US Naval Blockade of Iran Sparks Global Trade Shock
Washington announced a full naval blockade of Iranian ports, cutting all seaborne commercial trade. The move follows stalled peace talks in Pakistan and has pushed crude oil above $100 a barrel while sending Middle East‑to‑Asia shipping rates to six‑year highs. Energy analysts warn that low UK gas storage, reduced LNG imports and intermittent renewables will amplify price volatility through 2026. The IMF now expects UK growth to fall to 0.8%, the steepest G7 cut, as trade‑linked cost pressures spread.
2026 Drinks Report
Food Manufacture’s 2026 Drinks Report examines how the UK beverage sector navigated a perfect storm of economic and regulatory pressures over the past year. It highlights the impact of the cost‑of‑living crisis, persistent inflation, tighter government legislation, and geopolitical volatility...
Childhood Obesity Epidemic Drives Government’s Drastic Overhaul of School Menus
The UK government is overhauling school food standards to combat a childhood obesity crisis, banning deep‑fried items and cutting back on grab‑and‑go foods such as sausage rolls and pizza. New guidelines require daily fruit, healthier main dishes and a lead...
208 Tonnes of Unsafe Food Stopped at UK Border
Since November 2024 Ashford Port Health Authority has seized and destroyed 208,563.81 kg (about 35 elephants) of unsafe food, 97% of which came from the EU. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 39 tonnes were removed, highlighting the port’s critical role in...
Scottish Organic Dairy Kickstarts Expansion Drive
Mossgiel Organic Dairy, founded in 2015 to challenge the dominance of mega‑dairies, is adding three Scottish farms—Auchlea, Wester Manbeen and Connage Highland Dairy—as direct milk suppliers. The move lifts its processing capacity by roughly 10% and gives the company full...
Scottish Ice Cream Manufacturer Invests in New Site
Mackie's of Scotland has purchased a former Kintore site in Aberdeenshire to bring ice‑cream production closer to its core market. The new facility will slash food‑mile distances by hundreds of miles, giving the company tighter control over distribution and a...
Brands Ramp up Protein with Fresh Wave of Food Launches
A wave of protein‑focused launches is reshaping the UK food aisle. Plenish introduced two clean‑label protein powders with 20 g protein per serving at a $57 price point, while Hungry Boar rolled out five‑pack meat stick multipacks in Tesco for $5....
Dutch Pig Slaughter Falls by 780K in Five Years
Dutch pork processors reported a 7.4% year‑on‑year drop in slaughter, with 3,733,125 pigs processed up to week 14 of Q2 2026 – about 300,000 fewer than a year earlier. The decline reflects a five‑year fall of roughly 780,000 pigs, pushing the national...
Brits Ditching Certain Foods as They Face £6K Annual Grocery Bill
British households are now spending about $149 a week – roughly $7,500 a year – on groceries as food inflation is projected to reach 9% by year‑end, double the earlier 3% forecast. The surge, driven largely by the Iran war’s...
Defra’s Powell Takes Helm at British Meat Processors
John Powell, formerly head of Defra’s agricultural sectors team, will assume the chief executive role at the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) on 13 April 2026, succeeding Nick Allen. Allen steps down after nine years at the helm, a period that saw...
Opinion: GLP-1s, UPFs and the Forgotten Middle
The rapid uptake of GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs—1.6 million UK adults between 2024‑25 and 4.1 % of households now have a user—is reshaping ready‑meal demand. Retailers such as M&S, Morrisons, The Co‑op and Ocado have introduced protein‑focused, smaller‑portion meals priced around $4‑$8 per...
Inside Rounton Coffee: ‘Getting Beans to Britain Is Anything but Easy’
Rounton Coffee, a Yorkshire‑based roaster, captured eight Great Taste awards last year while sourcing beans from eight countries, from classic origins like Colombia to unconventional ones such as China and Yemen. Founder David Beattie makes bi‑annual trips to coffee farms,...
