The FMT Blog
Opinion, analysis and musings from the FMT editorial team and expert guest writers about the food processing and manufacturing sector.
Unilever to sell its spreads business to KKR
Unilever is to sell its Spreads business, including Becel, Flora and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, to global investment firm KKR for €6.825 billion on a cash-free, debt-free basis. The investment is being funded by both the European and North American private...
Tesco responds to Woodside Farms legal dispute
Richard Baugh, of Woodside Farm in Nottinghamshire, has joined with food and environment charity Feedback to threaten legal proceeding, if Tesco does not stop using the name Woodside Farms to sell its products. In a letter to Tesco’s CEO, Feedback reportedly...
Kalsec expands lab capabilities in Europe
Natural spice and herb extract producer Kalsec has invested in its European operation, with the installation of a new laboratory with “state-of-the-art analytical facilities” at its Mildenhall, United Kingdom location. This new laboratory offers Kalsec the capability...
Ian Mackway to join Yandell team
Ian Mackway, who retired as general manager of food ingredients company Raps UK earlier this year, is to join the Yandell Publishing team in January as its Awards Ambassador. Ian will be liaising with retailers, manufacturers and foodservice to ensure the benefits of...
Festive shopping and inflation boost supermarkets
Supermarket sales have increased in value by 3.1% year on year, due to Christmas being just around the corner and grocery inflation, which now stands at its highest level since 2013, at 3.6%. According to Kantar Worldpanel, the biggest four grocers (Tesco,...
Cheese at the top of premium shopping this Christmas
A quarter of Christmas shoppers plan to trade up to premium retailers or supermarket premium ranges for Christmas, with cheese being the produce most likely to be ‘upgraded’. According to research from YouGov conducted for digital and customer experience agency...
Food industry reacts to Brexit agreement
The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has agreed on a deal with the European Commission (EC) over the issues of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU and Northern Ireland, allowing negotiations to move to the next phase. Announcing the deal, the European...
Kingsmill bakery drivers call off plans for strike
Drivers at the Kingsmill bakery in West Bromwich have cancelled plans for strike action, after overwhelmingly accepting a revised pay offer, said the union, Unite. According to the union, the drivers, maintenance staff and security personnel at the Birmingham Road...
East of England Co-op to sell food after ‘Best Before’ date
East of England Co-op has reportedly become the first major retailer to start selling dried foods and tinned products beyond their best before dates. The items will be sold for 10p in a bid to “significantly” reduce food waste. The retailer will now sell products over...
Brexit to create ‘risks’ and opportunities for UK food standards
A recent report from the Food Ethics Council has highlighted that Brexit could pose both “huge risks” to UK food safety standards, as well as an “opportune time”, which was echoed by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). The new report notes that...