Union leaders are taking legal advice after workers at Cranswick’s East Yorkshire food factory walked out in a row over working terms and conditions.
The Danish government has revealed plans to drop its tax on saturated fats, introduced in October 2011, and shelve plans to introduce a tax on sugar from January 2013.
Chilled food manufacturer Greencore has again denied claims that it had breached employment law, as members of the union Unite flew to Dublin today (August 30) to lobby ceo Patrick Coveney.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s latest TV series Gordon Behind Bars – in which he teaches prisoners to bake cakes – was filmed only after the installation of a metal detector designed for food manufacturers.
TV Apprentice, Nick Holzherr, is facing a legal challenge over the company he set up after being ‘fired’ by Lord Sugar.
Nestlé and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have rejected criticism by the Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) over cereal advertising by the food giant.
The Institute of Directors (IoD) has told the government it must do more to stop the economy “flatlining”.
The government should step up prosecutions of alcohol smugglers who cost the Treasury £1.2bn/year, according to an influential committee of MPs.
Pig producers insist that British pork is produced to top welfare standards despite a ruling from the advertising watchdog banning three adverts claiming that Red Tractor pork is produced to higher animal welfare standards.
A local council’s plan to boost Grimsby’s seafood manufacturing industry by £75M and create up to 970 jobs has been given government’s first seal of approval.
Robert Wiseman Dairies is looking to rebuild its relationship with its suppliers after a summer that has seen milk processing depots across the country blockaded by angry farmers protesting at below cost prices for their milk.
An investigation has begun into the cause of a fire at food manufacturer 2 Sisters’ site in Scunthorpe on Monday, August 27.
Asda’s acquisition of Netto stores will prove a key factor in Morrisons’ announcement of difficult first-half trading for 2012/2013, when it reports interim results on September 6, predicts Shore Capital analysts Clive Black and Darren Shirley.
Cheese producer Wyke Farms has complained of “broken promises” after Morrisons cancelled a meeting due to take place today (August 28) to discuss the delisting of the Somerset family business.
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has refused to confirm or deny whether it had received expressions of interest from private equity firm CVC Capital Partners about acquiring its business.
Two firms have been ordered to pay nearly £75,500 each after a worker was fatally injured when he drove a scissor lift extendable platform into an unprotected pit in a food factory floor.
A Suffolk-based jam manufacturer and the firm’s director have both been fined £4,250 and ordered to pay £6,500 costs, after pleading guilty to 13 charges of falsely claiming that the company’s jams contained locally sourced produce.
A Cornish farmer has won a battle with Tesco over a sign in his local store promoting the sale of ‘100% British meat from our butcher’.
The union representative involved in trying to avert the closure of Vion’s threatened Hall’s of Broxburn meat processing plant, has agreed it will now be “very difficult” to save all the jobs at the site.
The UK’s annual supply of fish from home waters ran out this week – making food manufacturers reliant on stocks from as far afield as China, warns a report from think tank the New Economics Foundation (NEF).
Food manufacturing giant Premier Foods is “no longer the basket case” that ceo Michael Clarke inherited a year ago after the sale of its spreads business, according to City analysts.
Warburtons bakers has signed a formal agreement with Scotland’s Bellshill Academy and North Lanarkshire Council to continue its work giving young people an insight into the world of food manufacturing.
The Co-operative Group blamed a 34% fall in underlying operating profit to £174M during the first half of this year on a “competitive food market” and bad business loans.
A Lincolnshire potato processor and supplier has invested £2M in a new 2,972m2 state-of-the-art potato storage facility and grading line.
Strong sales in emerging markets helped drinks giant Diageo to a pre-tax profit of £3.1bn, up by 32% for the year to the end of June.
Chilled food manufacturer Greencore’s acquisition of International Cuisine Limited (ICL) is positive for the group and for the wider convenience food market, according to City analysts.
Scottish government finance secretary John Swinney has cast doubt on the possibility of saving all the jobs of workers at Vion’s threatened Hall’s of Broxburn meat processing plant.
