Tate & Lyle could be vulnerable to a takeover by an industry rival such as Cargill, according to a lawyer specialising in food industry mergers and acquisitions. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Speculation about US giant Cargill possibly bidding for UK-based Tate hit the wires on January 19, when City analyst Andy Ford at MF Global said in a note that he saw Cargill was a “potential bidder” for Tate. Tate’s share price soared to 576.5p as a result... read more →
US-based doughnut giant Krispy Kreme is opening its first UK manufacturing unit, as it bids to double its number of stores in the country within the next five years. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Krispy Kreme UK has taken up a 10-year lease on a 5,392 sq ft production unit on Heywood, Manchester, which will create up to 40 jobs and house a manufacturing line and processing kitchen with the ability to produce 3,000 doughnuts per hour. Chief financial officer... read more →
Savoury ingredient supplier Jardox has completed a £1 million factory upgrade project that has doubled its production capacity. (Foodnavigator.com) The modernisation programme, which has just been finished, includes production areas, staff facilities and new equipment to improve efficiencies at the firm’s Sevenoaks, UK base. As a leading supplier into the UK chilled ready meal, soup and sauce market, Jardox provides wet stocks, pastes and dry ingredient... read more →
Major players in Europe’s organic meat industry have expressed relief after the European Commission (EC) chose not to ban the use of nitrates and nitrites for curing products. (Foodnavigator.com) Sodium nitrite (E250) and potassium nitrate (E252) are widely used in cured meats to prevent the growth of pathogens such as clostridium botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism, and add flavour and colour to products such as bacon. But opponents claim... read more →
A UK-based bagel bakery has been fined after a worker severed two of his fingers in “unsafe” machinery while attempting to clear a dough blockage. (Bakeryandsnacks.com) The firm, Ixxy’s Bagels, of Harley Street, London, was ordered to pay £2,250 with £9,719 costs for the November 2007 incident. The court heard that Mr Raakesh Patel, 26, was injured at the Ixxy’s factory when a rotating blade of a bagel dividing machine continued to move... read more →
An investigation has been launched following the death of an abattoir worker in Scotland. (Meatinfo.co.uk) David Barker, aged 48, is thought to have died after being struck on the head by a falling metal partition while working at the Scottish Borders Abattoir in Galashiels. However, the exact cause of death has not been announced, following the delay in a post mortem. A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: “The investigation is... read more →
A Lancashire meat wholesaler has been disqualified from being a company director for two years after his firm crashed with debts totalling nearly £250,000. (Meatinfo.co.uk) In 2008, Shaun Ashworth’s wholesale meat business in Rosendale was placed in compulsory liquidation with debts of £250,000. A further investigation by the Insolvency Service (IS), however, discovered that invoicing was not correctly done and company accounts were not correctly... read more →
Slaughterhouses may have to install additional ventilation and air extraction systems after scientists discovered bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) can be spread to livestock by air. (Meatinfo.co.uk) They have found prions – the infectious agents triggering the disease – are not necessarily transmitted only by eating contaminated material. The researchers from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and the Institute of Immunology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut,... read more →
