Meet the finalists: Meat, Poultry & Seafood Manufacturing Company of the Year

ABP UK

ABP UK is part of ABP Food Group, one of Europe’s leading consumer food manufacturers. The food business specialises in supplying fresh and frozen meat and meat-free products to retailers, discounters and wholesale customers.

It has recently expanded and completed 100% acquisition of Linden Foods (a previous joint venture) and also welcomed Janan Meat into the ABP family – which has expanded its customer base. 

The company focuses on innovation, especially in its product offering, and it has, recently completed an investment at it Ellesmere site to create a dedicated ready-to-cook production area delivering a convenience food format for its customers. It has also launched a plant-based meat substitute product to market. It has a sustainability strategy to reducing its environmental impact throughout the supply chain. The company employs approximately 5,000 people across the UK. 

Dunbia 

Dunbia is one of Europe’s leading food companies processing grass-fed cattle and sheep across 12 UK sites.

Sustainability has been central to its business strategy for over 20 years and its purpose is to provide consistent quality meat products from sustainable sources to support "rural communities, human health and nature’s eco-system”.

Due to the shortage of butchers in the UK and the ageing workforce, it has established a Butchery Academy to create a continuous pool of talented and enthusiastic butchers. 

The business continues to invest for the future. It has invested in its Highland Meats plant expanding processing capacity and sustainability. In addition it opened a new beef operation at its Llanybydder site in October, the first new beef abattoir in Wales for over 20 years. 

Westaway Sausages

Westaways is a sausage manufacturing specialist in Newton Abbot, Devon. It supplies a range of packs of sausages, chipolatas and sausage meat to retailers, wholesalers, foodservice and export customers. 

It only uses the freshest pork from pigs reared on British farms which operate to Red Tractor standards or equivalent/higher standard (which are QMS or RSPCA freedom foods).  Its factory in Newton Abbot is a BRC accredited AA site.

The company focuses on sustainability within its business.  It has already shifted to 100% compostable packaging.  Its frozen lines use compostable potato starch bags that at end of life can be used as a food caddy waste liner. It is also implementing labels that are compostable and do not need backing paper which is typically unrecyclable. 

It has focused on energy scheduling, making better use of night energy tariffs as well as new investment in energy efficient processing and equipment. 

• The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards are also searching for nominations for the Business Leader of the Year category​. ​
• The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards will take place on Thursday 9th February 2023 at the London Hilton Bankside. To book click here​