Horsemeat: learning the lessons of an avoidable crisis
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Laurence Gibbons hears the arguments in favour of replacing paper-based systems with online ones
Planned in-store trials of a new board tray design will show how the material can support differentiation and growth in the ready meals market, according to supplier Meadwestvaco (MWV).
Shopper disloyalty has soared during the recession as customers become more "professional" and seek out promotions and cheaper offers elsewhere, manufacturers and retailers have reported.
Small is beautiful when it comes to feeding kids, says Yorkshire-based Bannisters' Farm, which has brought a range of smaller frozen ready-baked potatoes to market.
No news is good news. Unless you're a journalist. That was the conclusion of a conversation I had with a leading lawyer when discussing the European Union's (EU) list of 2,500 approved flavourings for the food and drink industry.
As Frankfurt prepares to host Health Ingredients Europe, Gary Scattergood rounds up some of the show's highlights
They rarely appear on labels, but enzymes can produce very visible results for product developers. Lynda Searby reports
Protein supplementation is no longer the preserve of the bodybuilding beefcakes, reports Michelle Knott
The clean-label road isn't an easy one for manufacturers to take, but Ingredion's Aaron Edwards says it will reap financial rewards, reports Gary Scattergood
Arla Foods Ingredients claims cake and pastry manufacturers could save more than one million pounds by using egg replacers - and has developed a calculator to prove it.
A Norwegian government initiative is investigating the commercial viability of extracting peptones from marine by-products and developing them for use in the production of high-value nutrition products.
Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has sold its factory in Dijon, France, to new set-up Chocolaterie de Bourgogne.
Swiss fragrance and flavour company Givaudan has opened a new manufacturing facility dedicated to savoury flavours in Makó, Hungary.
The Russian oil sector is set to soar over the next 10 years due to increasing consumer demand and growing disposable income.
Dawn and Unifine have united under the Dawn name to create a global sweet bakery and ingredients company.
The EU has published its approved list of more than 2,500 flavourings for the food and drink sector.
Key differences in the molecular structures of phytoestrogens - a group of chemicals found in plants that can act like the hormone estrogen - determine which health benefits they provide, a review has uncovered.
The first EU Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on the nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) is likely to see more labelling statements fall under the scope of the rules, warned a legal expert.
The largest size Thermic Ultra retortable barrier jar from RPC Containers Corby - the 3.8l American gallon - has proved the ideal packing solution for olive supplier Aceitunas del Guadalquivir, based in Seville, Spain.
Hungarian frozen food producer Mar-Ne-Váll, which makes the Ripp-Ropp range of bread-crumbed products for central Europe, is saving money thanks to the installation of a new large character coder.
Food and drink manufacturers are increasing their investment in printing and labelling equipment, according to supplier Domino, which recently reported sales growth of over 30% for 2011.
Videojet Technologies has launched a new laser coder designed for simple marking and coding applications in the consumer packaged goods sector.
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is commissioning in-depth consumer research to identify why, at 40%, UK plastics bottle recycling rates are so much lower than in EU markets.
Adams Foods has achieved consistent weighing accuracy at higher speeds than manual labelling by implementing 16 Marel OCM9500 box labellers on its packing line.
Multivac Marking & Inspection is launching checkweighers in three weight ranges to complete its range for turnkey, end-to-end packaging lines.
A South African seed company has installed an Ishida 'Lilliput' multihead weigher to increase capacity and provide greater control over pack fill accuracy.
Rhokett has invested in Marco's Recipe Formulation Module (RFM) to bring a new level of control to the manufacture of its range of bespoke hand-crafted desserts.
Hygiene specialist Osprey Deepclean says its new dry steam technology can save manufacturers millions of litres in water.
Interfood Technology is introducing a Danish meat grinder to the UK.
SMC's bespoke cylinder for tomato sauce packing machines has been designed to comply with industry's increasingly tight hygiene guidelines.
Goliath Footwear has developed super-slip safety trainers.
