All news articles for July 2013

Britvic and AG Barr both posted encouraging financial results today after merger talks collapsed earlier this month

Britvic and AG Barr post strong results - separately

By Mike Stones

Former prospective merger partners Britvic and AG Barr have both posted encouraging financial results yesterday (July 25), but City analysts offered conflicting advice on their stocks.

Vimto is one of Nichols' core brands

Nichols well-oiled for corporate deals

By Rod Addy

Weight Watchers beverages brand owner Nichols’ growing profitability, resulting from slashing fizzy drinks promotions and growing still drinks market share, is freeing management to focus on corporate deals, claims one analyst.

Geslain-Lanéelle will take up the role of director general for agricultural, agri-food and territorial policies in the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry on September 1, 2013

EFSA executive director stands down

By Laurence Gibbons

Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle has announced her decision to stand down from her role as executive director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Smaller manufacturers who produce ready-to-eat products or packed meats feel pressured to specify longer shelf-life dates than they would want, warns the FSA

Small meat firms ‘pressured’ to use longer shelf-life dates

By Gary Scattergood

Smaller manufacturers who produce ready-to-eat (RTE) products or packed meats should be helped to ensure they are not responsible for outbreaks of listeria, with one Food Standards Agency (FSA) official claiming some firms feel pressured to specify longer...

Tate & Lyle supplies sweeteners such as stevia for a range of industrial applications

European sweetener demand boosts Tate & Lyle

By Rod Addy

European sweetener demand and ingredients volume growth lifted Tate & Lyle’s interim results, offsetting weak US figures, according to the multi-national ingredients processor.

Nestlé staff, their families and local schools have begun planting the meadows

Nestlé turns to flower power at its UK factories

By Mike Stones

Food manufacturing giant Nestlé has pledged to plant wildflower meadows at all its 13 UK factories within two years and to encourage its Scottish dairy farmer suppliers to plan wild flowers on their land.

Faccenda Group’s head office is in Brackley, Northamptonshire

Faccenda: Dudley jobs unaffected by Telford plans

By Rod Addy

Poultry processor Faccenda Group claims investing £30M in additional production space at its site in Hortonwood Industrial Estate, Telford, has no implications for its Dudley operations, despite declared intentions to “integrate” them into Telford.

Tesco is now 'more in doing mode', said Shore Capital

Tesco recovers from horsemeat ‘body blow’: City

By Mike Stones

Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco has recovered from “the body blow” inflicted by the horsemeat crisis, while all the big four UK supermarkets were struggling to maintain their presence in “anaemic markets”, said city analyst Shore Capital.

Ravenhall said Whitfield's role is key to optimising returns

Müller appoints director of cream at new £17M plant

By Laurence Gibbons

Müller Wiseman Dairies has appointed Sean Whitfield as its new business unit director – cream, ahead of the autumn opening of Britain’s largest butter plant in Market Drayton, Shropshire.

Ferulic acid can be used in the production of vanillin

By-products projects could cut processing costs

By Rod Addy

Bakers and millers can get more cash from by-products through projects launched by the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA), one of which holds big potential for users of natural vanilla flavouring.

Premier Foods announced the deal with 2 Sisters over Hovis Breakfast Bakes last week

Licensed manufacturing deals set to rise

By Rod Addy

The food industry could witness licensing deals similar to the one recently announced by 2 Sisters Food Group and Premier Foods over Hovis Breakfast Bakes biscuits, according to analysts.

The Agri-tech Strategy could transform UK food production, according to the Agricultural Development and Horticultural Board

Agri-tech strategy to herald a new ‘green revolution’ for food

By Mike Stones

British food manufacturers will be able to draw on food ingredients produced by a high output, environmentally friendly and progressive modern farming industry, thanks to the new “green revolution”, after the launch of an Agri-tech Strategy today (July...

Could your food or drink business win a 2013 Food Manufacturing Excellence Award?

Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards

Iglo’s food manufacturing Oscar impresses retailers

By Mike Stones

Winning the title Food Manufacturing Company of the Year at the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs) last autumn impressed major customers, such as Tesco, and boosted staff morale, said Andy Weston-Webb, Birds Eye Iglo md UK and Ireland.

Brennan will work with current editor Chris Smith until Smith officially steps down in November 2013

IFST appoints new editor for journal

By Laurence Gibbons

The Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) has appointed Professor Charles Brennan as the new editor-in-chief for the International Journal of Food Science & Technology (IJFST).

One Scottish firm has been fined £2,000 for supplying staff to a potato processing and packaging plant without a gangmaster’s licence

Six charged in unlicensed food workers case

By Rod Addy

The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has assisted in the prosecution of six people believed to be involved in human trafficking to supply flower packing and meat processing workers.

The cold spring in the northern hemisphere threatened to put the chill on Unilever's ice cream sales

Unilever results to suffer from cold spring

By Mike Stones

The cold spring and problems in emerging markets are likely to put a chill on Unilever’s second-quarter and half-year results, predicts City analyst Investec.

Live rodents were spotted at Tesco's Bedford Street Covent Garden store. Picture copyright Westminster City Council.

Tesco apologises for ‘supermouse’ incident

By Rod Addy

The successful prosecution of Tesco for food safety violations at its Covent Garden Tesco Metro store has snowballed into a PR nightmare for the retailer in what has been dubbed the ‘supermouse’ incident.

