BFFF SCHOOL MEALS
SUB GROUP
During recent meetings of the BFFF
Producer/Importer/Broker Committee, concern was raised over the
demise of school meals, which is central to the businesses of a
significant number of BFFF members. It was agreed to
set up a sub group to look at how best to address the issues and the
first meeting has now taken place. BFFF members who are interested in
seeing the minutes of the sub group should email hazelcranidge@bfff.co.uk
for a copy.
OUR THANKS TO OUR
ANNUAL LUNCHEON SPONSORS
Judging from the response from
guests, the Annual Luncheon proved to be a successful day and was enjoyed by
all. BFFF take this opportunity to thank member companies who have
generously contributed sponsorship to this year’s Annual Luncheon.
more
...
BFFF LAUNCH ULTIMATE
AWARDS
I am delighted to advise that our
Annual Awards for new products are now officially launched. The 2008
Annual Awards will once again seek to recognise, reward and publicise the
advancements of quality initiatives in frozen food and ice cream.
more
...
NEW BFFF COMMITTEE
MEMBERS
We are delighted to welcome new
members onto the BFFF Committees following the Annual Meetings in November
2007. more
...
BFFF WORKS WITH WRAP
TO OPTIMISE PACKAGING
As
part of our sustainability work BFFF has jointly held a seminar with WRAP in
Grantham on the subject of optimising packaging. Presenters
from WRAP, a packaging design agency, Asda and Tryton provided case study
information and facilitated the sharing of best practice. more
...
GREAT SUPPORT FROM
ICELAND FOODS
FOR THIS YEAR’S LUNCHEON
We are pleased to announce that
Iceland Foods Ltd. will be sponsoring the Annual Luncheon Brochure at this
year’s BFFF Luncheon to be held on Tuesday, 27th November at the Hilton on
Park Lane. It is very encouraging ... more
...
LONDON LOW EMISSION
ZONE
BFFF would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the
forthcoming Greater London Low Emission Zone. This new Low Emission Zone will
take affect from the 4th February 2008 and will have a potential
impact on many of our members operating within the Greater London area.
more
...
BFFF ANNUAL LUNCHEON,
TUESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER 2007
We are delighted with the
support that we have received from the membership for the Annual Luncheon
which will be held on Tuesday, 27th November 2007 at the London Hilton on Park
Lane. We have had a very good response in the short time since the
tickets were available and we anticipate that the occasion will again provide
the industry with superb networking opportunities. We shall be welcoming
members from all sectors of the cold chain and also customers of the
industry. We look forward to providing an atmosphere where people can
mix with old friends and meet with new industry colleagues.
We
are also very grateful to Cargill Integra for once again sponsoring the
audio-visual services at the Luncheon and thank them for their
generosity. more
...
LONDON VAN
GUIDE
The
British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) would like to take this opportunity to
highlight the availability to the members of a new publication called the
‘London Van Guide’. This is a useful guide for anyone doing business in
London that involves driving, delivering and collecting goods in vehicles
ranging from 7.5 tonnes to cars. more
...
CARGILL INTEGRA
SPONSORS BFFF ANNUAL LUNCHEON
Cargill Integra, providers of
worldwide food solutions, will again be sponsoring the audio-visual services
at the BFFF Annual Luncheon that takes place on Tuesday, 27th November 2007 at
the London Hilton on Park Lane. more
...
ANNUAL LUNCHEON 2007 -
TUESDAY, 27TH NOVEMBER
The Annual Luncheon has been launched
and tickets are now on sale to members. For members looking for hotel
accommodation, we have negotiated special Federation rates. For details
of hotel rates click more
...
RESHUFFLE IN BFFF
COMMERCIAL TEAM
Changes in the BFFF commercial team take
place this month as, after many years of contributing a huge commitment to
BFFF’s development and working some very long hours in the process, Lynn
Thomas, our Commercial and Business Services Manager, has decided to seek a
better work/life balance by making a change in her working arrangements.
more
...
FOODSERVICE SUPPLY
CHAIN
Over the past few months BFFF have been
working with a representative group of wholesalers, producers and logistics
service providers to explore how the foodservice supply chain can become more
efficient and effective. more
...
HEALTH AND SAFETY
INVOLVEMENT ADDING NEW DIMENSION
It is just over a year since BFFF
expanded its services to include providing advice, influencing regulators and
forming influential partnerships in the health and safety area. more
...
NEW OWNERS FOR THE
SEAFOOD COMPANY
REPORTS FISHUPDATE.COM
Grimsby-based
Young's has announced that it has bought The Seafood Company from
Newfoundland-based Fishery Products International (FPI) for an undisclosed sum
reports FishUpdate.com more
...
