Services

Food and drink firms have a wide range of options to choose from when seeking funding, but which one is the best fit?

Digital feature: long read

Financial services: the cash is out there

By Michelle Perrett

Food and drink manufacturers face huge pressure on margins as the impact from labour shortages, margin squeezes, Brexit, soaring commodity costs and the Ukraine war start to bite. The real question for many is how they ensure they have adequate cash flows...

Howorth: 'The decisions businesses make over the coming months may shape the future of millions in the years to come'

Supply chain opinion

2021 will be the year of greener supply chains

By Dave Howorth

Environmental impact has always been an important consideration for businesses, however the challenges of the past 12 months may have led to this having temporarily been put on hold.

Foyle: 'Where you use a third party you still have a responsibility to monitor what they do'

HEALTH & SAFETY OPINION

Health & safety: contractor competence in food factories

By Craig Foyle

Food manufacturers rely heavily on contractors for engineering design, installation, maintenance and construction work, so it's important they have robust processes to ensure that the contractors they appoint are competent.

From his origins in South Africa to his director role in the UK, Chep's Matthew Quin shares his journey through the supply chain industry

Supply chain profile

Pool of plenty: Diversity and efficiency at Chep

By Gwen Ridler

Pallet provider Chep is on a mission to ‘illuminate’ the supply chain, creating greater efficiency and sustainability, as the company’s Matthew Quinn explains.

Bakkavor has opened new facilities for its employees at its Highbridge site

Bakkavor opens £800k employee facilities

By Gwen Ridler

Bakkavor Desserts has opened new £800,000 employee facilities at its Highbridge, Somerset factory, as part of its continued investment in the site.

Regency started from a necessity and has grown into a supply chain giant

Supply chain feature

Regency Purchasing Group: the benefit of insight

By Gwen Ridler

Regency Purchasing Group managing director Alex Demetriou has created a significant business from industry insights, all due to a clear gap he found in the market.

Kelly: 'strong proposition'

Food safety services boosted through global agreement

By Helen Gilbert

Food safety audit and support services look set to be boosted via an agreement between global certification business Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Food Safety Services International (FSSI), the food safety, quality and risk management firm.

Manufacturers could be leaving money on the table by not tapping into funds generated by the Apprenticeship Levy

Manufacturers missing out on £2.5bn of funding

By Gwen Ridler

Food and drink manufacturers are missing out on £2.5bn of support for training schemes due to a lack of understanding of the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy, according to an expert in skills.

Badar Hayat (left) and Sabrina Gaina were found guilty of committing gangmasters offences

Couple served first GLAA ‘ASBO’

By Gwen Ridler

A man and a woman convicted of supplying illegal workers to food factories in the UK have been served with what is described as the first anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) for rogue employers.

Rick Bestwick is to take on more than 30 staff to cope with rapid growth

Rick Bestwick takes on staff to aid growth

By Gwen Ridler

Temperature-controlled food storage provider Rick Bestwick, part of the Magnavale group, has hired more than 30 permanent staff across a range of roles at its Chesterfield headquarters.

SCALA’s survey reveals third-party logistics firms are weak on innovation

News in brief

Third-party logistics firms lax on innovation

By Gwen Ridler

Third-party logistics companies are the weakest drivers of developments in supply chain and customer service, according to a survey conducted by logistics and supply chain consultancy SCALA.

CCEP's Clare Bottle spoke of the importance of cultivating talent to help drive change

CCEP: Supply chain developments driven by people

By Gwen Ridler

People are the key drivers of change within the supply chain, not companies, according to Coca-Cola European Partners’ (CCEP’s) associate director of warehousing Clare Bottle.

Packaging education is set to improve dramatically in the UK

Packaging education offer set to ramp up

By Paul Gander

Packaging education in the UK, as it relates to food and drink, is set to improve dramatically, with at least one university-based degree apprenticeship course due to get off the ground next year.

Vanessa Sutton: ‘We’re making an impact on the senior leadership capabilities of the food and drink sector’

Food apprenticeships built from the ground up at NCFM

By Gwen Ridler

From its close work with food and drink manufacturers to its dedication to growing students’ skills from operators to senior positions, the National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM) claims to provide a complete package for training the next generation...

Rappor Metrics executive director Duncan Curtis speaks about the importance of building strong relationships within the supply chain

Creating a great Rappor

By Gwen Ridler

Rappor Metrics, a new service designed to build stronger supply chain relationships and performance, is cutting its teeth on the UK industry.

