As a great believer in giving consumers a mix of culinary pleasure and technology-led products, I am encouraged by the investments being made in the UK’s food manufacturing industry.
The European Parliament’s (EP’s) call for milk labelled as ‘fresh’ to be under seven days old raises the question of the meaning of ‘fresh’ in relation to any food.
UK food manufacturers are expecting a more consistent approach to the implementation of nutrition policy under the coalition government than under Labour, but many fear next month’s comprehensive spending review could present challenges.
Members of the Unite union at Vion’s chicken processing plant in Llangefni will meet next Wednesday (September 8) to decide whether to take industrial action over pay after the results of a ballot were announced this week.
Staff at Maple Leaf Bakery UK’s Walsall factory will begin strikes next week after a trade union reballot produced a majority of members in favour of action.
Trade body Dairy UK has urged the UK government to take a more science-based approach to nutrition policy when staff from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) join the Department of Health (DoH) in the autumn.
If overfishing by Icelandic and Faroese fishing boats in the Northeast Atlantic continues, then all Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified mackerel fisheries will lose their accreditation by January 2012, according to a spokesman for the body.
More price hikes for tapioca starch look to be on the cards as drought and pink mealybug infestation of Thai cassava crops has driven up raw material prices to unprecedented heights – with no relief on the horizon.
New Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) powers to monitor and adjudicate on online marketing materials will place web-based messaging for healthy foods under serious scrutiny for the first time, with many likely to fall foul of the agency’s guidelines,...
Arla's lactose-free brand Lactofree is generating value growth of 37% year-on-year, bosses have revealed as the dairy giant unveiled a sharp rise in interim profits.
Beet sugar giant British Sugar could produce another 120,000t of sugar a year from refineries in Wissington, Newark and Bury St Edmunds by introducing raw cane sugar inputs to its refining process, the firm has revealed.
More than 20 roles at Givaudan’s savoury flavours factory in Bromborough – which is earmarked for closure in 2012/13 - will be retained and will transfer to other sites owned by the Swiss flavours giant, bosses have revealed.
Tayto’s Red Mill Snack Foods factory at Wednesbury is scheduled to close next month as all remaining production is transferred to its factory at Corby in Northamptonshire.
Premium spirits firm Sipsmith is already running at around 70% capacity just 14 months after launch following the success of its copper-distilled barley vodka and London Dry Gin, and is looking to possibly purchase a further still "at some point"...
Givaudan plans to streamline its savoury flavour manufacturing production in Europe, with a new plant in Hungary designed to take over most of its current production from the UK and Switzerland.
A rapid egg cooling system that uses carbon dioxide to create a thin layer of ice on the inside of the shell would cut salmonella illnesses and significantly extend product shelf life, said the US scientist spearheading the development.
Kerry Group has posted solid growth in UK sales of chilled own-label ready meals and ready-to-cook products in the first half, “outperforming category growth rates”.
Hampshire-based Stiletto Foods has made its first foray into the US market after striking a deal with natural foods giant Whole Foods Market that will see Mrs Crimble's free-from products listed in five of Whole Foods Market’s 11 regions in the US.
UK imports of Californian raisins increased by 26% during the 2009/10 season, according to the trade organisation representing the largest Californian growers.
Bradford-based crisp manufacturer Seabrook is scouting around for a second production facility in the Northampton area after unveiling ambitious plans to more than double sales from £28m to £63m in the next five years.
Hundreds of proposed botanical-health relationships ranging from antioxidant activity to skin health to immunity to gut health will almost certainly be rejected if the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) holds to its current methodologies, according...
Amaranth-based gluten-free products may be edging towards wider acceptance after German scientists provided key information on preparing amaranth-based sourdoughs.
Cut-backs in food safety and hygiene training may be setting up a ‘food poisoning time bomb’, suggest results of a survey from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).
The alignment of Somerfield and Co-operative food ranges will be completed by the end of next month, 17 months after the £1.6bn merger was sealed and at least six months before the Somerfield store fascia disappears from the High Street.
If a protected geographical indication (PGI) application for Lincolnshire Sausages is not derailed, producers accounting for more than 95% of sales will be excluded from the market, a leading manufacturer has claimed.
Bosses at CenFRA (Centre for Food Robotics and Automation) are talking to a series of potential new backers in a bid to secure alternative sources of funding before government cash dries up.
Surveys that compare salt levels in products of different weights targeted at different eating occasions and then single out individual firms for criticism are unfair and unhelpful, Marks & Spencer has argued.
Relatively simple and inexpensive robots could be the key for robot manufacturers looking to boost UK sales, according to a leading automation industry figure.
Culina Logistics is looking to work more closely with retailers on primary distribution contracts (collecting goods from manufacturers or shared user depots on behalf of retailers for delivery into their regional distribution centres).
UK media watchdog Ofcom has rejected complaints from cereal food giants Nestlé and Kellogg’s that they were treated unfairly by the Channel 4 programme What’s in Your Breakfast?
A new Turkish government report shows that the nation’s consumers are increasingly favouring the mass grocery retail (MGR) sector, while rising disposable incomes also mean an accompanying shift towards packaged, frozen and processed foods.
Treating potatoes with electricity and ultra-sound could improve their antioxidant activity by up to 60 per cent, according to new research from Obihiro University in Hokkaido, Japan.
Arla’s 1bn-litre ‘super dairy’ will not – as suggested in press reports this week – be constructed ‘near the western fringe of the M25 between Slough and Uxbridge’, bosses have insisted.
Bosses at meat and poultry giant Vion should find out on September 1 whether staff at its chicken processing plant in Llangefni plan to take strike action over pay.
Twinings has confirmed that a “small number” of staff at its factory in North Shields have accessed confidential payroll details relating to 263 staff without authorisation.
The world’s first 100 percent biodegradable chip packet attracted a lot of noise last week, but not the buzz that SunChips’ maker FritoLay had been hoping for.
UK demand for food-grade recycled plastics continues to outstrip supply and drive prices, according to a new report from the UK government-funded Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Asda boss Andy Clarke’s recent ‘Gerald Ratner’ moment simply reflects what any product developer working with the supermarkets will tell you in private, that the retailer’s own-label range does not stack up against the competition in the quality stakes.
Ecclefechan Tart, shortbread, Scottish wild venison, Ayrshire bacon and several regional preserves and speciality cheeses are all prime candidates for EU protected name status, according to a new report.
The Scottish Pelagic Fisherman’s Association (SFPA) claims that Icelandic and Faroese government decisions over mackerel fishing quotas for 2010 are “insane”, and could raise prices for food producers, as well as putting Scotland’s Marine Stewardship...
Food manufacturers working with Amazon on its new UK grocery business remain frustrated and disappointed by its progress six weeks after launch, although most still say they would not bet against the online retailer in the long-term.
