How Häagen-Dazs Is Fighting to Save the Next Generation of Dairy Farmers
Häagen‑Dazs is tackling the looming retirement wave among French dairy farmers by investing in regenerative agriculture and low‑carbon manufacturing at its Arras plant. The company sources milk from roughly 300 local farms and has enrolled 48 of them in a decarbonisation programme that has already cut emissions by 12%. A €7 million (~$7.6 million) heat‑pump upgrade slashed the plant’s natural‑gas use by two‑thirds, with 90% now supplied by on‑site biogas. These actions aim to secure a resilient supply chain while lowering environmental impact.
Efes and Gipsy Hill Producer Snaps up Leading Alcohol-Free Beer Brand
London‑based Sunrise, the UK distributor for Efes and Orion, has acquired Days, the fastest‑growing non‑alcoholic beer brand in the UK. Founded in 2021, Days is now stocked in over 3,500 outlets, including major retailers and Stonegate pubs, and recently launched...
How Hershey Is Using AI to Future-Proof Its Marketing Model
Chocolate giant Hershey has built an AI‑powered marketing measurement system after nearly a year of development. Trained on three years of sales and marketing data, the tool aggregates social, search and streaming signals to deliver monthly mix updates and prioritize...
Dash Expands Line-Up with Low-Calorie Pink Lady Flavour
Dash has introduced a low‑calorie Pink Lady Apple sparkling drink, expanding its fruit‑flavoured lineup that already includes Lime, Orange, Raspberry and Grapefruit. The beverage contains no sugar or sweeteners and is marketed as the pure taste of the iconic apple. A...
Antibiotic Overuse in European Farming Is Driving Resistance Crisis, Experts Warn
Scientists, veterinarians, policymakers and advocates convened in Nicosia to highlight the surge in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) driven by antibiotic overuse in European livestock. Although EU farm antibiotic sales dropped 51% between 2011 and 2022, they rebounded in 2023‑24, with Cyprus...
Around Noon Secures Financial Backing to Fuel UK and Ireland Expansion
Around Noon, a leading UK food‑to‑go manufacturer, secured minority equity investment from Belfast‑based fund manager Whiterock. The capital infusion will fund expansion across the UK and Ireland, supporting its ambition to become the region’s top food‑to‑go producer by 2030. The...
Beef and Lamb Driving Meat Inflation
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers reported that April 2026 meat and poultry prices rose 0.65% month‑on‑month, driven primarily by beef and lamb. Beef prices increased 1.16% MoM, with roasting joints surging 9.57%, while lamb rose 1.04% MoM, led by...
Manufacturers Overestimate Cyber Resilience, New Report Reveals
A new Beazley survey of 3,500 global executives shows cyber risk remains the top concern for retail and manufacturing leaders, with 32% naming it their number‑one security issue. Despite recent high‑profile attacks—Marks & Spencer and the Co‑op each losing hundreds of millions...
Hidden Hazards - Your Questions Answered
Food and drink manufacturers are confronting hidden hazards such as combustible dust and design oversights created by AI‑driven production lines. Experts from Nilfisk, Weetabix and Birketts stress the growing role of third‑party hygiene specialists, provided they demonstrate low staff turnover...
ABF Ingredients to Pump Close to £50M Into New Wisconsin Facility
Associated British Foods' Ingredients division is investing roughly £47.8 million (about $61 million) to build a new Ohly specialty‑yeast facility in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The plant will initially create around 30 jobs and sit alongside the existing Boyceville site, with space for future...
Explosion in UK Demand for GLP-1s Risks NHS Capacity Crisis
The Food Foundation’s January survey estimates 8.25 million people in the UK have used or are considering GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, representing about 7% of the population. NHS targets to treat 220,000 patients over three years from June 2025 and 3.4 million over 12...
New CEO Leads on Juice Burst Rebrand
Purity Soft Drinks is rebranding as The Juice Burst Drinks Co. to spotlight its flagship Juice Burst line, now a staple in UK grocery aisles. The transition will roll out over the coming months, supported by a major consumer campaign...
