Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has launched free trade negotiations between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

A consultation published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) seeks to investigate  whether changes should be made to the chilling requirements of Qurbani meat and offal supplied from slaughterhouses in England and Wales during the period of Eid al-Adha.

As part of a deal running until Friday 24th June, Iceland is offering more than 420 products, including bread, butter and bananas, amid rising grocery inflation.

Organisers report a massive range of products delivered by companies from right across the industry for evaluation this week as part of this year’s Meat Management Industry Awards.

Owner of Cadbury’s, Mondelēz International, has announced an agreement to acquire Clif Bar and Company, a US energy bar manufacturer, for $2.9 billion.

According to the latest figures released by Kantar, the average annual grocery bill is on course to rise by £380, over £100 more than reported in April this year.

David Buttress, the new cost of living tsar, has indicated that he will use his position and contacts to help tackle rising food prices as well as other essentials.

Commenting on Tesco’s latest trading figures, chief executive Ken Murphy said that the market environment remains “incredibly challenging” as the cost of living is being felt by shoppers nationally.

Following an official alert published in May, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has welcomed news from Westminster Council that counterfeit Wonka Chocolate Bars worth around £100,000 have been confiscated.

The latest report from the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has forecast that food inflation may be set to hit its highest level in more than 20 years.

A report by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has found that the food and drink industry added jobs at a faster pace than the economy as a whole: quarter-on-quarter, job growth stood at 1.5%, above the UK’s growth of 0.8%.

The British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) has written to Defra and the Food Standards Agency asking for urgent changes to be made to the oils derogation guidance which it says is “not fit for purpose”.

Responding to the targets set out in the Government Food Strategy, food industry trade organisations have questioned the Strategy’s likeness to the National Food Strategy which was published by Henry Dimbleby in two separate parts over the last two years.

Organisers of the annual meat industry awards have extended the product nomination deadline to Wednesday evening 15th June due to overwhelming demand and to allow as many companies and businesses as possible to participate.

According to the latest data from Which?, Lidl was the cheapest of the UK supermarkets, with shoppers paying, on average, £23.55 for a basket of 18 popular grocery items at Lidl – £1.05 cheaper than rival discounter Aldi.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has published a Trade and Investment Strategy that it claims will help “strengthen choice and affordability for UK households at a time of rising inflation.”

Bakery ingredients company AB Mauri will expand its delivery of technical solutions to food manufacturing sectors outside of bakery, as it introduces four new executive appointments to support the expansion.