food
Tangerine deal creates new confectionery opportunity
Tangerine, the Blackpool-based confectionery firm, has bought the confectionery arm of Burton’s Foods for an undisclosed sum. The deal creates the UK’s largest independent sugar confectionery firm increasing Tangerine’s turnover from around £45 million to nearly £60 million. Commenting on the deal, Tangerine chairman Steven Joseph said,“This is fantastic news for Tangerine, and confirms our […]
Allergen law extends to molluscs and lupins
The European Commission has passed new legislation to extend food labelling requirements to include molluscs and lupins. This requirement will come into force in autumn 2006, with the industry expected to comply by autumn 2008. Since November last year, it has been a legal requirement to indicate the presence of 12 specified allergens and their […]
Tate & Lyle invests £4.5m in research
Tate & Lyle has announced that it will contribute £4.5 million over a five-year period to King’s College London to set up a new centre for research into the link between nutrition and health. Collaboration between the company and the university dates back to the 1970s when research by scientists from King’s College London and […]
Functional drinks driving yoghurt boom
Sales of yoghurt in the UK are set to increase by 40% over the next five years and smash the £2bn barrier by 2011 with surging functional yoghurt drinks driving sales. Market analyst Mintel says that the sector has already grown by a whopping 432% since 2001, and that 60% of consumers cite health as […]
Japan approves natamycin
DSM Food Specialties has announced Japan’s approval of natamycin, an antimycotic used in cheese and meat production. Natamycin is said to be a highly effective inhibitor of mould and yeast on food products and is approved for use in the European Union, South America and the US. Roger Reichrath, business manager preservation, DSM Dairy ingredients, […]
Fresh bacon facility arises out of fire
A six-month construction project has culminated in one of the most sophisticated bacon-processing plants in Europe. Built to replace a factory destroyed by a fire in 2004, the official opening ceremony of Direct Table Food’s new £20 million factory in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk was performed by Justin King, chief executive of Sainsbury’s. “The design […]
New partners join the Pea Party
Now in its third year, the Yes Peas! campaign, which is backed by growers and freezers, has two new supporters – PMC Harvesters of Fakenham, Norfolk, and Pinguin Foods UK of Kings Lynn. PMC are associate members which manufacture pea-harvesting machines, while Pinguin Foods is a freezing company, part of the Belgian Pinguin group. “We […]
California Tree Fruit branches out in Europe
The Garden, a London-based marketing agency, has been appointed by the California Tree Fruit Agreement (CTFA) to generate greater interest in its members’ fruit – firstly in trade circles, before targeting consumers. California’s peach, plum and nectarine business is currently booming, with over one and a half billion pounds of the fruit produced in California […]
Targeting contaminated eggs
The European Commission is planning to set new targets to reduce salmonella in laying hens in member states. The move follows the publication of an EU study, which shows high levels of infection in flocks in a number of countries. UK animal health and welfare minister, Ben Bradshaw, welcomed the preliminary report from the European […]
Simple labelling prompts food switch
Labelling food products with clear, simple nutritional information produced ‘quite extraordinary’ changes in consumers’ buying habits in just eight weeks, according to a report on a major European conference. Speaking at the Annual Obesity Europe Conference in Brussels recently, Tesco’s European affairs manager Ian Hutchins claimed that consumers switched in a matter of weeks to […]
Organic growing globally
The organic market is booming in Britain with sales up 30% averaging an extra £7 million a week. This growth accounts for annual current growth of 3% for food and drink. The total £1.6 billion in sales is a three-fold increase on the previous year. The numbers and range of people buying organic food have […]
Nestle puts on weight with Jenny Craig
Nestle SA has agreed with a private equity group including ACI Capital and MidOcean Partners, the acquisition of Jenny Craig, a weight management company offering branded nutritional products and services in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The company achieved sales in excess of US$ 400 million during the past year with double-digit organic […]
Curry kick for World Cup fans
Derby-based recipe dish manufacturer S&A Foods, in partnership with Asda, is ensuring football fans have enough energy to support England in the 2006 World Cup with the launch of their hottest ever curry, Chicken Phal. The Chicken Phal curry, will be available from the Indian serve over counter in Asda stores. Made from a combination […]
Six steps to stem water waste
Envirowise is advising food and drink companies to take six key steps to prevent unnecessary water waste at work, ahead of possible water shortages this summer. England and Wales suffered the driest January for almost a decade and six water companies are already operating hosepipe bans across the UK. But if firms act now, says […]