Britain’s biggest food manufacturer is “still in a sticky situation” after selling its sweet spreads and jellies business to US multi-national Hain Celestial for £200M, according to a leading City analyst.
Chilled food manufacturer Greencore has acquired the own-label chilled ready meal business International Cuisine Limited (ICL) from the Hain Daniels Group in the UK for an undisclosed sum.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has welcomed Tesco’s plan to launch a hybrid food labelling system, which combines its existing Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) with the ‘traffic light’ colour coding system.
Questions about whether food manufacturers fully exploit consumers’ preference for UK sourced meat and poultry have been raised by the latest YouGov survey.
Rural businesses in Cumbria and the north east of England are to benefit from a £6.7M package of government investment, food and farming minister Jim Paice revealed this week.
Britain’s £611M market for baby food and drink is “insulated but not recession proof,” warns the latest research from Mintel.
Michael Clarke, ceo of Premier Foods, is performing a creditable job of reviving the fortunes of the debt-laden food giant but still faces tough challenges, according to City analysts.
A Chinese food giant has emerged as the leading contender to buy United Biscuit’s (UB’s) KP Snacks business, according to the state-owned China Daily newspaper.
A Leicester ethnic food manufacturer had a lucky escape this week after a blaze was narrowly averted at its factory.
Competition is hotting up for the Food Manufacture Personality of the Year, as food entrepreneur Levi Roots battles Premier Foods boss Michael Clarke for the coveted award.
A £112,000 grant has enabled potato product manufacturer Saxon Quality Foods to create 25 new jobs at its Scunthorpe factory.
Strong demand for UK frozen food has helped multi-national frozen food business Iglo offset flat Eurpean sales, according to the firm’s half year results to August 20.
Nearly two-thirds (68%) of soft drink launches over past year used some form of health positioning, reveals lnnova Market Insights.
One of the UK’s longest-serving halal meat suppliers has been sold out of administration, preserving around 150 jobs.
Which? consumer group has called for tighter marketing and reduced fat and sugar in children’s food, after its study found high levels of fat and sugar in cereal bars.
Small-scale food manufacturers are best at new product innovation, claims Neil Houghton, general manager of Mash Direct.
Meat firm Cranswick is teaming up with a Yorkshire bakery to boost its production of meat-based pastry products in a move it estimates will create up to 300 jobs.
Food and drink manufacturers in the West Midlands are being invited to join a trade mission to boost exports to the ‘ideal market’ of Ireland, organised by United Kingdom Trade & Investment (UKTI).
The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) has strengthened its position in the UK’s food ingredients and foodservice sectors by acquiring The Cheese Warehouse, a UK-based cheese ingredients supplier.
Sweet manufacturer Haribo is recruiting maintenance fitters, electricians and packaging fitters as it prepares to open a second factory in the UK, which could create up to 300 new jobs.
A family cheese maker’s David-and-Goliath struggle to fight its delisting by Morrisons gathered pace this week as thousands of shoppers supported its Facebook campaign.
The First Milk Cheese Company has been ordered to pay £56,000 after a blast at its Allerdate factory in Cumbria threw debris more than 100m across the site.
Food and groceries are increasingly bought on promotion, with consumers using smart phones to find deals, according to two new studies.
Food manufacturers could face steep rises in pig meat prices, as soaring feed costs drive UK pig producers out of business and new EU welfare rules force continental producers to quit.
Hundreds of angry farmers blocked Arla Food’s factory in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire last night (August 15) for about five hours.
Scotland is backing plans to boost meat exports to Germany and the Nordic countries with key continental appointments.
Troubled food giant Premier Foods has appointed Jennifer Laing as a non-executive director.
Eating dark chocolate and cocoa powder could help to significantly lower blood pressure, according to a new study.
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) says it is “hopeful but realistic” for the future of Vion’s threatened Hall’s of Broxburn meat plant, after local press reported two firms had expressed interest in acquiring the facility.
