Food and drink supply chain round-up

05-Jun-2018 - Last updated on 05-Jun-2018 at 13:29 GMT

Adelie Foods has opened a depot in Cardiff and has expanded its Haydock and Tamworth sites

A multi-million pound investment by food-to-go business Adelie Foods, a new fleet of tankers at logistics firm Ralph Davies and the Freight Transport Association’s relaunch of its emissions reduction scheme feature in this round-up of recent developments in the food and drink supply chain.

Adelie grows its capacity

Adelie Foods, the food-to-go business, has doubled its distribution capacity as part of a multi-million pound investment.

It has introduced a new modern depot in Cardiff and has expanded into two new sites at Haydock and Tamworth, with all three sites increasing both frozen and chilled capacity.

Tamworth is the biggest of the sites at 2,600m², followed by Haydock with 2,300m² and Cardiff at 750m².

Adelie Foods currently delivers to more than 34,000 accounts each week and has more than 270 vehicles.

Tankers set to move fruit juice

Food and drink logistics firm Ralph Davies’ tanker division, RDI, has secured ten new tankers from vehicle supplier VanHool, to help move fruit juice from Europe to the Bridgewater factory of soft drinks bottler Refresco.

RDI managing director Mike Phillips said: “Working closely with VanHool, we are now able to offer our customers the greatest payload per movement reducing cost per tonne and reducing food miles.

“We hope we can take up an option on a further ten units as our business grows.”

Fresh drive on emissions

The Freight Transport Association has relaunched the Logistics Emissions Reduction Scheme (LERS), formerly known as the Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme.

LERS continues with the previous commitment of a 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 on 2015 levels, and will shortly establish a further target for 2025.

It now incorporates air quality performance as well as carbon and is open to all companies with at least one commercial vehicle (HGV or van).

The scheme has more than 130 members with more than 88,000 vehicles.

New Thames crossing welcomed

The Government’s go-ahead for a new Thames crossing at Silvertown, London has been welcomed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

Natalie Chapman, head of urban policy at the FTA, said the new crossing would provide “welcome relief for those moving goods and services across the Thames in and around east London”, but added: “Any user charging for the new link [should] take into account the economic value of the journey, so the freight industry does not shoulder the cost for the entire project.”