Chilled, canned RTD soup arrives in UK
This is said to be the UK’s first chilled, ready-to-eat soup available in a 100% recyclable aluminium can.
Chilled & Fresh
Samworth Brothers posts operating profit of £44M
Samworth Brothers has reported an operating profit of £44 million for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Jobs guaranteed after takeover of fruit and veg firm by Harlech Foodservice
Harlech Foodservice has announced the takeover of Welsh fruit and vegetables wholesaler Oren Foods.
Marks & Spencer Food unveils first ever summer dessert sandwich
The limited-edition Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich, is made with a British Red Diamond Strawberries.
Al fresco dining and healthy eating boost supermarket sales
Total till sales growth increased at UK supermarkets.
More than 50,000 consumers back egg petition
The petition is urging supermarkets to stop using imported eggs in British-made foods.
Sainsbury’s raises meal deal price
Sainsbury’s has raised the price of its standard meal deal to £3.95.
Co-op expands product offer to mark British tomato season
Co-op has launched three new SKUs to coincide with British tomato season.
Tesco launches watermelon pizza kit
Targeted at three-to-nine-year-olds, the new Tesco meal kit aims to get kids eating more fruit.
Greencore and Bakkavor agree terms of £1.2bn merger
The terms of Greencore’s acquisition of Bakkavor have been finalised with the deal set to create a convenience food business with a combined revenue of close to £4 billion.
The brand challenging own-label dips...and succeeding
Holy Moly has taken a brave dip into a private-label-dominated aisle, with its range of branded guacamole, cheesy dips and smashed avocado pots seeing impressive growth.
Bakkavor extends Greencore ‘put up or shut up’ deadline for second time
The deadline for a final acquisition agreement between food manufacturers Bakkavor and Greencore has been extended for a second time.
The Cultured Collective brings in new chairperson to help fuel growth
The fermented food brand has appointed former New England Seafood managing director as its chair and non-executive director.
Gosh! targets on-the-go market with new launch
Gosh! has expanded into the on-the-go market with the launch of its new Mexican and Italian inspired Veg Bites snack packs.
Around Noon opens new Slough factory
Food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon has opened the doors to a new manufacturing facility in Slough, creating 200 jobs and increasing manufacturing capacity by £50 million.
Planet Farms announces single largest investment in UK vertical farming
Agritech firm Planet Farms is to invest more than £25 million into a new UK-based vertical farm, in what it described as the biggest single investment into the vertical farming industry.
Bakkavor sells China business for £50m
Bakkavor has entered into a binding agreement to sell its China operations to Chinese firm Lihe Xing (Qingdao) Food Technology Co.
Carr’s completes sale of engineering division
Carr’s has completed the sale of its engineering division to Cadre Holdings in a deal worth £75m.
Samworth Brothers partners with YO! on ready meal range
Samworth Brothers has partnered with restaurant chain YO! on the launch of a new Asian ready meal range.
Planty hires former Allplants development chefs
Plant-based ready meals manufacturer Planty has expanded its development team with the appointment of two former Allplants professionals.
PepsiCo bolsters FareShare partnership with £210k grant
PepsiCo has expanded its partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare with a £210,000 grant to support employability and help tackle food waste.
British tech firm completes shipment to ‘world’s first’ GigaFarm to Dubai
British vertical farming technology manufacturer Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) has sent its first major consignment of specialist parts to the UAE for the ‘world’s first’ GigaFarm at Dubai Food Tech Valley.
Bakkavor extends Greencore ‘put up or shut up’ deadline
The deadline by which a final acquisition agreement between Bakkavor and Greencore must be reached has been extended.
How suppliers can capitalise on the growing demand for pre-prepared food
Huw Birrell – the co-founder of global order management platform Fresho – explores the growing trend of pre-prepared vegetables used by the foodservice industry and how manufacturers can capitalise on it.
Gen Z comes out in support for gene edited food
Gen Z is leading the charge in support of gene edited food, with 80% of the demographic in favour of the technology.