Experts Warn of Hidden Hazards in Food Factories
Legal expert Duncan Reed outlined food‑production risks, dividing them into civil claims from contracts and regulatory actions by bodies such as Trading Standards and the Food Standards Agency. He warned that regulatory penalties rise with turnover and can extend to...
Convenience to Lose Market Share Despite £740BN Forecast
The Institute for Grocery Distribution (IGD) projects global convenience sales to reach roughly $947 bn by 2030, up from about $851 bn in 2025. Despite a 3.5% CAGR, the channel’s share of total grocery spend is expected to dip from 10.7% to...
Finsbury Food Group Acquires Healthy Snacking Brand
Finsbury Food Group has purchased a 100% stake in Flower & White, a fast‑growing brand that offers healthier sweet‑treats and snack bars. The company, which is expanding at roughly 30% per year, will add a strong direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) capability to...
Making Surplus Meat Redistribution Work
Food waste in the meat sector can be curbed by redesigning surplus handling rather than adding post‑production fixes. At Cranswick’s Bury plant, switching to 1 kg pre‑labelled packs is projected to redirect 38,000 meals to communities within a year. Porky Whites cuts...
Ex-Mars CEO Named Lipton Teas Board Chair
Grant Reid, the former chief executive of Mars after a 34‑year tenure, has been appointed chair of Lipton Teas & Infusions. He assumes the role immediately, working alongside CEO Marc Busain, who took the helm in October 2023. Reid also retains board...
Poultry Producer Faces Legal Action over Alleged River Pollution Claims
Avara Foods, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent, and Welsh Water face the UK’s largest environmental group claim, alleging that poultry‑manure runoff and sewage discharges have polluted the River Wye, Lugg and Usk. Over 4,500 residents and businesses have joined the...
Equipment Fraud: The Scams Targeting Food and Drink Manufacturers
Equipment fraud is emerging as a hidden threat for food and drink manufacturers, exploiting urgent maintenance and procurement processes. The most common schemes involve inflated or duplicate invoices, payment‑detail diversion scams, and conflicts of interest that can trigger Bribery Act...
How Coca-Cola Is Winning in a K-Shaped Economy
Coca‑Cola posted a 12% rise in net revenues and a 3% increase in global case volume in Q1, beating analyst expectations. New CEO Henrique Braun highlighted a dual‑track strategy that pairs premium brands with affordable, smaller‑size offerings. The company’s recently launched...
Beacon Foods Appoints New MD
Jeff Davies has been promoted to managing director of Beacon Foods, the Brecon‑based specialist producer of garlic, ginger, chili purees and other specialty ingredients. Davies, a 19‑year veteran who previously served as MD (2017‑2019) and most recently as financial director,...
The ‘Hormuz Challenge’: UK Must Keep Calm and Carry On
The article argues that potential disruptions to fertilizer and CO₂ shipments through the Strait of Hormuz will affect UK food costs more than availability. It points out that the UK food sector has already demonstrated resilience during the pandemic and...
FDF Scotland Launches New Funding to Help SMEs Ahead of HFSS Deadline
FDF Scotland has launched a Reformulation for Health programme offering up to £5,000 (≈ $6,250) in grant funding to Scottish food and drink SMEs. The support, which includes free confidential advice on Nutritional Profile Model scores, aims to help manufacturers improve...
The UK Is Getting Sicker Younger, While Future Policy Threatens to Undermine Progress
New research from The Health Foundation shows the UK’s healthy life expectancy (HLE) has dropped by about two years over the past decade, falling to just under 61 years for both sexes. The decline is evident across England, Scotland and...
Baby Food Brand Recalls Jars over Undeclared Allergen
HiPP Organic UK is recalling its 7‑plus‑months Vegetable Lasagne baby food (190 g jars, batch B49311, best‑before 31 January 2027) after the ingredient list failed to display celeriac in bold, breaching UK allergen‑labelling rules. The recall affects only this specific batch and product...
