The FMT Blog
Opinion, analysis and musings from the FMT editorial team and expert guest writers about the food processing and manufacturing sector.
US lobbying UK to drop name protections in post-Brexit trade deals
US lobbyists are reportedly calling for the UK to drop geographical name protections, implemented under EU law, after Brexit, to allow retailers to import similar American products. Products such as Melton Mowbray pork pies, Cornish pasties, the Cumberland sausage and...
Meatup 2019 dates and venue announced
YPL Exhibitions & Events, the organisers of the biennial Meatup trade show, has confirmed that the exhibition will return to ArenaMK next year in Milton Keynes. However it will now be staged later in the year on Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st October 2019,...
Tesco and Morrisons top the ‘big four’ in buoyant market
Grocery sales have increased in value by 3.2% compared to the same time last year, marking the 12th consecutive period in a row that total market sales have exceeded 3% and that each of the big four retailers has seen positive growth. According to the latest grocery...
Plans to cut excess calorie consumption unveiled
Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have announced steps to reduce 20% of calories in popular foods by 2024, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity. Pizzas, ready meals, ready-made sandwiches, meat products and savoury snacks...
Food companies share gender pay gap data
Food manufacturers and retailers have submitted their pay information to the Government, revealing that some are paying female staff less than male employees. With just one month to go before the Government’s deadline requiring all companies with 250 or more staff to...
MM Meat Industry Awards product nomination deadline extended
With weather conditions impacting the operations of some companies last week, the organisers of the prestigious Meat Management Industry Awards have announced an extension to the deadline for product nominations. Manufacturers, butchers and retailers now have until...
City Food Lecture calls for ‘transformational change’
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis has urged the whole supply chain to work in partnership to change the way it produces food for the UK, challenging industry to come together to bring about “heavy duty, transformational change”. Delivering a keynote speech at the annual City Food...
Tesco and Booker merger approved by shareholders
Shareholders have now voted in favour of Tesco’s takeover of Booker, in a deal that was valued at £3.7 billion when it was agreed in January 2017. The deal, which will see Tesco take over the cash-and-carry business that also owns store chain Londis and grocery...
Prezzo to shut 100 restaurants
Restaurant chain Prezzo is reportedly planning to close up to one third of its 300 UK branches, as it is preparing to launch a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) in the coming days. Prezzo, owned by US private equity group TPG Capital, is planning to unveil the CVA...
Plastic-free supermarket aisle opens in Amsterdam
A plastic-free supermarket aisle has been unveiled in Amsterdam, which will see more than 700 products without plastic packaging become available, prompting calls for UK retailers to follow suit. The reportedly “world-first” plastic-free aisle has been set up in a new...