Specialist poultry processing equipment supplier Scanvaegt has launched three new solutions to batching, portioning and quality control.

Aga Foodservice Group has added German-based combi oven manufacturer Eloma to its growing portfolio of international subsidiaries.

Suitable for batch or continuous sauce and soup production, the Hosokawa Rietz angle disintegrator does what it says on the packet – it’s designed to literally knock fruit and vegetables into shape.

Why does the UK food and drink industry invest so little in automation and robots? According to the British Automation and Robots Association (BARA), 1,100 robots were sold in the UK in 2003. The majority (800) were bought by the car industry. Yet food and drink, which makes up Britain’s biggest manufacturing sector, bought just 40.

A new guidance document outlining the health and safety issues of working in a multicultural environment has been published to help employers manage cultural diversity in the workplace.

A UK-based high speed door manufacturer has launched its latest frost-free, high speed door, which it claims reduces energy costs and increases efficiency and safety in cold stores.

A new guide has been launched to help freight operators in the food industry manage the costs of their on-board refrigeration.

Hubbard Transport Refrigeration has moved into a new area with the launch of its largest ever unit for the 10-15t truck market.

A device to help manufacturers control and log food storage and temperature and comply with legislation, has been developed by Universal Master Products (UMP).

When the second largest logistics company in the UK cold storage sector goes under, it points to some serious and very real problems - namely rising energy costs and continually squeezed margins - says Colin Miles, md of the food business at Christian Salvesen, the cold chain specialist.

Lifting equipment specialist Verlinde Technologies has revised its Eurolift BH Belt-actuated electric hoist to comply with the European Directive 99/92/CE on explosive atmospheres (ATEX). The legislation means manufacturers will be responsible for assessing the explosion risk of machinery.

Personal protection equipment supplier Bacou-Dalloz has designed new safety glasses using in-mould assembly technology to offer a secure and comfortable fit.

Safety was top of the agenda for brewer Shepherd Neame when it refurbished a production area floor at its Faversham site.

Mention safety at a food factory and you are likely to be bombarded with an array of manuals and given a tour of the latest user-friendly equipment. So if companies are so clued up on the subject, then why do a quarter of all manufacturing injuries occur in the food industry?

It may only employ just over 100 staff, but Manchester-based Simpson Ready Foods is still able to show the big boys some new tricks when it comes to convenience products.

When you stand looking at the charred remains of your factory it's hard to believe that within two months the business will be up and running again, let alone better than before. But that was the case for frozen dessert maker Aulds Food- saved by a temporary plant built in just five weeks.

It's every production planner's nightmare. It's 9am, the order from your biggest customer has just come in, and it's 50% short on the forecast, which you've just spent the last 24 hours working towards.

You should be able to spice up your life come September, when a new book on Indian cookery is published by Tony Deep Wouhra, chairman of East End Foods, the West Midlands-based supplier of ethnic cooking ingredients to multiple and independent retailers and manufacturers.

Manufacturers are being urged to turn their attention to managing their greenhouse gas allowances under the 2005 European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme, set up to help the EU meet its reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol.

Communications regulator Ofcom is proposing four new options on the advertising of products high in fat, salt and sugar to children. Manufacturers can have their say, but they must act quickly, as the deadline for comment is June 6.

Whether you're a one-man band on a shoestring budget or a small to medium-sized business, the cost of having development chefs, technical specialists, marketers and other experts on your books full- or even part-time can be prohibitive.

As biotech firms have learned the hard way, anyone with a professional interest in 'meddling' with our food, and God forbid, talking about genetics in the same breath, is not likely to win any brownie points with consumers at the moment.

You've got to hand it them; food manufacturers are a canny lot. Far from following the law of diminishing returns, they've worked out that products that curb our natural desire to pig out could prove to be the next best thing since oh-so-edible sliced bread - even if the science behind appetite suppressants leaves some experts hungry for more evidence.

Derek Leathert, site manager, Robert Wiseman Dairies, Manchester

A new company offering a creative solution to the problem of distributing locally sourced food to supermarkets has been launched.

More than eight out of 10 Unilever ambient food brands in the UK are now available in shelf-ready packaging (SRP).

