Frozen

Tasty prospects for gluten-free product sales

New gluten-free meals signal the move to mainstream

By Freddie Dawson

The launch of two new gluten-free products by Dr Schär UK is further evidence of the category’s move from niche to mainstream lifestyle choice, according to the free-from manufacturer.

Mammoth food factory poised for extinction

Mammoth food factory poised for extinction

By Ben Bouckley

Longbenton Foods’ Benton Lane site in Newcastle proved impossible to sell as a going concern due to its mammoth size and outdated layout, its administrator has told FoodManufacture.co.uk.

Food manufacturers ride out economic storm

Food manufacturers ride out economic storm

By Ben Bouckley

Despite fears of sovereign downgrades and tumbling share prices, UK food and drink manufacturers increased their output by 0.5% in June 2011, but many are suffering pain from rising input prices.

Heinz restores Westwick volumes after severe fire

Heinz restores Westwick volumes after severe fire

By Ben Bouckley

Heinz says it has “dialled up” production volumes on two lines at its Aunt Bessie’s frozen potato factory in Westwick, Norfolk, which was devastated by a major fire in early May.

Greencore ceo Patrick Coveney looks set to seal a Uniq deal

Greencore 'one step closer' to Uniq takeover

By Ben Bouckley and Graham Holter

Greencore’s £113m offer for Uniq has been declared ‘unconditional as to acceptances’ after over 90% of shareholders indicated acceptance of the deal.

'Strong' retailer concerns beset Kerry Foods acquisition

'Strong' retailer concerns beset Kerry Foods acquisition

By Ben Bouckley

Kerry Foods' acquisition of Headland Foods has been referred to the Competition Commission (CC) by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for further investigation after retail customers expressed concerns.

Greencore announces £113m cash offer for Uniq

Greencore announces £113m cash offer for Uniq

By Ben Bouckley and Anne Bruce

Greencore has announced the terms of a recommended cash offer for Uniq worth £113m, which values the chilled and convenience food firm at 96p per share.

Transporters switch to Mercedes

Transporters switch to Mercedes

Chilled and frozen food transporter, BW Refrigerated Couriers has started to switch its panel van fleet to Mercedes Sprinter vans, each with 100% Somers ATP-certified refrigerated panel van conversions.

Breaking the ice

Breaking the ice

By John Dunn

With frozen food enjoying a renaissance, it looks like Britain is entering a new ice age, reports John Dunn

Major ice cream players could threaten innovation, Key Note

Major ice cream players could threaten innovation, Key Note

By Lawrence Morley

The dominance of R&R Ice Cream and Unilever in the ice cream market looks set to continue and could threaten innovation, especially amongst new enterprises, according to a new report from research firm Key Note.

FIR compromise cuts pressure on UK food firms

FIR compromise cuts pressure on UK food firms

By Ben Bouckley

A food law expert says he is surprised by a new compromise on the EU Food Information Regulation that removes the need for food firms to provide front-of-pack nutrient data, but warns that enhanced Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) could still raise...

Stobart warns of BOGOF supply chain strain

Stobart warns of BOGOF supply chain strain

By Ben Bouckley

Transport giant Eddie Stobart has warned that the supermarket demand for two-for-one offers is placing a strain on logistics firms, and increasing the number of miles the company’s fleet runs empty.

Smaller food brands face increased own-label threat

Smaller food brands face increased own-label threat

By Ben Bouckley

Manufacturers of lower-profile food brands could fall victim to the retailer-driven trend towards more own-label products over the next 15 years, according to a new report from financial services provider Rabobank.

Heinz Aunt Bessie's factory back in action

Heinz Aunt Bessie's factory back in action

By Anne Bruce

Heinz has restarted one of the three production lines at its Aunt Bessies frozen potato factory in Westwick, Norfolk after a major fire three weeks ago, while the brand itself has appointed a new md.

Greencore cfo insists business is not for sale

Greencore cfo insists business is not for sale

By Ben Bouckley

Greencore cfo Alan Williams has told FoodManufacture.co.uk that he can "categorically confirm the business is not for sale", following a news report that said the €850m turnover convenience foods group had held talks with private equity firms...

Northern Foods proposes Leeds head office closure

Northern Foods proposes Leeds head office closure

By Ben Bouckley

Northern Foods is proposing to close it Leeds office and move the majority of staff to its ‘shared service centre’ in Wakefield, FoodManufacture.co.uk has learnt, as owner Ranjit Boparan starts restructuring his new acquisition.

Severe Heinz fire halts Aunt Bessie’s production

Severe Heinz fire halts Aunt Bessie’s production

By Ben Bouckley

Heinz’s frozen and chilled foods facility near Norwich remains closed, after a devastating fire last Friday ravaged the portion of the site that produces Aunt Bessie’s potato products.

Loseley md Neil Burchell outside the firm's facility in Cwmbran

Loseley Dairy Ice Cream enters administration

By Graham Holter and Ben Bouckley

The few remaining staff at Loseley’s ice cream plant in South Wales are expected to leave the site in the coming days following the company’s collapse last month, a company spokesperson has confirmed to FoodManufacture.co.uk.

McCain

'Myth busting' McCain gives oven chips a makeover

By Rick Pendrous


Oven chip specialist McCain Foods' efforts to reformulate its product range combined with a targeted PR campaign has helped it to successfully navigate the healthy food storm that has engulfed the UK over the past few years, its corporate affairs...

Pea Drilling in East Anglia

Easy Peasy for Ardo with new line

By Anne Bruce

Frozen foods supplier Ardo UK is about to finish installing a new pea packing line at its Kent headquarters, following a £5m supply deal with Anglian Pea Growers.

IT meltdown: Brakes ceo Stefan Barden wants to

Major IT meltdown puts the skids on Brakes

By Anne Bruce

Foodservice giant Brakes has apologised to customers following a massive IT breakdown last week, which meant staff in warehouses could not pick food and send out orders.

Findus Group targets selective acquisitions

Findus Group targets selective acquisitions

By Ben Bouckley

The Findus Group says it may well pursue “selective bolt-on acquisitions”, after it emerged that chilled and frozen foods giant’s owner is trying to renegotiate its banking covenants.

Premium, own-label ice cream makers are struggling with high input prices and low margins

Frederick's Dairies admits Loseley interest

By Ben Bouckley

Frederick's Dairies says it could be interested in buying parts of South Wales ice cream firm Loseley, after a media report this week stated that private equity backer the Foresight Group had stopped funding the company.

Save your skin

Save your skin

By Anne Bruce

Severed fingers, crushed skulls, exploding offal cookers and slips trips and falls: is it a House of Horrors freakshow? No, it's a list of just a few of the recent accidents in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

Wales is a winner on waste

Wales is a winner on waste

Environment minister for Wales, Jane Davidson opened consultation on the ‘Food Manufacture, Service and Retail Sector plan’ for waste last month. She did so during a visit to Wales’s first commercial-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at Premier Foods’s...

Stand-off

Stand-off

By Rod Addy

Geneva has a rich history. The earliest stages of St Peter's Cathedral there date back to 1160. A famous hotbed for Protestant revolutionary zeal in the 16th18th Century and home to church reformer Calvin, the European headquarters of the UN is also...

Full force of the law

Full force of the law

By Lynda Searby

January marked the end of the two-year transition period for flavouring regulation EC 1334/2008, which means firms are expected to have completed any changes necessary to comply with the new law.

Making food family fun

Making food family fun

By Mark Rigby

As an industry we spend a great deal of time and money developing ‘healthy’ food solutions and menus for schools and support the ‘food’ education of children in school. However, once a child leaves the school gate there is very little support and, in...

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