Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced plans to ditch ‘best before’ dates on a range of fruit and vegetable products across its UK stores.

Chris Southworth, director of the International Chamber of Commerce, has agreed with UK farmers that New Zealand’s latest trade deal with the EU exposed difficulties in the UK’s trading relationships with both the EU and New Zealand.

The short-term outlook for the UK food manufacturing sector is “not encouraging” as manufacturers are expected to absorb a significant part of input cost increases, according to the FDF.

Over the three months to June 2022, food sales increased 2.2% on a total basis and 1.6% on a like-for-like basis, according to the latest figures by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

In a joint statement released by retailer Tesco and manufacturer Heinz, the companies have confirmed that they have reached an agreement that will see the full range of Heinz products return to Tesco shelves and online.