- Ron Mellow of HJ Heinz is the new chairman of the Chilled Food Association (CFA). Previously vice chairman, Mellow has been a member of CFA's executive committee since 1999. He takes over from Geoff Andrews who has left the food industry.
- Classically trained chef Richard Monsell has joined Canterbury Foods as new product development manager to work on a new product line for foodservice and retail customers. After completing several head chef posts, Monsell worked as food development executive at Scottish & Newcastle, managing menu development for a variety of brands, before joining Canterbury.
- Emma Crossley has joined Alpro, the dairy-free brand, as the company dietician. Her role is to ensure that health professionals, retailers and consumers are aware of the health benefits of the Alpro soya range. She was previously at SHS International as an international product manager.
- Richmond Ice Cream has appointed Colin Tomlinson engineering manager at the firm's Crossgates factory in Leeds. The site produces top selling lines such as Fab, Milky Bar, Rowntrees Fruit Pastil and Rolo. Tomlinson spent the past three years working in the Spanish utilities sector. Prior to that, he was European consultant project manager at HJ Heinz in charge of electrical engineering at plants throughout Germany and Holland.
- Richard Ali, director of food policy at the British Retail Consortium since June 2002, has been appointed chief executive of the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX). He will succeed David Croston, EBLEX's first chief executive who retires at the end of March next year. Ali will start his new appointment in January.
- Michael Garrett, Nestlé SA's executive vice-president and head of zone Asia, Oceania and Africa (AOA), will retire next April after 44 years with the company. Frits van Dijk, presently ceo of Nestlé Waters, will take over on May 1, 2005.
Following the retirement of manufacturing director John Coghlan, Halo Foods has appointed two new directors. John Taylor joins the company as manufacturing director, while Robin Duckering takes up the role of supply chain director.
Taylor was previously general manager of desserts, ice creams and bakery producer D. Sidoli and Sons, while Duckering has worked with Robertson's Ledbury Preserves, part of RHM.