Drinks

British food brands dominate UK consumers’ baskets

Home-grown brands popular among Brits

By Laurence Gibbons

Six of the 10 most popular food and drink products in the UK are based there, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel.

Meantime is to open a pilot brewery to focus on new product development

SABMiller buys London craft brewer Meantime

By Michael Stones

Drinks multinational SABMiller has acquired London craft brewery Meantime Brewing Company, continuing the recent trend of beverage giants investing in craft brewers.

Boris Johnson pulls the other one

Election 2015

Politicians ‘pull the other one’ – down the pub

By Michael Stones

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) received a big political boost today (May 1), as the top contenders for Prime Minister David Cameron and Ed Miliband both joined 1,000 other prospective MPs in pledging to support the pressure group’s campaigns.

Food industry people on the move

Food industry people on the move – in pictures

By Laurence Gibbons

Morrisons, Iglo Group, Leatherhead Food Research and Assured Food Standards were all left searching for new bosses this month as the current incumbents announced their decisions to step away from their roles.

The deal gives Nichols access to customers at Merlin Group's visitor attractions nationwide

Nichols’ drinks deal offers strategic benefits

By Rod Addy

Nichols’ acquisition of a minority stake in slush and milk drinks distributor Noisy Drinks Co offers both firms considerable benefits, according to one leading analyst.

Bottling firms are demanding more from plastics permeability

Barrier properties for bottle use

By Paul Gander

Evidence from testing activity suggests that coating specialists are developing barriers with selective gas permeability in order to tailor in-bottle atmospheres to suit different beverages, rather as product-specific modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)...

There are three barriers preventing women in manufacturing

Top three barriers to women in manufacturing

By Laurence Gibbons

A lack of knowledge about food industry careers, misconceptions about manufacturing and a dip in apprenticeships are the three barriers blocking women from starting careers in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

CCE Milton Keynes's plant manager is eyeing up investment

Inside CCE Milton Keynes

By Nicholas Robinson

Coca-Cola Enterprises’ (CCE’s) 40 year-old Milton Keynes site has had more than £6M invested into it in the past three years, but plant director Nicholas Nixon wants more.

Ambitious trade deals are needed to stop Scotch whisky sales hitting the rocks: SWA

Whisky industry urges free trade to boost exports

By Michael Stones

Sinking whisky exports underline the need for the next government to press for more open markets and ambitious Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), urges the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Mondelēz is mulling a further £80M investment in its Banbury coffee plant

Mondelēz mulls £80M extra Banbury spend

By Nicholas Robinson

Mondelēz could pump a further £80M into its Banbury instant coffee production facility, creating up to 160 new jobs, if an existing £40M investment in two Tassimo lines yields good results.

Leonard said patience was a key weapon for small firms

Food Vision 2015

Small food firms’ key innovation weapon

By Laurence Gibbons

Small scale food and drink manufacturers have a key weapon in the battle to bring innovative new products to market – patience, according to the boss of one business.

Food industry people on the move

Food and drink industry people on the move

By Laurence Gibbons

Morrisons’s express check out of five board members leads our selection of the latest people on the move in the food and drink industry.

Fevzi-Hunt (far left) at the ribbon cutting for the new site

Alpro’s biggest challenges during £28.5M expansion

By Laurence Gibbons

Managing growing market share and multiple suppliers were the biggest challenges Alpro faced when constructing its new £28.5M production facility at its existing Burton Latimer site, near Kettering.

Sinking drinking: Scotch and beer consumption both fell last year

Whisky slump prompts budget action plea

By Michael Stones

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is urging chancellor George Osborne to cut duty by 2% in his March 18 budget, after it emerged the UK Scotch market fell by nearly 5% last year.

Alpro has doubled its drinks capacity at its Kettering site

Alpro’s £28.5M extension creates 50 jobs

By Laurence Gibbons

Plant-based food manufacturer Alpro has invested £28.5M in a new production facility at its existing Burton Latimer site, creating 50 new jobs.

Stacey is plotting to boost output to 19M cans next year

AG Barr to double output

Working with one high-speed production line can be a challenge, but Tim Stacey tells Nicholas Robinson there are more perks than drawbacks

There are eight varieties in the B.Fresh core range

£2M invested in new high pressure juice processing site

By Linda Groves

A first time fresh juice producer has pumped £2M into a new cold press and high pressure processing (HPP) juicing facility in Shropshire and has secured a contract with upmarket supermarket chain Booths. 

BrewDog is to create 130 new jobs at its Ellon facility in north east Scotland

BrewDog creates 130 new jobs with £1.5M grant

By Michael Stones

A surge in demand for craft beer has led the Aberdeenshire-based BrewDog to create 130 new jobs at Ellon in north east Scotland, after receiving a grant of £1.5M from the Scottish government.

Sinclair says staff will relocate from other parts of the business

Mondelēz boosts coffee site staff

By Linda Groves

Mondelēz will take on an extra 100 staff at its Banbury, Oxfordshire, coffee facility, following a major investment to boost its production capabilities and a joint venture with Douwe Egberts.

WHO issued a strong recommendation for sugar to form less than 10% of an individual’s daily energy intake

Food firms ‘sow seeds of doubt’ in WHO

By Rod Addy

World Health Organisation (WHO) sugar guidance is “disappointing” and suggests food firms have persuaded it to take a softer line on consumption, claims pressure group Action on Sugar (AoS).

Chaucer Foods makes a range of freeze-dried fruit and vegetable inclusions

Chaucer Foods to create 25 jobs in Hull

By Rod Addy

Chaucer Foods aims to create 25 jobs in Hull as the company adds a third production line there and looks to expand into gluten-free bakery items by 2016.

Purity Soft Drinks installs beverage disinfection kit

Purity Soft Drinks installs beverage disinfection kit

Purity Soft Drinks has installed a beverage disinfection system at its site at Wednesbury in the West Midlands. The system manufactures and doses a disinfectant agent and undertakes several tasks including treating process water, carrying out continuous...

Monster Khaos Energy + Juice was cited as an energy drink containing less sugar

Trade body shuns attack on energy drinks

By Rod Addy

The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) has rejected calls to ban the sale of energy drinks to children under 16, claiming they are not promoted to this age group.

Food industry people on the move

People on the move in the food industry

By Laurence Gibbons

Tesco, Morrisons, the Co-operative Group and northern retailer Booths all appointed new bosses this month as they look to protect themselves against the challenges of the changing retail market.

26,000 jobs in total created by cut in beer duty tax

500 brewery jobs follow beer duty cuts

By Nicholas Robinson

Nearly 500 jobs have been created by the chancellor’s decision to cut beer duty in 2013 and 2014, along with thousands of other roles.

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