NEW OWNERS FOR BRAKES
Brakes have
announced that a company controlled by Bain Capital has signed a
definitive agreement to acquire the entirety of the Brakes Group.
more
...
FDF BACK SCHEME -
GUIDELINE DAILY AMOUNTS –
THE GDA LABELLING SCHEME
Are you
thinking of adopting a front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme? Details of
the FDF backed scheme re GDAs are attached. more
...
CERTIFICATE OF
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE (CPC) FOR
PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS - UPDATE 13TH JUNE 2007
In January, BFFF provided all wholesale members with
in-depth information relating to the CPC for professional drivers.
We would like to take this opportunity to provide you with an update in
this area. more
...
IGD'S 'UNDERSTANDING FOODSERVICE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARMERS AND SMALL FOOD PRODUCERS
A free guide from IGD designed to help
suppliers understand the opportunities available in the foodservice industry
and includes the structure of the UK foodservice market; what makes a
successful supplier and in-depth case studies of domestic suppliers. See
also IGD website: www.igd.com
more
...
FOODSERVICE FROZEN FOOD MARKET STATISTICS JUNE
07
We are delighted that we are able to bring an
overview of foodservice frozen food market statistics each quarter focusing on
different sectors of the foodservice market (figures from Horizons FS Ltd.).
This quarter relates to the pubs, hotels and leisure sectors. These overviews will enable
our members, government, catering end users, foodservice operators, trade and
consumer media as well as other opinion-formers, to be aware of the real
position in the market place.
more
...
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO
TRADE MARKS PROCEDURES
Charles Jennings of Chancery Trade
Marks (Trade Mark and Design Copyright Consultants) has advised us of
important new changes to procedures for applications to register trade marks.
more
...
BFFF LEADS FOODSERVICE
SUPPLY CHAIN INITIATIVE
BFFF in recent months has been involved
in bringing together all parts of the foodservice supply chain to understand
how, through working together, the chain can become more efficient and
effective. more
...
HORIZONS KEY CLUB 101
- INTRODUCTION TO FOODSERVICE
The latest Key Club 101 Workshop from
Horizons is being held on 4 July 2007 at the Copthorne Hotel, Slough
more
...
SMOKE FREE COUNTDOWN
From 1st July 2007, England will join
Wales and Scotland to be ‘smoke free’ when it will be against the law to
smoke in virtually all enclosed public places, workplaces and public and work
vehicles. As many of you will be
aware, new legislation relating to smoking was introduced in Scotland on the
26th March 2006 and more recently, Wales on 2nd April 2007. more
...
RETAIL FROZEN FOOD
MARKET IN LIFT OFF
We are delighted that we are able to bring an overview of
retail
frozen food market statistics each quarter on a year on year basis (figures from
Taylor Nelson Sofres). This overview will enable our
members, government, trade and consumer media as well as other opinion-formers,
to be aware of the real position in the market place. more
...
TWO MORE NEW MEMBERS
We are delighted to report that another
two new companies have recently joined the Federation. They are ready meal
producers Pyrol Frozen Foods Ltd and associates, Modular Freezing Systems Ltd
who design and manufacture spiral freezers and can provide other freezing
solutions. We convey a very warm welcome to these new members and their profiles
will be featured in forthcoming Bulletins.
more
...
MIXED RESPONSES
In the last preface, I discussed the
well-intentioned initiative to introduce nutrient based standards for improving
school dinners from September 2008 for primary schools and in September 2009 for
secondary schools. more
...
FISS – CHAMPIONS
GROUPS UPDATE
The work of the “Champions Groups”
supporting the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy is now reaching the point
when final reports are being written before presentation to Lord Rooker,
Minister of State for Sustainable Farming. BFFF has enjoyed strong and
active representation in nearly all of the groups. more
...
BFFF MEMBER THE EDGE
UK HIGHLY COMMENDED IN
RECRUITER 2007 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
BFFF is delighted that its member The
Edge UK was Highly Commended in the Best Regional Recruitment Firm category of
the Recruiter 2007 Awards for Excellence
more
...
IT’S
HELLO FROM ME AND AU REVOIR FROM HIM
Well the professional transitional stage for
the succession of the Director-General has reached that point when I take over
the reins from Alf whilst he continues to work for BFFF on a two to three days
a week basis for the next six months. more
...
A MESSAGE FROM ALF
It is with mixed emotions that I write
my last contribution to the preface of the BFFF Bulletin as I stand down as
your Director-General after 25 years as your ambassador for frozen foods.
more
...