Global seafood processor MW Brands, which owns the John West range of fish and seafood products, has placed a contract with UK-based data management systems specialist Applied Principle for its data collection systems. The project is being carried out in response to MW Brands' need to update its paper-based system and increase efficiency.
A new portion-controlled snack brand has been launched across categories in the UK.
Rhodia Aroma Performance's Govanil range of vanilla flavours have been designed to offer superior functional properties for bakery and confectionery industry food products. They can be used in cookies, petit beurre biscuits, vanilla or chocolate fillings and pastry creams.
A US-themed stand at a London Coffee Festival inspired a Welsh bakery to launch US-style chocolate cake pops for the UK's coffee shops and retail outlets.
It was business as normal for Greencore’s US production plant at Newburyport, Massachusetts on Monday morning (October 29) – with some concessions to safety – while the worst storm in living memory bore down on the country’s lower eastern seaboard.
A University of Queensland clinical study claims to have proved that the green lipped mussel extract GlycOmega Plus, made by Aroma (NZ), has anti-inflammatory properties in humans suffering from osteoarthritis of the knees.
Winning significant new business with Sainsbury helped 2 Sister’s poultry division increase like-for-like sales by 10.1%, according to the group’s full-year results for the 52 weeks ended July 28 2012.
Despite being popular in the Far East for its subtle flavour and health benefits, rice bran oil is still relatively unknown in Europe. One firm is determined to change this.
Functional ingredients supplier Ulrick & Short has launched a range of oil and fibre ingredients for incorporation within baked items, cereal bars, dressings, yogurt and milk-based drinks.
The Emerald Isle's green and natural lands form the roots of its plans to become a world-leading exporter of sustainable food and drink, reports Lorraine Mullaney
Manufacturers need to invest in overseas production facilities to avoid missing out on burgeoning food retail sales worth trillions of dollars in emerging markets, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
The most likely buyer for Premier Foods’ bread brand Hovis will be a foreign firm, according to an industry expert.
Defining 'sustainability' is hard enough, but what about making the term a reality? Paul Gander reports
A modified texturising ingredient that turns into a gel in the stomach could help suppress appetites, research has discovered.
Poole's Pies of Wigan is determined to make a major splash, reports Gary Scattergood
New British Egg Industry Council chairman Andrew Joret played a pivotal role in restoring trust in British eggs, reports Gary Scattergood
Food inflation is set to rise, despite a slight dip reported in the consumer price index (CPI) in September, analysts have warned.
Trust is very much in the news at the moment - or should I say lack of it. People don't trust politicians. They don't trust business either.
There is less than one week to go until Britain’s food and drink manufacturers discover which firms have won the coveted prizes in the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
Distribution drivers for Tesco, locked in a row with distribution firm Eddie Stobart, are to take their grievances to Westminster today (October 31).
Potato growers will become “extinct” if manufacturers and processors impose penalties on them for contract shortfalls caused by the poor weather.
Food manufacturer Premier Foods moved closer to reducing its debt mountain today (October 30) with the confirmation of a conditional agreement to sell its sweet pickles and table sauces business to Mizkan for £92.5M in cash.
Waitrose launched the snack product of its former meat counter worker in 196 of its stores last week (October 22).
Food manufacturers, government and supermarkets have today (October 30) “stated their ambition” to ensure palm oil used in food production is responsibly produced and does not contribute to deforestation by 2015. But a leading retail organisation has insisted the pledge is too “weak”.
A work experience student whose ready meal idea wowed Tesco, food workers allegedly forced to work in slave-like conditions and a food manufacturer forced into administration after losing a key Morrisons contract were just three of the topics in our list of the eight most popular articles published on FoodManufacture.co.uk in October.
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Britvic Soft Drinks and Greencore are just three of the firms vying for a food and drink manufacturing Oscar at next week’s Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
Premier Foods boss Geoff Eaton competed a gruelling 48-hour mountain charity run yesterday (October 28) with his eldest son Patrick.
