Sustainability
Sowing a future for peas
New research could help breeders to develop pea varieties able to withstand drought stress and climate change. The research conducted by the John Innes Centre and the Central Science Laboratory also shows that the composition of crops is likely to change with the climate. “While many compounds have been reported to change in laboratory based […]
Eurozone driving growth in food and drink exports
The Eurozone may be slipping towards a recession but UK food and drink exporters are bucking the trend and finding significant business opportunities in the area. In the first quarter of 2008, UK food and drink exports continued to soar, up 13.2% on the same period in 2007 to reach a record-breaking £2,892.2 million, highlighting […]
INGREDIENTS NEWS: Organic chocolate made to measure
Tailor-made organic chocolate offers manufacturers an innovative, customised solution to respond to increasing consumer demand for a wider range of organic products. Organically grown, the cocoa beans are processed by ADM Cocoa at its plant in Hull and the resulting cocoa products are then transported to ADM Classic in Liverpool, where the chocolate is manufactured. […]
LABORATORY NEWS: Cadbury Trebor Bassett wins award
Oxoid, the leading microbiology brand, has awarded first prize in the 2007/2008 Oxoid Food Safety Team of the Year Awards to the Cadbury Trebor Bassett team based at the company’s Chirk site in Wales. The Cadbury Chirk site is a feedstock site for the larger Cadbury organisation, with the laboratory handling samples of butter and […]
Business news, Food safety, Ingredients, Regulatory, Sustainability
ENVIRONMENT NEWS: Packaging on the wane
The grocery sector has ended packaging growth in the UK despite a sharp increase in sales. Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Britvic, Mars and Kellogg’s are significant brands working towards cutting food waste and packaging waste. The success is the result of the Courtauld Commitment – a voluntary agreement between WRAP, Defra, the Scottish and Welsh governments and […]
Wine industry lightens up
CO2 emissions have been cut by over 28,000 tonnes, equivalent to taking more than 8,500 cars off the road, as a result of industry programme GlassRite Wine. The project, funded by Waste & Resources Action Programme, has shown that bulk importing of wine into the UK and the use of lighter weight bottles can lead […]
Growing success
In an era when consumers are demanding high quality local food and environmental and ecological issues are at the forefront, Swedish company Nimo-KG is enjoying rapid expansion. Nimo-KG develops and markets equipment for product handling for companies such as Nestle, Findus and Masterfoods. It assists these companies in handling, lifting, tipping and mixing a wide […]
Environmental achievements for seafood and drinks
Two food and drink manufacturers have made it through to this year’s finals of the prestigious Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Awards. The nominations, demonstrating the sector’s continually improving performance in the area, are for Young’s Seafood and Innocent Drinks. Young’s Seafood entry is its ‘Fish for Life’ project, which is dedicated […]
Envirowise calls for collaboration on compliance
Food and drink manufacturers should focus on working with their supply chains in order to fully realise the opportunities presented by packaging minimisation, say sustainability experts Envirowise. As Defra announces tougher business targets for packaging recovery and recycling rates until 2010, companies need to increasingly assess the risks and opportunities of compliance for them and […]
Getting a handle on plastic
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is supporting Dairy Crest in a project to research, design and pilot a new handle-free plastic milk bottle, as part of a drive to reduce packaging waste from UK milk sales by 5,000 tonnes per annum. This project will focus on one pint and two pint bottles. Packaging supplier […]
Game firm secures industry first
Game supplier Rick Bestwick Ltd, specialist in game to the retailers, has secured an industry first by agreeing a deal to feature the New Forest Marque on packs of Wild Venison. The meat, all supplied from Forestry Commission sustainably managed woodlands, is processed and packed at the Bestwick factory in Derbyshire. The stylish new packaging, […]
NFU backs balanced report on biofuels
The NFU has given its backing to the conclusions of a recent Royal Society report on sustainable biofuels. The report calls on the Government to put policies in place that will ensure biofuels make the maximum contribution of which they are capable to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and that they do not cause new environmental […]
New challenges for Bramleys
Last year it was the Magners cider phenomenon that affected Bramley apple supply. This year the Bramley is facing slightly different challenges, according to successful grower and supplier of processed fruit fillings, Fourayes. With unfavourable weather conditions contributing to smaller fruit sizes and lower than anticipated yields this season, the overall tonnage of Bramley available […]
ENVIRONMENT: Carbon footprint under scrutiny
Environmental consultancy ADAS is working with Defra and the Carbon Trust to monitor the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions created by the food supply chain. Every food product has an impact on the environment via its ‘carbon footprint’ which is calculated by measuring the GHG outputs at each stage of the food supply chain – from […]