Food Manufacture

The Seafood Company crowned overall awards winner

The Seafood Company beat fierce competition to claim the Company of the Year award at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards ceremony at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel, London on November 11. A packed hall of its peers applauded the firm � part of the Findus Group � which was selected by a panel of industry experts for consistently outstanding performance in every area to nail the overall award, sponsored by the International Agri-Technology Centre.

Cadbury �must justify� latest Kraft rejection

Cadbury is under increasing pressure to justify its rhetoric after rejecting a repeat of the original September takeover offer from Kraft Foods on November 9, according to a leading food analyst.

Manufacturers talk healthy food in parliament

British food and drink manufacturers met with MPs last week to discuss the challenges and opportunities for making health improvements to popular food and drink products.

New Scottish fish factory to create 100 jobs

A large salmon farming company has submitted a planning application to build a �5M fish processing factory in Scotland.

Government stalls under pressure for ombudsman

The government insists that it needs more time to decide whether to legislate for a supermarket ombudsman, despite growing pressure from industry bodies and MPs.

Bad science gives dairy products �a bad name�

There is �little or no evidence� that saturated fat from dairy products increases the risk of developing heart disease, according to scientists gathered at a conference on dairy and nutrition at the Royal Society last week.

New �fat-busting� foods to launch in 2010

At least two �significant launches� of functional foods on a body-shaping platform should hit shelves in 2010 as food and drink firms start to experiment with Prolibra: a milk mineral complex claimed to promote fat loss and retain lean muscle mass.

FSA may be on Tories� �bonfire of the quangos�

Fresh questions have been raised over the future role and remit of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) under a Tory government, after the Conservative Party confirmed that it was one of a number of �quangos� under review.

Jobs under threat at Twinings

Almost 400 jobs could go at Twinings factories in North Shields and Andover following a restructuring of parent company Associated British Foods' (ABF's) tea operations.

Uniq puts Riviera assets up for sale

Manufacturers have started bidding for machinery and equipment used in one of Uniq�s factories, which is due to close in the next couple of days.

Scores on the doors under fire again

Objections have again been raised to the Food Standards Agency�s (FSA�s) proposed six-tier Scores on the Doors (SoTD) hygiene rating system for foodservice businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as the Agency�s working group meets today (November 2) to consider how the system should work.

Waste to energy firm in anaerobic digestion drive

Prosper De Mulder Group (PDM) is spearheading a multi-million pound project to roll out anaerobic digestion plants turning food waste into biogas across the UK.

Molson Coors steps up asset care

The Molson Coors brewery in Burton-on-Trent is implementing world-class manufacturing techniques for asset care � part of a global initiative for the business.

Call for policing of late-paying retailers

Industry bodies are calling for the stricter policing of food retailers, after new data from Experian revealed that retailers paid suppliers an average of 26 days beyond agreed payment terms in September 2009.

Still no business case for RFID at item level in grocery

There�may still be no business case for replacing barcodes with electronic radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at item level in the grocery sector, but�new European Commission research reveals opportunities to be gained by tagging high-value foods.