Greencore Group, the Irish and UK convenience food business, has completed the sale of its entire US business to Hearthside Food Solutions for US$1.075 billion (£817 million) on a cash and debt-free basis. Hearthside is a major US contract food manufacturer with a heritage in US food industry outsourcing. The disposal will leave Greencore focused…

Cranswick, the UK-based supplier of premium, fresh and added value food products, has posted a 0.6% increase in revenue to a record £719.2 million for the six months ended 30 September 2018, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, and has also reported record first half capital expenditure of £41 million to provide…

Fuller, Smith & Turner has reported a 2% rise in EBITDA to £38.2 million and a 6% jump in revenue to £222.1 million for 26 weeks ended 29 September 2018 as the UK brewer, pub operator and hospitality group increased investment for long-term growth. However, adjusted profit before tax slipped by 1% to £23.6 million.

Much of Danish Crown’s business is performing well but, as a result of continued losses in the UK company Tulip, the group has decided to postpone its strategic target by two years. The ongoing problems in the UK business are impacting Danish Crown’s earnings to such an extent that it will now take an extra…

Marston’s, the UK pub operator and brewer, has reported record revenue and underlying profit before tax growth for the 52 weeks ended 29 September 2018. Total underlying revenue increased by 14.9% to £1.140 billion, reflecting the rollover benefits of the acquisition of the Charles Wells Beer Business from the previous year, new distribution contracts in…

Orkla, a leading supplier of branded consumer goods and concept solutions to the consumer, out-of-home and bakery markets in the Nordics, Baltics and selected markets in Central Europe and India, has agreed to launch a €146.1 million offer to purchase all the shares in Kotipizza Group, the owner of Finland’s largest chain of pizza restaurants.…

Glanbia plc, the global nutrition group, has completed its $350 million acquisition of SlimFast and other brands. SlimFast is a leading weight management and health & wellness brand family distributed primarily in the food, drug, mass and club (FDMC) channel in the US and UK. It is a well-established and growing brand with high levels…

Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency, has announced three forward-looking trends which will lead the momentum of global food and drink innovation in 2019 and beyond.

2019 Global Food and Drink Trends at a glance

• Evergreen Consumption: A circular view of sustainability that spans the entire product lifecycle requires action from suppliers to consumers.
• Through the…

Nespresso has announced a SFr43 million (€38 million) investment in the creation of two new production lines at its factory in Romont, Switzerland, to satisfy growing demand for the versatile coffee system Vertuo. This will create 33 additional jobs in the next two years. It has also inaugurated a state-of-the-art innovation center consisting of a…

Blackwater Distillery has become the 21st operational Irish whiskey distillery on the island of Ireland. The new distillery at Ballyduff, near Lismore in County Waterford, recently commenced Irish whiskey distillation.

As Brexit continues to dominate the headlines, debate rages on about the implications of a hard border in Ireland. The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel show the value of cross-border trade is at its highest level for five years.  Over the 12 months to 4 November 2018, shoppers from the Republic of…

The European Commission has adopted its report on the development of plant proteins in the European Union. The report reviews the supply and demand situation for plant proteins (such as rapeseed, sunflower seeds or lentils) in the EU and explores ways in which to further develop their production in an economically and environmentally sound way.

Salt of the Earth has announced new, exclusive distribution agreements for Australia, Poland, South Africa, and Thailand of its clean-labelMediterranean Umami savory flavor enhancement and sodium reduction ingredient. The company is expanding offerings of the plant-based ingredient by partnering with leading food ingredient distributors around the world.

Speciality food ingredient supplier, Carbery, is launching a range of fermented dairy ingredients that deliver a unique combination of high quality protein with prebiotic promoting properties. Interest in fermented products is on the rise. Globally there has been an 18% average annual growth of food and beverage launches tracked with a fermented claim from 2013-2017…

Over 300 leading suppliers are already signed up for Packaging Innovations 2019, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 27 & 28 February 2019. Now in its 14th year, the UK’s largest annual event for the entire packaging supply chain boasts its largest ever exhibitor base, with more innovation and exclusive product launches than ever…

Nine of Ireland’s leading agricultural processing and food businesses have come together to make the plastic packaging in their respective supply chains more sustainable. Plastics Action Alliance is the new collaboration that includes market leaders from Ireland’s beef, poultry, pork, lamb, fruit, vegetables and packed salad sectors. Aidan Cotter, former CEO of Bord…

Historic Port brand Dow’s is relaunching its range of Aged Tawnies in a bid to attract a younger audience, with elegant, refined packaging design by Denomination. Dow’s wanted a contemporary, luxurious look befitting of a Wine Spectator award-winning brand. The new packaging needed to communicate its place in the premium on-trade market and feel relevant to…

Over 200 experts from across the food contact industry will come together in Vienna, Austria from 3–6 December 2018 to attend Smithers Pira’s P&P (Plastics & Paper in Contact with Foodstuffs) - http://www.foodcontact.com/plastics-paper.

P&P will provide an in-depth and timely overview of the latest EU legislation as well as a small focus on global regulations. Described…

Celebrating its 21st year, The International Food & Drink Event (IFE) – the UK’s leading and largest food & drink event – is returning to ExCeL London 17–20 March 2019. A must-attend event, IFE 2019 will provide buyers with the chance to discover emerging trends; meet with thousands of international, future-focused producers and brands; and hear inspiring and…

NiceLabel, a leading global developer of label design software and label management systems, has launched the world’s first public cloud label management system, developed to allow businesses to rapidly digitally transform their factory and warehouse labeling process. Label Cloud is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution built on the NiceLabel Label Management System. It allows users to centrally…

Every business wants to produce the finest quality products at the lowest possible cost. Every business wants to reduce energy consumption to save money and help protect the wider environment. The merging of two technologies from GEA, the S-Tec and A-Tec spiral freezer with CALLIFREEZE® and GEA heat pumps, is now enabling food processing companies…