The md of frozen Thai food importer CP Foods UK has dismissed accusations that companies such as his are killing off UK poultry processors who can't compete on price.
Bob Miller refuted his critics as the company announced ambitious plans to increase its annual sales of around £100M by 50% over the next five years. CP Foods imports added-value Thai cooked chicken, duck, prawns and dim sum through its Newmarket factory.
While admitting that the company benefited from lower costs, Miller rebutted attacks from others, such as Challenger Foods (Food Manufacture, December 2006, p12), that operations such as his were destroying the UK chicken industry.
"I don't agree at all. There is a definite market place for the UK producers and they are safe," said Miller, who added that they had the advantage over importers' four-month lead time.
CP Foods UK, based in Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, part of the Thai-owned CP Food Group, recently changed its name from Fusion Foods. It intends to grow its foodservice and retail sales on top of its existing manufacturing ingredients supply business, which represents around 70% of its turnover. It supplies around 3,000t of cooked chicken each month.
"We operate to the highest standards of bio-security, hygiene and manufacturing practices," said Miller. "We will concentrate on adding value by lower cost production in Thailand."
The 2,787m2 Newmarket operation, which comprises five production lines and also houses product development facilities, was commissioned in August 2005 to combine specialist product coming from Thailand with innovative processing and packaging in the UK for sale to the retail sector. In 2001 the company launched its own Carisma brand for foodservice.