Cheese maker Wyke Farms has been bombarded with messages of support after it launched a Facebook campaign to fight its delisting from Morrisons.
Premier Foods’ factory is “very unlikely” to be the source of the Loyd Grossman korma sauce botulism incident, according to a final report by Health Protection Scotland, published last week (August 10).
The UK snack market will reach £3.8bn by 2016, according to market analyst Mintel, despite claims from the Snack, Nut and Crisp Manufacturers’ Association (SNACMA) that consumers misunderstand such products.
Europe’s largest own-label ice cream manufacturer R&R Ice Cream remains “on the acquisition trail” after scooping up Italian ice cream maker Eskigel for about £60.5M (€77M), says ceo James Lambert.
Recruiters are seeing the strongest rise in demand for permanent staff in engineering roles at a time when many employers face a “make-or-break moment”.
Fears are rising that the US drought could boost global food prices even further after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) slashed its forecast for maize production by 17% on Friday, August 10.
Supplying food for Usain Bolt and the Jamaican Olympic team has given Birmingham-based Sunrise Bakery “a massive PR boost”.
Shocked Morrisons’ suppliers’ anger at the retailer’s demands for half-a-million-pound savings each and Britvic’s £25M recall, feature in the top six most popular food and drink manufacturing news stories for July. Don't miss our photo round up of the top stories of the month – in pictures.
Union leaders hope Premier Foods’ decision not to close its Hampshire Hovis bakery in June, as planned, will preserve local jobs.
Chilled own-label food company Bakkavör runs “a tight ship”, according to Julian Wild, food group director at legal firm Rollits, after the firm released half-year results for the 26 weeks to June 30.
Food group Hain Daniels is planning a multimillion-pound expansion of its Norfolk frozen food factory, which could create up to 150 jobs.
Prime Minister David Cameron is to host a Global Hunger Summit in London on Sunday, August 12 – the last day of the Olympics.
Probiotic yogurt brands and supermarket own-label equivalents are leading a revolution in marketing of these products in advance of a ban, which comes into effect in December.
Sharp differences are emerging about the future direction of in-pack convenience packaged fresh fish products.The market share of pre-packed fish sales are growing as fewer...
Fresh efforts by the European Commission (EC) to clarify the status of food enzymes as ‘processing aids’ or ‘ingredients’ could reopen the vexed question of labelling genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMOs) in food, according to one regulatory expert.
Drinks giant ceo Paul Walsh has been appointed the first business ambassador for the food and drink industries to boost the export performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Soft drinks business Nichols is keeping its head “comfortably above water” in a struggling drinks category, thanks to new UK listings and a strong international performance, according to City analyst Investec.
Food manufacturers looking for a growth market should investigate producing healthy snacks for stressed workers.
A new research project, funded by the EU and involving several multinational food companies, is aiming to develop food products that will reduce consumers’ appetites to help combat obesity.
Packaging could become the most important marketing tool for food brands and retailers.
Premier Foods chief executive Michael Clarke believes he has “cleared the big hurdles”, a year after taking over at the helm of the company, he told Foodmanufacture.co.uk.
Analysts were not ready to give Premier Foods a clean bill of health, after it posted its first-half 2012 results to June 30 this week.
Staff at bakery giant Warburtons have voted overwhelmingly for a ballot on strike action, in a dispute over a pay offer.
New EU labelling regulations could force users of variable information and weigh-price labelling to rethink where and how data is presented on-pack, according to equipment supplier Bizerba. It could also open up fresh marketing opportunities.
Cromer Crab Company’s factory door closed for the last time on Friday last week (August 3).
Britvic is embarking on the second phase of a group-wide total productive maintenance (TPM) programme. It involves transferring ownership of continuous improvement (CI) to the operational teams at individual plants.
Food manufacturers need to seek advice from allergen experts to cater for the "enormous" and "alarming" rise in allergies and intolerances, states Allergy UK.