Greencore-Bakkavor deal ‘significant shift’ in convenience foods landscape
How will Greencore’s prospective £1.2 billion acquisition of Bakkavor impact the wider food manufacturing sector in the UK? And could it face regulatory pushback?
Greencore upgrades profit guidance amid Bakkavor acquisition bids
Greencore has upgraded its operating profit guidance for the year ending 26 September 2025.
FuelHub appoints new head of growth
Premium meal prep delivery service FuelHub has appointed Steve King as its new head of growth.
Ice cream maker fined after failing to control pests
The director of an ice cream maker in Wirral has been ordered to pay nearly £100k after pleading guilty to food safety offences across two separate businesses.
Macphie appoints new CEO
Macphie has appointed Ed Widdowson as its new chief executive, marking the fourth generation of family leadership for the Aberdeenshire-based manufacturer.
£1.14bn Greencore offer rebuffed by Bakkavor
Bakkavor has rebuffed two acquisition offers from Greencore submitted in the last few weeks, with the latest worth approximately £1.14bn.
Sandwich maker forced to pay £47k after serious hygiene failings
Sandwich maker Bread Spread Ltd has been ordered to pay almost £47k for repeated hygiene failures at its Southall factory.
WRAP renames Courtauld Commitment
The Waste Resource Action Plan (WRAP) has renamed its flagship food system transformation programme to provide better clarity of its mission.
Organic food sales ‘bounced back’ in 2024
Organic food and drink sales ‘bounced back’ in 2024, with nearly two thirds of consumers choosing to buy from the category despite cost-of-living pressures, according to a new report from the Soil Association
Gu’s CEO retires
Ecotone’s former UK CEO Emma Vass kicked 2025 off with her move over to the British pudding company as Peter Utting steps down.
Gousto launches in Ireland creating 30+ jobs
Recipe kit business Gousto has expanded into Ireland for the first time.
Innocent Drinks funds fruit and veg focused cooking sessions
Innocent Drinks has teamed up with UK charity Hubbub to get people eating more fruit and vegetables.
Fatal head injuries land farm partnership with £80k fine
A Lancashire farm partnership has been fined £80k after a man died from traumatic head injuries.
Crosta Mollica sponsors Italian football team
UK pizza brand Crosta Mollica is sponsoring Venezia FC’s women’s first team for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
Oscar Mayer striking workers to vote on extending action
Workers partaking in industrial action at an Oscar Mayer facility in Wrexham are set to vote on continuing the strike into the summer.
Fresh cooking shortcuts gain popularity amid cost-saving trends
Food retail growth has remained steady as Brits turn to scratch cooking to save costs, with fresh ingredients such as gravy and dough seeing a big sales boost.
Too Good To Go appoints new vice president
Food surplus redistribution firm Too Good To Go has appointed Sid Baveja as its new vice president of operations for Central Europe, the UK and Ireland.
M&S food boss calls for end of Brexit bureaucracy
Marks & Spencer food division MD Alex Freudmann has called for an end to ‘Brexit bureaucracy’ and the scrapping of ‘Not for EU’ labelling.
Bakkavor announces 74 new apprenticeship roles for 2025
Fresh prepared foods firm Bakkavor has announced 74 new apprenticeship opportunities across its UK sites for 2025.
Project seeks to extend potato storage life
Cranfield University has partnered with PepsiCo and Solynta to develop methods that extend the storage life of potatoes.
Monitoring sustainability in your food and drink packaging
Food Manufacture explores the ways in which producers can monitor their packaging usage and ways in which they can make it more sustainable.
Fuel Hub increases revenue by 90% year-on-year
Online meal prep delivery service Fuel Hub has reported 90% year-on-year revenue growth.
New £2m project tackling causes of food insecurity in the UK
A new initiative to help prevent food shortages that could trigger civil unrest in the UK has secured more than £2m of funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Greencore posts revenues of £474.3m in Q1 results
Greencore’s first quarter results painted a positive picture for the sandwich maker, with sales and volumes up across the board over the busy Christmas period.
Healthy foods financially out of reach for UK’s poorest
Healthy and more sustainable foods are financially out of reach for the UK’s poorest, according to a new report from the Food Foundation.