MYTH OF THE MONTH -
APRIL 07
Any reports of Alf’s retirement are
as wide of the mark as you could get. more
...
STRONG BFFF SHOWING AT
IFE07
Buoyed by the recent figures from TNS
which show frozen foods growing in value year on year in January, BFFF
provided the information centre and a focal point for the frozen zone in the
IFE exhibition from 18th – 21st March 2007.
more
...
DAVID PAGE
It is sad to see David Page departing
from his role at Patak’s for pastures new, from a purely selfish BFFF point
of view, as he has given such outstanding service, over many years, to the
Producer/Importer/Broker Committee and Executive Council. more
...
SOMERFIELD RE-LAUNCHES
FROZEN
Somerfield have announced a major
re-launch of their own label offering by updating recipes, making them
healthier and re-launching their packaging with fantastic photography which
will deliver a much clearer message.
more
...
SCHOOL MEALS REVIEW
PANEL – WELL INTENTIONED
BUT THE NUMBERS JUST DON’T ADD UP
The School Meals Review Panel (SMRP)
has produced detailed and very well intentioned recommendations for school
meals. more
...
DINNER DANCE – LAST
ORDERS PLEASE
We are delighted with another
tremendous response for seats at the Gala Dinner Dance and Annual Awards
Presentation Ceremony which will be held at the Hilton on Park Lane on
Thursday, 14th June 2007.
more
...
LOXTONS WIN BPEX
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
BFFF congratulations go to Loxtons
Foods Ltd who walked away as Overall Winner across all categories at the
recent BPEX Foodservice Pork Product of the Year Awards with Stuffed Pork
Olive. more
...
PARAMOUNT 21 WIN
FOODSERVICE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ali Hannaford proudly accepted
the 2007 Seafish Seafood Award for best product in Foodservice with their
scrumptious "Luxury Fish Pie".
more
...
HEALTHIER OPTIONS FOR
CHILDREN THIS EASTER
Reports Responsesource.com
With an estimated 80 million Easter
eggs sold in Britain last year and similarly huge sales expected this year,
it’s not easy for parents to curb their children’s appetite for chocolate.
But for families concerned about maintaining the good health of their
youngsters, while still giving them treats and fun over the holidays, one pub
company has cracked it. more
...
BRAKES UP FOR SALE
REPORTS THE GROCER
Leading foodservice wholesaler and
distributor Brakes has been put up for sale by its owners, private equity firm
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, for an estimated £1.2bn. more
...
COMPETITION COMMISSION
SEEKS BRITISH FROZEN FOOD FEDERATION
VIEWS ON THE GROCERY INQUIRY
In January, the British Frozen Food
Federation (BFFF) examined the details of the Competition Commission’s
interim report, in particular the results of the frozen food suppliers that
were canvassed for the inquiry. more
...
GALA DINNER DANCE AND
AWARDS PRESENTATION EVENING
ON THURSDAY, 14TH JUNE 2007
We are delighted with the support that
we have received from the membership for the Gala Dinner Dance and Awards
Presentation Evening on Thursday, 14th June 2007 to be held at the London
Hilton Hotel on Park Lane. more
...
FIVE MORE NEW MEMBERS
We are delighted to report that
another five new companies have recently joined the Federation. They are
more
...
FOOD & DRINK
FEDERATION'S CALLTON YOUNG AWARDED FOR
SERVICES TO INDUSTRY
Recognising his outstanding service to
the food and drink industry, the Food & Drink Federation's (FDF) Director
of Sustainability and Competitiveness, Callton Young, has been presented with
the Lord Carter Memorial Award. more
...
HULL VOTES TO CALL
HALT TO FREE SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAMME
REPORTS CATERER & HOTELKEEPER MAGAZINE
Kingston upon Hull
council has come under fire after deciding to scrap a pioneering free school
meals programme on cost grounds, despite the health benefits the scheme has
driven. Liberal Democrat
councillors believe the £5m annual bill is money that could be better spent
elsewhere, which has caused an outcry from parents, Labour councillors and
headteachers at the area's 80-plus primary and special schools.
more
...
A SAFETY ‘FIRST’ FOR THE BRITISH FROZEN FOOD
FEDERATION
We are delighted to inform
our members that the British Frozen Food Federation, has formed a unique
partnership agreement with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the Midlands
and the Local Authority (LA) in Boston, Lincolnshire.
This partnership is part of the Lead Authority Partnership scheme (LAPS)
and is the first three-way agreement in the UK between the HSE, the LA and a
trade association.
more
...