Paper‑based Bottles at Scale Are Drawing Closer
A coalition of PulPac, PA Consulting and Diageo launched the Bottle Collective to develop fibre‑based drink containers that can replace single‑use plastic and glass. Using PulPac’s dry‑molded fibre technology, the group produced prototypes that require only a thin plastic liner,...
Goodfella’s Owner Appoints Two New Presidents
Nomad Foods, the owner of frozen‑food brands Findus, Iglo, Ledo and Frikom, named Jon Fernandez de Barrena as President for Southern Europe, a role covering France, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Adriatic. He joins from Alvinesa Natural Ingredients where he was CEO...
The Co-Op Plans Full Takeover of Struggling Southern Co-Op
The Co‑op has proposed a full takeover of the struggling Southern Co‑op, which would bring roughly 300,000 Southern members into The Co‑op’s seven‑million‑member base. The deal would add about 300 food, funeral and Starbucks outlets plus three crematoria to The...
European Plant-Based Market Hits €16.3BN
European plant‑based food and drink sales hit roughly $17.8 bn in 2024‑25, representing just 2.4% of the overall market. Growth of 5.1% year‑on‑year is led by nuts and seeds, which make up 45% of category value, while flexitarian consumers now account...
Data Reveals Commodities Most Vulnerable to Food Fraud
A global food‑fraud report released by the Food Authenticity Network, using data from three incident‑tracking platforms, identifies processed foods, milk and dairy, and beverages as the most at‑risk commodities in 2025, together representing nearly half of all regulatory filings. Processed...
US Rice Body Launches UK-Wide Campaign to Boost Demand
USA Rice, the trade group for American rice growers and merchants, has launched a UK‑wide promotional campaign to lift demand for US‑origin rice. The effort combines an ambassador panel, trade‑fair appearances, a roadshow and influencer partnerships throughout 2026. US rice...
Harviestoun Kicks Off Brewery Expansion with Six-Figure Investment
Harviestoun, the Alva‑based brewery, is injecting over £0.5 million (≈$640,000) into a first‑phase expansion that adds a new warehouse, office space and brewing upgrades. The move will bring storage and logistics back onto the site, aiming to double output from just...
17 F&B Producers Caught Illegally Underpaying Staff
The UK government’s latest enforcement round named 398 employers for breaching the National Minimum Wage, including 17 food and drink producers such as Quorn Country Foods and Kepak Kirkham. Workers were collectively underpaid by more than £7.3 million (about $9 million), which...
Matcha Mania: The Latest Wave of Green Tea NPD
Alpro has introduced the UK’s first ready‑to‑drink matcha made with a soy‑coconut base, priced at £2.75 (≈$3.5) per litre and now stocked in Sainsbury’s. PerfectTed expanded its oat‑based matcha latte line with blueberry and original flavours, taking the brand to...
UK Strikes Lucrative Organic Livestock Deal with Japan
The United Kingdom and Japan have signed an organic livestock equivalency agreement, allowing British producers to sell certified meat and dairy products in Japan with a single UK certification. The deal opens access to Japan’s fast‑growing organic market, valued at...
Cross‑industry Food Waste Coalition Targets 30M Meals a Year by 2028
A new cross‑industry coalition called Alliance Food Sourcing (AFS) has been launched to redirect surplus food from the UK supply chain to charities. Backed by the Institute of Grocery Distribution, The Felix Project and FareShare, the group already counts 50...
F-Gas Compliance Pressures Put Food and Drink Cooling Upgrades on Hold
Food and drink manufacturers face delays upgrading cooling equipment due to tightening F‑gas regulations. Aggreko's survey of 334 UK plant managers shows 94% expect moderate or major impact. The UK plans to cut HFCs by 98.6% by 2048, accelerating the...