The government has delivered a blow to Grimsby’s seafood manufacturing industry by refusing to grant the £14M funding that would have launched a £75M scheme to create 970 jobs.
Britain’s food retailers and manufacturers have significantly improved late payments in the third quarter of this year, according to financial specialist Experian.
Staff at Britain’s biggest high street baker Greggs have stripped for a charity calendar in support of the BBC appeal Children in Need.
A further 41 redundancies were made last week (Friday October 26) at Paramount Foods’ pizza-making facility in Deeside, North Wales.
Multinational firm Cargill has been ordered to pay £47,484 after a worker lost three fingers at its factory at Trafford Park, near Manchester.
Premier Food’s appointment of Geoff Eaton leads our selection of food and drink manufacturing people on the move in October.
Food manufacturer 2 Sisters has welcomed a ruling from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) approving its acquisition of Brookes Avana, after the group agreed to sell its Christmas pudding manufacturing business.
The UK officially emerged from double-dip recession yesterday (October 25), with help from the Olympics, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Fairtrade certification for two-finger Kit Kat bars will double Nestlé UK & Ireland’s commitment to the ethical sourcing brand from January 2013.
A BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview took an unexpected turn this week after an Asda public relations boss admitted to presenter James Naughtie that two out of three Asda checkouts were “guilty” of tempting mums to buy sweets for children.
North Yorkshire-based food manufacturer, Holmesterne has strengthened its management team with the appointment of two new executives.
Bedford grain milling firm European Oat Millers has been fined £12,000 after one of its workers fell 3m while working on a night shift.
Transport firm Eddie Stobart was accused this week (October 24) of “throwing their toys out of the pram in a fit of pique and walking away,” by Unite the union, as the row over drivers for Tesco at the Doncaster distribution hub deepened.
Beer sales slumped in both pubs and off-trade sales in the last quarter, heightening fears that 5,000 jobs could be lost in the beer industry as the result of “government tax policy”.
British adults will spend more than £650M celebrating Bonfire Night and Halloween, according to a YouGov Sixth Sense survey.
Tesco bosses were so impressed with a 15-year-old work experience student’s idea for a ready meal that they decided to roll it out across their supermarkets as part of their Home Bake ready meal range.
Mars Food UK has won the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF’s) coveted President’s Award in its Community Partnership Awards programme.
Hovis manufacturer Premier Foods has lost a contract worth £75M with an unnamed grocery chain, according to its latest interim management statement.
New research has linked foods rich in acrylamide, such as chips, to a higher risk of low birth weight children, while levels of the chemical in chips are rising, according to a separate report the European food watchdog the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The Department of Health’s (DoH’s) plans to launch a single hybrid front-of-pack labelling system that combines guideline daily amounts (GDAs) and traffic light labelling will damage the food industry, warn industry leaders.
The government’s plans to launch a hybrid front-of-pack labelling system will help consumers make more informed, healthier choices about food purchases, claims health minister Anna Soubry. But others believe the plan will damage the food industry . Here, we provide a snapshot of the different views about the Department of Health’s controversial plan.
Britain’s biggest food manufacturer Premier Foods reported a 2% rise in underlying sales growth in an interim management statement covering the three months to September 30 that drew both praise and relief from City analysts.
Manufacturers of potato products are being hit by a “double whammy” because of the most difficult crop in living memory.
Food manufacturer and distributor Euro Foods Group has invested £5M and created 120 jobs by setting up a distribution hub in the West Midlands.
The threat of falling foul of the forthcoming Groceries Code Adjudicator has saved Sainsbury’s food and drink suppliers from having their payment times extended, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB).
A north London food manufacturer faces a £120,000 fine, after a raid from the UK Border Agency in which 12 people were arrested for immigration offences.
Food inflation will be “well on its way to 4%” by Christmas, and manufacturers need to prepare to put up their prices – with Morrisons particularly in “a tricky position”, warn analysts at Shore Capital.
Sausage skin manufacturer Devro reported strong demand for its collagen sausage castings, which were offset by rising costs and adverse currency factors, according to its latest interim management statement covering the period from July 1 to October 22.