‘SUSTAINABILITYLIVE!’
EXHIBITION 2007
Economic, environmental and social
sustainability really are the focus for the future of the food industry, and
with this in mind, we would like to inform you all of the forthcoming
Sustainabilitylive! Exhibition. more
...
JJ’S IT MANAGER WINS
PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
BFFF is proud that one of its member
companies has won a major IT award against corporate giants ITV, Carphone
Warehouse and ATOC. Rif Kiamil, IT Manager of JJ Food Service won the BCS
IT Professional Awards 2006 more
...
COMPETITION COMMISSION
‘RESEARCH ON SUPPLIERS TO THE UK GROCERY MARKET’
FINDINGS RELATED TO FROZEN FOOD SUPPLIERS
We have examined the details of the
Competition Commission’s interim report and, in particular, the supplier’s
survey, which canvassed frozen food suppliers as one of the sectors they
researched. more
...
GROCERY INQUIRY GOES
LOCAL
The Competition Commission (CC) is to
focus its attention on local markets across the UK as the next stage in its
investigation into the market for the supply of groceries.
In its emerging thinking document, available at
www.competition-commission.org.uk, the CC summarizes the evidence gathered so
far in areas such as the supply chain, planning and land banks and outlines its
next steps in the inquiry. more
...
KK’S LEYLA EDWARDS
ACHIEVEMENTS TO BE RECOGNISED AT
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Leyla Edwards, the owner of KK Fine Foods
Ltd. has been invited to a lunch at Buckingham Palace in recognition of the
achievement of women who have made contributions to business and industry in the
UK. more
...
FOOD MANUFACTURE 2007
CONFERENCE
THURSDAY, 8TH MARCH 2007
Food Manufacture magazine are holding a
conference on Thursday, 8th March 2007 called ‘Food Manufacture 2007’ at the
Crowne Plaza, Birmingham NEC. more
...
BIRDS EYE CHALLENGES
CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF FOOD ADDITIVES
Birds Eye recently published
(10/01/2007), the results of a survey aimed at countering common consumer
perceptions that frozen food is full of artificial additives. more
...
GROCER TOP BRANDS REVIEW
The winners and losers for branded sales
have been published for the year to 7th October 2006. more
...
EIGHT MORE NEW MEMBERS
We are delighted to report that another
eight new companies have recently joined the Federation. more
...
CERTIFICATE OF
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE (CPC) FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS
The European Directive 2003/59/EC
‘Initial Qualification and periodic training for drivers of road vehicles for
the carriage of goods or passengers’ came into force on the 15th July
2003. more
...
BFFF ANNUAL AWARDS FOR
FROZEN FOOD PRODUCTS
As part of a progressive company which values its product
development, then you will no doubt be aware that this time of the year brings
the arrival of the brochure and entry form for the BFFF Annual Awards for Frozen
Food Products. This unique Awards Scheme is designed exclusively for the frozen
food industry and recognises and rewards the contribution made by the people and
companies who bring the winning products into the marketplace. more
...
FROZEN FOODS AT IFE07
It will be a great pleasure to welcome
all the exhibitors and visitors to the frozen foods zone at the IFE07
exhibition which runs from Sunday, 18th to Wednesday, 21st March 2007.
Held for the fourth time at the purpose-built ExCeL centre, the IFE show will
incorporate the major frozen food showing in the United Kingdom. The
Federation Stand SG2631 will once again act as the nerve centre of the frozen
zone and is placed in the heart of the show. more
...
BFFF AT THE HEART OF
‘FROZEN FOOD AT IFE 07’
As originators of the ‘Frozen Food at
IFE’ exhibition concept, the British Frozen Food Federation will again act as
the nerve centre for the frozen zone at IFE 07.
more
...
“LAST ORDERS” FOR
IFE07
The frozen food sector of IFE07 is over 82% sold out but there are
still a few well-positioned sites available.
more
...
BFFF MEMBERS WIN
EXCELLENCE AWARDS
BFFF members featured strongly amongst the winning companies of the
Caterer Group Food and Drink Awards held at the Dorchester which is sponsored by
3663, First for Foodservice. It was good to see our members rewarded for
their commitment to quality ingredients and well-thought out products created
for foodservice. more
...
NEW BFFF COMMITTEE
MEMBERS
BFFF are delighted to welcome four new people onto the BFFF Committees
following the Annual Meetings in November 2006. more
...
MYTH OF THE MONTH! DECEMBER
2006
ORGANIC CHICKEN IS HEALTHIER THAN STANDARD CHICKEN
….. OH NO IT’S NOT!
