The FMT Blog
Opinion, analysis and musings from the FMT editorial team and expert guest writers about the food processing and manufacturing sector.
Dave Lewis announced as key speaker for City Food Lecture 2018
Dave Lewis, group CEO of Tesco, will present the City Food Lecture 2018, the organisers have announced. The lecture will be held at London’s Guildhall on 28th February 2018 and is considered by many to be a key event in the food industry’s calendar. The event aims to...
Tesco reports sales increase and strong fresh food performance
Tesco sales rose for the seventh consecutive quarter, by 3.3% to £25.2 billion in the first half of 2017/18, with volumes within its core fresh food business having grown by 1.5%, thanks to continued “strong performance” within its meat and produce categories....
Rise in foodservice fish prices driven by inflation
Fish prices in foodservice have seen an “abrupt” increase, as the category recently saw some of the highest rates of year-on-year inflation, according to the CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index. Overall foodservice price inflation peaked at 9.3% year-on-year in...
Chilled fish performance affected by inflation
Inflationary rises in the natural and smoked fish categories have influenced volumes in the chilled fish category, according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks ending 10th September. Inflation in these two categories remains around 16%,...
Hotel Chocolat reports sweet growth
Hotel Chocolat Group has seen strong sales growth across retail, digital and corporate channels, as revenues grew 12% year-on-year, according to its preliminary results for the year ending 2nd July. Profit before and after tax was on the rise compared to 2016, by 100%...
FMT Food Awards judging finishes with a flourish
The Food Management Today Industry Awards product judging at Harper Adams Regional Food Academy took place this week. The winners and finalists are now being selected, as the countdown to the prestigious awards ceremony and industry lunch begins. The lunch will be...
Kettle Foods acquires Cornpoppers
Kettle Foods, producer of KETTLE® Chips and owner of Metcalfe’s skinny®, has announced the acquisition of UK popcorn producer, Cornpoppers Ltd. The move forms part of Kettle Foods’ ambition to build a portfolio of snack brands, following its acquisition of Metcalfe’s...
74% of UK food manufacturers likely to be eligible for R&D tax relief
Three quarters of small and medium-sized British firms in the food manufacturing industry are likely to be eligible for Research & Development (R&D) tax relief, according to the results of a new Censuswide survey. The report surveyed 500 senior managers and...
Aldi reports record results for 2016
Aldi has unveiled a 13.5% increase in UK and Ireland sales to a record £8.7 billion in the year to 31st December 2016, but operating profit dropped sharply by 17%, amid a price war between retailers. According to the company’s latest results, sales and market share...
Government suppresses Brexit food price report, says Unite
Unite, the union, has alleged that Government is suppressing information on expected changes in food prices, as a result of Brexit. In a freedom of information request, the union reportedly asked Defra “what assessment or estimate has been made of the increase in food...