Perween Warsi’s ready-meal manufacturing firm S&A Foods has scooped two awards for the own-label curry it supplies to Asda.
Morrisons has launched a foundation degree in supermarket operations, which it will be running with the Logistics Institute at Hull University Business School.
Food manufacturers should educate shoppers about where and how fish products have been sourced, according to the Iglo Group, which owns the Birds Eye brand.
Distribution drivers for Tesco, now employed by Eddie Stobart, may take further industrial action, after voting today (October 19) to reject a revised employment offer from the transport firm.
The Co-op has recalled a batch of its own-brand Truly Irresistible Whole Cherry Tomato and Chilli Pasta Sauce because of a manufacturing fault, which could have led to some of the jars containing pieces of glass.
The historic Micklegate Bar entrance to York city centre has survived more than 800 years of sometimes bloody history and now, a close encounter with a Marks & Spencer lorry.
Food manufacturers are missing out on sales worth millions of pounds by using the internet only to promote their brands and not for direct sales, according to speakers at the grocery think-tank IGD’s Trading in a Digital World conference.
The European food manufacturers’ 30th congress closed yesterday (October 19) amid “an overwhelming sense of optimism” with a manifesto for growth.
Furious exchanges have followed the Graf Mortgage Corporation’s failed bid to buy Vion’s Hall’s of Broxburn meat plant, West Lothian, with both parties accusing each other of providing misleading information.
Tesco distribution drivers employed by Eddie Stobart at its Doncaster hub are voting today (October19) on whether to accept a revised employment offer, after the drivers suspended industrial action earlier this week.
The Scottish government has unveiled plans to give local food a £2.5M boost over three years by support initiatives that promote the country’s natural produce.
Staff at two of Fox’s three biscuits factories rejected strike action today (October 18), following a dispute over pay and conditions.
Food manufacturers should switch to sustainable fish stocks from endangered ones and help to educate shoppers about making better buying decisons, delegates heard at a fishing industry seminar this week.
Administrators are still looking for a buyer for pizza supplier Paramount Foods, which went into administration earlier this month.
Britvic revenues dropped 2.6% to £1,256M in the wake of a £25M recall of its Fruit Shoot drink – sparked after a six-year-old boy from Essex nearly choked on a ‘spill-proof’ cap.
Staff at two of Fox’s three Biscuits factories are to vote on strike action today (October 18), which could result in a walk out at 7pm tonight in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The Halal Food Authority (HFA) has turned down an approach from a “major brewery” to accredit its non-alcoholic beer as halal.
The md of a finance firm who made an unsuccessful bid to buy Hall’s meat plant in West Lothian and save its 1,700 jobs may consider legal action against the facility’s owner Dutch multi-national Vion Group.
Internet sales of food and grocery products will reach £11bn within five years, predicts the grocery think-tank IGD.
Retail giant Sainsbury is to put the Red Tractor logo – formerly used for meat, poultry, dairy and fresh products – on the scrapheap, attributing the decision to what it termed “consumer confusion”.
The number of premature babies born in the UK could be reduced by as much as 30% if expectant mothers had adequate intakes of vitamin E.
McCain Foods is to axe about 50 production jobs at its Hull factory.
“A sad day for Scotland,” was the verdict of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), after Vion UK confirmed yesterday (October 16) that it will close its Hall’s of Broxburn meat plant with the loss of 1,700 jobs.
A drinks packaging concept that was dismissed as “tacky” by BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den has proved so successful its inventor is taking it to America.
The EU food contract manufacturing sector will double to reach between £11–13bn (€14–16bn) during the next eight years, according to a new report from Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds are being raised to boost the numbers and progression of women working in the food and drink manufacturing sector.
The Real Good Food Company (RGFC) has appointed Jacques d’Unienville as a non-executive director with immediate effect (October 15).
Philippe Huet has been appointed the new md for Cargill’s Cocoa business.