The Grocer reports that the University of Strathclyde’s scientists said
tests on supermarket bought chicken breasts showed organic ones contained fewer
Omega-3 fatty acids and lower antioxidant levels that affect the taste, despite
the price tag on an organic bird, which is two times higher than conventional
chicken. more
...
FIRST SIGNS OF GREEN
SHOOTS OF RECOVERY IN RETAIL FROZEN
Retail frozen foods grew in value, for the 4 weeks to 4th November 2006
by 0.8%, based on A. C. Neilsen’s numbers, recently reported in the Grocer
more
...
NUTRITIONAL LABELLING
DEBATE GDA VERSUS TRAFFIC LIGHTS
We have published on a regular basis, in the T&L update, how the
national debate is progressing on displaying nutritional data on pack.
more
...
BFFF LAUNCH ULTIMATE
AWARDS
The well-established British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Annual Awards
for New Products has now been launched. The 2007 Awards seek to, once again,
recognise, reward and publicise the advancements of quality initiatives in
frozen food and ice cream. more
...
INDUSTRY SERVICES
BOOKLET
Increase your market and boost your sales, publish your company details
into the BFFF "Industry Services to the Frozen Food Industry" booklet.
more
...
PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL
REPORT 2006
Communicating with you through my final
President’s Report is my last real act as your President. It has been three
years which have gone by at a phenomenal rate
more
...
PRUE LEITH APPOINTED
CHAIR OF THE SCHOOL FOOD TRUST
Education and Skills Secretary of State
Alan Johnson has announced the appointment of Prue Leith OBE as the new Chair of
the School Food Trust (SFT). She will take up her post on 15 January 2007.
more
...
PAUL FREESTON OF APETITO
ANNOUNCED AS VICE-PRESIDENT ELECT
Paul Freeston the Chief Executive of
fast growing apetito Ltd. has been elected by the Executive Council as
Vice-President Elect to serve in tandem with forthcoming President Stephen
Waugh, Managing Director of Ardo (UK) Ltd. from 29th November 2006.
more
...
MORE NEW MEMBERS
We
are delighted to report that another six new companies have recently joined the
Federation. They are more
...
MYTH OF THE MONTH!
NOVEMBER 2006
CHANTING FALSE MANTRAS
A recent systematic review by the Food
Standards Agency has reached a shocking conclusion. It says, “It is
impossible to reach any firm conclusions as to the effect of diet on learning,
education and performance in school aged children in developed countries”.
The full article from FSA News 61
follows:- more
...
12% DROP IN
CAMBRIDGESHIRE SCHOOL MEALS
Jamie Oliver has been blamed for
pushing a county’s school meals service almost £500,000 in the red says the
Daily Telegraph. The celebrity chef’s campaign against unhealthy school
meals has led to a 12 per cent drop in children eating school dinners in
Cambridgeshire
more
...
PROFESSIONAL SUCCESSION
PROGRAMME IN PLACE
From April 2007, I shall be making some
changes to my working life by broadening the scope of my work beyond the
Federation and therefore shall be stepping down from the role of
Director-General of the Federation.
more
...
FUSION FOODS ADDS
SPONSORSHIP TO THIS YEAR’S LUNCHEON
We are very pleased to announce that
Fusion Foods will be sponsoring the Annual Luncheon Brochure at this year’s
BFFF Luncheon on Tuesday, 28th November at the Hilton on Park Lane. They
are using this prestigious occasion to announce that they are changing their
name to CP Foods UK Ltd as part of the global
CPF organisation more
...
TURKEY AWARDS DOUBLE FOR
LOXTONS
Loxtons had a great night at the recent
British Turkey Awards held at the prestigious Claridges Ballroom in London.
more
...
NEW CEO FOR IGLO BIRDS
EYE FROZEN FOODS
REPORTS FISHUPDATE.COM
Permira has announced the appointment of
Martin Glenn as CEO of Iglo Birds Eye Frozen Foods. Martin Glenn
will be the future CEO of the Iglo Birds Eye Frozen Foods business. Henry
Schirmer was also named as the future CFO of this organisation. Both
appointments will be effective as from completion, expected in November 2006.
more
...
SCHWAN’S TARGETS £700
MILLION TAKEAWAY MARKET
Building on the success of its Chicago
Town TakeAway Original Pizza, Schwan’s is strengthening its portfolio with the
launch of ten new pizzas under the TakeAway sub-brand. This will
consolidate Chicago Town’s positioning the market and give the brand ownership
of the takeaway proposition in retail.
more
...
