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Diaz: 'This is a trend that is set to grow'

Top healthy food trends: low sodium at forefront

By Rod Addy

Demand for healthy food and drink will increase, with low sodium options helping to drive new product development (NPD), according to Carlos Diaz, food director at Food Innovation Solutions (FIS).

The directors of DJ Houghton have now accepted the GLA's decision to revoke its licence

‘Worst UK gangmaster ever’ drops appeal

By Rod Addy

The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has branded DJ Houghton Catching Services the “worst UK gangmaster ever” after it withdrew an appeal against having its licence revoked.

The FoodIntegrity project aims to unite scientists worldwide to combat food fraud

UK spearheads €12M EU food fraud project

By Rod Addy

An EU-wide initiative targeting food fraud, costing €12M, has been announced, spearheaded by the UK’s Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).

Health surveillance is vital, said the HSE

Safety failures led to £60k bill for cold storage firm

By Michael Stones

A cold storage firm has been ordered to pay £60,000 for a series of health and safety failings, which left one worker injured by falling equipment and others with damage to nerves and joints.

Cosser: 'This is a celebration of creativity and technology'

Processors can grab ideas from molecular gastronomy

By Rod Addy

Restaurant-inspired molecular gastronomy offers considerable potential for food manufacturers’ new product development (NPD), according to Stefan Cosser, head of innovation at consultancy Food Innovation Solutions (FIS).

Inspections may only occur every 18 months

Food safety crisis could be on the horizon

By Paul Gander

With ever-tighter environmental health budgets and the looming threat both of greater cost recovery and of privatisation, some experts claim we have all the ingredients for a full-blown food safety crisis.

A supply chain cannot be run from an office, according to Adams

Site visits fundamental to securing growth: CCE boss

By Nicholas Robinson

Steve Adams is a sensation at Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE). A former electrical apprentice, he rose to become CCE group director of supply chain operations for Great Britain in April last year, following a four-year stint as operations director at the...

Calling all young food and drink manufacturing talent: have your achievements recognising by entering the new FMEA category

New award celebrates young talent in food

By Rick Pendrous

Food Manufacture is launching a new award this year that will make emerging talent a focus of the 2014 Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs).

Manufacturers have the chance to take control of developing apprenticeships

Here today, gone tomorrow - all change for apprenticeships

By Sarah Marshall, FDQ

Recent food and drink sector apprenticeship figures have shown about 3,500 apprentices starting a programme each year for the past two years; this is a good build on previous years, where figures hovered around 500 – 1,000.

Many companies are too focused on individual aspects of maintenance

‘Stop wasting money on maintenance’

By Rick Pendrous

Too many UK food and drink manufacturers are wasting huge amounts of money by not taking a more holistic approach to their asset care and maintenance operations, according to the boss of a leading specialist consultancy.

Food businesses are failing to cut as much energy as they could do, says Ritchie

Food and drink firms miss energy savings

By Laurence Gibbons

Food and drink manufacturers fail to properly use existing equipment to save energy in production and as a result are looking in the wrong places to cut costs.

Fleximize will offer loans to businesses that have already been refused money by banks

SMEs rejected by banks offered financing

By Laurence Gibbons

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food and drink sector could benefit from an innovative and flexible source of financing if they have previously been rejected by banks, according to a new company launched this week.

The merits of a merger or acquisition should be judged on whether it adds value to the business, said Ben Mercer

Business Leaders' Forum

How to spot a good food industry merger or acquisition

By Michael Stones

“The key driver should be the future integration of the business to add value to the whole,” Ben Mercer, partner corporate with the law firm, told the Food Manufacture Group’s Business Leaders’ Forum in London last week.

Constantly evolving threats posed by food germs must be fought with effective training, Campden BRI claims

Campden BRI targets microbiological skills gap

By Rod Addy

Tesco, Sainsbury and 2 Sisters Food Group are among the firms contributing to a report published by Campden BRI designed to tackle the lack of training to fight microbiological food contamination.

Leech:

BUSINESS LEADERS' FORUM

Exports need government support – FDF boss

By Rod Addy

The government could support food exports more, Melanie Leech, director general of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), claimed, shortly before Lord Livingstone pledged more trade backing.

Morrisons confirmed an arrest had been made but released no further details

Morrisons quiet on ‘insider trading arrest’

By Michael Stones

Morrisons is refusing to confirm or deny reports that its group treasurer Paul Coyle has been arrested on suspicion of insider dealing, in advance of the supermarket’s partnership with online grocer Ocado.