I have written before about the way manufacturers respond to retailer 'requests' for supply chain redesign. I have urged all suppliers to get a handle on their real costs to serve the major multiples so that the true profits they make can be calculated and fed into the decision-making process on supply chain negotiations and future key account promotional investment.

Most managers of food packing operations would like to cut costs, raise line speeds and improve up-time. A new arrival in the tray sealing market is claiming to do just that.

European suppliers of machinery and materials are increasingly relying on contract packers to bring the benefits of their products to the attention of food brands.

Ergonomic and marketing benefits are being claimed for a new conical carton design from Elopak.

The major high-street food multiples may be paying more attention than ever to the environmental impact of their packaging, but as their individual messages to consumers become clearer, so too do the differences between them.

Infrared Integrated Systems has opened up thermal imaging technology to a new audience by launching what it claims is the cheapest high definition imager on the market.

High pressure processing (HPP) - also known as cold pasteurisation - has yet to really take off in the UK as a means of killing off micro-organisms that cause spoilage in food and drink, despite its more widespread adoption on the continent and in the US. But this could be set to change, as the benefits HPP offers become more widely recognised.

Ingredients supplier S Black says confectioners can cut back on their ingredients spend with a multi-functional emulsifier blend that stabilises products and reduces clean-down time.

Demand for hemp, pumpkin, linseed, sunflower and sesame seeds has hit an all-time high as manufacturers look to boost their health credentials by incorporating these so-called 'superfoods' into new and unusual products.

Cosmetics manufacturers have long been singing the praises of plant extracts, but now food and drink firm Carpe Diem has got in on the act with the launch of a flavoured botanical water range.

Imitation may well be the sincerest form of flattery, but what is the true price paid by our 'creative' industry for all this conservatism?

Potato products processor McCain has challenged 20 students at Scalby School in Scarborough to create a frozen vegetable product, which acts either as a main or side dish and is low in salt.

In the all-important eye of the consumer, alcopops have a less than healthy image, while fruit is perceived to be the linchpin of a good diet. Drinks giant Diageo Great Britain (Diageo GB) has come up with a compromise between the two: an alcoholic fruit drink, made from 100% fruit.

Demands from retailers to reduce salt, fat and sugar in products without compromising their 'clean label' status have left manufacturers stuck between a rock and a hard place, product developers have claimed.

Functional foods must offer short-term health benefits as well as long-term disease reduction claims if they are to engage consumers, according to new research from Datamonitor.

Construction of Shetland's first legal whisky distillery will begin this autumn following a joint venture between premium spirits maker Blackwood Distillers and entrepreneur Frank Strang.

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The Serious Food Company has been forced to withdraw its new premium desserts from sale, just three weeks after launch.

Angel Technology, one of three food manufacturers to win a Queen's Award for Innovation this year, plans to launch a mature version of its Heartily Healthy cholesterol-lowering cheese.

Tate & Lyle boss Iain Ferguson has rounded on critics of his firm's chief money-spinner, Splenda sucralose, as spreading "utter nonsense" about "one of the most exhaustively tested molecules in recent history".

Unilever is looking for a site in the South East for its new UK headquarters, following moves to consolidate its three existing operations into one company.

As the food and drinks industry prepares for the biggest fanfare of the year, we've made it easier than ever for companies to put themselves centre stage.

The government has agreed to back a continuous improvement club to help chilled food manufacturers benefit from new research into the root causes of industrial waste.

The European Commission (EC) is to compensate companies in the egg and poultry sector if sales or prices fall as a result of bird flu.

The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) needs to radically rethink its role and remit if it is to boost its ranks and raise its profile, members were told.

Food transport will be the first of a series of industry-led "champions' groups" set up by the government over the next 12 months as part of its new Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS).

One children's soft drink is likely to be discontinued as industry and scientific experts work to reduce the cancer-causing chemical benzene in similar products after a highly publicised recall.

The roll out of front-of-pack labelling schemes at leading supermarkets could have "dire consequences" for certain product categories, according to a report by the investment bank Citigroup.

Del Monte has admitted defeat and decided to close its prepared salads factory in Methwold, Norfolk, at the end of the month with the loss of 250 jobs.

