FDBusiness.com

 UK meat processor Linden Foods has recently won a series of awards for innovation and quality across its range of beef, lamb and rose veal products. The company, which forms part of Linden Food Group, supplies its range of products directly to the retail and catering trades.

Linden employs 500 people at its Dungannon plant in Northern Ireland, and has an annual turnover of £115m. Its customers include major retailers and companies within the catering trade throughout the UK and Ireland, such as, Marks & Spencer; Booker, the UK’s largest wholesale cash and carry operator; and web-based gourmet butcher, Donald Russell.

Linden’s Rosemary & Garlic Leg of Lamb won Best New Lamb Product of the year in the prestigious annual Meat Management Awards. Developed specifically for Marks & Spencer’s Christmas specialty range, the product won on the strength of its retail success, quality and focus on the needs of the consumer.

The accolade comes soon after a Gold award in the Best British Burger competition sponsored by EBLEX, the organisation for the English beef and sheep industry.

Pictured are: Gerry Maguire, managing director of Linden Foods, and Elaine Willis, new product development manager of Linden Foods.

Linden was also recently awarded the Supply Chain Initiative Award in the UK-wide Meat & Poultry Processing Awards for its Banquet Royale Rose Veal. The innovative product, which is breaking new ground in the industry, was launched last year following significant investment in development to ensure the highest standards achievable in quality and ethical production. It is currently available at retailers throughout the UK and Ireland, including: Whole Foods Market and Booker.

“Our continued focus on the end-consumer and on adding value through introducing new ingredients and new product innovations has made our beef, lamb, and rose veal products market leaders. These awards are testament to our success in this area,” says Elaine Willis, new product development manager of Linden Foods.

The Linden Food Group is a market leader in the fresh meat processing industry, sourcing and processing top quality beef and lamb for customers throughout Europe. The group has an annual turnover of £300m and consists of four companies: Linden Foods, Slaney Foods, Kettle Irish Foods and Irish Country Meats.