Magnum’s ‘Multisensorial’ Ice Cream Tops FMCG NPD Chart
Worldpanel’s Innovation Advantage report ranks Magnum’s new “Utopia” ice cream at the top of the FMCG new‑product launch list, attributing $3.8 million of category incrementality. The study evaluates launches by the incremental spend they generate, finding that nearly half of new...
Over 400 Nestlé UK Jobs at Risk
Nestlé announced that up to 450 jobs in the United Kingdom could be eliminated as part of its 2025 plan to cut 16,000 positions worldwide. The cuts would primarily affect staff at the company's York confectionery plant, which employs about...
Drinks Firm Global Brands Bets on Low-Cal Beer with New Acquisition
Global Brands has acquired Skinny Brands, adding the low‑calorie Skinny Lager, IPA and Fruit Cider to its portfolio. The deal taps a segment where UK sales of lower‑calorie beers rose more than 17% in 2024 and 41% of adults now...
Alcohol-Free Brewing “Pioneers” Name First CEO and Embark on Ambitious £1M+ Funding Round
East London’s Nirvana Brewery has appointed Paul Thomas Walsh, a veteran of fintech and investment banking, as its inaugural CEO. The brewer, which operates the UK’s only dedicated no‑ and low‑alcohol brewhouse, is launching a £1 million (≈$1.25 million) funding round aimed...
Puratos MD: Why Local Is Fast Becoming King
Puratos, the Belgian bakery‑ingredients giant, announced its acquisition of U.S. leader Dawn Foods, dramatically expanding its presence across the Americas. The company highlighted the growing importance of localised production in the UK, noting that 85% of baked goods use domestically...
Typhoo and SlimFast Owner Strikes Deal to Produce and Distribute Carabao’s Drinks in the UK
Thai energy drink brand Caraboo has signed a licensing agreement with Supreme PLC, the owner of Typhoo Tea and SlimFast, to produce and distribute its energy and isotonic beverages in the UK. The partnership will see Caraboo’s drinks manufactured at...
Co-Op Renews Pledge to Exclusively Sell British-Grown Strawberries
Co‑op has renewed its pledge to sell 100% British‑grown strawberries throughout the year, extending the season beyond the traditional May‑September window. The retailer is using heated polytunnels, biomass boilers, heat‑exchange pumps and anaerobic digestion to keep crops viable in colder...
Nestlé Weathers Formula Crisis to Deliver Strong Q1 Growth
Nestlé reported 3.5% organic growth in Q1 2026, buoyed by price hikes and strong performance in coffee and confectionery, despite a damaging infant formula contamination scandal that pulled the nutrition segment down 3.5% RIG. Real internal growth reached 1.2%, with...
The Gut Stuff Snapped up by Swiss Food Producer
Swiss food producer Hero Group has acquired The Gut Stuff, a gut‑health snack and beverage brand founded by Scottish sisters Lisa and Alana MacFarlane. The financial terms were not disclosed. Hero, owned by the Oetker family, is expanding its wellness...
How Mondelēz Is Using UK Innovation and Partnerships to Drive Its ESG Strategy
Mondelēz’s 2025 "Snacking Made Right" report spotlights its ESG progress in the UK and Ireland, driven by focused innovation, R&D and strategic partnerships. Collaborations with Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Cambridge aim to measure farm‑level emissions and translate...
61% of Brits Say Junk Food Firms Should Help Foot the NHS Bill
A YouGov poll commissioned by the Recipe for Change coalition shows 61% of Britons want junk‑food manufacturers to help fund NHS treatment costs for diet‑related illnesses. Nearly half (47%) say it is harder to eat a balanced diet today, citing...
Healthy F&B: What the Modern Consumer Wants
Lumina Intelligence’s 2026 "The Modern UK Consumer" report finds health has become a core mindset, not a fleeting trend, with multivitamins, organic foods and low‑UPF options now seen as necessities. Taste remains paramount—eight in ten adults say health ingredients must...
