IT

Wilkins: 'The cyber threat has been rising steadily in recent years'

Cyber threats need to become a board-level issue

By Rick Pendrous

In response to rising concerns about the risk of cyber attacks, industrial automation components supplier European Automation has published an industry report about the growing importance of information security.

Instagram offers a platform for food and drink firms to connect with millions of consumers

Use emotions to connect with millions on Instagram

By Laurence Gibbons

Food and drink manufacturers should use emotions to connect their brands with a growing community of consumers on social media site Instagram, according to the site’s boss.

Sainsbury will build a new technology hub in Covenry

Sainsbury to create 480 online jobs

By Nicholas Robinson

Sainsbury will bolster its online retailing capabilities by creating 480 ‘specialist’ jobs in response to rising consumer demand for more convenient and intuitive ways to shop.

Plant equipment can feed data to managers remotely

Anuga FoodTec 2015

Rockwell Automation foretells food processing’s future

By Rod Addy

Food processing equipment that tells managers what maintenance it needs may soon exist, according to Dominic Molloy, Rockwell Automation’s marketing and channels director for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Complex accounting systems can make companies vulnerable to food fraud, says Jack

Forensic accounting can track food fraud

By Rod Addy

Forensic accounting can track food fraud and must be a weapon in the arsenal of the UK Food Crime Unit, according to Lisa Jack, professor of accounting at the University of Portsmouth. 

Progress at hand: by 2020 wearables will become commonplace

Wearable devices to track personal nutrition by 2020

By Rick Pendrous

Technology that helps consumers tailor what they eat to their specific health requirements – so-called ‘personalised nutrition’ – will take off over the next five years, the head of intelligence and economics at the Future Foundation think tank has predicted.

Small businesses need help to avoid are missing out on online sales

SMEs need more support to avoid losing online sales

By Laurence Gibbons

Small businesses should receive more government funding to help boost their online presence and prevent them missing out on £165bn of online sales, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Beware Christmas food fraud, warned Quadex

Beware Christmas food fraud, warns expert

By Michael Stones

Food and drink manufacturers and retailers have been warned to beware the threat of Christmas food fraud, as cash-conscious shoppers hunt for the best deals; possibly tempting some in the supply chain to break the law.

Click to shop: Technology and social media are increasingly influencing shopping patterns, said Waitrose

Top seven food and drink trends for 2014: Waitrose

By Michael Stones

The influence of technology and social media on the nation’s diet is the top of seven key food and drink trends, identified by posh retailer Waitrose this year, based on millions of purchases in shops and online.

Oakpark has implemented a system that gives it much better control over pigmeat supplies

Oakpark Foods pumps £2.4M into tech, traceability

By Rod Addy

Oakpark Foods is completing a €3M (£2.4M) investment project with the installation of a traceability system to help manage supply, stock control and customer service more efficiently.

Booths claimed Relex has so far delivered major benefits for its business

Software cuts shrinkage and saves Booths cash

By Rod Addy

Booths Supermarkets slashed shrinkage across its business and saved significant amounts of cash by implementing supply chain management software supplied by Relex, according to Andrew Rafferty, the retailer’s IT and e-commerce director.

Food and drinks firms should follow people online to keep track of trends

Don’t miss ‘significant’ social media opportunities

By Laurence Gibbons

Food and drink firms should pay close attention to social media discussions to ensure they make the most of “significant opportunities” and emerging trends identified online, according to a new report by social media monitoring firm Brandwatch.

Baker installs new printer for gluten-free site

Inkjet printer adds date codes on flow wrap

Traditional Scottish craft baker JG Ross has installed a small character continuous inkjet coder for the application of date codes and batch information to pre-printed flow wrap for its new gluten-free manufacturing facility at Portsoy in Aberdeenshire

The new website aims to provide 'a little black book' of key industry suppliers.

New website to recommend food suppliers

By Michael Stones

Food and drink manufacturers are invited to apply for a listing on a new hospitality website that aims to link chefs and caterers with suppliers in a nationwide network to share news, views and useful information.

Five tips to engage with the 18 to 34 year-old market, known as the millennial market

Vitafoods Europe 2014

Top five tips for millennial engagement

By Nicholas Robinson

Functional food manufacturers in the UK are not doing enough to target millennial consumers with their marketing, an expert specialising in the sector claims.

