The FMT Blog
Opinion, analysis and musings from the FMT editorial team and expert guest writers about the food processing and manufacturing sector.
NFU demands answers from Defra agriculture roadmap
National Farmers Union (NFU) president, Minette Batters, says the unveiling of Defra’s roadmap for sustainable farming has left English farmers with “significant questions” which need to be answered urgently. The roadmap outlines changes that will come into force over...
Ocado Retail CEO to be City Food lecturer for 2021
Organisers of the City Food Lecture have announced that the 2021 lecture will be given by Mel Smith, chief executive of Ocado Retail. Formed in August 2019, Ocado Retail is a 50-50 joint venture between M&S and Ocado Group which serves 350,000 households every...
Industry encouraged by Chancellor’s spending review
A number of trade organisations have welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending review which consists of a number of support packages in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the Government expecting the economy set to shrink by around 11.4% this year, Sunak...
Women in Meat Industry Awards 2020 gathers pace
The annual Women in Meat Industry Awards ceremony is now under one week away, with the online results set to be announced live at 4.30pm on Wednesday 2nd December. FMT readers can pre-register now for a reminder email, including a direct link, which is sent out on the...
NFU Scotland welcomes food and drink recovery funding
NFU Scotland has welcomed the announcement that the food and drink sector is to receive £5 million from Scottish Government to help its recovery from the impact of coronavirus and prepare for uncertainties of Brexit. Through the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership,...
Advertising ban proposals criticised by UK’s biggest food brands
Some of the UK’s biggest food brands have backed a letter written by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to hit out at the Government’s proposals to ban certain so called ‘junk food’ adverts. The letter, which has been endorsed...
Welsh food and drink industry asks PM for assistance in open letter
FDF Cymru, alongside nine other Welsh food and drink producers and manufacturers, have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson highlighting key issues that need be addressed to avoid 'detrimental impacts' to the industry following the end of the transition period....
Unilever sets sights on €1 billion plant-based business
Food manufacturer Unilever has rolled out a series of targets for vegan food production which includes growing a €1 billion (£900m) plant-based business by 2027. Unilever, which owns well-known brands Hellman’s and Ben & Jerry’s, said consumers can expect to see a...
Changing consumer dynamics in light of Covid-19 explored
The economic ripple effect of Covid-19 led consumers to re-evaluate their buying behaviours with price, value for money and buying local becoming more of a priority during lockdown, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Bord (AHDB). This led to...
Anticipation mounts for the Women in Meat Industry Awards 2020
With just two weeks remaining until the Women in Meat Industry Awards online ceremony, organisers have revealed the running order for the presentation as well as other key details that viewers will want to know. The ceremony will be streamed live at the Women in Meat...