Good traceability systems helped prepared foods giant Bakkavör avoid a potentially costly recall earlier this year, when it experienced a problem with contaminated meat marinades supplied to other processors, according to the company’s group food safety manager. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) The ‘butter yellow that wasn’t’ incident at Bakkavör’s Welcome Food Ingredients plant in Nottingham occurred when Trading Standards officers detected... read more →
A novel technology that uses air instead of gallons of water and cleaning agents to clean process pipe work is being installed at a UK whisky manufacturer this week and will shortly be tested by a UK dairy manufacturer. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) The Whirlwind System, developed by Cheshire-based Aeolus Technologies, clears, cleans and dries the inside of pipes in factories using minimal water and no chemicals, and could deliver a payback in nine to 12... read more →
The CBI has unveiled a package of proposals to ‘modernise employment relations legislation’ including raising the threshold for industrial action and allowing businesses to recruit staff through agencies to cover stoppages. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) The measures are outlined in today’s report, ‘Keeping the wheels turning: modernising the legal framework of industrial relations’, and also include proposals to double the amount of notice unions... read more →
Who feels like some Chicken Tonight? Not many of us, apparently, which explains why brand owner Unilever now wants to get shot of it, along with fellow cooking sauce Ragu, sales of which are believed to be equally uninspiring. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) But could they fare any better under new ownership? From a marketing perspective, says Nick Cloke at marketing consultancy Catalyst, it could prove challenging to refresh Chicken Tonight, which was memorably... read more →
Premier Foods remains ‘open-minded’ about selling off assets – including its meat-free business – to pay off debts, provided the price is right, bosses have confirmed. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) In a statement issued to the stock exchange, Premier Foods said it had “received approaches that may or may not lead to a sale of its meat-free business, including Quorn”. The firm, which recently unveiled plans to contract out production... read more →
From antimicrobial sprays to nano-sieves for removing allergens, ultra-fine emulsions and anti-fouling nano-coatings, FoodManufacture.co.uk provides a round-up of current and potential application areas for nanomaterials in the food and drink industry. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Establishing what is already out there depends on a working definition of nanomaterials, which has not yet been established in the food sector. However, most observers differentiate... read more →
Storing packaged lettuce salads at 5°C (41°F) or below is critical for reducing food safety risks such as E.coli 0157:H7, according to new research. (Foodproductiondaily.com) Researchers said the findings were significant as they demonstrated that foodborne pathogens “can grow significantly on commercially packaged lettuce salads while the product’s visual quality is fully acceptable”. This challenged the widely held view that temperature control... read more →
Take up of robotic technology in the food sector is set to steadily increase as processors are forced to seek further efficiency gains and demand could challenge that of the automotive industry within a decade, said the head of a leading trade body. (Foodproductiondaily.com) In the first part of our special edition on Robotics and Automation, FoodProductionDaily.com gives an overview of robotics in the food industry, examines why the sector has been slow... read more →
