Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients

Pino Calcagni: 'Synergies to improve economies of scale'

Nut and dried fruit supplier to grow Ipswich factory

By Rod Addy

Italian nut and dried fruit firm Besana, which supplies manufacturers and supermarkets including Tesco and Waitrose, will grow its Ipswich packing and distribution site following a merger with Spanish company Importaco.

The revamped factory offers additional reassurance for consumers scouring allergen labelling for 'nut-free' tags

Finsbury Food Group turns cake factory nut-free

By Michelle Perrett

Finsbury Food Group, the cake manufacturer supplying supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury's, has turned its Hamilton Celebration Cake factory in Scotland into a nut-free site, offering consumers additional reassurances regarding allergen labelling.

Anderson describes Betta Indulgence's 'reinvented banoffee pie'

Food Man Talks

Ecotrophelia UK finalist on healthy tart NPD concept

By Rod Addy & James Ridler

A healthy banoffee tart concept using waste Fairtrade bananas from local retailers, proposed by a team from Reading University, got its creators into the Ecotrophelia UK final.

Spencer: 'Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of biowaste comes from coconuts'

Food Man Talks

Gluten-free waffle sandwich wins Bronze at Ecotrophelia UK

By Rod Addy & James Ridler

Jared Spencer, representing the Eco-Dive team from the University of Nottingham, which won Bronze at this year’s Ecotrophelia UK competition for CocoWaffle, a gluten-free, Dutch-inspired waffle sandwich concept, describes the group's ethnically diverse...

Turner: 'We developed a recipe that was particularly scalable'

Food Man Talks

Vegan pasta concept wins Silver at Ecotrophelia UK

By Rod Addy & James Ridler

Kirsty Turner, representative of the Silver-winning team at this year’s Ecotrophelia UK competition, Plant-Up from the University of West London, explains how their entry addressed consumer demand for convenient, healthy and eco-friendly food.

Upfield produces plant-based margarines, spreads, cream and cheeses, including Flora

Flora producer Upfield invests in food science centre

By Rod Addy

Flora producer Upfield Group aims to open a €50m food science centre at Wageningen in the Netherlands before 2022 focused on developing plant-based products and sustainable packaging solutions.

The ASA has slammed an ad for Burger King's Rebel Whopper for being misleading

Burger King ad slammed for false vegan claims

By Gwen Ridler

Online ads for Burger King’s Rebel Whopper have been pulled for making misleading vegan- and vegetarian-friendly claims, according to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

The rise in plant-based diets has sparked demand for flour made from legumes and vegetables

Plant-based flour market set to grow

By Noli Dinkovski

The growth in vegan and vegetarian diets is set to be mirrored by a rise in the demand for flour made from legumes and vegetables, a West Yorkshire-based ingredients supplier has claimed.

Macsween's vegetarian haggis has been renamed for the US market

Vegetarian haggis launches in the US

By Gwen Ridler

Macsween of Edinburgh has launched a vegetarian haggis in the US, the manufacturer’s first export to the country in 50 years.

Only 54% of consumers are aware that grains and seeds can be incorporated in bread, Puratos says

2020 FOOD TRENDS

Promote ‘power ingredients’ to meet health agenda

By Noli Dinkovski

Food and drink manufacturers should look to promote ‘power ingredients’ to capitalise on the growing health agenda, a bakery and chocolate ingredients firm has claimed.

The Rebel Whopper has launched in the UK, but it's not suitable for vegans

Rebel Burger launches in the UK

By Gwen Ridler

Burger King’s plant-based Rebel Whopper has landed in the UK, offering consumers a meat-free alternative to one of its most popular products.

Jackfruit is commonly used in south and south-east Asian cuisines

2020 FOOD TRENDS

Jackfruit, tempeh and seitan to lead plant-based boom

By Noli Dinkovski

The likes of jackfruit, tempeh and seitan are likely to appear much more frequently on supermarket shelves in 2020 as the plant-based boom continues, an ingredients supplier has claimed.

The Podberry product is harvested and frozen in under two and a half hours before undergoing a freeze-drying process and is never fried

Vegan snack goes UK-wide

By Rod Addy

Scottish vegan snack brand Podberry, produced by Bruce Farms, is going UK-wide from late December via office snack box delivery scheme Officedrops Nutribox.

Jesper Højer's appointment is the latest senior hire at The Meatless Farm Co

Former Lidl CEO joins The Meatless Farm Co

By Gwen Ridler

Former Lidl global chief executive Jesper Højer has joined plant-based meat manufacturer The Meatless Farm Company as its new chair, following a string of appointments at the company.

