The FMT Blog
Opinion, analysis and musings from the FMT editorial team and expert guest writers about the food processing and manufacturing sector.
Extension to Article 50 voted for by MPs
MPs voted by a majority of just one last night to force Prime Minister Teresa May to ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit process. In a bid to avoid any no-deal scenario, the bill, which was put forward by Labour's Yvette Cooper, will need to be approved by the...
Highest food inflation in over five years
Food price inflation has hit 2.5% in March, up from 1.6% in February, the highest since November 2013. Shop price inflation has also accelerated in March to 0.9%, up from 0.7% in February; the highest inflation rate since March 2013. Fresh food inflation also rose to...
Burger King and Nestle reveal plant-based burgers
Burger King® and Nestle have both revealed plans to release plant-based burgers across Europe and the U.S this year. The ‘Impossible’ Whopper, the name of Burger King’s plant-based burger, consists of a plant-based patty topped with tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise,...
Aldi moves above Morrisons as supermarkets await Easter boost
The latest grocery market share figures, published from Kantar, show year-on-year supermarket sales growth of 1.4% during the 12 weeks to 24th March 2019. This year’s late Easter, and the fact that Mother’s Day falls outside the reported period, contributed to the...
Plastic food and drink packaging inquiry launched
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is launching its much anticipated inquiry into plastic food and drink packaging. Chair of the Committee Neil Parish MP commented: “Plastic currently pollutes this country’s soils, rivers and coasts, with millions of...
Former Waitrose director awarded Bicentenary Trophy
The Royal Smithfield Club’s president HRH The Countess of Wessex has presented the former Waitrose & Partners director, Heather Jenkins, with the Club’s annual Bicentenary Trophy in recognition of 30 years of outstanding service to the agriculture and meat...
Obituary: Sir David Naish
Tributes have been paid to former NFU President Sir David Naish who has died at the age of 78. Born in Nottinghamshire, Sir David was President of the NFU between 1991 and 1998 and followed in the footsteps of his uncle, Lord Netherthorpe, who was NFU President from...
Annual PTF Dinner brings industry together
The Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London was the setting for the annual Provision Trade Federation (PTF) black-tie dinner last night (28th March) where around 600 guests enjoyed a first-class meal plus entertainment from comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw. During a...
ABP extends online range for China
ABP has confirmed that it will be extending its range of online beef products for Chinese consumers on the JD.com platform, up from three product lines to 10 product lines. The announcement was made during a visit of its Chinese Distribution partner Hopewise to ABP...
Moy Park launches new plastics strategy
Moy Park has launched a new campaign to tackle the use of plastics and packaging across its business. The company plans to reduce its overall usage of packaging by 5% year on year while also increasing the percentage of recyclable packaging by 5%. The target is...