The West Bromwich plant can now make up to 8,500 Kingsmill loaves an hour

West Bromwich Allied Bakeries investment pays off

By Rod Addy

Allied Bakeries’ £25M West Bromwich overhaul has reduced stoppages and delivered more consistent product quality, according to Midlands regional general manager John Jackson.

Food and drink industry issues tackled at Foodex – video highlights

Foodex 2014

Foodex 2014 – video highlights

By Laurence Gibbons

The consequences of the horsemeat crisis, filling the yawning skills gap, lean and green manufacturing and social media were just some of the topics tackled by the Food Manufacture Group at Foodex 2014, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham...

Large food businesses told to lead the way into robotics future

Foodex 2014

Big food businesses told to lead robotics future

By Nicholas Robinson

Large food and drinks businesses must show “strong leadership” if the sector is to successfully adopt automation to become leaner and greener and ready itself for the future.

Food and drink manufacturers are using the internet to identify new idea

Brand owners seek innovation via the internet

By Rick Pendrous

Big food and drink brand owners are now tapping into the global intelligence derived by ‘crowd sourcing’ via the internet, thus extending the reach of ‘open innovation’ to develop the next generation of products targeted at different markets.

Don't miss our free Big Video Debates at Foodex, dealing with social media, the lessons learnt from the horsemeat crisis, skills and lean and green manufacturing techniques

Big Video Debates on horsemeat and social media at Foodex

By Michael Stones

Learning the lessons of the horsemeat crisis and the latest updates on social media, plugging the skills gap and lean and green food and drink manufacturing are the subjects of four separate, free-to-attend, Big Video Debates at the Foodex event later...

Missed our free, one-hour webinar? Then register today (see article) and listen at your leisure

FOOD LABELLING WEBINAR

New FIR food labelling rules to bring ‘colossal cost’

By Michael Stones

Complying with the EU’s new food labelling rules – set out in the Food Information to Consumers Regulation (FIR) – will be a “truly enormous” job that will carry “a colossal cost”, warns Stephen Spice, Campden BRI’s new head of regulatory affairs.

Ocado boss Stuart Rose has been hired by the government remedy leadership problems at the NHS

Ocado boss hired to fix NHS management

By Michael Stones

Ocado chairman Sir Stuart Rose has been hired by the government to improve the management of the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

Yumbles offers firms without retail contracts a place to sell their products

Website provides route to market for food firms

By Laurence Gibbons

Small food and drink firms and entrepreneurs can benefit from a new website that offers businesses without retail contracts opportunities to market their products.

Ocado has reported a pre-tax loss of £12.5M for the year to December 1 2013, despite boosting sales by 17.2%

Ocado profit doubt ‘casts long shadow’ as losses rise

By Michael Stones

Rising pre-tax losses at Ocado, the online grocer and logistics business, are casting “a long shadow over the firm”, according to one retail consultant, as the firm’s commercial director announces his decision to leave the firm.

The business prospects for Ocado divided City opinion

Ocado cash flow growth ‘not expected anytime soon’

By Michael Stones

Online grocery distribution business Ocado will not deliver cash flow growth in the short term, according to City analyst Shore Capital, after the online grocery distribution business released its results for the 16 weeks to December 1 2013.

Codes can be used to gather data

Food promotional coding gets mobile boost

By Paul Gander

Digital promotions driven by on-pack coding are providing brands with security, the ability to market test concepts and, when combined with mobile technology, even the option of reacting to where the code is being accessed.

Morrisons expects to serve 50% of the UK's homes by the end of next year

Morrisons plans online launch, as sales to soar

By Michael Stones

UK online sales of food and groceries are set to more than double in value to reach £14.6bn by 2018, while Morrisons recently unveiled plans to launch online deliveries next month.

Soft sell: Asda is using social media to encourage consumer engagement and drive product innovation, rather than as a direct sales tool, said its chief marketing officer Stephen Smith

Asda uses social media to engage consumers

By Rick Pendrous

Asda is using social media to encourage consumer engagement and drive its latest product innovation, rather than as a direct sales tool because consumers don’t like it being used to sell to them, according to the retailer’s chief marketing officer Stephen...

Denny-Finch believes technology could be the answer to reassuring consumers over the ethical background of the products they buy

Technology to boost trust in food industry

By Rod Addy

The latest technology could provide the answer for food and drink manufacturers looking to provide consumers with confidence that the products they buy have been produced as ethically as possible.

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