Inside food & drink manufacturing
Greencore’s acquisition of Bakkavor is set to complete on 16 January 2026 following the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) accepting its move to sell its Bristol soups and sauces plant as a sufficient remedy.
The UK has reached agreement with the EU, Norway and other coastal states on catch opportunities for shared stocks for 2026, including agreements for whitefish stocks in the North Sea.
The UK Egg Centre has formed a strategic joint venture with The Hardeman Group and Bumble Hole Foods to strengthen the supply chain for the UK egg products sector.
Domino’s is the latest company to reveal its chief executive is stepping down.
The convenience food manufacturer has reported strong results for the financial year ended 26 September 2025 and reveals plans to sell its Bristol site to Compleat Food Group as a remedy to CMA concerns ahead of its merger with Bakkavor.
The Groovy Food Company has added three new products to its cooking and baking essentials range - Organic Matcha Agave, Organic Coconut Syrup, and Hot Honey.
Natures Way Foods, the Chichester-based fresh prepared food manufacturer, has been purchased by Taylor Farms, the North American salad producer.
This month’s podcast sees Food Manufacture’s editor speaking to the founder and managing director of Borough Broth, Ros Heathcote.
Protesters descended upon Sysco Europe’s London office in Covent Garden earlier this week as campaign group The Humane League demanded clarity from Sysco’s subsidiary, Brakes, over its cage-free hen commitment.
Disney is collaborating with food and drink manufacturers to launch a range of chilled meals and flavoured drinks for its well-known characters of Lilo and Stitch.
Gousto has unveiled its ambition to challenge supermarkets for the mainstream dinner market, as it revealed sales growth of 11% in the first half of 2025.
‘Real food’ company Hunter & Gather has nabbed a Waitrose listing for its four ingredient 100% Avocado Oil Mayonnaise.
Supermarket chain Lidl GB has announced a £30 billion investment over five years in the British food and farming industry.
Lebanese grab-and-go brand Kammoon has announced the opening of a new 3,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Park Royal, West London.
The new flavour of ganache has been inspired by two hot UK hits – pistachio and Dubai chocolate.
This is said to be the UK’s first chilled, ready-to-eat soup available in a 100% recyclable aluminium can.
Samworth Brothers has reported an operating profit of £44 million for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Harlech Foodservice has announced the takeover of Welsh fruit and vegetables wholesaler Oren Foods.
The limited-edition Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich, is made with a British Red Diamond Strawberries.
Total till sales growth increased at UK supermarkets.
The petition is urging supermarkets to stop using imported eggs in British-made foods.
Sainsbury’s has raised the price of its standard meal deal to £3.95.
Co-op has launched three new SKUs to coincide with British tomato season.
Targeted at three-to-nine-year-olds, the new Tesco meal kit aims to get kids eating more fruit.
The terms of Greencore’s acquisition of Bakkavor have been finalised with the deal set to create a convenience food business with a combined revenue of close to £4 billion.
Holy Moly has taken a brave dip into a private-label-dominated aisle, with its range of branded guacamole, cheesy dips and smashed avocado pots seeing impressive growth.
The deadline for a final acquisition agreement between food manufacturers Bakkavor and Greencore has been extended for a second time.
The fermented food brand has appointed former New England Seafood managing director as its chair and non-executive director.
Gosh! has expanded into the on-the-go market with the launch of its new Mexican and Italian inspired Veg Bites snack packs.
Food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon has opened the doors to a new manufacturing facility in Slough, creating 200 jobs and increasing manufacturing capacity by £50 million.
Agritech firm Planet Farms is to invest more than £25 million into a new UK-based vertical farm, in what it described as the biggest single investment into the vertical farming industry.
Bakkavor has entered into a binding agreement to sell its China operations to Chinese firm Lihe Xing (Qingdao) Food Technology Co.
Carr’s has completed the sale of its engineering division to Cadre Holdings in a deal worth £75m.
Samworth Brothers has partnered with restaurant chain YO! on the launch of a new Asian ready meal range.
Plant-based ready meals manufacturer Planty has expanded its development team with the appointment of two former Allplants professionals.
PepsiCo has expanded its partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare with a £210,000 grant to support employability and help tackle food waste.
British vertical farming technology manufacturer Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) has sent its first major consignment of specialist parts to the UAE for the ‘world’s first’ GigaFarm at Dubai Food Tech Valley.
The deadline by which a final acquisition agreement between Bakkavor and Greencore must be reached has been extended.
Huw Birrell – the co-founder of global order management platform Fresho – explores the growing trend of pre-prepared vegetables used by the foodservice industry and how manufacturers can capitalise on it.
Gen Z is leading the charge in support of gene edited food, with 80% of the demographic in favour of the technology.
How will Greencore’s prospective £1.2 billion acquisition of Bakkavor impact the wider food manufacturing sector in the UK? And could it face regulatory pushback?
Greencore has upgraded its operating profit guidance for the year ending 26 September 2025.
Premium meal prep delivery service FuelHub has appointed Steve King as its new head of growth.
The director of an ice cream maker in Wirral has been ordered to pay nearly £100k after pleading guilty to food safety offences across two separate businesses.
Macphie has appointed Ed Widdowson as its new chief executive, marking the fourth generation of family leadership for the Aberdeenshire-based manufacturer.
Bakkavor has rebuffed two acquisition offers from Greencore submitted in the last few weeks, with the latest worth approximately £1.14bn.
Sandwich maker Bread Spread Ltd has been ordered to pay almost £47k for repeated hygiene failures at its Southall factory.
The Waste Resource Action Plan (WRAP) has renamed its flagship food system transformation programme to provide better clarity of its mission.
Organic food and drink sales ‘bounced back’ in 2024, with nearly two thirds of consumers choosing to buy from the category despite cost-of-living pressures, according to a new report from the Soil Association
Ecotone’s former UK CEO Emma Vass kicked 2025 off with her move over to the British pudding company as Peter Utting steps down.