The FMT Blog
Opinion, analysis and musings from the FMT editorial team and expert guest writers about the food processing and manufacturing sector.
Appeal judgement upholds CMA report preventing Ecolab/Holchem merger
A Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) judgement has upheld the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision to block the merger of Ecolab and Holchem. The two companies are the largest suppliers of cleaning chemicals to food and drink manufacturers in the UK. The...
Royal seal of approval for Nim’s Fruit Crisps
Kent-based manufacturer Nim's Fruit Crisps has been awarded its first ever Queens Award for Innovation for its healthy alternative to crisps. Nim’s Fruit Crisps, which employs 18 people at its BRC accredited facility in Sittingbourne, joins a number of businesses...
HSE outlines unavailability of PPE to food industry
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published an open letter addressed to members of the food industry detailing the shortage of PPE as well as updated health and safety guidance for those continuing to work during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the main concerns...
2020 Meat Awards on schedule following product judging
The annual Meat Management Industry Awards, have reassured participants about organisational intentions for the dinner and ceremony this year. Judging was fully completed on time over a full week of activity at the Regional Food Academy within Harper Adams University...
Convenient food sales up as shoppers stock up on staples
One of Britain’s biggest food companies, Premier Foods, has revealed that sales for convenient products such as Super Noodles and Smash instant mash potato have increased as consumers stock up on cupboard items for lockdown. Premier Foods owns some of the largest food...
Record month for meat, fish and poultry as Covid-19 forces consumers to eat at home
With shoppers needing to cater for an additional 500 million meals a week, sales of meat, fish and poultry have been at an all-time high, according to the latest research from Kantar. £10.8 billion of grocery sales were recorded over the last four weeks, surpassing...
Waitrose outlines initiatives to support suppliers during pandemic
Waitrose has announced a number of support initiatives for its most vulnerable suppliers during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Most notably the supermarket has unlocked £200k from the Waitrose Foundation Global Fund to support its overseas farming communities in...
Specialist cheese makers take action to survive
Britain's specialist cheesemakers and retailers have joined forces to urge the public to 'support small cheesemakers' as the coronavirus crisis threatens to wipe out the previously thriving industry. Revealing plans for the first ever British Cheese Weekender, the...
Dairy industry unites behind calls for urgent Government action to save sector
Appeals for urgent Government action to save the dairy industry have been backed by the entire supply chain, including UK farming unions, RABDF, Dairy UK and the Provision Trade Federation. The group has written to the Defra Secretary of State George Eustice to...
Feed the Nation campaign aims to put British workers on farms
International charity Concordia is looking to put thousands of Britons who have lost their jobs to the Covid-19 pandemic to work on farms across the country, despite workers being flown in from Romania. Sky News reported last week that a chartered flight of 150...