MITCHELLS &
BUTLERS DISPOSE OF 102 PUBS
Mitchells & Butlers is pleased to
announce that it has today exchanged contracts for the disposal of 102 of its
smaller, community pubs to Trust Inns Ltd more
...
CARROLL TO BATTLE
‘NEGATIVE MEDIA’ SAYS COST SECTOR CATERING
Irene Carroll says she plans to use all
her 38 years of experience in the industry to help in her new role as chairman
of the Local Authority Caterers’ Association. And she says one of her
biggest tasks, as head of the largest network of public and private school meal
providers in Britain will be responding to negative media scrutiny. more
...
NEW FIRE REGULATIONS
On 1st October 2006, the Regulatory
Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or Fire Safety Order became law. We
thought it essential that BFFF members should have the earliest notice of these
new regulations, which will have an impact on all businesses. more
...
LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE
ON FOOD MANUFACTURE
Below is the text of the emergency motion
carried unanimously at the Labour Party Conference on Thursday, 28th September
2006. The Labour Party Conference
acknowledges that the food manufacturing industry is an important part of the UK
economy. However, there is a fast emerging crisis in the sector.
more
...
AGE DISCRIMINATION IN
THE WORKPLACE OUTLAWED
New laws coming into effect from 1st
October 2006, will protect workers of all ages from discrimination in the work
place. The Age Discrimination regulations give important new rights
and responsibilities to every employee and business in Britain.
more
...
JAMIE RANTS ON PACKED
LUNCHES – SAYS CATERER AND HOTELKEEPER
Following the news that Cambridge County
Council is losing £½ million on school dinners, after the Jamie Oliver
programmes last year and the School Food Trust’s new regime – whoops, he‘s
done it again! more
...
TV CHEF BLAMED OVER
SCHOOL MEALS BILL
REPORTS THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Jamie Oliver has been blamed for pushing
a county’s school meals service almost £500,000 in the red. The
celebrity chef’s campaign against unhealthy school meals has led to a 12 per
cent drop in children eating school dinners in Cambridgeshire more
...
£1BN SCHOOL MEALS
MARKET
An in-depth report into the UK school
meals mark has revealed that parents spend £1 billion a year on meals for their
children – with 3.25 million served each school day reports Cost Sector
Catering. more
...
STRONG FROZEN FOOD
PRESENCE FOR IFE ‘07
With around six months to go to IFE
’07, the international and domestic frozen food fraternity have signed up to
present a terrific cross section of exhibitors to entice trade visitors.
more
...
BRIAN MAYLING OF MKG
RETIRES
After 43 years in the frozen food industry, Brian Mayling has sold his
shares and retired from MKG Food Products Ltd. more
...
TWENTY SUPERB LUNCHEONS
The 2006 Annual Luncheon is well covered in the Bulletin. It lived up to
its reputation as another superb unifying event and a platform from which we can
also set out our political messages to a wide range of government departments
and opinion formers. more
...
DON'T LEAVE IT TO US -
IT'S ALSO VITAL FOR SOCIETY TO GET PHYSICAL
REPORTS THE GROCER
The new president of the British Frozen Food Federation has called for
government to de-politicise the health issue. Speaking at the
BFFF's annual luncheon this week, Stephen Waugh, Ardo MD, said farmers,
producers, retailers and caterers "simply cannot go it alone".
more
...
GDA AWARENESS DRIVE
KICKS OFF WITH WEBSITE
REPORTS THE GROCER
The industry's campaign to educate the public about front-of-pack
Guideline Daily Amount labelling began in earnest this week with the launch of a
consumer-facing website.
more
...
STEPHEN WAUGH AND PAUL
FREESTON - NEW FEDERATION OFFICIALS
At the recent Annual General Meeting of the Federation, Stephen Waugh the
Managing Director of Ardo UK Ltd. was elected President and Paul Freeston the
Chief Executive of apetito Ltd. was elected as Vice-President for the coming
year.
more
...
FOOD LABELLING
“TRAFFIC LIGHTS”
The McCain decision to go for a hybrid
of “traffic lights” in the style recommended by the Food Standards Agency
and the “GDA Signposts” scheme championed by the Food and Drink Federation
and many large companies, has opened the debate still further. more
...
SUPERMARKETS 'NOT GREEN ENOUGH'
The National Consumer Council (NCC) is
calling on the UK’s eight leading supermarket chains to do more to cut waste
and source more food locally, the BBC website reports. more
...
FUNDAMENTAL IMBALANCE IN
FOOD SAFETY
Concerns over food safety
have led to an over emphasis on detecting minute quantities of chemical
additives at the expense of preventing thousands of cases of food poisoning
caused by caterers not washing their hands, reports the Independent.
more
...
