All news articles for December 2015

It's been a weird year for food news

Weirdest food and drink news stories of 2015

By Laurence Gibbons

Bacon-scented underwear, a £1M packet of crisps and a computer that uses Irn Bru to cool down all feature in our list of the weirdest food and drink news stories of the year.

Food firms backs packaging petition

Film prevents mineral oil migration

An online petition launched late last year in Europe by lobby group FoodWatch, which called for action to be taken against the use of mineral oils in food, has been welcomed by Clondalkin Flexible Packaging.

Munson launches miniature rotary batch mixer

Munson launches miniature rotary batch mixer

A miniature rotary batch mixer, which blends up to 28 litres of dry bulk ingredients, with or without liquid additions, in ratios down to one part per million in two to three minutes, is now available from Munson.

Bakery firms offered cost saving kit

Polin’s practical planetary mixers

Italian manufacturer Polin has developed a range of planetary mixers for industrial bakeries that is said to offer a practical and cost effective solution for high-volume applications.

Dough mixers get more hygienic

Easier cleaning on dough mixers

The Baker Perkins range of Tweedy bread dough mixing systems has been extensively re-engineered to ensure more hygienic operation, easier maintenance and lower noise levels.

Bakery firm invests after retail changes

Matthiesons’ fresh desserts get X-ray inspection

Changing retailer codes of practice together with business growth have led Mathiesons bakery to install a new X-ray inspection system for contaminant detection of its chilled and ambient cakes and desserts.

Schmidt: 'There are lot of carbohydrates out there that do not label as sugar'

Food producers 'cheating' over non-sugar pledges

By Alice Foster

A number of industry players are “cheating” consumers by making ‘no sugar’ claims, despite using carbohydrates that are even more glycaemic than sugar, according to a Beneo representative.

Wright is not afraid to be combative when defending the food and drink industry

the big interview

The Wright approach

By Rick Pendrous

The FDF’s Ian Wright is building a media reputationas a ‘political bruiser’. Rick Pendrous went ringside.

Zouq has turned Lancashire Farm Dairies into a £25M business

Me and my factory

Why it pays to follow the herd

Azhar Zouq, who knows a thing or two about yogurt, having grown Lancashire Farm Dairies into a £25M business, talks to Noli Dinkovski

AG Barr has invested at its Milton Keynes and Cumbernauld factories

Soft drinks manufacturer AG Barr restores its sales growth

By Rick Pendrous

Soft drinks maker AG Barr, which manufactures the iconic Irn Bru brand, has restored its sales, which were up 3.9% in its third quarter trading results to November 28 compared with the same period last year, putting it back on track to meet its long-term...

Rick Pendrous, editor, Food Manufacture

Battle of the bulge is set to notch up a gear

By Rick Pendrous

As we start the new year, the food and drink industry awaits with much anticipation what the government is going to call on it to deliver as part of its childhood obesity strategy.

Happy holidays from the Food Manufacture team

Happy holidays from the Food Manufacture team

By Michael Stones

Happy holidays and a prosperous New Year from the whole Food Manufacture team. The team will be back on January 4 to bring you more breaking news, insight and analysis from the fast-moving world of food and drink manufacturing.

Food and drink industry gets festive

Food and drink firms get into NPD festive spirit

By Laurence Gibbons

Food and drink manufacturers have got into the festive spirit and launched Christmas-themed packaging and product innovations, in a bid to tap into a spending surge over the seasonal period.

A joke about Jeremy Clarkson and mulled wine has proved popular with pun fans

Turkey and Clarkson in top food cracker jokes

By Laurence Gibbons

A joke about the face of food and drink delivery service Amazon Prime Jeremy Clarkson and mulled wine was included in a list of the best new Christmas cracker jokes, according to a poll from television channel UKTV Gold.

Hain Celestial has picked fruit firm Orchard House Foods

Hain Celestial acquires Orchard House Foods

By Laurence Gibbons

Hain Celestial UK has acquired fruit, juice and dessert manufacturer Orchard House Foods for an undisclosed amount, in a bid to boost its healthy products range.

Internet of things

Next year’s news about process manufacturing

By Jakob Björklund

The growing importance of traceability – where transactional data meets the internet of things – is one of three key trends set to shape the process manufacturing industry of 2016: including the food and drink sector.

Guinness maker Diageo has been removed by the Forum of Private Business

Diageo exits poor payment ‘hall of shame’

By Alice Foster

Diageo has been removed from a slow payment ‘hall of shame’ after improving its payment terms but Premier Foods remains on the Forum of Private Business (FPB) blacklist. 

The climate change deal was 'a major step forward', said Richard Clothier, md of Wyke Farms

Food manufacturers hail climate change deal

By Michael Stones

Food manufacturers have welcomed the recent deal on climate change agreed in Paris, with Wyke Farms md Richard Clothier describing it as “a major step forward”.

Holland & Barrett's free-from store openings has helped it boost sales and profit

Health trend boosts Holland & Barrett sales and profit

By Laurence Gibbons

Health and wellness specialist Holland & Barrett International has a reported a rise in sales of 11.7% and profits of 12.2% in its full financial year, as a result of enhanced consumer awareness and spending on health, the firm claimed.

Packaging, Food and drink, Innovation, Digital, Flexibles, Pouches, Recycling

Six top trends to drive food and drink packaging

By Michael Stones

The inexorable rise of digital printing is the first of six key trends set to influence the global food and drink packaging industry next year, according to a new report from Mintel.

The new Apprenticeship Levy has sparked a mixed industry reaction

Apprentice Levy gets mixed food and drink industry reaction

By Michael Stones

The Apprentice Levy, announced in chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement, has received a mixed reaction from industry groups – ranging from cautious praise to fears about its impact on apprenticeship recruitment.

Audits: The Co-operative Group will switch to unannounced audits on July 1 2016

Unannounced food safety audits to 'become norm'

By Noli Dinkovski

All major supermarkets are likely to follow The Co-operative Group’s decision to impose unannounced audits on own-label food producers, the head of a food safety certification body has warned.

Digester Left to right: James Thompson – head of operations at Stokesley-based anaerobic digestion plant developer JFS Associates Ryad Apasa – head of operations at R&R Ice Cream’s Leeming Bar site.

R&R Ice Cream plant in top five after £25M spend

By Michael Stones

R&R Ice Cream’s £25M investment at its Leeming Bar factory in North Yorkshire has boosted output by 20% and made the firm the globe’s third largest ice cream manufacturer.

The overturned lorry in Nottinghamshire on December 17 Photo: @TRPTNorth

Asda lorry crash spills booze

By Alice Foster

An Asda lorry crashed into a traffic light and overturned, strewing boxes of alcoholic and soft drinks across the road yesterday morning.

18M people (and lots of turkeys) are expected to take to the nation's roads today

Beware Christmas jams – on the road

By Michael Stones

Traffic jams nationwide could frustrate Christmas deliveries today – the busiest getaway day of the festive season, with more than 14M people taking to the roads, warns the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

Food and drink industry people on the move

People on the move in food and drink

By Laurence Gibbons

Young’s Seafood, Müller Wiseman Dairies and Wyke Farms all feature in our latest roundup of people on the move in the food and drink industry.

Snack attack: Fox's hopes the Star Wars branding will send sales rocketing

Fox’s Biscuits cashes in on Star Wars mania

By Michael Stones

Fox’s Biscuits, part of the 2 Sisters Food Group, is hoping for a stellar sales boost for its Star Wars branded products, after the release of the movie blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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