Both Hovis and Warburtons have announced their intentions to use 100% British wheat in loaves from early 2010, with Hovis stealing a march on its rival by switching the entire range to UK-grown wheat. While Warburtons said it would launch two “all-British loaves” from March 2010, made using wheat sourced from its network of 320 farmers across the UK, Hovis moved to use 100% British wheat across all its loaves, with the change expected in January. (bakeryinfo.co.uk) Hovis... read more →
A large salmon farming company has submitted a planning application to build a £5M fish processing factory in Scotland. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) The planning application was submitted to Western Isles Council on November 4 by Lighthouse Caledonia. It outlines plans to build gutting and filleting facilities in a 7,000 sqm factory, which will be able to process up to 15,000t of fish per year at Arnish, south of Stornoway. Lighthouse Caledonia wants the facility... read more →
A treatment method using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) can help ensure the safety of fresh produce such as alfalfa seeds in terms of Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli contamination, claims new research. (foodproductiondaily.com) Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) treatment is a non-thermal food preservation technology that can inhibit foodborne pathogens without or with minimum impact on the sensory and nutritional qualities of solid and liquid foods,... read more →
Northern Foods has announced it is to plough £26.5 million into its Fox’s Biscuits brand in an investment that could see new automated technology replace hundreds of jobs. (bakeryinfo.co.uk) In order to “ensure it has the most appropriate biscuit facilities to remain competitive”, Northern Foods will introduce automated technology at its Batley, Kirkam and Uttoexter sites, resulting in a reduction of approximately 220 employees. According to the firm... read more →
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is to investigate the reasons behind poor food safety culture in some food businesses, which can result in serious food poisoning outbreaks. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) It is commissioning an evidence review on cultures and behaviours in relation to regulatory compliance both in food businesses and enforcement bodies. The research, which starts this month, is expected to be completed by next Spring. The aim is to investigate... read more →
The Migration and Advisory Committee (MAC) has recommended that skilled meat boners and trimmers should be added to the list of jobs most in need of immigrant labour. (meatinfo.co.uk) The MAC’s recommendations were based on a partial review of the shortage occupation lists for the UK and Scotland, which are used alongside Tier 2 of the points-based system for managing immigration. If the recommendations are accepted by the government, skilled meat boners... read more →
New food packaging can double or, in some cases, even triple the shelf life of certain foods for up to 24 months compared with conventional packaging, claims its manufacturer Superfos. (foodproductiondaily.com) SuperLock packaging is said to achieve the longer shelf-life thanks to very low oxygen transmission rates obtained through a new oxygen barrier. And barrier protection is claimed on all packaging surfaces. “The combination of oxygen barrier on all... read more →
The price of staple foods in the UK could soar to four and a half times above inflation by 2030 unless developed countries slash their greenhouse gas emissions, warns a new report from Friends of the Earth. The environmental campaigning organization has released its report, entitled Climate Change, Food, Poverty and the Price of Failure to the UK, as a call to the UN to ensure an agreement to drastically cut emissions at the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Change... read more →