Hundreds of food manufacturing workers were evacuated as 20 firefighters battled to extinguish a fire at a meat processing site in Shropshire last week (August 3).
Corby-based Phoenix Foods has been sold in a multi-million pound deal to Speciality Powders.
Britain’s biggest food manufacturer Premier Foods expects to achieve efficiency savings of £40M earlier than expected as a result of its restructuring plans, it emerged in its half-year results released today.
Nick Bunker, president of Kraft Foods UK and Ireland, is to become chief executive of United Biscuits’ (UB’s) recently separated snacks business, which is to be re-named KP Snacks.
A market-busting 10% rise in demand for Organix baby food products has forced the company to tear up the spreadsheets and become the first manufacturer to adopt a new stock-monitoring and forecasting system that could lead to full vendor-managed inventory with UK retailers.
Shares in Premier Foods have retained a ‘Buy’ recommendation from investment and banking firm Investec, ahead of its interim results, which will be published tomorrow (August 7).
An MP, local councillor and union representative emerged from talks last week (August 2) “optimistic” about reaching a compromise in the row between 2 Sisters and its workers at Cavaghan & Gray.
Workers are set to be balloted for industrial action over pay at the Oldham site of supermarket own-label cakes and desserts supplier Park Cake.
Britvic is among a number of food and drink manufacturers that are finding it increasingly difficult to attract good quality engineering technicians into its business.
Britain’s leading plant bakery brand Warburtons is set to find out this week if staff across the country have voted in favour of strike action, in a dispute over a pay offer.
Frozen ethnic food manufacturer The Authentic Food Company (TAFC) has invested £2M in boosting its production capacity, after securing contracts to supply ready meals to Asda and several leading retailers in Europe.
Paul Grimwood, chairman and chief executive of Nestlé UK & Ireland, has been appointed chairman and chief executive of Nestlé USA, based in Glendale, California, from October 2012.
Government proposals to shorten consultation periods on policy changes have received a mixed welcome from the food industry.
Plans to axe 90 jobs at a modern manufacturing and bottling plant in Lisburn have been announced by Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Northern Ireland.
Operational issues have caused chaos in the mammoth catering operations at the London Olympic games.
Retailers are unlikely to see sales volumes on food recover in the next year, as prices will be pushed up due to a poor worldwide harvest, economists suggest.
Country of origin labelling (COOL) of processed meat products and cheese has shown no significant improvement over the past year, according to the findings of a new survey of products bought from the major multiples and independent shops.
Retailers will demand far more unannounced food safety audits of their suppliers as concerns about controls and hygiene standards in the global food supply chain rise.
After high-profile scientific papers and a July Panorama documentary criticised the allegedly poor science behind claims made for a range of sports products, regulators, brands and nutrition experts have defended current research criteria.
Labour’s attempts to enable fines to be imposed on supermarkets that abuse their power have failed.
With the agri-food sector's Advanced Training Partnership (ATP) modules and qualifications taking shape, organisers are emphasising their potential to nurture future industry leaders as well as to address food security and sustainability issues.
The Department of Health (DoH) says it has no plans to change its '5 a day' scheme, despite receiving criticism on Channel Four's Dispatches programme and from the Fresh Produce Consortium.
Symington’s has announced the closure of its Victoria Foods factory at Leigh in Lancashire, putting 142 jobs at risk.
Europe’s food is “safer than ever”, despite an increase in reports to Europe’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in 2011.
The Scottish government is backing an initiative designed to give the country’s dairy farmers greater bargaining power when dealing with their customers.
A taskforce looking at the future of one of Scotland’s biggest pig processing plants has made encouraging progress, according to the Scottish government’s finance secretary John Swinney.
Analysts have welcomed a strong trading performance by Greencore Group, reported in its interim trading statement for the third quarter to June 29.
Dovecote Park, which is sole beef supplier to Waitrose, has been fined £25,000 after a worker fractured his spine and heel bone in an accident.
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