News

13 JUNE 2018

Moy Park announces multi-million pound investment in UK

UK-based poultry producer Moy Park has announced an investment of more than £18m to be spent across a number of its sites in Lincolnshire.

The latest initiative forms part of the company’s wider strategic investment programme, which is focused on enhancing operations at its agriculture and processing facilities.

Moy Park aims to use the investment to increase its production capacity to six million bids per week in order to meet growing customer demand.

Moy Park Supply Chain director Keith Irvine said: “We are committed to continued investment in our production facilities to ensure that we are able to lead the industry in innovation, food safety, quality and efficiency.

“Our customers, rightly, have high expectations, and we are focused on ensuring we meet and exceed those expectations at all times.”

12 JUNE 2018

Tesco to sell green lemons to avoid potential shortage

Tesco has started selling green lemons to help prevent a potential lemon shortage in UK stores.

While the skin of the fruit is green instead of the usual yellow, according to Tesco the fruit is ‘still as crisp and zesty’ as a completely ripe lemon.

The supermarket normally has colour and quality guidelines in place to prevent green lemons making their way into the stores, but has relaxed its specifications.

Poor lemon growing conditions have been reported in Spain, which supplies the UK with the fruit over the spring season. South Africa normally takes over from Spain as UK’s lemon supplier in late June, however, Tesco has decided to purchase lemons from South Africa earlier than usual to avoid gaps in supply.

The move will also help to offset domestic food waste by adding up to an extra two days of shelf life to the fruit as it ripens.

Tesco’s citrus buyer Savia Weidinger-Reich said: “These greener lemons that we now have on sale are already mature and perfect tasting inside but need longer for the skin to turn yellow.

12 JUNE 2018

CFF acquires International Fiber Europe

German natural fibre producer CFF has acquired Belgium-based International Fiber Europe (IFE) for an undisclosed sum.

IFE is based in Temse, Belgium, and is engaged in the production of functional ingredients for use by food and cheese manufacturers.

IFE offers powdered cellulose products under its Solka-Floc, JustFiber, and NutraFiber brands, which are are created using functional ingredients derived from plant-based sources.

The company’s powdered cellulose is used in the production of several food commodities, including bread, cakes, sauces, salad dressings and meats, as well as spice and flavour carriers.

In addition, IFE’s cellulose products are employed by cheese manufacturers as an anti-caking agent in shredded cheese.

11 JUNE 2018

Sainsbury’s to sell ‘fake meat’ in meat aisles

Sainsbury’s is set to stock a range of fake meat next to real meat in a store trial aiming to capitalise on the UK’s ‘flexitarian’ and vegan market.

The UK’s ‘flexitarian’ market is estimated to account for 22 million people who enjoy meat but want to reduce their meat consumption.

The trial, which will take place in 400 of Sainsbury’s larger stores, is a first for the UK where meat-free products are traditionally stocked in vegetarian sections.

The ‘fake meat’ products made by Danish manufacturer and a leading plant-based food developer, Naturli’ Foods, will be introduced to stores on 27 June. Reportedly, the manufacturer has struggled to keep up with demand since the products launched in Denmark in January.

Naturli products are made using umami flavour of almonds, tomatoes and porcini mushroom which provides the products with ‘meaty’ taste and texture. The products also contain beetroot, which recreates the colour of raw, medium and well-done meat as it cooks, and recreates the look and feel of meat juice.

11 JUNE 2018

Firmenich partners with Nelixia in Central America

Swiss fragrance and flavour company Firmenich has entered a strategic partnership with Nelixia to expand its natural ingredients footprint across Central America.

Guatemala-based Nelixia was originally established in 2009 and primarily produces cardamom, Peru balsam and styrax essential oils, which are claimed to be 100% carbon neutral and traceable.

Firmenich Board chairman Patrick Firmenich said: “Nelixia has established itself as a leader in certified essential oils, with a reputation for producing some of the best cardamoms in the world.

“Building on our long-standing relationship and shared values, we look forward to giving our customers access to Central America’s unique breadth of natural ingredients in the most ethical, sustainable and traceable way.”

8 JUNE 2018

UK farmers struggle to secure fruit and vegetable pickers

Recruitment agencies are failing to find fruit and vegetable pickers to work on British farms, according to the Association of Labour Providers (ALP).

More than half of agencies have said they were unable to secure workers even in the ‘quiet’ first months of the year, resulting in unpicked fruit being left to rot in the fields.

Eastern Europeans make up 99% of seasonal workers on UK farms. Last year, 17% fewer people came to work in the UK, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU).

An NFU survey also found that last year there was a 12.5% shortfall of seasonal workers required to work on farms.

According to the Kent-based AG Recruitment, the number of Romanians willing to work in the UK has fallen sharply since the UK referendum.

AG Recruitment co-director Estera Amesz said: “We used to have queues outside our office in Bucharest.”

8 JUNE 2018

Essentia acquires Danish protein manufacturer Scanflavour

US-based protein maker Essentia has acquired Danish functional protein producer Scanflavour for an undisclosed sum.

Scanflavour was originally established in 1981 and is primarily engaged in the production of natural ingredients made from selected food-grade raw materials, which are sourced from authorised abattoirs.

Essentia intends to leverage the acquisition to further bolster its position in the global market for animal-based protein.

Essentia International president and CEO Asger Jacobsen was quoted by Foodbev.com as saying: “This transaction reinforces our strategic focus on growing our global presence.

“With the strong complementary fit in regards to the customer base, product range and technologies, we expect to capture several operational efficiencies necessary to deliver sustainable and profitable growth.

“We have great respect for Scanflavour and the products they have developed.”

8 JUNE 2018

Hochwald to build long-life dairy facility in Germany

German dairy cooperative Hochwald is planning to build a new production site for long-life dairy products in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The new production plant will have the capacity to process nearly 800 million litres of milk into dairy products and will create more than 250 employment opportunities in the region.

Hochwald Foods chief executive officer Detlef Latka said: “The location offers favourable conditions for our planned project. We aim to build a modern and highly efficient site on the grassland.”

The construction of the new facility forms part of the company’s wider Hochwald 2020 strategy, which is intended to develop Hochwald into an international, market-orientated specialist of dairy products.

The unpasteurised milk to be processed in the new facility will be sourced internally from the members of the cooperative.

Approximately 1,250 farmers out of the cooperative’s 3,000 supplier members are currently within the catchment area of the new site.