All news articles for July 2015

Greek crisis

Greek crisis

Greece on the brink: threats for food and drink firms

By Matt Incles

Greece is a risk to political and monetary union in Europe.  A Greek exit would be regarded as a failure of all EU Members States and highlight a critical weakness in the core philosophy of a European Union.  It would be disastrous for Greece and its...

Calorie labelling should be made mandatory on alcohol: RSPH

Calorie labelling of booze needed to cut obesity

By Rick Pendrous

Calorie labelling on alcohol should be introduced urgently to help stem the soaring rise in levels of obesity, according to the chief executive of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), which launched a campaign last year to see it enshrined in law.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents thought the overweight should pay more

Poll: Obese should pay more towards NHS

By Nicholas Robinson

The cost of combating Britain’s obesity crises should not be footed by the taxpayer and consumers who overindulge should instead pay more towards the National Health Service (NHS).

Young’s plans to shed more than 900 jobs with the closure of its Fraserburgh and Spey Valley sites

Young’s Seafood to axe over 900 jobs

By Michael Stones

Young’s Seafood plans to axe more than 900 jobs with the closure of its Fraserburgh and Spey Valley sites in Scotland, after losing a key contract to supply Sainsbury.

Top food companies of past 15 years

Food manufacture excellence awards

Manufacturing Oscars: previous top winners

By Laurence Gibbons

The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards has crowned a Company of the Year for the past 15th years to recognise the best of the best in British food manufacturing.

The Budget delivered bonuses and brickbats for the food and drink manufacturing industry, said industry groups

Budget 2015

The Budget: what it means for your business

By Michael Stones

Food and drink manufacturers will find points to praise and areas of disappointment in the chancellor George Osborne’s summer Budget – which he lauded as “a new contract with the nation”, according to the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Hullets supplies frozen food from six depots across the UK

Cool buyout for Newcastle food wholesaler

By Nicholas Robinson

Newcastle-based wholesaler Kitwave has scooped Sheffield frozen food firm Hulleys Frozen in its eleventh acquisition since securing a £7.5M cash injection.

United Biscuits' facilities needed upgrading, says McGurk

Me and my factory

Why United Biscuits had to invest £50M

By Nicholas Robinson

United Biscuits has pumped millions into its flagship Harlesden site. Kevin McGurk tells Nicholas Robinson why the investment had to be made

155,000 visitors attended the last Anuga show, held in 2013

British firms on waiting list for 2015 Anuga show

By Rick Pendrous

Capacity restrictions have prevented a number of UK food and drink manufacturers from exhibiting at this year's Anuga food show, which takes place in Cologne, Germany, from October 10 to 14.

An application to annul the approved list of health claims was rejected by the European Court

Clearer health claims wording is needed

By Nicholas Robinson

Urgent action is needed to amend the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations (NHCR) to allow food and drink (F&D) manufacturers to make better use of them, a legal expert has claimed.

How would a Food Manufacture Oscar look in your boardroom?

Win a Food Manufacture Oscar for your boardroom

By Michael Stones

How would a shiny food and drink manufacturing Oscar look in your boardroom? Here’s the opportunity to find out by entering the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards (FMEAs).

Ayesha Khan with Jo Cranston from the Department of Work and Pensions

2 Sisters goes speed dating for recruits

By Michael Stones

2 Sisters Food Group has joined other food firms at a speed networking event to help launch this year’s grocery think tank IGD’s Feeding Britain’s Future ‘Skills for work’ month.

Food strengths are key to retailer survival

Top retailers should exploit food strengths

By Nicholas Robinson

Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Morrisons must make more of what they do best with food and drink in their fight back against the discounters Aldi and Lidl, a leading analyst has claimed.

Food manufacturers have set their wish list for Osborne's Budget

Budget 2015

Food firms to Osborne: ‘give us dedicated strategy’

By Laurence Gibbons

Food and drink manufacturers have called on Chancellor of the Exchequer to set a “dedicated competitiveness strategy” for food and drink to help them tackle challenges around innovation, health and skills in today’s Budget.

Water deregulation in England could save firms millions: law firm DWF

Food and drink firms plug water use by 24%

By Michael Stones

Food and drink manufacturers have slashed their water use by nearly a quarter in the past eight years, as it emerged water deregulation in England could save firms millions.

Less is more: fewer audits are needed, says George Eustice

Fewer food audits needed, says minister

By Rick Pendrous

The burden of inspections on food businesses could be reduced as part of a new government strategy designed to ensure a vibrant, profitable and growing UK food and farming sector, a government minister indicated to the meat industry last month.

Nicola Sturgeon met with staff at the East Kilbride site

CCE invests £6M and signs Scottish business pledge

By Laurence Gibbons

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has invested £6M in its Scottish operations and signed up to the Scottish Business Pledge, in a bid to boost productivity, competitiveness and fair work.

The PM should do more to end the chaos in Calais, after today's fatal accident: FTA

Calais migrant death highlights need to end transport chaos

By Michael Stones

The death of migrant while trying to board a freight shuttle to Britain has prompted the Freight Transport Association (FTA) to write to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to do more to end the chaotic scenes caused by illegal migrants and ferry...

More should be done to end the Calais chaos: FTA

Transport chaos in Calais ‘must end now’: FTA

By Michael Stones

The French government must act urgently to end the transport chaos in the port of Calais caused by striking French ferry workers, warns the Freight Transport Association (FTA), as further strikes were planned today (July 7).

