Government pledges to create food strategy in 2025
The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Steve Reed has said the UK Government will work with the industry to create a food strategy in the first half of 2025.
Supply Chain
5 strategies for retailers and manufacturers to maximise profits over the festive period
Occasions such as Christmas represent both a critical opportunity and an incredibly high-stakes challenge for retailers and manufacturers alike. Peter Hatfield, director at 4C Associates, offers key insight into grasping the opportunity that comes with...
HGV driver strike announced ahead of Xmas
Around 40 drivers employed by logistics firm Culina have announced plans to strike as the result of a pay dispute.
Concerns raised over HGV driver numbers
Rental firm Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has highlighted concerns about the number of qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers in the UK.
News
April 2025 decision date set for probe into £762m GXO deal for Wincanton
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has set a 30 April 2025 decision deadline for its Phase 2 investigation into the acquisition of Wincanton by GXO.
News
JJ Foodservice posts £11.2m profit despite revenue decline
JJ Foodservice earned £11.2m in profit after tax during the year ending 31 March 2024.
News
Food waste distributor announces three trustee appointments
The Bread and Butter Thing has bolstered its trustee board with the appointment of three new members.
News
Tesco, Arla and Müller partner on sustainability initiative
Tesco has joined with Arla and Müller UK & Ireland to launch a new sustainability partnership tasked with reducing on-farm emissions by 30% by 2030.
News
Sainsbury’s extends Aldi price match to smaller stores
Sainsbury's has announced that it is matching more than 500 own-label and branded products to Aldi prices across its estate of convenience stores.
News
£762m GXO acquisition of Wincanton could 'lessen' logistics competition
An investigation into GXO’s purchase of Wincanton has concluded that the deal could reduce competition within the UK contract logistics services market.
Modern slavery victims settle £20k claim with UK Government
Migrant fishermen recognised as victims of modern slavery have secured £20k of compensation from the UK Government.
News
Report urges Gov to tackle root causes of food insecurity and end reliance on charities
The UK’s first social supermarket Community Shop has published a new white paper aimed at addressing the urgent issue of food insecurity.
News
Food tech innovations take home more than €500k of investment
More than €500k of investment has been awarded to innovative food and drink technology projects at EIT Food’s its Accelerator Network Tech Validation Awards.
News
Price of farmland rises in England and Wales
The average value of farmland in England and Wales increased during the third quarter of 2024.
News
Scottish Wholesale Association appoints new vice president
Bidfood Scotland business unit director Jon Mack has been appointed vice president of the Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA).
Short read
The biggest threats to UK food safety
The UK is known for its commitment to food safety, but the last few years have given way to new opportunities for unscrupulous activity. As the saying goes, we are only as strong as our weakest link – are you ready for what's to come...?
News
Food manufacturer that employed modern slavery victims supplied several UK retailers
Modern slavery victims were forced to work for a bread manufacturer which supplied products to major UK supermarkets.
News
Asda extends food redistribution partnership
Supermarket giant Asda has extended its partnership with surplus food marketplace Too Good to Go as part of its continuing efforts to reduce food waste and redistribute unsold produce.
News
‘Fire and rehire’ protests staged by striking Oscar Mayer workers
Striking Oscar Mayer employees have staged protests against ‘fire and rehire’ practices outside the offices of Pemberton Asset Management and Co-Op.
Feature
Standing up to food fraud
How can the food and drink sector work to mitigate and tackle the damaging impacts of food fraud? Food Manufacture hears from the experts.
News
71% of UK FMCG businesses deprioritise CO2 reduction in fleets
In a survey of UK supply chain, transport and logistic decision makers conducted by Wincanton, many were found to be struggling under the weight of net zero pressure.
News
700 Bakkavor workers to strike over pay
More than 700 workers at a Bakkavor facility in Spalding are set to take part in continuous strike action from 27 September, Unite the Union has announced.
News
Tesco loses ‘fire and rehire’ court case after distribution centre pay dispute
Tesco has lost a Supreme Court battle with retail distribution trade union Usdaw over proposals to ‘fire and rehire’ workers on less favourable terms.
News
Cross party group calls food security to be heart of Labour’s industrial strategy
UK policymakers have been urged to put food security at the heart of the Government’s industrial strategy and to focus less on agriculture in a cross party-based report by think tank Policy Exchange.
News
2 Sisters owner facing investigation over feed mills acquisition
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an inquiry into the proposed acquisition of two ForFarmers owned feed mills by Boparan Private Office (BPO).