Higher Fertiliser Costs Risk Lower-Protein Wheat
Higher fertilizer prices, spurred by volatile crude oil after the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict, are adding roughly $13 per tonne to UK wheat and $25 per tonne to rapeseed costs. Brent crude is about $20 above pre‑war levels, pushing fertilizer and energy...
45% of Brits Cutting Back Amidst Health Trends and GLP-1s
Around 45% of British consumers are reducing restaurant spending as health‑focused trends gain traction. Awareness of GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs jumped to 75% in January 2026, prompting eateries to roll out protein‑rich, lower‑calorie menus. Despite a modest 1.4% dip in per‑capita visits,...
10 Iconic Food and Drink Brands that Flopped Worldwide
The article lists ten once‑high‑profile food and drink brands that vanished, from New Coke to Dasani UK, illustrating how even giants can misread consumer demand. It notes that global F&B advertising spend is set to rise from $72.5 bn in 2022...
Kerry Expands Ireland Facility for Lactose Free Dairy Growth
Kerry has expanded its biotechnology manufacturing facility in Carrigaline, Ireland, boosting lactase enzyme capacity to meet surging demand for lactose‑free and sugar‑reduced dairy. The upgrade tightly couples advanced enzyme engineering and strain development with large‑scale production, linking the Global Innovation...
Aldi Invests £40M Into New Stores
Aldi is spending roughly $51 million (£40 million) to launch eight new stores across London this year, adding about 200 jobs and extending its footprint into neighborhoods that currently rely on higher‑priced supermarkets. The retailer, named the UK’s cheapest supermarket by Which?...
How the Future of Cutting and Slicing Will Take Shape
Cutting and slicing machines are a profit‑critical component for food manufacturers, with modern equipment delivering up to 2,000 cuts per minute and advanced features like ultrasonic blades and crust‑freezing. Companies such as Weber, GEA, Reiser UK and Multivac are integrating...
The Strait of Hormuz to Reopen, Says Iran
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz – the narrow maritime corridor linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman – is officially reopened for the remainder of the cease‑fire between Israel and Lebanon. The...
Warburtons Invests £100M and Acquires New Site
Warburtons is spending more than £100 million (about $125 million) to mark its 150th anniversary, acquiring the former Rathbones bakery in Wakefield and upgrading its gluten‑free plant, a new distribution centre, and three production lines. The purchase expands the company’s footprint to...
Six Capabilities Every Contract Manufacturer Needs to Future-Proof Their Business
HRA Global surveyed UK contract manufacturers across chilled, ambient and beverage segments and distilled a six‑capability framework for future‑proofing. The model emphasizes agility, strategic partnership, insight‑led innovation, technology as core infrastructure, sustainability and resilience through diversification. Manufacturers that embed these...
Why Five-Year Plans No Longer Cut It for Food Businesses
Lidl announced a £600 million expansion of its UK store network, pairing the rollout with a partnership with climate‑risk specialist Risilience. The collaboration uses digital‑twin models to quantify flood, heatwave and insurance cost impacts on existing sites and future developments. Executives...
Ferrero Faces EU Antitrust Audit
The European Commission has launched an unannounced antitrust audit of Ferrero in two EU member states, probing possible violations of competition rules. Investigators are focusing on alleged market segmentation, restrictions on intra‑EU trade, and obstacles to multi‑country purchases. Ferrero confirmed...
Plant-Based Meat Can Improve Diets - but a Key Cog Is Missing
Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that replacing processed meat with leading UK plant‑based alternatives can raise dietary fibre by 4‑6% and lower saturated fat and salt by up to 7% and 4% respectively. While...
M&A in the High Protein Market
The UK high‑protein food sector is entering a phase of strategic consolidation, with firms like Yeo Valley and Bako Group formalising long‑standing supplier relationships through acquisitions. Private‑equity investors are shifting focus from crowded protein‑bar lines to savoury, functional snacks, exemplified...