Staff at Burton’s Foods’ biscuit factory in Blackpool have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, after rejecting a 1.8% pay rise from the company.
PepsiCo UK admits it has not hit all its self-imposed targets to make products healthier, but says the economy and technical challenges are partly to blame.
Premier Foods needs urgently to find a successor to ceo Robert Schofield, say industry sources, as the firm continues to hunt for an heir amidst rumoured pressure from institutional investors.
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI) has launched two corn pellets called Dominos and Super Cornitos for snack food manufacturers aiming at natural, clean labels on packs.
Processors are braving the harsh economic climate to undertake big capital investments to increase their capacity, which reflects the results of Food Manufacture's 2011 survey.
European processors can access greener hardstocks, requiring far less heat and generating far less waste water, thanks to developments by Sime Darby Unimills.
Premier Foods has refused to comment on rumours that it is close to selling its own-label chilled foods and cake business RF Brookes and Avana Bakeries to a major industry rival.
Jam producer Wilkin & Sons is trying to establish a new home within its current and only base for over 125 years in Tiptree, Essex, as it bids to employ around 200 more people by 2030.
Border Biscuits is investing a further £2.5 million to increase manufacturing capabilities and plant capacity over the next 18 months as the Scottish biscuit maker targets a 50% turnover increase over the next few years.
Analysts at Shore Capital have described Premier Foods half yearly trading statement released today as “shocking, even by Premier’s standards”, as the company revealed a significant slump in profits for the first half of 2011.
Tough new regulations are needed to tackle the promotion of junk food to children by large food firms, according to the author of a prominent new report on responsible standards for food marketing.
Consumer watchdog Which? has hit out at an Advertising Standards Authority adjudication that rejected 31 complaints about a television advert for Nutella hazlenut spread, calling the authority’s failure to ban it a “huge disappointment”.
Unilever has confirmed that it will not apply for a fortified food registration for its yeast breakfast spread Marmite, but says it would support an application from a local distributor.
Kerry Ingredients is proposing to close its Okehampton site by 2012 with the loss of up to 106 jobs, as it considers switching production to a larger and more modern unit in Tenbury Wells.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published new research showing that most participants with 'life threatening' nut allergies believed that products without allergen advice boxes posed no danger.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is considering undertakings from Princes and Premier Foods to avert monopoly concerns about canned pie supply, which the body said would leave UK consumers with “extremely limited choices”.
Premier Foods says it has not received an approach for its Sharwoods brand, after the owner of Veetee Food Group reportedly said he had secured financial backing to support a potential bid for it.
Marmite, recently withdrawn from the Danish market after it became apparent the fortified, yeast breakfast spread did not possess a fortified food authorisation under the Scandinavian country’s strict laws, could be back on-market in three months, Danish...
A scientist who chairs the UK's independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) says the European Commission’s (EC’s) move to ban the import of baby bottles using Bisphenol A (BPA) is not based on scientific evidence, and has rejected calls to ban its use...
Transport giant Eddie Stobart has warned that the supermarket demand for two-for-one offers is placing a strain on logistics firms, and increasing the number of miles the company’s fleet runs empty.
Heavy price promotions within biscuits and ambient cakes are likely to end soon, as rising and energy and commodity prices begin to bite, warns research firm Key Note.
Nutrition is being politicised, with food authorities bowing to pressure from minority interests and lobbyists in areas such as salt reduction at significant risk to consumer health, according to one expert.
Manufacturers of lower-profile food brands could fall victim to the retailer-driven trend towards more own-label products over the next 15 years, according to a new report from financial services provider Rabobank.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has denied a suggestion by two MEPs that it may have lost data relating to a previous safety evaluation of the high intensity sweetener aspartame (E951) and that it failed to examine it properly in the first place.
Getting food and drink packaging right is vital in encouraging consumers to engage with a product or brand and to ensure food safety, but what is the public looking for, and how are trends changing?
A City analyst has expressed scepticism about the likely truth of rumours that Procter & Gamble (P&G) could be lining up a £38bn hostile bid for UK consumer giant Unilever.
In response to the increasing volume of sales in the out of home market, the world’s largest trade fair, Anuga, is launching a tradeshow for the foodservice sector this October.
Despite his firm's successful push to boost foodservice sales over the past year, Lees Foods ceo Clive Miquel believes the retail sector is where the “real growth lies” , as the company looks to extend its brands into complementary product areas.
Wirral Borough Council says it ''left no stone unturned'' in trying to persuade Burton’s Foods not to close its Moreton biscuit factory, and even offered the company a £450,000 grant as a sweetener.
Greencore cfo Alan Williams has told FoodManufacture.co.uk that he can "categorically confirm the business is not for sale", following a news report that said the €850m turnover convenience foods group had held talks with private equity firms...
Jam producer Wilkin & Sons says its main focus during 2011 is to find new premises, which could possibly involve moving from its iconic site in the village of Tipree, Essex.
Northern Foods is proposing to close it Leeds office and move the majority of staff to its ‘shared service centre’ in Wakefield, FoodManufacture.co.uk has learnt, as owner Ranjit Boparan starts restructuring his new acquisition.
Confectionery and snacks group Zetar has described the last year as a ''difficult period'' for its snacks division, as sales flatlined and commodity costs rose.
Premier Foods is hosting an investor day today (Friday) with the aim of convincing sceptical analysts and investors that its business strategy is sound.
Major brand owners such as Coca-Cola, Mars and Unilever are increasing their marketing spend on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to interact directly with consumers using smartphones, while small firms are also upping their...
Nestlé UK may keep its headquarters in Croydon, despite reissuing a warning that it is "reviewing other options" outside the London borough in a bid to escape its dilapidated site by 2014.
PepsiCo UK is pumping £8.5m into its Quaker Oats site in Fife to meet increasing demand for hot cereals, which have grown 13% in the year to March 19 2011, according to Nielsen.
Peanut butter is now Britain’s fastest growing sweet spread with sales up by over 40% from 2008 to £40m in 2010, according to market intelligence firm Mintel.
Analysts have questioned chief executive Robert Schofield’s continued presence at Premier Foods, as the company reported a 3.1% decline in first quarter sales today.
