Food manufacturing investments and acquisitions dominate the headlines in the latest edition of Good week, Bad week – your sideways look at the past seven days in food and drink manufacturing.
Staff will rise to tough new standards and adapt to new working conditions provided firms can demonstrate they are putting their money where their mouths are and invest in the best possible kit.
Having to use the Groceries Code Adjudicator would be like going to the marriage guidance service Relate – by the time you get to that point the relationship has already broken down.
Alcoholic drinks maker Halewood International, egg products producer Noble Foods and sweet maker Tangerine Confectionery are the top three food and drink firms included in a list of 100 British private companies with the fastest growing profits.
A total of 50 jobs are facing the axe at Nestlé and Dairy Crest as consultation processes continue at two of the firms’ factories in Scotland and Somerset.
Premier Foods will be keen to make further disposals ahead of any deal with its lenders, according to city analysts, after Manchester jam manufacturer Duerr’s confirmed it was still considering a bid for Hartley’s jam.
UK confectioners could still do more to make their products healthier following Nestlé’s claim that it has become the first major firm to remove all artificial ingredients from its entire range, according to industry experts.
Smirnoff manufacturer Diageo’s recent export success will be a tough act to follow for UK firms, according to city analysts, after the drinks giant revealed that 40% of its sales now come from emerging markets.
Despite rising wheat and energy prices, Warburtons says it was forced to keep a check on bread prices and increase promotions during 2010 to “maintain its market share”.
Despite better margins for food buyers using online auctions, suppliers remain worried by low price points and the possible lack of a long-term supply relationship, while one large food firm said that it was sometimes easier to “simply pick up the phone”.
The few remaining staff at Loseley’s ice cream plant in South Wales are expected to leave the site in the coming days following the company’s collapse last month, a company spokesperson has confirmed to FoodManufacture.co.uk.