Charles Bourns has been elected chairman of the European Commission’s poultry advisory group.
Cadbury has recently been successful in extending the trademark protection for its purple colour, despite spirited resistance by Nestlé, writes Christopher Pett, consultant at Dehns Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys. But what are the implications of the decision?
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruetly to Animals (RSPCA) has been accused of ‘bullying and hypocrisy’ by the National Farmers Union (NFU), after it threatened to withdraw permission for farmers to use its valuable Freedom Foods label if they took part in the government’s controversial badger cull.
Unite the union has “forced drivers into proposed strike action” at a distribution hub in Doncaster, which serves Tesco, according to transport firm Eddie Stobart.
Food manufacturers and retailers should use clearer labelling to specify country-of-origin and end consumer confusion, says the the National Farmers Union (NFU), which has launched a Flag It Facebook campaign to highlight its message.
Morrisons has announced plans to launch its first online retail offering in a bid to raise millions of pounds in sales.
Food manufacturing giant Nestlé has pledged to cut the sugar and salt content of its children’s breakfast cereals in the UK and all other markets outside North America.
Meat firm Cranswick has begun the construction of a new £10M factory in Yorkshire that will create 150 jobs.
Greggs’ plans to invest £35M in a second manufacturing facility are part of its strategy to expand its presence in the south of England.
Silver Spring Soft Drinks has entered administration as a result of experiencing “creditor pressure and cash flow problems”, according to the administrator Zolfo Cooper.
Britain’s largest high street baker has revealed mixed results for the 14 weeks to October 6 and revealed plans to build a new savoury plant in the south of England.
After just over a week in the role of chief operating officer of Britain’s biggest food manufacturer Premier Foods, FoodManufacture.co.uk wondered what was likely to be topping Geoff Eaton’s in-tray. So we asked five leading business analysts to find out.
Celebrity endorsements from Kim Kardashian and Andy Murray have boosted UK sales of free-from foods, which now total £342M, according to market analyst Mintel.
William Jackson Food Group, owner of the Aunt Bessie Yorkshire pudding brand, has acquired the online organic food delivery business Abel & Cole for an undisclosed sum.
British scallop fishermen, fishing in international waters in the Channel, have pleaded for Royal Naval protection after claiming they were attacked yesterday (October 11) by French fishermen.
The future of 1,700 of jobs at Hall’s meat plant in Broxburn, Scotland hangs in the balance, as the deadline to find a new buyer for the business expires at noon today (October 12).
The president of the Halal Food Authority (HFA) – which works with major manufacturers including Premier Foods and Kerry Foods – has mounted a staunch defence of his organisation after it came under fire for accrediting other businesses which critics said did not adhere to halal principles.
Glanbia’s recent rescue of BBC TV Apprentice Jane McAvoy’s troubled food company is part of a bigger plan to build up its consumer food business and increase exports.
UK food and drink manufacturers have welcomed “the significant progress” achieved in meeting the supply chain and packaging waste reduction targets set out as part of the Courtauld Commitment.
One of the UK’s largest manufacturers of chilled and frozen pizzas, Paramount Foods, has made 118 workers − more than 25% of its workforce − redundant after losing a key contract to supply Morrisons.
The grocery think tank IGD has pledged to work with government and industry to reach agreement on labelling, after Sainsbury boss Justin King urged the food industry to adopt universal front-of-pack nutritional labelling, combining multiple traffic lights (MTLs) and guideline daily amounts (GDAs).
Lithuanian men may have been trafficked into the UK specifically for exploitation in the food industry, according to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
Hundreds of food and drink industry leaders packed The Lancaster Hotel in London this week for the grocery think-tank IGD annual convention. Thronging the conference hall were some prolific tweeters. Here, we bring you a selection of their best Tweets. To enjoy the full list, visit #igdconv12 .
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned consumers to beware food and drink containing liquid nitrogen, following emergency surgery to remove the stomach of a teenager who allegedly drank an alcoholic cocktail containing the chemical.