2 Sisters Hires Former Defra Stalwart to Front Its Net-Zero Strategy
2 Sisters Food Group has appointed Chris Tyas to head its Net Zero by 2035 strategy and advise on supply‑chain resilience. Tyas brings over 40 years of experience from senior roles at Mars, Nestlé and as chair of GS1 UK, as well as a stint...
Legal and Industrial Experts Highlight F&B Hazard Hotspots
Food Manufacture’s webinar “Hidden Hazards in Food Production” on 23 April brings together legal, industrial‑vacuum and hygiene experts to expose concealed risks such as dust, crevices and outdated processes. The panel will discuss real‑world cases, regulatory implications and practical mitigation strategies...
Can the UK Food Sector Keep Its Promises?
The UK food sector has set bold climate, health and nature targets, but leaders now question whether they can execute them at speed. A new "Execution at Risk" report finds that capability—not strategy—is the main bottleneck, especially within commercial, marketing,...
Devon-Based Charcuterie Brand Issues Recall Due to Listeria
The Curing Barn, a Devon‑based charcuterie producer, has recalled its 60 g British Bresaola after testing revealed Listeria monocytogenes. The affected items carry product code WLRC J1Z2 0WD0 J85J and a use‑by date of 10 June 2026. Consumers are instructed to return the packs in‑store for...
What Makes a Good Protein?
Protein quality is gaining prominence as GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, aging populations, and plant‑based trends raise concerns about muscle loss and overall health. The article explains that a "good" protein must contain all nine essential amino acids and be highly digestible,...
The Hands that Pick the Tea Should Share in Its Prosperity
Ahmad Tea launched the Hand Picked Profit Shared initiative, redistributing a portion of profits to tea pickers, primarily women, via digital payments. In 2025, 12,242 workers received bonuses, helping close the living‑wage gap in tea supply chains. The program ties...
Princes Group Lines up Inaugural Acquisitions as Public Company
Princes Group raised £400 million in its 2025 London IPO and is now pursuing a deal‑led growth strategy aimed at adding £1‑1.5 billion of revenue through acquisitions. The company is eyeing two divestment assets from multinationals and a smaller entrepreneurial firm, while...
Unilever and McCormick Shares Tumble as Investors Baulk at Food ‘Megamerger’
U.K. consumer‑goods giant Unilever agreed to sell its food division to U.S. spice leader McCormick in a £33.7 billion cash‑and‑equity transaction that will create a new food‑manufacturing powerhouse. The deal leaves Unilever with a 65% stake in the spin‑off while McCormick...
Unilever Spins Off Food Division: What Does It Mean for Manufacturers?
Unilever announced a £33.7 billion spin‑off of its food division, merging it with McCormick Foods while retaining a 65% stake in the new entity. The move follows the earlier divestiture of its ice‑cream business and is driven by a strategic shift...
Driscoll’s Hires Coca-Cola’s Senior Vice President
Wadih J. Khayat, former senior vice‑president and CFO of Coca‑Cola Europe, has been appointed chief finance officer of Driscoll’s. In his new role he will oversee global finance, technology and strategy, focusing on disciplined capital deployment across the berry company’s...
More than £100M Invested in New Apetito Facility
Apetito and its Wiltshire Farm Foods arm have secured planning permission to build Kitchen West, a new food‑production facility on the Canal Road Industrial Estate in Trowbridge. The project is backed by more than £100 million of shareholder investment and will...
Damaged Goods: What Food and Beverage Businesses Can Do if Supplies Arrive Compromised
The article outlines three legal routes—rejection, damages claims, and injunctions—that food and beverage buyers can pursue when deliveries arrive damaged. It details the criteria for immediate rejection, the evidentiary steps required, and the contractual nuances that affect damage recoveries. The...
Soreen Appoints Former McCain Marketing Lead as New MD
Mark Hodge, former head of marketing at McCain Foods GB, has been appointed managing director of Soreen, the Samworth Brothers‑owned malt‑loaf brand. Hodge will build on Soreen’s nostalgic heritage while leveraging its health credentials to capture the rising demand for...