Factory floor staff should be involved in contributing to a firm's lean thinking culture, said Williams

Patchy implementation hampers continuous improvement

By Rod Addy

The cultivation of a lean manufacturing culture of continuous improvement is often hampered by firms “cherry picking” what they implement, according to Jeff Williams of business consultancy SA Partners.

Adams said the centre will have the capability to train up to 20,000 people a year

Coca-Cola Enterprises’ centre to attract industry recruits

By Nicholas Robinson

Coca-Cola Enterprises’ (CCE) latest education centre will attract young people into the food and drink manufacturing industry and play its part in helping to train around 20,000 people a year that pass through the centres in total when it opens in Milton...

Clare Cheney, director general, Provision Trade Federation

The power of three in Elliott’s interim report

By Clare Cheney

Among the recommendations in the Elliott interim report on the horsemeat fiasco three stood out, not because they were necessarily the most important, but because they addressed issues that have long been matters of great concern to the industry. But...

Food and farming minister George Eustice (right) presents this year's David Black Award to Pete Brown

Pig producers call for help to supply China

By Rick Pendrous

Pig producers have called on government for more support to assist growing exports to China. They also want it to resist mounting calls to lift the pig swill ban, fearing this could leave the sector open to exotic new diseases.

A new Food Crime Unit to tackle food fraud was a key recommendation of the Elliott Review

Breaking News

New Food Crime Unit recommended after horsemeat

By Michael Stones

A new Food Crime Unit should be set up to combat food fraud following the horsemeat crisis, recommends the government-commissioned Elliott Review.

Holt: ‘Are you delivering against all your customer expectations?’

Innovation audits vital to NPD health

By Rod Addy

Innovation audits should be a vital part of any new product development (NPD) strategy to maintain a regular flow of fresh ideas, according to Celia Holt, director at Food Innovation Solutions.

The ASA upheld complaints that Richard Thoburn's anti-Romanian adverts were irresponsible and likely to cause widespread offence

Advertising watchdog bans anti-Romanian advert

By Michael Stones

An online advert urging employers not to employ people from Romania – linked to the question “the most depraved country on earth?” – has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Beware unlicenced gangmasters offering Bulgarian and Romanian workers, food firms have been warned

Beware unlicensed gangmasters employing Bulgarians

By Rick Pendrous

Food and drink manufacturing employers across the UK employing temporary staff have been warned about employing Bulgarian and Romanian workers from unlicensed gangmasters, ahead of immigration rule changes that come into effect in 2014.

Morrisons expects to serve 50% of the UK's homes by the end of next year

Morrisons plans online launch, as sales to soar

By Michael Stones

UK online sales of food and groceries are set to more than double in value to reach £14.6bn by 2018, while Morrisons recently unveiled plans to launch online deliveries next month.

Food industry training initiative welcomed by skills minister

Government impressed by industry skills initiative

By Rod Addy

Government skills minister Matthew Hancock has been impressed by an initiative aimed at fully training tomorrow’s food industry workers, spearheaded by the National Skills Academy (NSA) for Food and Drink.

RBS has been accused of treating some small businesses 'horrendously' by a government adviser

RBS accused of ‘horrendous treatment’ of small firms

By Michael Stones

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been accused of “horrendous treatment” of some small firms, after it allegedly wrongly classified sound businesses in a high risk category in order to boost revenue.

Consumers will be asked to simulate a weekly shop to determine which part of the brain is involved in making choices

Consumers to undergo brain scanning to test food promotions

By Laurence Gibbons

Food and drink shoppers are to undergo brain scanning, under lab conditions, to test their reactions to promotions and special offers as part of a new project by the University of Bangor and shopper research firm SBXL.

Top that: A Kingsmill lorry became wedged under a Primark canopy in Cambridge this week. Photograph courtesy of Felicity Price

Kingsmill lorry comes home to Primark – oophs!

By Michael Stones

A lorry operated by Kingsmill owner Associated British Foods (ABF) became unexpectedly reunited with another division of the food and clothing giant, after wedging itself under one of Primark’s shopfront canopies in Cambridge this week.

Soft sell: Asda is using social media to encourage consumer engagement and drive product innovation, rather than as a direct sales tool, said its chief marketing officer Stephen Smith

Asda uses social media to engage consumers

By Rick Pendrous

Asda is using social media to encourage consumer engagement and drive its latest product innovation, rather than as a direct sales tool because consumers don’t like it being used to sell to them, according to the retailer’s chief marketing officer Stephen...

The partnership will help Unilever deliver on its sustainability pledge

Unilever’s new partnership to tackle long-term issues

By Laurence Gibbons

Unilever and the University of Manchester will tackle long-term issues facing the food and drink sector, such as sustainable consumption, as part of their partnership agreement, signed last week.

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