James Lambert's R&R Ice Cream is to close its Leeds factory by the end of the year

R&R Ice Cream to close Leeds factory

By Mike Stones

Europe’s biggest own-label ice cream manufacturer R&R Ice Cream is to close its Leeds factory before the end of the year.

Terahertz technology is used to investigate celestial bodies in deep space

Space tech applied to X-ray systems

By Rod Addy

Infrared space sensor technology is close to revolutionising food safety by boosting detection systems on food production lines, a leading scientist in the field has revealed.

Richard Clothier is battling Simon Baldry, Mark Allen, Fiona Kendrick, James Lambert and John Stevenson for the title Personality of the Year

Personality of the Year Award

Wyke Farms boss in Personality of Year battle

By Mike Stones

De-listed Morrisons supplier Richard Clothier, boss of Wyke Farms, is in a head-to-head battle with five other food and drink industry leaders to win Food Manufacture’s Personality of the Year award.

Zissman aims to set up a wholesale business supplying bakery products to the baking industry

Bakery fights back after The Apprentice final

By Rod Addy

Luisa Zissman has already attracted 16 investors for her bakery venture via crowdfunding web operation Angels Den after losing to rival Leah Totton in The Apprentice final last night (July 17).

Zissman aims to use the £250K prize money to invest in her bakery empire

Bakery boss in final of £250k BBC Apprentice show

By Laurence Gibbons

The boss of bakery firm Dixie’s Cupcakery will compete in the final of the BBC TV series The Apprentice, with a chance of winning a £250,000 investment in her business tonight (July 17).

The three variants of Hovis Breakfast Bakes will be made at Fox's Biscuits plant in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire

2 Sisters and Premier Foods strike deal

By Rod Addy

2 Sisters Food Group has forged a licensing agreement with Premier Foods for the production, distribution, sales and marketing of its Hovis Breakfast Bakes range of breakfast biscuits.

Lambert will continue in the role of chairman at R&R

R&R Ice Cream boss to stand down as ceo

By Laurence Gibbons

James Lambert has stood down as chief executive of R&R Ice Cream, following the completion of PAI Partners’ acquisition of the Yorkshire-based firm from Oaktree Capital Management yesterday (July 16).

Heineken claimed its advert was intended to be humourous fantasy, not reality

Heineken ad banned for condoning illegal drinking

By Rod Addy

Heineken was accused of condoning illegal drinking through a recent TV ad that depicted alcohol consumption within sight of a football pitch and bringing glass bottles into a football stadium.

Hub within a hub: Sheffield Hallam University's National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering will become a hub for food and drink R&D, said Jim Moseley

Recruiting food engineers to get easier after £6.9M boost

By Mike Stones

Food and drink manufacturers will be able to recruit from a wider and deeper pool of qualified engineers after the £6.9M cash injection at Sheffield Hallam University to develop a National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering, said the Food and Drink...

Could AG Barr's acquisition of GSK's Lucozade and Ribena brands be the next big food and drink industry deal?

Food mergers and acquisitions hit 10-year low

By Mike Stones

Mergers and acquisitions in the UK food and drink industry hit a 10-year low at just 73 deals in the first half of this year, revealed figures from information services company Experian.

Dairy Crest is finalising investment for its Davidstow creamery

Dairy Crest targets baby food market

By Rod Addy

Dairy Crest will make demineralised whey powder at its Davidstow creamery – a key component of baby food, which had significant market potential – it claimed in an interim management statement.

Precision testing of foods and traceability throughout the supply chain are key themes of the Food Safety conference. For details of our early bird ticket offer, telephone Ellie Ray on 01293 610279 or email ellie.ray@wrbm.com

Food safety conference highlights precision testing

By Mike Stones

Putting precision testing and traceability firmly in the context of food safety are two key themes of Food Manufacture’s one-day Food Safety conference, suggested by its chairman Professor Colin Dennis.

Failure to hit targets for the most highly infected chickens is especially troubling the industry

Collective failure to hit campylobacter targets revealed

By Gary Scattergood

Campylobacter targets for chickens have fallen woefully short of objectives set by government agencies and representatives, the poultry industry and retailers, FoodManufacture.co.uk understands.

Thorntons's results have given it something to smile about

Thorntons sees strong commercial and export growth

By Rod Addy

Thorntons chief executive Jonathan Hart expects further growth from supermarket sales in the coming year, he told FoodManufacture.co.uk, after the company posted strong fourth quarter growth in the division including that area.

Could your food and drink business be recognised as the best of the best in UK food and drink manufacturing? Find out by entering the FMEA awards. Contact Rebecca George on 01293 610 422 or at Rebecca.george@wrbm.com

Two new awards for food manufacturing Oscars

By Mike Stones

Two new awards are to feature in the food and drink manufacturing Oscars – the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs) – this year. The new categories are the ‘Best use of food ingredients’ and ‘Supply chain initiative’.

Duffy: sale of 'free-from' business has proven 'hugely beneficial for the group'

Finsbury has its cake and eats it

By Rod Addy

Finsbury Food Group is stepping up investment in its core UK bakery division as it slashes debt and announces strong profits in an annual pre-close financial statement.

AG Barr is reported to be preparing a bid for GlaxoSmithKline's Ribena and Lucozade soft drinks

AG Barr tight-lipped on Lucozade and Ribena deal

By Mike Stones

Irn Bru maker AG Barr is remaining tight-lipped about press reports that it is preparing a £1bn bid for GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK’s) iconic drink brands Ribena and Lucozade, in the wake of its failed merger bid with Britvic.

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