Hygiene, safety & cleaning

Leverton Brothers was fined a total of £10,000 for an arm crush incident

Potato producer fined for arm crush

By Gwen Ridler

Producer Leverton Brothers has been ordered to pay more than £10,000 for safety failings, after a worker’s arm was seriously injured in a potato grading machine.

Speakers at the Institute of Food Science & Technology’s 2018 spring conference spoke of the potential of remote audits

Could remote technology help audits?

By Rod Addy

Remote audits, using drones for filming and even Google Glass, will offer solutions to consumer demands for robust food supply chain standards, but can only supplement face-to-face methods.

There is a potential for food safety standards to drop once the UK leaves the EU warned FSS

FSS stresses Brexit food safety risks

By Aidan Fortune

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has highlighted concerns over a potential drop in food safety and standards in the country once the UK leaves the EU.

Melchett criticised the UK government for not considering the health of consumers in its food and farming reforms

Soil Association rails at Government consultation

By Gwen Ridler

The Soil Association has criticised a Government consultation on the future of food, farming and the environment for failing to account for the health of British consumers.

Rubber and plastic contamination sparked recalls in the past week

Rubber and plastic contamination cause food recalls

By Gwen Ridler

Rubber and plastic contamination forced the recall of yogurt and chicken products over the past week, as a number of products were returned to stores for containing undeclared allergens.

Typhoo introduced new system to help with dust levels

Typhoo sees dust levels drop 81%

By Michelle Perrett

Typhoo Tea has seen dust levels in its tea blending facility in Wirral, Merseyside, drop by 81% due to the implementation of a new ventilation system.

Lessons must be learnt from last year's fipronil crisis, warned ABB

ABB: Learn lessons from fipronil

By Noli Dinkovski

The importance of traceability is the key lesson food manufacturers should embrace in the wake of last year’s fipronil egg contamination, a process control provider has claimed.

The Scottish government is to provide £50k of funding for food safety training

£50k funding for food hygiene training

By Gwen Ridler

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is to provide £50,000 of funding to support 10,000 secondary school students in gaining food safety qualifications.

Waste reduction in focus at trade show

Anuga FoodTec preview

Waste reduction focus at Anuga

By Rick Pendrous

Waste reduction within the food and drink sector, through ‘upcycling’ strategies and innovative methods for the recovery of materials from by-products, will be the main focus of the Anuga FoodTec show, which takes place this week (20–23 March) in Cologne,...

Greater collaboration between suppliers and retailers is needed, claimed Kirby

More collaboration with retailers needed, claims analyst

By Gwen Ridler

Food and drink manufacturers and suppliers need to create open, trusted and collaborative relationships with retailers to guarantee success in the fast moving consumer goods market, according to a consumer trends analyst.

DEFRA is to launch a review of farm inspections

DEFRA to launch review of farm inspections

By Gwen Ridler

A comprehensive review of farm inspection is to be launched by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as it aimed to scrap the red tape preventing farmers from focusing on issues such as animal welfare.

A food firm was forced to close last week after a rat infestation. Pictured provided by Wikipedia user Earth'sbuddy under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License

Rat infestation forces food factory closure

By Gwen Ridler

An infestation of rats forced sandwich manufacturer CK Foods in Bedale, North Yorkshire – trading as Country Kitchens – to close part of its factory for three days last week.

Food manufacturers identified the challenges they faced in providing effective food safety training

Manufacturers reveal food safety training challenges

By Gwen Ridler

Up to three-quarters (74%) of food and drink firms are planning to improve food safety in their businesses, as they reveal the challenges of providing effective training for their staff, according to a survey by Campden BRI.

The FSA believes third-party hygiene audits need to be more robust

Food Standards Agency reforms are not a ‘secret mission’

By Rick Pendrous

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) reforms under its Regulating Our Future (ROF) programme are about making the Agency “fit for purpose” and not a “back door” way of shifting the full cost burden of inspecting food businesses onto the industry while...

Food and drink recalls in the UK more than doubled in 2015/16

Food and drink recalls more than double in 2015/16

By Michelle Perrett

The number of food and drink product recalls in the UK grew by 62% in 2015/16 driven by the impact of new EU labelling legislation, the Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) report has revealed.

Salmonella cases have risen by 3% across the EU since 2014

Salmonella cases across the EU are increasing

By Michelle Perrett

Salmonella cases have increased by 3% across the EU since 2014, according to a new report compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Some butchery skills – such as deboning carcasses – are more difficult to automate than others

Feature analysis

Food processors seek efficient and hygienic kit

By Alyson Magee

Processors want equipment that is efficient and hygienic, and a reduction
in manual handling. But they also need sustainability, says Alyson Magee.