CARGILL INTEGRA SPONSORS
BFFF ANNUAL LUNCHEON
Cargill Integra, providers
of worldwide food solutions, will again be sponsoring the audio-visual services
at the BFFF Annual Luncheon which takes place on Tuesday, 28th November 2006 at
the London Hilton on Park Lane. more
...
DEFRA SUSTAINABILITY
STRATEGY
All of the members will be
aware of the importance which the government, via Defra, place upon
sustainability in the food industry beyond the factory gate. Two years of
Defra consultation via the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS) group
with food industry representatives, including BFFF, culminated in a Defra
strategy document of 120 pages. more
...
SCHOOL DINNERS - A LONG
WAY TO GO
The much awaited final
version of the Government's nutritional standards for school lunches and other
school foods was announced in the late spring. This now enables local
authorities, school caterers and schools to be clearer as to the overall
direction they ought to be taking in terms of implementation to meet the
expectations as well as how the available funding should be assigned in each
area. more
...
MORE NEW MEMBERS
We are delighted to report
that another four new companies have recently joined the Federation.
more
...
WOODWARD ACQUIRES DBC TO
CREATE £500 MILLION
FOODSERVICE GROUP
Woodward Foodservice has
acquired competitor DBC Foodservice to create a £500 million turnover
foodservice group and consolidate its position as the UK’s third largest
supplier to the catering industry. The
acquisition is part of Woodward’s ongoing expansion strategy following a
management buyout led by Chief Executive, Ed Hyslop, in August 2005.
more
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NEW BUYING ALLIANCE
FORMED
The Co-operative Group and
SPAR (UK) Ltd. have announced the formation of a new buying alliance. It
will focus on targeted areas of Own Label products and will be managed by the
Co-operative Retail Trading Group (CRTG), which currently handles over £5
billion worth of food sales on behalf of over 3,000 Co-op stores throughout the
UK. more
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GLOBAL FOODSERVICE SALES
TO GROW BY 33% IN FIVE YEARS
Rising numbers of
households and more mobile lifestyles will fuel a 33% growth in global food
service sales by 2010, experts have predicted says Caterer and Hotelkeeper.
more
..
SIZE OF THE EATING OUT
MARKET: ONS CAUSES CONFUSION
The Government's Office of
National Statistics (ONS) published a press release on 18th August giving
"facts" on the eating out of home spend which caused many of Horizons'
clients to become concerned and contact them for confirmation or denial.
The problem was caused by
the headline on the ONS Press Release which announced that "Spending on
eating out overtakes meals at home". more
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BRITS SPEND MORE ON
EATING OUT THAN THEY DO ON MEALS AT HOME
Britons now spend more on eating out than they do on food consumed in the
home, according to a new report by the Office of National Statistics.
more
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EAT FRESH CHICKEN BEFORE
IT'S BANNED!
Frozen chickens may soon be the only option available to supermarket
shoppers says Joanna Davis on the Poultry Industry Review website.
more
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FOOD
STANDARDS AGENCY SPONSOR CITY FOOD LECTURE DEBATE ON ORGANIC
FOOD
The 2007 City Food
Lecture will be sponsored for the first time by the Food
Standards Agency. The keynote speaker will be Lord
Peter Melchett of the Soil Association who will talk about
organic food. This annual event attracts an audience
of 600 top food and drink figures from across the UK and
will take place on the evening of 23rd January 2007 at the
Guildhall in the City of London. more...
I
TOO EAT FROZEN FOOD… THERE, I’VE SAID IT AS WELL
BFFF is delighted that the 'Grocer' printed Howard
McEvoy's letter about the simplicity and naturalness of the
freezing process. The letter
follows: more...
CHANGE
OR FACE FAILURE – THAT’S THE WARNING TO 96 OF THE UK’S
TOP 500 UK FROZEN FOODS COMPANIES.
Nobody ever thinks they will be responsible for a
failing company. However, it’s a harsh reality of business
that some of you reading this are working at, or will know
of, a company that is heading for failure. In fact a recent
study into the UK’s Top 500 Frozen Foods businesses by
Plimsoll Publishing Ltd. suggests that up to 96 - 19% of the companies in the
industry are at a high risk of financial collapse.
more...
MEDIA
BLAMED FOR FALLING SCHOOL MEALS
Caterers blame media coverage of school dinners as
the biggest factor behind falling school meal uptake,
according to management accountant PriceWaterhouseCoopers
(PWC) says Caterer & Hotelkeeper Magazine.
more...
