Scotland
Drinks group announces £120 million restructure
The world’s biggest drinks group, Diageo, has initiated a £120 million restructuring that will see the closure of a packaging plant and distillery, resulting in the loss of around 900 jobs in Scotland. The overhaul, which will reportedly save an estimated £40 million by 2012, will involve the closure of the company’s grain spirit distillery […]
Technology to beef up Scottish meat appeal
Scotland will lead the rest of the world in predicting the eating quality of cuts of meat, say the organisers of a new project. Meat processors there will be offered groundbreaking technology that, for the first time, will allow them to accurately measure the different factors, such as tenderness, colour and fat levels, that contribute […]
US company acquires UK oven manufacturer
US industrial food processing supplier JBT FoodTech has acquired Double D Food Engineering – a UK designer and manufacturer of custom-built ovens and cookers – for an undisclosed sum. “Double D provides cooking technologies that complement and extend our product portfolio of ovens, says Torbjorn Arvidsson, of JBT FoodTech’s Food Solutions and Services Division.“We are […]
Ready to heat and eat porridge
As news reports highlight the frightening statistics that Scotland has the second highest level of obesity in the developed world, Strathmore Foods, based in Forfar has created the first Scottish made ready to heat and eat porridge on the market. True to the brand’s identity of ‘traditional Scottish meals made for today’Strathmore has launched McIntosh […]
Potatoes set to go upmarket
Branston Ltd, the UK’s leading supplier of quality fresh potatoes, has launched The Real Potato Co, an innovative direct to consumer brand set to shake up the UK potato category with its range of new varieties. The Real Potato Co will initially launch within 250 Tesco stores around the country with two exclusive varieties of […]
Supreme award for Speyside organic whisky
The first bottled single malt to be fully certified by The Soil Association has won the supreme title in the 2007 Scottish Food and Drink Excellence Awards. The awards, now in their sixth year, are organised jointly by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and Scottish Food and Drink in association with Scottish […]
Spirits loved more abroad than at home
Scotland and France are two countries with three noble spirits of international renown, but home consumption of all three spirits is languishing. The reversal of tradition is revealed in research commissioned by Vinexpo, the world’s biggest wine and spirit exhibition. Contrarily, by 2010 the French will drink more Scotch Whisky than the British, while the […]
Please refrain from smoking
The impact of the smoking ban – due to come into effect in England on 1 July 2007 – may not be as devastating as first thought. Whilst the fact that more than 50% of regular users of pubs are smokers is certainly a cause for worry, the bans do not seem to affect trade […]
Halewood splashes out on fortified wines
Emva and Eldorado fortified wines have been sold to Halewood International, for undisclosed amounts. Emva is a full-bodied, rich wine from a sixth generation winery in Cyprus. Produced from black Mavro and white Xiniseri grapes, it is matured for three years in oak barrels. Already stocked by several major supermarkets, the Emva brand will be […]