Packaging for shelf-stable products may in many cases be overspecified: Nestlé

Nestlé questions its shelf-life needs

By Paul Gander

Nestlé has suggested that its packaging for shelf-stable products may in many cases be overspecified, and that a more sustainable use of materials could go hand-in-hand with reduced shelf-life.

Consumers need information they can trust - whether on an app or on-shelf

Trusted data is key for ‘omnichannel’

By Rick Pendrous

Food manufacturers would gain greater control over their supply chains by embracing E-commerce and optimising their back office systems, experts have claimed.

Should fat people pay more for health care?

Obese should pay more for NHS care

By Nicholas Robinson

People who abuse their bodies by eating poorly and not exercising enough should pay more towards the National Health Service (NHS) than those who take better care of themselves, a business strategist has controversially suggested.

Food manufacturers could be 'priced out of eurozone markets' by Grexit

What Greek ‘no’ vote means for food manufacturers

By Michael Stones

British food and drink manufacturers could find themselves “priced out of Eurozone markets” , after the Greek people voted decisively to reject an international bailout in Sunday’s referendum, sparking fears the country will quit not just the monetary...

Supermarkets in trouble, says Waitrose boss

Manufacturing is ‘supermarket Armageddon saviour’

By Nicholas Robinson

Supermarkets with their own food manufacturing facilities have a better chance of price war survival, city analysts have claimed, after the boss of Waitrose warned Britain’s biggest retailers would be wiped out by continued price cutting.

Is bread dead or dying? Plant bread sales fell by 4.5% to £1.6bn

Asda loses £500,000 a week as bread sales fall

By Nicholas Robinson

Asda is losing £500,000 a week in plant bread sales, as consumers continue to turn away from the traditional sliced loaf, according to the retailer’s senior category buying manager Emily Peck.

The survey found Tesco to be the worst at following the Groceries Code

Suppliers need training on the Groceries Code

By Nicholas Robinson

Few supermarket suppliers are adequately trained in the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP), limiting their ability to use the full force of the law that’s there to protect them against retailer mistreatment, it has been revealed.

Complaints about supermarkets continue to feature in our state-of-the-industry survey: Rick Pendrous

Whistleblowers keep silent for lack of trust

By Rick Pendrous

Supermarkets appear to be treating their suppliers a little better over the past year, according to a survey conducted by the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Christine Tacon.

Sainsbury recalled its British Lamb Shish Kebabs, after some were found to contain beef

Food recalls sparked by salmonella, milk and beef

By Michael Stones

Food safety recalls have been sparked this week by salmonella contaminating paprika, beef in Sainsbury’s lamb kebab packets and undeclared milk in confectionery and United Biscuits’ waffles.

The jv will give Canadian farmers access to the latest wheat varieties

Limagrain and Canterra Seeds in new Canadian jv

By Rick Pendrous

Canadian farmers are set to benefit from access to the very latest wheat seed varieties with enhanced characteristics, following a new research joint venture (jv) known as Limagrain Cereals Research Canada, located in Saskatoon, announced yesterday between...

Up to 10,000 new jobs will be created: DEFRA boss

Food industry to gain 10,000 new jobs

By Michael Stones

More than 10,000 new food industry jobs and millions of pounds of new investment will be created by the government-backed Food Enterprise Zones (FEZs), claims environment secretary Elizabeth Truss.

Television shows featuring Mexican food is driving consumer interets in the cuisine

Top food trend: Mexican food

By Nicholas Robinson

Mexican food has knocked Chinese food off the top spot as the nation’s favourite foreign cuisine, according to research organisation Future Thinking.

The hard discounters continue to grow their market share

Food Manufacture Survey

Here’s what state you think the industry’s in

By Rick Pendrous

Competition from limited assortment discounters (LADs) continues to cause problems for the food and drink manufacturers and their supermarket customers, according to our exclusive annual Food Manufacture survey.

Not so sweet: Nestlé could face strike action over its pension reform plans

Nestlé denies ‘pension betrayal’ in unions row

By Michael Stones

Nestlé has denied union claims of “pension betrayal”, after revealing plans to close its defined benefit pension scheme and replace it with a defined contribution scheme.

Maggie noodles received the all-clear from the FSA

Nestlé’s noodles gets UK safety green light

By Michael Stones

Nestlé’s Maggi noodles have received the all-clear from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), after a food safety crisis in India that is expected to cost the food giant millions of pounds.

Morrisons has grown its market share for the first time since 2011

Morrisons boasts largest sales growth of big four

By Nicholas Robinson

Morrisons boss David Potts has boosted the ailing retailer’s sales and market share for the first time since December 2011, after heading the business for just four months.   

GM crops could become widespread in Europe after gaining a foothold in the Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine and Russia to be Europe’s GM springboard

By Rick Pendrous

Ukraine and Russia are likely to become the bridgehead for the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the rest of Europe, according to the ceo of the French agricultural seeds and grain co-operative Limagrain.

UK rice fraud is becoming more widespread, warned processing boss

Risotto rice is targeted by fraudsters

By Nicholas Robinson

Fraudsters are targeting risotto rice sold in UK supermarkets by substituting expensive varieties with cheaper ones, the boss of Italy’s biggest rice processor has claimed.

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