American popcorn to fill shelves for Cadbury

Cadbury Trebor Bassett has struck a deal with a US manufacturer to make Butterkist popcorn after failing to find a UK supplier to produce it in sufficient volumes.

Cadbury has been working around the clock to find an alternative after fire gutted its Monkhill popcorn factory in Pontefract in June.

To ensure continuity of supply and to maintain shelf space before the US stocks arrive, Cadbury has struck a temporary deal with a firm in the Irish Republic, which will make popcorn for Cadbury under the Stars and Stripes brand. "It's not a well known brand in the UK, but it's only for a few weeks," said Cadbury.

It was too early to assess the financial impact of the blaze, which started when a batch of popcorn became too hot, said the firm.

The Monkhill factory supplied all of the UK's Butterkist demand, plus own-label popcorn for cinema operators and retailers.

Permanent staff have been transferred to an undamaged part of the factory, which makes sugar confectionery.