PRIMARY
SCHOOL MEALS MEET LATEST NUTRITIONAL
GUIDELINES
Catering and retail convenience food producer, Glendale
Frozen Foods of Manchester, in association with Lancashire
Schools, has developed a range of meat and protein based
meals to comply with the mandatory nutritional standards for
school lunches, set by the Schools Meals Review Panel from
September 2006. more...
REVIEW
PUBLISHED ON EFFECTS OF DIET ON CHILDREN'S LEARNING
The review, undertaken by the University of Teesside,
was designed to assess the strength of evidence from studies
already published on children aged 4 to 18 years. The review
also examined the quality and reliability of the studies.
more...
COMPETITION
COMMISSION MARKET INVESTIGATION: THE SUPPLY OF GROCERIES BY
RETAILERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
BFFF was asked to comment on the Competition
Commission Market Investigation: The Supply of Groceries by Retailers in the
United Kingdom and our reply to Government follows more...
650,000 FROZEN FISH-FINGERS LABELLED "SUSTAINABLE" FOR
SCHOOL MEALS - AND THEY’RE HEALTHY
Frozen food will play a crucial role in school meals
where sustainability already counts. London – ‘Fish &
Kids’, a national three-year project, has been launched
more...
NO
PLANS FOR MORE CASH
The Government’s pledge of £220 million over three years
to improve school meals is a one-off spending item designed
to help the transition to the new food and nutritional
standards. There are no plans to extend the programme
beyond 2008. That is the message from Helen Williams,
director of the School Standards Group, part of the
Department for Educations and Skills.
more ..
NEW
NOISE LEGISLATION
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into
force on 6 April 2006.
more
..
JOINT
STATEMENT FROM THE UK AND SCOTTISH CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICERS
H5N1 AVIAN FLU CONFIRMED IN DEAD WILD BIRD IN SCOTLAND
Tests from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) have
confirmed that the sample from the swan found dead in Fife,
Scotland did contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu
virus.
Scottish and UK officials are already undertaking an urgent
veterinary risk assessment and consulting ornithological
experts to consider the specific circumstances of this case
and determine the level of any risk it may pose to poultry
and other kept birds. more
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MULTIPLES
– V – UNIONS
The Grocer reports that Asda and Tesco are facing the wrath
of unions and possible questions from the Government over
working conditions and closures of depots.Tony Blair has
promised to look into the closure of Tesco’s Dundee depot
after an MP raised concerns about 400 plus job losses during
Prime Minister’s Questions. more
..
AVIAN
FLU NOT A FOOD SAFETY ISSUE AFFIRMS FSA
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), has reaffirmed its belief
that avian flu does not pose a food-safety risk. Chief
Executive Jon Bell told an FSA board meeting that the agency
had reviewed this advice and concluded it should not be
changed. more
...
FORGET
ORGANICS – SAYS SIR JOHN
The former head of the Government’s food watchdog, the
Food Standards Agency (FSA), has criticised the focus on
organic food in efforts to improve school dinners. He
said money could be better spent by buying conventional
products rather than spending it on more expensive organic
varieties. ‘My advice would be not to worry about
the organic, but worry about your kids having more
vegetables’, said Sir John Krebs
more
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OBESITY
– LACK OF TIMELY GUIDANCE AND A NEED FOR GREATER CLARITY
FROM GOVERNMENT
The National Audit office has said that without clearer
leadership from departments, there is a risk that the
Government’s target to halt the rise of obesity in
children under 11 years will not be met. This is a key
finding of a joint report published by the Audit Commission,
the Healthcare Commission and the National Audit Office
itself. The report investigates the strength and
efficiency of that part of the delivery chain that aims to
reduce obesity in children between the ages of 5 and 10.
more
...
DEAD
END FOR TRAFFIC LIGHTS?
Members will be aware that like the Food & Drink
Federation (FDF), BFFF has never been an advocate of the
over-simplistic multiple traffic light scheme that the Food
Standards Agency (FSA) seems intent on promoting for food
suppliers. BFFF has always felt that it is essential
for the average UK citizen to understand far more about
nutrition than is currently the case and that it would be
ideal if all of our citizens understood the nutritional
panel on products and also had a basic understanding of
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). more
...
ACTION
TO PREVENT OBESITY AND IMPROVE CHILDREN’S HEALTH
The School Food
Trust has today advised government Ministers that schools
should stop selling confectionery, crisps and fizzy drinks
to prevent childhood obesity spiralling out of control and
to improve children’s health through a better-balanced
diet during the school day. more
...
