The rapid onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the drastic lockdown restrictions, has left many businesses – particularly those that rely on heavy footfall – in dire financial circumstances.
Ambient food and drink processor Princes has teamed up with Bright Future, an employment programme that provides victims of modern slavery with a pathway to paid employment and reintegration into society.
Food manufacturers must quickly adapt to the Government’s plans to curb childhood obesity or risk being forced to by their investors and stakeholders, according to a report from investment charity Share Action.
Cell cultured meat won’t be bought by mainstream consumers until 2040 and will only account for 35% of global meat intake even then, according to the findings of a new report.
European Freeze Dry has announced a £1.5m investment in its factories in Preston, Lancashire, and Kirke Hyllinge in Denmark to meet soaring demand for its freeze-dried ingredients and ready meals.
MPs have praised the food industry for developing its own guidance in the “vacuum left by Government” when the coronavirus pandemic began to be felt in the UK.
Dawn Meats is to take full control over its joint venture with Dunbia, following the announcement that chief executive Jim Dobson is to retire from Dunbia, 44 years after co-founding the company.
Convenience food manufacturer Greencore has restarted production at a number of its sites across the UK, as it reported the impact of coronavirus on its sales in its third-quarter financial results.
Harwich-based wholesaler Surya Foods has said it is continuing to prioritise the safety of its staff after five coronavirus cases were found at its site.
Premier Foods, which owns brands including Mr Kipling, Bisto and Oxo, has reported a 22.5% rise in sales for the first financial quarter of this year, with branded sales up 27%, boosted by the coronavirus lockdown.
Part one of the National Food Strategy, led by British entrepreneur Henry Dimbleby, has been published. It is the first independent review of the UK’s food policy in nearly 75 years. Industry reaction to the report was swift.
The National Food Strategy has intensified pressure on food manufacturers to support healthy eating, with author Henry Dimbleby claiming the industry clothes “itself and its products in false virtue”.
Denbighshire-based Welsh bakery Henllan Bread has secured a three-month contract to supply a supermarket chain in the Middle-East after joining a successful virtual trade event.
A G Barr, the soft drinks company that produces Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Funkin, has reported “significant trading volatility” in its interim results following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
2 Sisters Food Group is to kick-start youth employment across its processing sites in Devon and Lincolnshire, in support of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s plans to boost the economy.
Claims of animal abuse at a supplier to goat’s milk producer St Helen’s Farm has sparked backlash from its customers, as supermarkets pulled its products from their shelves.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will focus research on four key areas: food hypersensitivity and allergy; assuring food safety and standards; innovation in food regulation; and the future of food systems.
The Government’s new obesity strategy is a “punishing blow” to food manufacturers, could threaten jobs and raise food prices, and was a “terrible missed opportunity”, according to one trade group.
Banana supplier Winfresh UK Ltd – located at Little Canfield near Stansted Airport in Essex – and owned by Winfresh Ltd, has entered administration, placing 70 jobs at risk.
Many food and drink manufacturers have made use of the lifeline provided by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – particularly those with production lines purposed for the foodservice industry, where demand has significantly reduced.
Appointments are food logistics firm Walker Logistics, Magners Cider owner C&C Group and Kerry Foods are all featured in this round-up of people on the move in the food and drink industry.
Hundreds of employees at a tomato packing site in Worcestershire supplying retailers including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and the Co-op are being tested for COVID-19, after 14 members of staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Italian nut and dried fruit firm Besana, which supplies manufacturers and supermarkets including Tesco and Waitrose, will grow its Ipswich packing and distribution site following a merger with Spanish company Importaco.
Kirsty’s, the Yorkshire-based free-from food brand, which won funding during hit BBC show Dragon’s Den, has invested £2m in the first production facility to be owned by the business.
One peer called for Government support for British fresh produce amid concerns over the commercial future of farms as debate raged on over the Agriculture Bill this week in the House of Lords.
First Milk is investing £5m this financial year to boost capacity and meet environmental goals, chief executive Shelagh Hancock and chief financial officer Greg Jardine reveal in this exclusive Food Man Talks video podcast.
Britvic, the soft drinks supplier, has said there remains a “high degree” of uncertainty about the pace and level of full recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Public Health Wales (PHW) has confirmed that ‘widespread’ and ‘rapid’ testing was taking place at dip maker Zorba Delicacies’ Ebbw Vale food processing plant after four confirmed cases of COVID-19 there.
The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards are celebrating their 20th year and launching a new plant-based trophy, with preparations underway to announce the winners at a gala dinner in London on 11 February 2021.
A tip-off by a food processing company has safeguarded 17 people believed to be potential victims of modern slavery and labour exploitation, according to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
Nestlé UK & Ireland has revealed it is to support 8,000 families at risk of summer holiday hunger with a new £1m investment with Community Shop and FoodCloud
Argent Foods furloughed more than 500 workers in businesses hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic alongside other tough measures, it announced in its financial report for the 12 months to 31 December 2019.
The Welsh meat sector faces “worrying challenges” and “a menacing maelstrom of uncertainty” amid further disruption from coronavirus and an EU trade deadlock, Hybu Cig Cymru-Meat Promotion Wales’ (HCC) chairman Kevin Roberts has warned.
Tennent’s, the Scottish brewer owned by C&C Group, has invested £2.6m to install a carbon capture facility at Glasgow’s Wellpark Brewery, allowing it to capture more than 4,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the ‘strength’ and ‘fragility’ of the food supply chain, according to the Food and Drink Sector Council (FDSC), which has launched a COVID-19 Recovery Plan for the industry.
Strong sales during the coronavirus pandemic will see Signature Flatbreads create 75–100 jobs as part of a significant investment to increase production capacity at its Dunstable factory.
Food and drink manufacturers we’re speaking to were disappointed by the sparse information on shift patterns within the Government’s ‘Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) is still required to ensure retailers comply with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code), according to a Government review.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has invested in recycling start-up CuRe Technology, as part of its journey towards making all its packaging 100% recyclable.
Food manufacturers need access to safe and affordable recycled plastic for a circular economy to be truly achievable, according to trade body FoodDrinkEurope (FDE).
Even technical experts sometimes confuse validations with verifications, but both are crucial aspects of food safety processes, as is the 'worst-case scenario' approach, argues Chris Thompson, technical manager at Vestey Foods UK.
The COVID-19 pandemic could give rise to the biggest case of food fraud since the 2013 horsemeat scandal with “catastrophic effects” food safety assurance specialist Lloyd’s Register has predicted.
