Inside food & drink manufacturing
Nestlé's decision to close its Hayes coffee plant by 2014 and transfer production to Tutbury in Derbyshire, follows hot on the heels of news that it planned to close its HQ in Croydon and move to Gatwick by the end of 2012.
The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink (NSA) has appointed Leicester College as its champion of bakery training.
The discovery last November that more than three-quarters of British oysters contained norovirus highlighted an anomaly in the food testing industry.
Despite facing huge challenges – from plummeting consumer confidence to food security – delegates at Food Manufacture's 2012 Business Leaders' Summit were more optimistic about the industry's prospects than they were at last year's event in January 2011.
Britain's food manufacturing sector is facing a potential skills crisis, with an ageing workforce and an image problem that is putting young people off choosing food and drink as a career.
PAL-Cut, which specialises in equipment and consumables for automated palletising systems, is launching a new sheet dispenser designed for continuous operation in industry cold stores.
More British food and drink firms could find themselves the targets of overseas takeovers this year, with some analysts predicting mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity surpassing the £4.2bn achieved in the UK last year.
Müller's announcement that it had launched an agreed takeover of Britain's "leading" liquid milk supplier Robert Wiseman Dairies was the biggest surprise of the past month.
The increasing value of pork in the UK has boosted sales at pork specialist Cranswick after the firm posted a strong performance in all categories in its latest financial statement, according to city analysts.
As supermarkets encourage consumers to buy more milk in bags, there are growing opportunities for dairies to compete for this work. And a bagging machine developed for this purpose, now available in the UK, should help dairies to meet supermarket demands.
Manufacturers are being urged to take advantage of increased government support to increase their exports this year.
DSM has launched a range of processed yeast extracts to meet the continuing demand for 'natural' ingredients.
Analytical equipment has been developed for detecting arsenic contamination in apple juice. This coincides with recent consumer concern about elevated levels of arsenic found in juices in the US.
Decoration and shaping technologies for board and paper are creating new opportunities particularly in confectionery, as witnessed by visitors to the recent ProSweets show in Germany.
Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When I'm 64." So sang The Beatles back in 1967. If you're not concerned about how you're going to be fed when you're 64, then good luck to you. But food manufacturers should certainly be thinking about how...
Country of origin labelling (COOL) looks set to cause manufacturers serious headaches and extra cost burdens when the new rules start coming into force in 2014.
David Cameron's promise to run "the greenest government ever" has proved "hollow", according to Melanie Leech, director general of the Food and Drink Federation.
Cow shuffling may never make it as an Olympic sport, but dozens of British dairy farmers have taken it up recently on behalf of Robert Wiseman Dairies. They've spent months testing their animals and rejigging multiple herds in order to form an elite...
The Paramount 21 story started for me 10 years ago when I was invited down to its former site in Brixham, Devon (I was working for a Marks & Spencer supplier at the time).
CFB Boilers' range of Loos horizontal packaged steam boilers all feature a graphic thin film translator display with a touch-sensitive screen for more intuitive operation.
Firms may have taken the use of digital photographs for auditing validation too far, experts say.
Canned food and soft drinks firm Princes has forged a partnership with its tomato supplier to form a new business in Italy.
Professor Judy Buttriss knew very early in her career that nutrition was where her heart lay. But these days, as director general of the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), it's not just nutrition research that puts demands on her time. She has to juggle...
Ishida Europe has launched an enhanced version of its weigher designed for granular products, which can be easily damaged by auger or volumetric cup fillers.
Food authenticity crime, where substandard or fake products are sold as premium or regional specialities, is on the rise. According to Genetic ID, sister division of Cert-ID Europe and FoodChain Europe, it is being asked to carry out tests to check...
Premier Foods is stepping up its Power Brand plan after announcing a major TV advertising push as md Michael Clarke continues his plan to stabilise the business after a troubled 2011.
The evergreen Tim Lang, professor of Food Policy at City University London, has never been afraid to rattle cages and elicit strong reactions.
Food and drink products containing nanotechnology ingredients are unlikely to appear on UK supermarket shelves anytime soon, despite research into their use taking place in Asia, the US and Brazil.
Food poisoning incidents have the potential to cause serious damage to the most famous brands whether the fault lies in the manufacturing process or elsewhere in the supply chain. Muck tends to stick.
Kaneka Pharma Europe has developed new ways of incorporating its coenzyme Q10 into functional food applications. One of these is an extra virgin olive oil that promises high antioxidative power developed by Costa d'Oro, called Olisana K-Young. Kaneka...
Cleaning efficiency is under attack. Firms have expanded production schedules, leaving less time for cleaning, while cutting down on water and energy use. This trend has reached a level where firms with older facilities are struggling to maintain standards.
To ensure that investment can continue despite budgetary restrictions, Quorn Foods has purchased a reconditioned T400 traysealer from Multivac for its plant at Methwold in Norfolk.