Quality matters
Maximum quality, minimum waste is the new mantra, reports Alyson Magee
Archives for December 4, 2012
Barr Britvic Soft Drinks to get new facility in Milton Keynes
Work is now well underway on soft drinks manufacturer AG Barr's new £41M manufacturing and logistics facility being built by Gazeley at its Magna Park site in Milton Keynes.
Smoking hot hygiene for artisan cured meats firm
Artisan smokehouse Capreolus Fine Foods installed a new maturing room for its cured, air-dried and smoked meats with the aim of avoiding product contamination issues relating to the drying and maturation of its products.
Chilled & Fresh Manufacturing Company of the Year
Sponsored by: NFT DistributionWinner: Greencore Northampton
Bad news month for UK food sector
Britain's food industry was rocked by two announcements over the past month. Premier Foods broke the news that it was to close bakeries in Birmingham and Greenford, west London and restructure its distribution operations with the loss of 900 jobs....
Sweet sensation
It's all about the brands for Mondelēz International, reports Gary Scattergood
Astaxanthin in liquid formulation
Natural astaxanthin producer Algatechnologies has worked with Novel Creation to develop 'Maximum Red Alga', a liquid dietary supplement of natural astaxanthin using AstaPure 10% astaxanthin oleoresin as its main ingredient.
Microsphere technology cuts sodium
Tate & Lyle says its new salt reduction ingredient, Soda-Lo Salt Microspheres, enables manufacturers to reduce salt levels by up to 50% without sacrificing on a product's taste.
Black CPET now in recycling mix
For the first time it will be possible for recyclers to sort black crystalline polyethylene terephthalate (CPET) food packs in mixed plastic waste streams, thanks to a novel development from a Danish packaging manufacturer.
Why the UK's meat supply chain is in crisis
The news last month that Vion is to sell its UK food businesses, covering 38 sites and employing 13,000 people is a sure sign that the UK's meat supply chain is in crisis.
Let them eat crispier pastries
Part of international farmer-owned cooperative Groupe Limagrain, Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI), has used its knowledge of different types of flour and their interactions with ingredients and processes to develop a clean-label improver to make...
More non-GM soya lecithin comes to Europe from Asia
One of South East Asia's largest soy producers, Adani Wilmar, can now offer the European food industry 30Mt a day of non-genetically modified (non-GM) soya lecithin, following certification by Cert ID Europe. Three of the company's five plants are now...
Asia growth drives Kerry's ingredient gains
Kerry Foods has recorded a 14.8% increase in revenues in its ingredients and flavour division, largely driven by an impressive performance in the Asia-Pacific region.
New drive spreads the biscuit dough
The installation of an ABB standard drive on one of its dough mixers has helped Fox's Biscuits of Batley, West Yorkshire to improve quality and reduce wastage.
Protein Manufacturing Company of the Year
Sponsored by: Air Products Winner: Young's Seafood
Cheers to new ways
Modern technologycould provide cheaper ways to brew beer, reports Laurence Gibbons
Prize fighters
Last month top food manufacturing firms fought to be crowned the best in the business. Rick Pendrous names the industry's new kings and queens
Dairy Crest 'must raise its game' after a 'difficult' year
Dairy Crest has reported a "continuing difficult trading environment", particularly for its Dairies Division, for the first half of the financial year (H1). This has led analysts to call for an improvement in its performance in the second half to meet...
Integrated system for packaging folded meat and cheese slices
Multivac demonstrated its latest food packaging kit at last month's Emballage trade show in France. One of the highlights on its stand was an integrated packaging system for making folded packs of sliced ham or cheese.
Bosses to assess prospects for 2013
Manufacturers in the food and drink sector could be in for a bumpy year ahead, as uncertainty rises about the economy and how consumers will respond.
Lemon myrtle from Oz
An ingredients importer is claiming that an Australian medicinal bush spice that combines the tartness of lemon with the sweet flavour of basil will be the next big food trend.
Fresh and ready...
Lynda Searby looks at the balance between sandwich freshness and availability in store
A finger on the pulse harvest
Adverse weather conditions have seriously affected the harvest in le Puy-en-Velay region of central France, resulting in a reduced crop of Puy lentils.
WRAP calls for curb on EfW growth
The current growth in energy-from-waste (EfW) incineration plants around the UK needs to be restrained by central government, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has said, to allow for a more resource-efficient 'circular' economy.
Automated flow-wrapper raises efficiency
A fully automated flow-wrapping line is helping Tangerine Confectionery, one of the UK's leading sugar confectionery suppliers, to dramatically increase productivity and efficiency.
Mondelēz International ready for biscuit boom
Mondelēz International - the new name for the snacking arm of Kraft Foods - is preparing to start biscuit production for the first time at its site in Sheffield.
Yorkshire and Humber food and drink firms to get automation funding
Food and drink manufacturers in the Yorkshire and Humber region will benefit from a £1.4M project to improve the take-up of automation, organised by the Centre for Food Robotics and Automation.
Death knell rings for the BOGOF and retailer rule
BOGOFs - buy one, get one free - offers could become a thing of the past as the power in the food supply chain moves away from retailers to producers and consumers who now seek better value in what they buy rather than unnecessarily generating waste in...
Environmental Initiative of the Year
Winner: Coca-Cola Enterprises
Coming soon: tougher salt reduction targets
Manufacturers will be expected to meet tougher salt reduction targets, according to the co-chair of the Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD) Food Network. This is despite health campaigners' fears that the government was going cold on setting lower...
Nutritional frozen ready meals created for children
When three working mothers, Donna Tresadern, Kay Shearing and Nikki Da Costa-Smith, struggled to find healthy, convenient and tasty food for children they decided to create their own frozen ready meals range.
Food can be fun
Disney's Philippe Roucoule gives firms a licence to thrill, reports Gary Scattergood
Labelling, obesity and the Titanic's deckchairs
In recent weeks, the discussions have all been about food labelling in general and traffic lights in particular. Deja vu pervades.
New food and drink industry training boss to close skills gap
Closing the yawning food and drink industry skills gap by attracting the next generation of industry scientists, engineers and technicians is the top priority of the new director of the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink (NSAFD) and the sector...