Food manufacturers and consumers should brace themselves for a rise in egg prices.
Fears of soaring food prices are mounting after the National Farmers Union (NFU) warned that wheat yields in England were down by almost 15% on the five-year average, while poor harvests around the world and the global thirst for biofuels continued to drive up commodity prices.
Buying British produce and tapping into soaring demand from abroad for high-quality goods will help boost the UK food industry and create jobs, says Owen Paterson, the new secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Food manufacturers may end up footing the bill for Tesco’s revamped ready meal range, according to some industry sources.
Irish dairy products manufacturer Glanbia has invested £339,000 (€420,000) in the troubled food business of BBC TV Apprentice Jane McEvoy.
Major manufacturing firms are unlikely to be tempted by chancellor George Osborne’s flagship employee ownership policy announced at the Conservative Party Conference, says the UK’s leading business organisation. Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King also hit out at the idea.
Food and drink manufacturers could look forward to more support from government to help them lift their exports, following the results of a new study commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Food manufacturers will be able to test the next generation of technology to drive forward new product development (NPD) and better product quality, following the establishment of Leatherhead Food Research's (LFR's) Emerging Technologies Working Group.
Suffolk fire fighters were called to the Birds Eye factory in Lowestoft this morning (October 8).
Small food manufacturers in Scotland will benefit from free advice on how to reduce salt, sugar and fats in their products, as part of a £172,000 programme unveiled by the Scottish government.
United Biscuits' (UB's) snacks business KP Snacks will be sold off as soon as a suitable private equity buyer can be found, according to a prediction from a leading corporate finance expert.
Jobs are under threat after the loss of a key contract with Morrisons forced a pizza manufacturer into administration.
Kent Police have arrested two people in a dawn raid last Friday (October 5), after allegations that Lithuanian men working in the food industry were held in slave-like conditions.
Hull-based food manufacturer Cranswick has delivered a "robust" margin recovery in the first half of the year, according to City analyst Shore Capital.
After 27 years of service, a former bomb disposal expert has left the British Army to launch his own artisan bakery.
Deliveries to Tesco’s northern stores face disruption next week after more than 180 drivers at the retailer’s distribution centre in Doncaster voted for a 48-hour strike.
It is "inevitable" that the Department of Health (DoH) will recommend a single hybrid front-of-pack labelling system that combines guideline daily amounts (GDAs) and traffic light labelling, which will serve a massive blow to the industry.
Scottish finance secretary John Swinney has pledged that the taskforce dedicated to saving jobs at Hall's of Broxburn will fight on, despite the announcement (October 5) of a phased closure of the meat plant.
A 31-year-old woman ate part of “a hairy creature that appeared to be a dead rodent” in a sandwich she bought in Tesco.
Many food and drink firms are missing the commercial opportunity of intellectual property (IP) because they do not patent the innovative work they carry out, a patent expert has advised.
Unannounced food safety audits will become the norm over the next few years, according to Catherine Watkinson, technical manager for Lyons Seafood and chair of the Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT).
The 2 Sisters Group RF Brookes bakery at South Wigston in Leicestershire is to close with the loss of 200 jobs.
Don’t miss your last chance to vote in the Food Manufacture Personality of the Year award. Here’s your final opportunity to help celebrate the achievement of the man or woman who can claim an outstanding record of success in food and drink manufacturing this year.
In-depth interviews with Anna Rosier, md of baby food firm Organix, and Neil Houghton, general manager of Mash Direct, are just two of the leading features in the October edition of our sister title Food Manfacture.
Food and drink firms have emerged as the key players in a projected rise of manufacturing output that experts hope will help pull the economy out of the double-dip recession it is experiencing.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected controversial research linking Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup and genetically modified (GM) maize with premature death.
Reading that Tim Smith had joined Tesco as technical director sent me on a trip down memory lane. I returned to the late '80s, early '90s when I was at the British Retail Consortium and he then Tesco technical director was chairman of our technical committee. Back then we had the start of the genetically modified (GM) food saga, the durability date-marking legislation was introduced and the food safety crisis reached a crescendo.