Cost-cutting has led to a rise in food and drink recalls, claimed Lockton

Cost-cutting sparks rise in food and drink recalls

By Gwen Ridler

Cost-cutting by food and drink manufacturers has sparked a rise in product recalls over the past six years, as the number of foods recalled for being contaminated with foreign bodies has more than tripled, claimed insurance broker Lockton.

Metal contamination sparked a recall of Greencore wraps

Metal contamination sparks Greencore recall

By Gwen Ridler

Convenience food manufacturer Greencore has been forced to recall wraps from three supermarkets, after they were contaminated with small pieces of metal.

Food Manufacture’s most read stories of 2017

Food Manufacture’s most read stories of 2017

By Gwen Ridler

2 Sisters boss Ranjit Boparan’s call to give evidence before a parliamentary committee and Nestlé’s relocation of some of its manufacturing operations to Poland feature in this photogallery of the most read stories on our website this year.

Packaging firm Euro Packaging UK ltd was fined £100k, after a worker’s arm was crushed in machinery

Food packaging firm fined £100k for hand crush

By Gwen Ridler

A company that manufactures packaging for the food and drink industry has been fined £100,000 for health and safety offences, after a worker’s hand was crushed.

The alleged food safety breaches at 2 Sister’s West Bromwich plant should serve as a ‘wake-up call’

2 sisters food safety incident should act as ‘wake-up call’

By Gwen Ridler

The alleged food safety incident at 2 Sisters Food Group’s West Bromwich chicken cutting plant was not a “one-off” for the company and should act as a “wake-up call” for food regulators and accreditation services, according to a House of Commons report.

Bosses at Axgro Foods insist health and safety is their ‘number one priority’ following the incident

Factory chemical incident puts 11 in hospital

By Noli Dinkovski

Bosses at a Lincolnshire food factory have insisted health and safety is their “number one priority” after a chemical incident hospitalised 11 staff.

David Edwards has criticised the FSA’s plans for certified regulatory auditors

Auditing expert hits out at FSA’s reforms

By Rick Pendrous

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) flagship Regulating Our Future (ROF) programme has been criticised for being “on a wobble”, by a leading food hygiene auditing expert.

2 Sisters owner Boparan Holdings has reported a drop in profits in its full-year results

2 Sisters owner’s profits drop in full-year results

By Gwen Ridler

Boparan Holdings, the parent company of 2 Sisters Food Group, has reported a £26M drop in operating profit in its full-year results, as it struggles with a “tough trading environment” and rising input costs.

Boparan agrees to fund FSA inspectors at all 2SFG cutting plants

2 Sisters’ Boparan to fund FSA inspections at all cutting plants

By Michelle Perrett

Ranjit Boparan, the boss of 2 Sisters Food Group (2SFG), has agreed to fund Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspectors across all of its plants as well as implement CCTV in all areas and improve staff training to restore confidence in its poultry production....

2 Sisters Food Group boss Ranjit Boparan will appear before a parliamentary committee today

2 Sisters boss Boparan faces parliamentary committee today

By Michelle Perrett

2 Sisters Food Group boss Ranjit Boparan will appear before a parliamentary committee today (October 25), after allegations were made about food safety, hygiene and welfare breaches at the company’s West Bromwich plant.

Food manufacturers’ training programmes are a key factor in staff retention strategies: Alex Bebbington

FMEAS

Training programmes ‘are a key part of staff retention’

By Mike Stones

Food manufacturers’ training programmes are a key means of staff retention, particularly for young people, says Alex Bebbington, Appetite Learning’s commercial director and judge of this year’s Food Manufacture Excellence Awards (FMEAs).

PATS is aimed at extending shelf life

News in Brief

Hipster pressure-assisted thermal sterilisation unveiled

By Rick Pendrous

A novel pressure-assisted thermal sterilisation process technology for food, developed as part of the EU-funded ‘Hipster’ project, will be the focus of a seminar taking place in Wageningen in the Netherlands this month.

Ranjit Singh Boparan has been called to give evidence at a parliamentary committee hearing this month

2 Sisters’ boss called to parliamentary hearing

By Gwen Ridler

2 Sisters Food Group boss Ranjit Boparan has been called to appear before a parliamentary inquiry, after allegations of food safety, hygiene and welfare breaches at its West Bromwich plant.