Poor weather conditions threaten the supply of potatoes in the UK

Crisp production threatened by poor potato harvest

By Gwen Ridler

Manufacturers of crisps and frozen chips are at risk of losing access to vital raw materials, after wet weather prohibited the harvest of potatoes destined for food processors.

Hynes: 'ripe opportunity for R&D'

Plant-based company names product development head

By Rod Addy

British plant-based firm The Meatless Farm Company has appointed Dr Peter Hynes as its new head of research and development (R&D) to build on the company’s innovation in vegan mince, burgers and sausages.

Rebel Kitchen is to merge with Nurture Brands

Rebel Kitchen to merge with Nurture Brands

By Gwen Ridler

Alternative milk business Rebel Kitchen is to merge with Nurture Brands in a bid to create the UK’s top plant-based snacks and drinks producer.

The investment in The Meatless Farm Co, a local Yorkshire business, comes as Channel 4 is soon to launch its new National HQ in Leeds

Channel 4 invests in The Meatless Farm

By Rod Addy

The Meatless Farm Co is has clinched a seven-figure deal with leading British broadcaster Channel 4’s Commercial Growth Fund as the development of plant-based food gathers pace with a host of innovations.

Nim's has secured listings with NHS Supply chain

Nim’s Fruit Crisps secures NHS listing

By Gwen Ridler

Healthy snack manufacturer Nim’s Fruit Crisps has secured a supply deal with NHS Supply Chain, marking the producer’s first inroads into the foodservice sector.

Plant-based meat, such as the Vegetarian Butcher’s Mc2 Burger (pictured), is a key trend for manufacturers

Ingredients producer identifies key food trends

By Gwen Ridler

Alternative proteins and sustainability are the key trends that food and drink manufacturers should be keeping their eyes on, according to ingredients and flavourings producer Griffith Foods.

Keesh took home the bronze prize at this year's Ecotrophelia

Plant-based quiche takes home student innovation prize

By Gwen Ridler

Taking home the bronze prize at this year’s Ecotrophelia Food Innovation Student Awards was a team from the University of Reading with their take on a plant-based quiche product, called Keesh.

AMC Group has created 100 jobs at its new factory

AMC Group creates 100 jobs at new juicing factory

By Gwen Ridler

International fresh juice processor AMC Group has created 100 jobs at a new purpose-built factory for freshly-squeezed juice and plant-based and free-from products in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

3D printed steaks, the future of plant-based meat?

3D printed steaks, the future of plant-based meat?

By Gwen Ridler

As the trend of flexitarianism and veganism continues to grow, one man poised to capitalise on the rise in meat-free diets is Giuseppe Scionti, chief executive of 3D printed plant-based meat manufacturer NovaMeat.

Van Bockel: 'We are keen to source our key ingredients from the UK'

Tenzing to launch new energy drink flavour

By Helen Gilbert

Plant-based energy drink brand Tenzing is gearing up to debut a new flavour this summer following its first round of investment after two years of being entirely self-funded.

Puratos’s new summer mixes and fillings can be used in a variety of applications

Puratos launches summer-themed cake ingredients

By Noli Dinkovski

Ingredients maker Puratos has unveiled new cake mix flavours and fruit fillings – including the first products to be launched from the former Fruitapeel factory in Liverpool, which it acquired in 2017.

The low intake of healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables was marked as a leading dietary risk factor

Policy shift to healthy food needed, study warns

By Noli Dinkovski

Policy-makers should shift their emphasis from dietary restriction to promoting healthy food after one-in-five deaths globally were linked to a poor diet, a major study has revealed.

The move taps into the trend for plant-based diets, says brand owner Upfield

Flora gets vegan-friendly overhaul

By Noli Dinkovski

Spreads brand Flora is to become 100% plant-based has part of a relaunch that includes a rollout of the Dairy Free variant to caterers.

Essex-based grower Angflor has been acquired by Florette owner Agrial Fresh Produce

Florette owner expands UK operations

By Aidan Fortune

Agrial Fresh Produce, owner of salad brand Florette, has made steps to ensure year-round production in the UK by acquiring Essex-based grower Angflor.

Birdseye's Lowestoft factory featured on last night's show

Birds Eye factory showcased in BBC TV series

By Gwen Ridler

Birds Eye’s Lowestoft factory appeared in last night’s episode of the BBC Two show Inside the Factory, giving viewers a glimpse into production at the site.

Organic food sales grew in 2018

Organic food sales on the rise

By Gwen Ridler

Sales of organic food in the UK grew 5.3% in 2018 to £2.33bn, boosted by consumer interest in free-from options and healthy eating, according to a report by certification body the Soil Association.