A Yorkshire firm that supplies local food and drink made by small manufacturers to the major supermarkets is expanding to cover the whole of northern England.
The main foodservice companies will expect their manufacturing suppliers to adopt common product information standards to meet growing customer expectations.
The Scottish government has appointed Sheila Voas as chief veterinary officer (CVO).
Premier Foods has appointed Geoff Eaton as chief operating officer and executive director.
The food and drink industry received its fair share of attention - and plaudits - at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester this week. It was held up as rare success story in tricky economic times by shadow secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Mary Creagh. But there were also calls for food manufacturers to share research.
As sustainability continues to rise up the corporate agenda, Ireland has ambitious plans to become a world-leader in the production of sustainable food through its Origin Green initiative.
Britain’s biggest food manufacturer Premier Foods has appointed Geoff Eaton, formerly ceo of Uniq, as chief operating officer and executive director to “accelerate transformation” within the debt-laden giant.
Food manufacturers should be given a business boost from a government commitment to only buy foods produced to British welfare standards, according to Mary Creagh, the shadow secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Britain’s third-largest supermarket Sainsbury reported total sales for second quarter up 4.3% and like-for-like sales up 1.9 %.
Supermarket giant Tesco has reported its first profit fall in 18 years, as its chief executive Philip Clarke said the UK business had been “running too hot”.
Are riots across the developing world similar to those prompted by soaring food prices in 2007/8 set to return to our TV screens?
The shortlist of candidates for the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs) has now been announced, following decisions from an independent panel of 13 experts from across the industry. The judging took place at the offices of William Reed Business Media - the publisher of Food Manufacture - on September 14.
R&R Ice Cream has purchased its third Matrix side-feed collator/shrink wrapper from Linkx Systems. It handles 30 shrink wrap cycles a minute with minimal energy use.
A fresh approach to a 'try me free' promotion is now offering an extra tasty treat for shoppers.
A new ready meal packaging format is said to be attracting interest from retailers, thanks to a novel design that offers greater convenience for consumers.
Board packaging is manoeuvring its way into new food markets. Paul Gander looks at the routes it is taking
Specialist film supplier MonoSol says its latest edible and water-soluble film is more robust than a first-generation product, and reports particular interest among companies supplying the foodservice sector with pre-dosed ingredients.
Despite the cost and supply chain benefits, consumer preferences remain the main barrier to greater uptake of aseptically filled - rather than short shelf-life, chilled - products, according to the authors of a new report.
Birds Eye has bought a Matrix collator/shrink wrapper from equipment specialist Linkx Systems as part of a project to move a packaging line to a new plant.
The addition of a Marel I-Cut 10 PortionCutter to the processing line at Swedish salmon smokehouse Falkenberg Laxrökeri in 2011 has improved the company's yield and profits.
Star Refrigeration has completed a major overhaul of frozen food and catering specialist Apetito's refrigeration system. The upgrade has boosted efficiency, cut running costs, reduced downtime and improved energy efficiency.
Robotics are increasingly a feature in meat processing to ensure hygiene in high-volume handling.
The coming year looks set to be a pivotal one for Premier Foods. City analysts suggest that the UK's largest food producer would need to have turned around its fortunes by 2014 or risk breaching its financial covenants.
Detecting clear-shiny, dark-glossy or multi-reflective surfaces is a challenge in automated packaging and logistics operations - especially where there are complex curved shapes or transparent outlines. Sick UK's new MultiPac optical sensor offers a solution.
Western Mechanical Handling (WMH) has worked with Mitsubishi Electric to develop a pressureless queuing conveyor for collating quiches prior to baking, in a drive to reduce packaging and protect fragile product.
When Benelux frozen snacks manufacturer Ad van Geloven decided to develop a new range of snacks in stand-up bags, it selected a fourmix version of the Ishida multihead weigher as a versatile mix-weighing solution.
