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Sainsbury’s group commercial director Mike Coupe has opened a new Cranswick production facility at Preston, East Yorkshire. (Meatinfo.co.uk) Coupe officially opened the facility by unveiling a plaque, following a tour of the new factory. Cranswick is said to have invested £13m in the new facility, using robotic technology, to replace the original, built in the 1980s. Livestock will be drawn to what is now Cranswick’s largest processing plant from across... read more →

Chicken magnate Ranjit Singh Boparan has made an 11th hour £341m cash bid for rival Northern Foods – after he was given a ‘put up or shut up’ deadline by the Takeover Panel. (Meatinfo.co.uk) Boparan Holdings, the company behind the 2 Sisters Food Group, is believed to have tabled the bid just minutes before a 7pm deadline – which had already been extended from 5pm following a hold-up with the financing package. The bid values Northern Foods,... read more →

World leaders have warned that rising food prices could lead to social unrest and even “economic war”. (BBC Business) Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that with the world population rising, “the race for scarce resources” could lead to conflict. And French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for regulation to rein in speculation and volatility in prices. But business leaders at the World Economic Forum rejected calls... read more →

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said it expects the Consumer Price Index to rise by 2 to 3 percent in 2011, ending a period of near-stagnant food price inflation over the past two years. (Foodnavigatorusa.com) he USDA said that higher food commodity and energy prices were behind the expected rise in prices, and the impact is likely to be even greater for meat and dairy prices, which were hit by higher feed costs in 2010. However, it is important... read more →

Several parties have expressed an interest in buying Buccleuch Foods site in Castle Douglas, after the firm announced plans to shut its meat processing facility in the town, FoodManufacture.co.uk understands. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Following a merger deal with former rival Campbell Brothers, 35 staff at Buccleuch are set to lose their jobs when the factory doors close on February 19, with specialist meat and game production then relocating to Campbell... read more →

Burton’s Foods has challenged claims made by Labour MP Angela Eagle that it has reneged on promises made to staff at its Moreton biscuits factory in the Wirral and failed to give them access to the data they need to challenge its plans to close the site. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Eagle – who is Labour MP for Wallasey – is leading an adjournment debate in the House of Commons tonight (Jan 26) about Burton’s Foods’ plans to close... read more →

Burton’s Foods’ proposals to close its biscuit factory in Moreton would significantly increase costs for Manor Bakeries and Typhoo Tea, which share the same site, Labour MP for Wallasey Angela Eagle has warned. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Speaking during an adjournment debate in the House of Commons last night, Eagle (pictured, right) said closing the site could cause a ‘domino’ effect in the region. She added: “Any potential closure of the site... read more →

69 staff at Robert Wiseman Dairies’ Okehampton dairy and 68 staff at its Cupar distribution centre face an uncertain future as the firm initiated 30-day consultations on the future of both sites. (Foodmanufacturing.co.uk) Wiseman, which released a trading statement today warning that sustained increases in the price of diesel and HDPE* (used in plastic milk bottles), could “materially impact costs going forward”, said Okehampton would require significant... read more →