All news articles for May 2018

Soft drinks firm Cawston Press has generated £1m through an equity fundraising initiative

Cawston Press raises £1m in fundraising

By Aidan Fortune

Soft drinks company Cawston Press is expanding its overseas presence following a successful equity fundraising initiative that generated £1m.

Tayto has acquired Pop Notch for an undisclosed sum

Tayto buys popcorn company

By Gwen Ridler

Snack manufacturer Tayto has acquired Northern Ireland-based popcorn company Pop Notch for an undisclosed sum.

Heather Mills has bought the Walkers factory in Peterlee

Heather Mills buys former Walkers plant

By Gwen Ridler

Heather Mills – media personality and owner of vegan food manufacturer Vbites – has bought the former Walkers Crisps factory in Peterlee, County Durham, vowing to bring jobs back to the site.

Vince Shiers: ‘If the supplier uses a lab not accredited for allergen testing, then the value of a ‘nut-free’ claim is questionable’

PRODUCT RECALL

Minimising the risk of supplier-driven recalls

By Paul Gander

The causes of product recalls often originate inside the four walls of a food factory. But what measures can be taken to minimise the risks of supplier-driven recalls?

Pansear Foods has partnered with Biffa to help reduce waste

Saucy waste management trial pays off

By Rod Addy

Waste management company Biffa has delivered a bespoke solution for Panesar Foods to help the cooking sauces and condiments firm reduce its environmental footprint and cut costs.

The deadline for survey submissions is Wednesday 6 June

FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE 2018

Take our food safety survey and win £100

By Noli Dinkovski

Food and drink firms are being invited to enter an annual food safety survey that is offering participants the chance of winning £100 in Amazon vouchers.

Leverton Brothers was fined a total of £10,000 for an arm crush incident

Potato producer fined for arm crush

By Gwen Ridler

Producer Leverton Brothers has been ordered to pay more than £10,000 for safety failings, after a worker’s arm was seriously injured in a potato grading machine.

Gwen RidlerApprenticeships in focus

Bakkavor's focus on apprenticeships

By Gwen Ridler

Fresh prepared foods supplier Bakkavor is committed to its apprenticeships, and this includes feedback from both sides. In our new series focusing on both sides of the apprenticeship story, Cian Short, group apprenticeship manager and development chef...

AG Barr has recalled 750ml glass bottles of its drinks

AG Barr recalls bottles for cap error

By Gwen Ridler

Soft drinks manufacturer AG Barr has recalled a number of its bottled drinks, because a fault in the packaging process could cause the caps on these drinks to pop off unexpectedly and cause injury.

Bill Jermey explains the importance of apprenticeships

opinion

Time to tackle the skills gap

By Bill Jermey

The skills and training world is changing rapidly, with the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and new apprenticeship standards. Bill Jermey of the Food and Drink Training and Education Council discusses the opportunity apprenticeships provide.

Food innovation firm helps rugby star launch ‘healthy’ drink

Rugby’s Jonny Wilkinson launches health drink

By Ellie Woollven

London-based food and drink innovation company Tastemakers has revealed it has been working with ex-England rugby football star Jonny Wilkinson on a range of drinks made from kombucha, a fermented or black green tea.

Eville & Jones has launched a new training initiative for the meat industry

Eville & Jones launches training scheme

By Aidan Fortune

A meat inspection firm, which has warned of an imminent shortage of suitably skilled vets, sparked by the Brexit process driving overseas talent back to their native countries, is launching a training initiative to help remedy the problem.

The British food industry has called on the Government to maintain frictionless trade with the EU

Food industry urges frictionless EU trade

By Aidan Fortune

Brexit can and should champion British producers, according to leaders of the British food and farming industry, who have called on the Government to maintain frictionless trade with the EU post-Brexit.

The 12-strong range draws on plant-based vegetarian-friendly ingredients

Nestlé veggie brand hits Sainsbury’s, Ocado

By Rod Addy

Nestlé has launched its meat-free Garden Gourmet brand in the UK through Sainsbury’s stores and online retailer Ocado, representing the latest wave of foodstuffs targeting the flexitarian trend.

AHDB has launched a new media campaign for thin cut steaks

AHDB launches £1m thin cuts campaign

By Aidan Fortune

Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Beef & Lamb has launched a £1m advertising campaign promoting thin-cut steak.

AHDB announced plans to sell MLCSL in March of this year

Trade bodies urge AHDB to halt MLCSL sale

By Aidan Fortune

Key meat industry bodies have expressed concern over the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB’s) decision to sell abattoir and classification provider Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Limited (MLCSL) to HallMark Veterinary Services.

Packaging education is set to improve dramatically in the UK

Packaging education offer set to ramp up

By Paul Gander

Packaging education in the UK, as it relates to food and drink, is set to improve dramatically, with at least one university-based degree apprenticeship course due to get off the ground next year.

UK food and drink exports grew in the first quarter of 2018

Food exports grow 5.5% to £5.2bn

By Gwen Ridler

UK food and drink exports grew 5.5% to £5.2bn in the first quarter of 2018, according to new statistics from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Book now: spaces are still available for the conference, which takes place in Birmingham next month

FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE 2018

Food Safety Conference: FSA’s plans to be debated

By Noli Dinkovski

Risk-based compliance’s impact on the food industry is set to be a key theme at Food Manufacture’s Food Safety Conference, which takes place in Birmingham next month.

Cranswick's annual results have been driven by rising sausage sales and exports to the US

Sausage sales help Cranswick sizzle

By Aidan Fortune

Strong sausage sales and export growth have boosted Cranswick’s annual results, helping the business post a rise in revenues.

Action on Sugar called for a tax on sweet and chocolate confectionery

Action on Sugar calls for confectionery tax

By Gwen Ridler

Pressure groups Action on Sugar (AOS) and Action on Salt have called on the Prime Minister to introduce an energy density levy on confectionery, as part of its seven-part plan to help prevent obesity and related diseases.

Brexit fears are creating an impetus for UK food and drink manufacturers to invest for growth

Shadow of Brexit hits industry confidence

By Rod Addy

Confidence has fallen by 20% among UK food and drink manufacturers over the past three years, according to research just published by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.

Nick Allen: ‘Meat is a bit like music, people seem to keep coming up with new ways of presenting it’

Business Leaders

BMPA boss upbeat on the future of UK meat

By Aidan Fortune

Media attacks, enforcement agencies and repackaging the industry to suit modern consumers... it’s all in day’s work for the chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, who hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for this oft-maligned sector.

Speakers at the Institute of Food Science & Technology’s 2018 spring conference spoke of the potential of remote audits

Could remote technology help audits?

By Rod Addy

Remote audits, using drones for filming and even Google Glass, will offer solutions to consumer demands for robust food supply chain standards, but can only supplement face-to-face methods.

EU workers continue to leave UK jobs, despite schemes to entice them to stay

EU workers leaving the UK on the rise

By Gwen Ridler

EU workers are still continuing to leave the UK, despite the slump in job applications from the EU slowing since last year, according to the EEF, the manufacturers’ association.

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