Pioneering Oxford technology firm Spice Application Systems (SAS) has grown overall sales by 20% so far this year, but admits the UK market is lagging behind Europe in uptake terms.
Help for food manufacturers battling soaring sugar prices could arrive in mid October when the European Commission (EC) will unveil plans to reform the European Union (EU) sugar regime, according to industry sources.
Cadbury has spent £4.5m installing new equipment to manufacture chocolate drinks in-house at its Chirk factory near Wrexham, while the company says its Somerdale site will be sold within months.
A leading M&A lawyer has described Kraft’s plan to divide its global operations as a “hugely significant” move that could lead other multinational food businesses to demerge operations.
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.
Union the Unite is seeking assurances about UK jobs and production at Kraft and Cadbury’s, following the announcement that Kraft is set to split its business into two independent companies.
Version 6 of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety could lead to more unannounced audits being forced on manufacturers, according to a third-party certification body.
The retail promotional system is flawed, unsustainable and needs a complete overhaul, although manufacturers are divided over the ability of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) or the new adjudicator to tackle this.
With accusations of misleading advertising from consumer groups Which? in the UK and Foodwatch in Germany, and bad publicity about the way its Nutella hazelnut spread has been marketed in the US, Ferrero md for UK and Ireland, Christian Walter is remarkably...
Unite the Union is preparing to ballot members at four British Sugar plants on industrial action over pay, in what could lead to the first strike action at the firm in 30 years.
Zetar says its key focus over the next three years will be to drive sales of premium private label and branded products across both its confectionery and snacks divisions.
Can you make it taste better?" is a question I've been asked time and time again, usually by people who don't actually know what they want and who don't understand the word 'taste' at all – let alone the journey you need...
US private equity firm Blackstone Group has bought a majority stake in Blackpool-based Tangerine Confectionery, FoodManufacture.co.uk understands, while management has also reinvested in the firm.
Chocolaterie Casemir is defiantly marching to the beat of its own accordion. When most firms are automating, streamlining and cutting costs, Casemir is looking for ways to diversify revenue sources that allow it to continue making chocolate by hand and...
The future for spirulina – the blue colouring derived from algae that is used in Nestlé's Smarties – remains uncertain as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported that it had delayed its investigations into this and a number of other substances used...
Tough new regulations are needed to tackle the promotion of junk food to children by large food firms, according to the author of a prominent new report on responsible standards for food marketing.
Thorntons announced today that it plans to close at least 120 own stores, replacing many with franchised outlets, and will also seek savings of more than £2m a year by cutting supply chain costs.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a claim by supermodel Naomi Campbell that a Cadbury advert comparing her to a chocolate bar was racially offensive.
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.
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.
In response to the increasing volume of sales in the out of home market, the world’s largest trade fair, Anuga, is launching a tradeshow for the foodservice sector this October.
Kraft ceo Irene Rosenfeld has countered criticism of her no-show at a parliamentary select committee looking into Kraft’s takeover of Cadbury, and says she has spoken to the ''folks that really matter to me'' in the UK.
Despite his firm's successful push to boost foodservice sales over the past year, Lees Foods ceo Clive Miquel believes the retail sector is where the “real growth lies” , as the company looks to extend its brands into complementary product areas.
Wirral Borough Council says it ''left no stone unturned'' in trying to persuade Burton’s Foods not to close its Moreton biscuit factory, and even offered the company a £450,000 grant as a sweetener.
Local MP Angela Eagle has slammed Burton's Foods as "disloyal" after it announced today that it was going ahead with closing its biscuit factory in Moreton.
Confectionery and snacks group Zetar has described the last year as a ''difficult period'' for its snacks division, as sales flatlined and commodity costs rose.
Nestlé has revealed to FoodManufacture.co.uk that it is planning a significant extension to its confectionery and biscuit product technology centre (PTC) in York.
Major brand owners such as Coca-Cola, Mars and Unilever are increasing their marketing spend on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to interact directly with consumers using smartphones, while small firms are also upping their...
Private equity group Blackstone is close to acquiring the stake owned by investors Growth Capital Partners in Tangerine Confectionery, the largest British manufacturer of sugar confectionery and branded popcorn, claim media reports.
Former Thorntons chairman Peter Thornton says the firm's current woes are due to an unduly large shop chain, poorer product quality and "extremely bad" retail marketing.
Nestlé UK may keep its headquarters in Croydon, despite reissuing a warning that it is "reviewing other options" outside the London borough in a bid to escape its dilapidated site by 2014.
Unseasonably hot Easter weather dented Thorntons sales for the crucial third quarter sales period up to April 30 2011, while the firm has predicted a drop in full-year profits.
Former Harrods supplier Browne’s Chocolates has been bought out of liquidation by entrepreneurs who previously transformed a Cornish brewer, FoodManufacture.co.uk can reveal.
Sweet manufacturer Haribo has revealed to FoodManufacture.co.uk that it will open a new 500,000 sq ft factory and distribution facility in Normanton near Leeds in 2013.
Storck announced today that it will close its Bendicks manufacturing site in Winchester and consolidate production in Germany with the loss of 84 jobs.
Paul Cornillon seems amazingly laid back for a man responsible for coordinating Tate & Lyle’s global development plans, or as he phrases it, “putting the 'D' in R&D”.
Zetar has bought chocolate company Derwent Lynton, with ceo Ian Blackburn telling FoodManufacture.co.uk that the confectionery and snacks group is targeting more acquisitions.
The UK market for chewing- and bubble gum has hit a sticky patch, says research firm Key Note, with a focus from major brands such as Wrigley on mint gum marking a return to “simpler and more effective products”.