Tim Scarborough talks about the success of his business, Compleat Food Network

Supply chain success for Compleat Food Network

By Gwen Ridler

With 20 years as a food importer under his belt, Tim Scarborough has plenty to be proud of. But the looming threat of Brexit is creating unsettling times for his business.

Rob Wright has joined logistics services provider Scala

Former Pladis distribution chief joins Scala

By Aidan Fortune

Management services provider for the supply chain and logistics sector Scala has strengthened its team with the appointment of a new senior consultant.

MLCSL is an independent provider of abattoir authentication and classification services

AHDB to sell MLCSL amid ‘challenging environment’

By Aidan Fortune

The Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has revealed it is in advanced talks with private business HallMark Veterinary Compliance Services about taking over its commercial subsidiary Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Limited (MLCSL).

The surplus food distribution initiative has been tested at Nestlé’s factories

Nestlé links up with Company Shop to cut food waste

By Rick Pendrous

An innovative approach to minimising food waste has been developed by Nestlé UK and Ireland in partnership with Company Shop – the UK’s largest redistributor of surplus food – and supported by the Waste & Resources Action Programme.

Brexit has focused the need for more NFCU powers, says food crime boss Andy Morling

Food Crime Unit needs up to £5M more to investigate fraud

By Rick Pendrous

The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) would only take on investigatory powers on top of its intelligence gathering activities if it received ministerial support and between £4M and £5M a year of extra government funding, it emerged at the Food Standards...

Most manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises receive little interest from their current accounts

Small firms are ‘missing out on better bank interest levels’

By Noli Dinkovski

Most UK manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) receive little interest from their current accounts, while many are increasing their risk of exposure by leaving all of their money in one place, a survey has revealed.

The Co-op plans to donate 100,000 meals over the festive period. Image courtesy of the the Co-op Group

Co-op to donate 100,000 meals over Christmas

By Gwen Ridler

The Co-op revealed plans to donate 100,000 meals to vulnerable people during the run-up to Christmas, in partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare.

Food and drink manufacturers have the opportunity to measure changes in their products

New Suffolk lab aims to improve shelf-life

By Noli Dinkovski

A new laboratory dedicated to improving the shelf-life of products through the use of natural herb, spice, vegetable and hop ingredients has opened in Mildenhall, Suffolk.

Cleone’s sprinklers are activated by zone to minimise factory damage

Jamaican food factory upgrades its fire sprinklers

By Rick Pendrous

Birmingham-based Cleone Foods, which makes Jamaican patties – a traditional Caribbean snack derived from a Cornish pasty – is making use of a fire sprinkler system as part of a risk management strategy.

Food Ingredients Europe: where ingredients and technology meet

FiE 2017

Where ingredients and technology meet

By Noli Dinkovski

The interplay between packing and processing will be under the spotlight at the at the Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) and Natural Ingredients (Ni) show, which takes place in Frankfurt later this month (November 28–30).

Davison Canners’ joint mds Alan Davison and Graham Davison (centre left and right), with HSBC’s Chris McQuay and Lauren Hughes

Davison Canners creates 50 jobs after £3.1M investment

By Mike Stones

Northern Ireland food manufacturing business Davison Canners has boosted its food lines – including adding a new dessert range – and created 50 new jobs, after securing a £3.1M financial package from HSBC.

Top trainer: Mike Lambert, Bakkavor head of operations, collected the award from Matt Betty (right), business development manager with category sponsor Appetite Learning. They were joined on stage by awards host Matt Dawson

FMEAs 2017

Bakkavor on top form after winning training Oscar

By Mike Stones

Fresh prepared foods manufacturer Bakkavor Hitchen Foods came top of the form, after winning the prized Training Programme of the Year trophy in the industry’s Oscars – the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards – at The Hilton on Park Lane in London on Wednesday...

Workers' productivity fell last year, resulting in 5% less revenue per worker

Food manufacturers lose £400M as productivity falls

By Matt Atherton

Falling productivity cost food and drink producers an extra £400M in labour costs last year, a report has revealed, as manufacturers are urged to make strategic changes ahead of more challenging market conditions.

Eleven SMEs embarked on a food and drink trade mission to China

Manufacturers embark on China trade mission

By Matt Atherton

Food and drink manufacturers are joining a trade mission to the “prime market” of China to meet distributors and buyers, in a bid to boost exports.

Follow us

Related News

Product Innovations