Tulip wins ingredients manufacturing Oscar

The firm’s achievements were recognised in front of hundreds of industry guests, as the company’s new product and innovation (NPI) director Stacy Howe collected the award from awards host and star TV presenter Mark Durden-Smith.

The FMEA awards’ independent judging panel – led by Paul Wilkinson, chair of National Skills Academy – praised Tulip’s innovative use of a salt ingredient, which had made the firm the judges’ unanimous choice for winner. The reduced salt version of its Danepack bacon brand relies on an ingredient called Iposol together with a new curing process to cut salt levels by up to 30%.

‘Manage salt reduction’

One judge remarked: “Tulip was the clear winner in this category because using the ingredient it came up with a new curing process to manage salt reduction without compromising on food safety or taste.”

The meat business fought off stiff competition from fellow short-listed firms: Appy Food and Drinks, Moral Fibre Food, Sidney B Scott & Sons and Wild Snack Co.

Tulip employs about 8,000 people at 17 sites throughout the UK. The business supplies: fresh pork, bacon, sausages, gammon, cooked and canned meats as well as savoury snacks including scotch eggs and cocktail sausages.

The overall Food Manufacture Company of the Year was awarded to Northern Ireland headquartered meat and poultry firm Moy Park, which also won the Meat and poultry manufacturing company of the year earlier in the evening. 

Judges’ unanimous choice

Moy Park was the judges’ unanimous choice, based on its strong meat category leadership, financial performance, training and environmental credentials.

Jeremy Hall, group technical director of Bernard Matthews, won the coveted Food Manufacture Personality of the year title for his campaigning work to curb the spread of Britain’s number one cause of food poisoning – campylobacter.

The annual FMEAs, organised by William Reed Business Media’s Food Manufacture Group, now in their 15th year, have become the premier event in the food and drink manufacturing calendar.

The carnival-themed FMEAs were staged at the Lancaster hotel, London in a glittering award ceremony on the evening of Tuesday, November 3.   

Read the full list of FMEA winners and finalists here.

Meanwhile, could your food and drink manufacturing business match the achievement of 2 Sisters, Moy Park or Bernard Matthews? if so, register your interest in the 2016 Food Manufacture Excellence Awards here.