A 9kW carbon infra-red heating system from Heraeus Noblelight is helping to ensure consistent chocolate quality while reducing production line downtime at OP Chocolate's South Wales factory.
Communicating the benefits of nano- technology to a sceptical public is key, reports Sue Scott
Arla's investment in a bespoke butter facility at Westbury in Wiltshire, is allowing the company to extend its UK manufactured butter offering with production of Anchor block butter, which began at the site in August.
Half of UK businesses are wasting thousands of pounds on IT support when they could be spending less by streamlining their systems for business advantage, according to a enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems specialist.
Chr Hansen is claiming that the "outstanding stability" of its new range of bright and intense red, vegetable-based colours is a "landmark innovation" .
Global flavour ingredients supplier Treatt has expanded its portfolio of natural distillates with two new products: TreattSweet Extra 9856 and TreattSweet Sparkling 9857.
A new ingredient enables manufacturers to substitute nuts and save money at the same time.
Arla Food Ingredients' Lacprodan DI-7017 product is a new generation of pure whey protein concentrate that is stable in ultra-high temperature (UHT) formulations at neutral pH. Arla says this represents a genuine first in the market for clinical nutrition ready-to-drink beverages.
CSM Bakery Supplies has developed an ingredient to cut rework and waste in bread production and achieve cost savings of up to 10%.
An Irish food manufacturer is introducing a frozen ready meal that contains the sea vegetable dillisk to the UK market.
Clean-label reformulation of food is not always black or white, as Lynda Searby discovers
Manufacturers need to tackle the lack of iron in women's diets by "tickling their fancy" with the more innovative use of red meat, according to a member of the Meat Advisory Panel, an independent body which provides information about the dietary benefits of meat.
Manufacturers are being warned that the worst wheat harvest for 35 years will drive up prices and could impact on the quality of their products.
The baby food sector is one of few organic success stories, reports Gary Scattergood
The new chair of the Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT) shares her plans with Rick Pendrous
Cold rainy weather always boosts sales at Mash Direct. Not surprisingly, 2012 has proved a busy year, general manager, Neil Houghton tells Mike Stones
After being diagnosed as coeliac in 2009, Ann Perkins decided to launch her own gluten-free food manufacturing company.
A manufacturer is targeting the halal market with its alcohol-free vanilla extract.
Coca-Cola Enterprises has revealed it succeeded in the “bold ambition” set out before the London 2012 Olympic games to collect and recycle every left over product put onto the Olympic Park.
Food giant Nestlé has teamed up with a US life sciences company, Chromocell Corporation, to identify compounds with the potential to be used as “taste-giving ingredients” as replacements for salt in a range of foods.
Oxfordshire Ales has been ordered to pay £14,606 after ignoring safety warnings issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Skills, research and development (R&D) and access to funding need to be combined into a ‘proper agri-food strategy’ in order to feed people in Britain and abroad in the years to come.
A new collaboration between Scotbeef, Scotch Premier and Mathers will see the creation of a multimillion-pound meat processing facility aimed at safeguarding and developing the industry.
Adams Foods is planning to expand its cheese manufacturing centre in the UK and create 50 jobs.
The UK’s second biggest cake manufacturer, McCambridge Group is at an advanced stage of selling its own-label division, FoodManufacture.co.uk can exclusively reveal.
Premier Foods has called on its shareholders to approve the proposed sale of its sweet spreads and jellies business to the Hain Celestial Group for £200M.
Arla Foods and Milk Link have merged to form the UK’s largest dairy firm.
Pensions remain “the biggest strategic issue for the food industry”, experts suggested, following the launch by the government of auto-enrolment pensions today (October 1).
A former Young’s Seafood factory is set to reopen and create new jobs in Amble, Northumberland.
Recycling company JFC Plastics has been told to pay £240,000 in fines and costs after a fatal accident at its St Helens factory on November 24 2005.
The Scottish government has awarded Northampton-based meat snacks processor The Jerky Group a grant of £245,959 to give a disused Scottish food factory a new lease of life.
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