Manufacturers supplying Asda, Tesco and Makro will be expected to publish their product data in a standards-compliant data pool by the end of next year as retailers step up efforts to drive bad data out of the supply chain.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is to clamp down on possible fraudulent and inadequate auditing of its widely used standards by drawing up contracts with approved certification bodies.

Just 58% of respondents to Food Manufacture's latest online poll believed there was a long-term future for UK frozen food firms. A third (32%) thought that there was not and 10% were unsure.

The nanotechnology revolution could turn into a PR disaster on a grand scale for the food industry unless regulatory and safety concerns were addressed, claimed a leading social scientist.

Premium breads and cakes maker Finsbury Food has launched a programme to cut energy consumption by 10% after seeing utility bills double this year.

Two bakeries have defied doom and gloom in the sector with major expansion plans.

Supermarkets are putting up barriers to cutting their own costs by failing to cultivate long-term relationships with their suppliers, according to robotics firm RTS Flexible Systems.

British food and drink exports are set to grow for the next 10 years, claimed marketing consultancy Food from Britain (FfB). It announced a 3% rise in exports in 2005 to £9.9bn, the highest level since BSE hit the UK in 1996.

Manufacturers could face huge bills once the British Retail Consortium (BRC) endorses a little-anticipated Code of Practice, being published this month, introducing limits on oil contamination of products made in environments using compressed air systems.

From December 2006 the Gangmasters Licensing Act will make it illegal for food processors and packers to hire workers from an unlicensed gangmaster, meaning employers will have to be much more vigilant to ensure their labour suppliers are operating within the law.

Recent food scares and new legislation have highlighted the importance of being able to monitor products throughout the supply chain.

Seafood Processing: Adding value through quick freezing, retortable packaging, and cook-chilling gives readers the opportunity to learn the latest techniques in seafood manufacture.

An extensive year-long consultation with senior representatives at the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association’s (CCFRA’s) Scientific & Technical Committee, and 14 industry-led advisory panels, has identified the food industry’s view of its own scientific and technical needs.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has compiled a report offering a snapshot into what food retailers are doing to promote healthier lifestyles. It also attempts to prove that the food industry is not to blame for the UK’s obesity problem.

What is really keeping UK food manufacturers awake at night? Tell us what you think, by filling in Food Manufacture’s 2006 state of the industry survey online.

DEFRA is expected to publish its final report on the proposed restructuring of the agricultural levy system on May 18. Proposals include axing the Meat and Livestock Commission and creating a new secretariat responsible for raising levies across the industry.

By focusing on a handful of large firms, such as McDonald’s and PepsiCo, health lobbyists and the media were letting large swathes of the industry do “astonishingly little” to improve the nutritional profile of products, according to a study from City University.

Zetar is looking for further acquisitions in the healthy snacks market following a £4.2M deal to buy nuts and dried fruits supplier Readifoods.

Premier Foods, RHM and Associated British Foods are most likely to be interested in the UK and Ireland division of Campbell Soup after it was put on the block by its US parent last month, said City analysts.

The Food Standards Agency is setting up a Food Fraud Task Force to tackle the trade in illegal food, following the Euro Freeze case involving meat labelling.

Icelandic fresh prepared food giant Bakkavör has struck its third major deal in the UK with the acquisition of chilled bread supplier New Primebake for an undisclosed sum. If the deal gains regulatory approval, Bakkavör will become the largest supplier of chilled bread products in the UK. New Primebake made a £3M profit on sales of £33.4M in 2005.

The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) is to form a national co-ordinating committee of shop stewards throughout Tesco, which it claimed was planning job cuts.

Nestlé’s failed confectionery launches were to blame for its flat sales in Britain, said ABN Amro City analyst Julian Hardwick: “The company spent a lot of money on the proliferation of new products, which weren’t successful.”

The Real Good Food Company (RGF) is keen to snap up further fish processors to bolt on to its Five Star Fish subsidiary, said chairman Pieter Totté as he revealed an RGF trading profit in 2005 of £7.1M on sales of £116.4M. Sales at Five Star, which supplies prepared frozen fish to foodservice customers, were growing 8% year-on-year, said RGF, which is investing in new kit to boost capacity this year.