Food Manufacturing Company of the Year

Sponsored by: The Cheese Warehouse The Food Manufacturing Company of the Year is selected by our expert panel of judges from the winners of the nine individual product categories. It goes to the company the judges consider to be the very best of the best.

Winner: Weetabix

Weetabix is a beacon for excellence in food manufacture. It responded to changing consumer lifestyles with the introduction of tasty new cereal bars. It then ensured it could supply them cost effectively by making sure all of its employees were fully engaged in what the company was trying to achieve. And the results speak for themselves. Chairman of judges Paul Wilkinson echoed the thoughts of the whole judging panel when he remarked: "Weetabix is an absolutely fantastic story: everything from category management, to innovation and productivity. It is an integrated response to food manufacturing excellence."

The Judging Panel

Chairman of the judges:

Paul Wilkinson, chairman, National Skills Academy

Jonathan Bayne, technical policy manager, Asda

Simon Chattock, head of vendor assurance, Compass Group UK & Ireland

Mark Colvin, lean manufacturing consultant, Leanpal

Jonathan Cooper, skills consultant, National Skills Academy

Jean Feord, food industry consultant

Estelle Herszenhorn, programme manager, Waste & Resources Action Programme

Michelle Jackson, European modified atmosphere packaging manager, Air Products

Wayne Morley, head of ingredients and product innovation, Leatherhead Food Research

Rick Pendrous, editor, Food Manufacture