All news articles for August 2015

Herbs and spices are expensive ingredients and a ripe target for fraud

Food fraud will hit vulnerable firms

By Rick Pendrous

Many food manufacturers are not yet up to speed with vulnerability assessments – a focus of the new British Retail Consortium (BRC) standard, version 7, which came into force last month – a leading certification body has warned.

‘Drinks carton first’ uses electrons for hygiene

‘Drinks carton first’ uses electrons for hygiene

In what is being claimed to be a first for the beverage carton industry, Tetra Pak has launched a filling machine that uses electron beams, rather than hydrogen peroxide, to sterilise packaging material. The Tetra Pak E3 is said to offer a range of benefits...

Asda's range of whole fresh chicken in ovenable bags was launched in September 2013

Birds get bagged

By Paul Gander

Pre-wrapped roast-in-the-bag chickens have been a success story of the past couple of years. Paul Gander hears from Asda and its key supplier

Griffiths: 'Print quality management will see the most significant change'

BRC packaging update pressures print

By Paul Gander

The cover design for Issue 5 of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials may make a simple egg box look like something out of Jurassic World but, while the protocol does have ‘teeth’, there is not too much...

Cleaning factory equipment can involve additional hygiene challenges

Designed-in hygiene

By Paul Gander

Factory design and layout can have as big an impact on hygiene as systems and procedures. Paul Gander finds out where the cracks are

Kellogg has suffered a fall in sales and profits

Kellogg suffers fall in sales and profit

By Laurence Gibbons

Kellogg, the US cereals company, has suffered a fall in net sales and reported operating profit for the second quarter to July 4 2015.

Morrisons' new executive board is putting the retailer 'back on track', City analysts claim

Morrisons takes on new HR director

By Nicholas Robinson

Morrisons, Britain’s second largest fresh food manufacturer and fourth largest retailer, has appointed Clare Grainger as its new group human resources (HR) director.

Tague predicts the business will turnover £4.8M by 2018

Sainsbury ceo canvassed to stock Tags crisps

By Nicholas Robinson

Former Seabrook Crisps boss John Tague has sent a letter directly to Sainsbury ceo Mike Coupe to persuade him to stock his Tags brand of crisps, following a £125,000 investment from the BBC’s Dragons’ Den stars.

Cyclists are increasingly vulnerable on city streets

Truck driver blind spots will continue to kill cyclists

By Rick Pendrous

The Safer Lorry Scheme, which becomes effective in London from September and makes it mandatory for lorries to be fitted with a new mirror system to help reduce the growing number of accidents involving cyclists, has been labelled as a “fiasco” by a supplier...

A new 'superberry' is claimed to be the 'next big fruit' on the market

New ‘superberry’ launched

By Nicholas Robinson

A new ‘superberry’ known as blue honeysuckle is set to be launched in the UK by ingredients supplier CPM.

Research by DSM shows vitamin E can help improve mild forms of dementia in the elderly

Cognitive health wars

By Nicholas Robinson

A rise in consumer demand for brain-boosting food and drink is sparking a debate between industry and health experts. Nicholas Robinson reports

Speculation is rife that Unilever will sell off its food brands

Unilever food disposal rumours rise

By Rick Pendrous

Unilever’s relatively flat food business sales for the second quarter (Q2) of the year reported last month and increasing focus on high-end personal care products, will inevitably raise further speculation about its commitment to the sector and the likelihood...

Kendrick: The UK has potential to raise its food and drink exports

Food industry backs Cameron’s £7bn export promise

By Nicholas Robinson

Prime minister David Cameron’s challenge to the food sector to grow UK food and drink exports by more than £7bn and his promise to provide protection for 200 British foods has been welcomed by industry leaders.

Too many firms are keeping quiet about collaboration in logistics

Firms cut their costs by sharing trucks

By Nicholas Robinson

Collaboration between food manufacturers that share distribution activities with competitors and others to reduce costs should be more widely publicised to help more firms adopt these practices, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has urged.

Government plans to invest in motorway improvements could bring benefits for food firms

Transport firms welcome Midlands motorway spend

By Rick Pendrous

Plans by the government to invest more than £1.5bn on motorway improvements will make journeys easier at traffic hot spots across the Midlands and have been welcomed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

Tague: 'We aim to be the biggest snack food company by 2025'

Dragons’ Den stars pump £125,000 into Tags crisps

By Nicholas Robinson

Former Seabrook Crisps md John Tague walked away with a £125,000 investment after four of the BBC’s Dragons’ Den stars battled it out to get their hands on a slice of his £760,000 crisp business.

Lactalis has risen to become the second largest dairy business in the world

‘Changing of the guard’ among top dairy firms

By Laurence Gibbons

There has been a “changing of the guard” in the dairy sector as French firm Lactalis has overtaken Danone as the world’s second largest dairy company, according to Rabobank.

A Which? survey has picked up widespread adulteration of dried oregano

RSSL offers tests for adulterated oregano

By Rick Pendrous

A new service for verifying the authenticity of dried oregano has been launched, following news of high instances of adulteration of the herb on sale in the UK.

Who would you like to see win?

Searching for a Food Manufacture hero

By Michael Stones

The Food Manufacture Group is searching for a food and drink manufacturing hero and we need your help to find winning candidate.

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