Increasing competition from own-label, as well as more attention to consumer preferences, is helping to usher in fresh packaging innovation in herbs and spices.
Bristol couple Ian and Ruth Yard sold their food retail outlet and invested the £250,000 in setting up their first factory manufacturing Ooh! Chocolata chocolate bars.
Waitrose is soon to follow the lead of Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Tesco. The latter two were the first UK retailer to adopt the use of a proven ethylene remover insert in their packs of fresh produce.
The probiotics industry in Europe has launched scientific and legal bids to counter an EU-wide ban on using the word 'probiotic' on packaging and marketing materials.
The clean-label road isn't an easy one for manufacturers to take, but Ingredion's Aaron Edwards says it will reap financial rewards, reports Gary Scattergood
Planned in-store trials of a new board tray design will show how the material can support differentiation and growth in the ready meals market, according to supplier Meadwestvaco (MWV).
Adams Foods has achieved consistent weighing accuracy at higher speeds than manual labelling by implementing 16 Marel OCM9500 box labellers on its packing line.
A work experience student whose ready meal idea wowed Tesco, food workers allegedly forced to work in slave-like conditions and a food manufacturer forced into administration after losing a key Morrisons contract were just three of the topics in our list...
UK food and drink manufacturers have welcomed “the significant progress” achieved in meeting the supply chain and packaging waste reduction targets set out as part of the Courtauld Commitment.
It is "inevitable" that the Department of Health (DoH) will recommend a single hybrid front-of-pack labelling system that combines guideline daily amounts (GDAs) and traffic light labelling, which will serve a massive blow to the industry.
A new ready meal packaging format is said to be attracting interest from retailers, thanks to a novel design that offers greater convenience for consumers.
Specialist film supplier MonoSol says its latest edible and water-soluble film is more robust than a first-generation product, and reports particular interest among companies supplying the foodservice sector with pre-dosed ingredients.
Food manufacturers have been told to find “innovative ways of reducing water use”, after a survey by the Foodservice Consultants Society International UK and Ireland (FCSI) revealed 84% of members saw water usage as having the biggest impact on the sector...
The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is canvassing the food industry about the most promising ways to extend shelf-life, with the results of the consultation set to shape the waste reduction watchdog's future research.
A Cheshire jam manufacturer is claiming victory after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced plans to launch a consultation on changing labelling rules.
Brands that go out of their way to explain on pack the sustainability of their product or packaging could be wasting their time, according to new consumer research.
Questions about whether food manufacturers fully exploit consumers’ preference for UK sourced meat and poultry have been raised by the latest YouGov survey.
Printed electronics is about to take a leap forward, with a prototype temperature sensor scheduled for this year, and interactive tags less than five years away, one European technology provider has predicted.
The shelf-life of fresh produce sold in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) could be substantially extended if a £3.15M EU-funded research project proves successful.
While other pack types such as rigid plastics are seeing growth in inline forming and filling options, pouches continue to see more interest in the preformed version, with shaped and multi-compartment packs offering valued differentiation.
As UK food and drink manufacturers search for ways to reduce packaging and carbon footprints, a new drinks launch in Thailand could point the way ahead.
Sugar packager and distributor Napier Brown will create 20 new jobs at its facility in Normanton, West Yorkshire in a move welcomed by shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper.
The "first-ever" automated system capable of loading bagged produce into receptacles for transportation aims to help eliminate unnecessary wastage of fruit in factories.
A new electronic nose designed to detect ripeness could save millions of pounds each year in preventing the wastage of fruit and vegetables, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The newly-formed Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (AIPIA) is urging the European Commission (EC) to legislate in order to clarify which AIP technologies and materials can be used, and how they can be applied.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has defended the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) after Campbell’s Soup pledged to phase out its use in all cans due to consumers' safety concerns.
Food packaging will need to adapt to major changes in demographics, social trends and the supply chain in the future. Just what this could mean for the industry emerged in a recent series of seminars.
The limited reduction in supply chain product and packaging waste in the latest phase of the Courtauld Commitment is due to its relative recent introduction as a target, said the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
The government is failing to do enough to encourage an open debate on the use of nanotechnology and bodies such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) should step into the breach.
Food products designed for consumers over the age of 65 is one of the key food trends that will dominate 2012, according to marketing research firm Innova Market Insights.
Food packaging firm Veriplast UK has left 67 employees with the choice of losing their jobs or relocating to Holland after the firm announced the closure of its factory in County Durham.
Major investment is even more important during tough times than easy ones, according to Steve Adams, Coca-Cola Enterprise’s operations director at Sidcup.
Hundreds of millions of pounds are being wasted each year because new packaging designs are being dreamt up that won’t feed through packaging machinery.
Continental European applications of Rexam’s hybrid Fusion aluminium can-bottle in beers, wines and other key categories have, so far, not been matched by UK brand owners. But the pack is already in use in niche areas including energy and beauty drinks.
Nicola Swann, from Videojet Technologies, has triumphed in the PPMA Show's Ones to Watch awards. The awards recognise promising under 35-year-olds who have made an outstanding contribution to the UK packaging and processing machinery industry.
