Frozen

Stand-off

Stand-off

By Rod Addy

Geneva has a rich history. The earliest stages of St Peter's Cathedral there date back to 1160. A famous hotbed for Protestant revolutionary zeal in the 16th18th Century and home to church reformer Calvin, the European headquarters of the UN is also...

Full force of the law

Full force of the law

By Lynda Searby

January marked the end of the two-year transition period for flavouring regulation EC 1334/2008, which means firms are expected to have completed any changes necessary to comply with the new law.

Making food family fun

Making food family fun

By Mark Rigby

As an industry we spend a great deal of time and money developing ‘healthy’ food solutions and menus for schools and support the ‘food’ education of children in school. However, once a child leaves the school gate there is very little support and, in...

Framptons aims to build £30m turnover in 2011

Framptons aims to build £30m turnover in 2011

By Ben Bouckley

Somerset food manufacturer Framptons says that a planned new building will allow it to harness continued business growth, as it predicts a 2011 turnover of £30m up from £25m last year.

‘Whither now for Northern Foods?’ ask unions

‘Whither now for Northern Foods?’ ask unions

By Ben Bouckley and Graham Holter

Union leaders have expressed concerns about Ranjit Boparan’s intentions after he completes his £342m takeover of Northern Foods and begins to identify cost savings that could mean office closures or job losses.

Abbeydale Foods saves two firms from administration

Abbeydale Foods saves two firms from administration

By Ben Bouckley

Two food firms that closed in early March have been bought out of administration, with new owner Abbeydale Foods re-employing around 80 former staff in a bid to restart production as quickly as possible.

Longbenton Foods Tyneside site in happier days

£2.5m Longbenton grant worth threat of failure, RDA

By Ben Bouckley

Regional development agency (RDA) One North East says the potential benefits of awarding administration-hit Longbenton Foods a £2.49m grant in 2009 outweighed the "threat of failure".

Ranjit Boparan: Rasing the Northern stakes

Game, set, match Boparan?

By Ben Bouckley

Ranjit Boparan is one step closer to taking over Northern Foods after announcing yesterday that he now controls over 70% of the convenience food group’s shares, although one analyst said the industrial logic of a tie-up with Greencore would have been...

Longbenton Foods' Tyneside site in happier days

Administrator seeks Longbenton Foods sale

By Ben Bouckley

Grant Thornton says it is seeking to sell Longbenton Foods as a going concern, after the Newcastle firm entered administration last Friday.

Longbenton Foods Newcastle site: Grant Thornton is now in control

Longbenton Foods in administration

By Ben Bouckley

Newcastle firm Longbenton Foods entered administration last Friday, putting an end to a month of uncertainty for staff who were kept in the dark over whether they still had jobs.

Boparan: Sitting pretty in bid for Northern

Greencore calls time on Northern romance

By Ben Bouckley

Greencore said this morning that it does not intend to make a revised offer for Northern Foods to rival Ranjit Boparan’s 73p/share offer, which means the Midlands businessman is one step closer to tying the knot with Northern shareholders by March 16th.

Ranjit Boparan: holds pole position for Northern but Greencore still in race

Race for Northern Foods could go to wire

By Ben Bouckley

The battle between food titans Greencore and Ranjit Boparan to take over Northern Foods could still go right to the wire, despite the expiry today of a deadline set by the latter for Northern's shareholders to formally accept his bid.

All change please

All change please

By Freddie Dawson

To stay ahead in the ready meals sector, manufacturers must be quick to innovate and diversify.

January 2009: Flames swept through production halls at the Benton Lane site

Relief for workers at fire-hit Findus site

By Ben Bouckley

Around 300 workers employed at a Newcastle frozen food factory who lost their jobs after the site was gutted by fire in early 2009 are finally starting to receive statutory redundancy pay.

Bakewell Tart and breast milk ice cream anyone?

FSA goes Gaga over breast milk ice cream...

By Ben Bouckley

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is investigating whether a controversial ice cream made with donated breast milk, and sold in a London restaurant, breaches food safety regulations.

Headland Foods: Staff worry about losing redundancy pay

Headland Foods staff face redundancy pay dilemma

By Graham Holter

Workers at Headland Foods in Flint are asking for a more flexible approach to redundancy payments from owner Kerry Group, given worries that they could lose money by taking new work before the factory closes.

Ranjit Boparan: Could his 11.4% stake in Northern Foods prove decisive?

Pressure on Greencore to up stakes in Northern bid

By Ben Bouckley

Greencore is under pressure to table a viable counter-bid by March 2 to beat Ranjit Boparan in the struggle to takeover Northern Foods, but still has advantages on its side if it does do so, says one City analyst.

Could a simple amendment to the FIR create a two-tier butter market in the EU?

Manufacturers fret over EU 'defrosted' designation

By Ben Bouckley

Industry concerns are growing about a possible amendment to the EU Food Information Regulation (FIR) that will require all foods frozen, then defrosted before sale, to be labelled ‘defrosted’.

PoleStar Okehampton calls in the administrators

PoleStar Okehampton calls in the administrators

By Elaine Watson

The administrator of the PoleStar Foods desserts factory in Okehampton say it hopes a buyer can be found that is able to re-employ some of the 232 staff at the site that have just lost their jobs.

Longbenton Foods challenges staff wage claims

Longbenton Foods challenges staff wage claims

By Elaine Watson

Longbenton Foods has denied claims made by some staff at its Benton Lane frozen ready meals factory in Longbenton, Newcastle Upon Tyne, that they have not yet been paid in full for their services in January.

PoleStar Foods staff demand answers from Privet Capital

PoleStar Foods staff demand answers from Privet Capital

By Elaine Watson

Angry staff at PoleStar Foods’ desserts factory in Okehampton are looking for answers from bosses as to why they are now out of a job just weeks after being told the site’s future had been secured “for many years to come”.

Paul Jerram: Factory manager

Me and My Factory: Bon Apetito

By Paul Jerram, factory manager, apetito, Trowbridge

Apetito is part of a larger German company and is still privately owned. We are the biggest provider of food and services to the elderly, through Meals on Wheels (partnering with 150 local authorities), care homes and our Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise,...

Longbenton Foods'  North Tyneside Site

Longbenton Foods' Amble site up for sale

By Ben Bouckley

Worried staff at Longbenton Foods’ Amble factory are again fearing for their jobs, after it emerged that the site administrator is marketing the factory and its contents via an online auction.

Leamington Desserts future rests on knife edge

Leamington Desserts future rests on knife edge

By Ben Bouckley and Elaine Watson

Fears are growing over Leamington Desserts' future as a going concern, after administrator KPMG failed to find a buyer for the firm before last night's sale deadline, although it remains in talks with one interested party.

Indulgence Patisserie to open site no.2 in 2011

Indulgence Patisserie to open site no.2 in 2011

By Elaine Watson

Indulgence Patisserie is pumping £0.75m into converting a former metal fabrication facility adjacent to its current site into a second desserts manufacturing facility that will more than double its production capacity.

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