News
Aldi investing £800m in Britain to fuel expansion and create jobs
Supermarket chain Aldi has announced plans to invest £800m to further accelerate its expansion in Britain.
News
Aldi invests £45m into British seafood
Discount supermarket Aldi has invested more than £45m into the British seafood industry over the past year.
News
Mandatory food waste separation law to be enforced from 2025
New commercial food waste legislation is set to come into force in the UK from the end of March next year.
News
$50k grand prize up for grabs in food waste challenge
Food and drink students and start-ups could be in for a chance to win a $50k (£38k) grand prize for their innovative solutions to reducing food waste
News
Felix Project launches food industry waste reduction tool
London charity The Felix Project has launched a new platform designed to help the food industry reduce the amount of edible food going to waste.
News
Fires and falls: Can accidents be stopped in the food factory?
Safety threats are everywhere in the food manufacturing industry. But can they be mitigated?
News
ABP first Irish beef processor to export to South Korea
ABP Food Group has become the first Irish beef processor to export to the South Korean market, after securing a long-term supply agreement with premium meat importer K Meat.
News
CMA clears T&L Sugars purchase of Tereos UK & Ireland retail business
The acquisition of Tereos UK & Ireland’s retail sugar business by T&L Sugars has been cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
News
Bidfood creates 30 jobs at new Cornish depot
Food and drink wholesaler Bidfood is to open a new 15,000 sq ft depot on the Cooksland Industrial Estate in Bodmin, creating new jobs and better connections with its customers in the southwest of England.
Short read
How to win a Food Manufacture Excellence award
Entering a competition can be daunting – questions such as ‘am I good enough to stand out’ and ‘how and where do I even start my entry’ may flit across your mind – but if you’re keen to enter, you absolutely should!
News
Morrisons cutting prices on over 2,000 products
Supermarket chain Morrisons has announced plans to cut the price of thousands of products for participants in its loyalty card scheme.
The Talent Poole
Navigating through a crisis
Nothing stretches and tests a leader more than being faced with a crisis. And food, perhaps more than any other sector, has the potential to throw up some pretty significant crises to challenge the very best of leaders. Sharing his experiences this...
News
Aldi and Lidl supported with £2m UK consolidation centre
Logistics firm CML has opened a £2m consolidation centre in Lutterworth to support the growth of Aldi and Lidl in the UK and Ireland.
We need to talk about ...
We need to talk about illegal meat imports
Provision Trade Federation (PTF) director general Rod Addy looks at the impact of the new UK import regime, which kicked off in earnest on 30 April 2024.
News
Food to go market worth more than £48.2bn
The out-of-home food market was worth more than £48.2bn in the past year, fuelled by increased commuter spending post COVID and cost-conscious lunchtime shoppers, according to research by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
News
Hilltop Honey secures £10m to fuel international expansion
The UK honey producer has obtained a £10m banking packaging from Santander UK to help boost trade in the United States, the Middle East and Australia.
News
McDonald’s backed beef programme sees €4.4m investment
Dawn Meats and McDonalds are collaborating on a new sustainability initiative which will provide incentives to participating beef farmers in Ireland.
News
Aldi goes cage-free ahead of schedule
Discount retailer Aldi has hit its commitment to sell 100% cage-free eggs one year ahead of its original target.
News
Britvic invests £25m in national distribution centre
Soft drink manufacturer Britvic has opened its upgraded national distribution centre in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
News
Detecting honey adulteration without opening the jar
Food firms could soon be able to test for adulterated honey without even opening the jar, thanks to a new study into detecting fake products by researchers led by the Cranfield University.
News
What's up for grabs at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2025?
Whether you're a start-up or an industry leader, the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards invite food and drink processors to showcase their capabilities and celebrate the efforts and achievements of their companies and teams. Here, we summarise each of...
News
Salmon export sales jump 41% to £431m
Export sales of Scottish salmon have jumped 41% in the first half of 2024, thanks to increased demand from the US and Asia.
News
Lidl to roll out ‘industry-first’ tool for banana supply chain
Together with non-profit IDH, Lidl GB is set to launch a new analysis tool designed to address the living wage gap among banana plantation workers.
News
Supply chain: Stobart announces senior appointments within F&B
Logistics firm Stobart has announced two director level appointments to bolster its leadership team.
Short read
‘It took us 6 months to export 4 pallets of gluten-free ham and cheese toasties’
Food Manufacture investigates one UK processer’s issues with the EU TRACES system, that resulted in severe exporting delays.