FoodManufacture.co.uk and our sister magazine, Food Manufacture are searching for the entrepreneur who best deserves the title 2011 Food Personality of the Year. We have nominated six candidates – listed below – who we believe have a worthy claim on this prestigious title. But we need your help to select the overall winner.
2011 Food Personality of the Year Candidates are:
- Christine Bense, plant director, Kraft Foods, Banbury.
- Ranjit Boparan, chief executive, Boparan Holdings
- Geoff Eaton, managing director, Uniq
- Joe Franses, head of corporate responsibility and sustainability, Coca-Cola Enterprises
- John Tague, managing director, Seabrook Crisps
- Brian Young, director general, British Frozen Food Federation.
To select your Food Manufacturing Personality of the Year click here.
Bense has guided significant changes and environmental improvements at the firm’s 17-acre site near Banbury, Oxfordshire. Energy use has been cut by 7% and water use reduced by 12%. Kenco's recently-launched refill packs use 97% less packaging and its newly-designed jar uses less glass.
Northern Foods
Boparan made a successful £342m last-minute, cash bid for the own-label specialist Northern Foods earlier this year.
Eaton has done "remarkably well," in the words of one analyst, to improve the fortunes of the chilled foods firm.
Franses spearheaded and communicated Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) corporate responsibility and sustainability (CRS) initiatives. He promotes best practice in sustainability and regularly highlights CCE's track record on CRS at events and conferences.
Tague has overseen a revolution at Seabrook Crisps since his promotion from commercial director to managing director in February 2009. The firm now has listings with: Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Morrisons.
Young has campaigned to revamp frozen food's image in the UK. In the process, he has helped to raise the profile of the entire food manufacturing sector at government level.
Last year’s winner of the Food Manufacture Personality of the Year award was TV presenter and farmer Jimmy Doherty. His BBC TV programme Jimmy's Food Factory did much to raise the profile of the sector at a time when it needs to attract young talent.
Speaking at the award ceremony last year, Doherty said: “The food industry has a great secret – that’s the skills base involved.
Fuel the future
“It’s great to get kids excited. You’ve got to get kids excited because they are the next generation who are going to fuel the future.”
Meanwhile, 11 other 2011 Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards are up for grabs. Could your company be one of this year’s award winners? For an online entry form, click here. This year categories include:
- Ambient Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Bakery Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Beverages Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Chilled Food Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Fresh Produce Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Frozen Foods Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Meat and Poultry Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Seafood Manufacturing Company of the Year
There are also two Skills Awards:
- Diversity in Recruitment: Recognising excellence in recruiting from diverse groups
- Training Programme of the Year
Previous Food Manufacture Personality of the Year winners include:
2010…Jimmy Doherty, TV presenter and farmer.
2009…John Foster, managing director, Fosters Bakery
2008…Philip McIvor, chairman, Farmhouse Biscuits
2007…Helen Colley, managing director, Farmhouse Fayre
For more information about this year’s awards, or for help with downloading your entry form, please contact Rebecca George on 01293 610422 or email rebecca.george@wrbm.com .
This year’s award ceremony takes place at the Park Plaza, Riverbank, London on the evening of Tuesday, November 8.