Page 282 — British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)

HAVE YOUR SAY – TACKLING THE ISSUE OF ‘GREY MARKET’ PRODUCTS

Posted on October 26, 2022November 7, 2025 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

At a recent FSA Food Industry Liaison Group (FILG) meeting, the issue of ‘grey market’ food and feed products and the risks they pose was discussed.

Grey market products are not formulated, labelled, or intended for the UK market and therefore may be non-compliant with UK domestic and retained EU legislation. However, they regularly appear on the UK market, particularly from the US.

There are differing regulatory requirements between the UK, EU and US and this makes it challenging to source some ingredients and products from the US. This issue ranges from food safety concerns to labelling requirements and mainly covers food additives, novel foods and food supplements. These foods will often not bear the information consumers would expect in the UK in terms of composition and product claims.

Since the UK left the EU there are reports of increases in imports of US products containing non-compliant additives, as well as an increase in EU produced, compliant versions of US products.

The FSA have issued an information paper with further detail highlighting the issues and they are keen to seek industry views on what more can be done to address non-compliance. This paper is available here

They would very much welcome your thoughts on this matter and we would encourage members to consider the questions at the end of the paper. All comments would be most appreciated. Just drop an email to deniserion@bfff.co.uk and we will ensure they are passed back to the FSA.

FOR ACTION: INDEPENDENT LABOUR REVIEW SURVEY

Posted on October 25, 2022October 25, 2022 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

The Independent Review Panel, tasked by the government to investigate labour shortages in the food supply chain, has launched an online questionnaire in a bid to understand some of the challenges being seen within agriculture, processing, and food and non-alcoholic drink manufacturing.

Chaired by John Shropshire, Chairman of G’s Fresh Group, the panel will use the insight to make recommendations to government on how to address the challenges.

Whilst we all have busy agendas, we know this is impacting a number of our members, so we would be grateful if you could spare the time to complete the questionnaire and ensure the panel has the vital data they require to inform their understanding.

For reference, the sectors covered as part of this review are:

Farming Sectors, including Pigs, Eggs, Poultry, Red Meat, Dairy, Arable and Edible Horticulture
Primary Processing, including Meat Processing and Seafood Processing
Food and non-alcoholic drink Manufacturing

You can access the questionnaire here: Independent Review into Labour Shortages survey (qualtrics.com).

Should you wish, you can preview the questions here

The Independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain is independent of Government. The survey does not collect any personal information. Defra analysts are administering and processing the survey on behalf of the Chair and Expert Panel. All information collected through the survey will be stored securely, anonymised and collated in a report such that both businesses and individuals cannot be identified.

If you have any questions or need assistance accessing the questionnaire, please contact independent.labour.review@defra.gov.uk.

AQUA TAKE FREE COOLING TO A NEW LEVEL

Posted on October 25, 2022 by

Temperature control specialists, Aqua Cooling, are now offering optimised free cooling within their EcoPro chiller range.

The Aqua EcoPro chillers achieve free cooling within 3°C of ambient, so at much higher ambient temperature than previously possible. This is due to the innovative arrangement of the units’ condenser coil. The EcoPro range has been specifically designed to maximise free cooling potential, so each model has an in-built free cooling coil with the largest surface area possible for its respective footprint.

“Whilst free cooling is widely recognised as a fantastic way of reducing energy costs and lowering carbon emissions, optimised free cooling takes things a step further” explains Aqua Sales & Marketing Director, Owen Hymers.

“Within our industry, similar products can achieve free cooling within 10°C of ambient temperature. However, with the Aqua EcoPro, free cooling is achievable within 3°C – a difference of 7°C+ over its competitors. Aqua are the only UK based partner to offer optimised free cooling currently and I think that’s evidence of our commitment to pushing boundaries when it comes to product innovation and finding the best solutions for our customers.”

“When you invest in an EcoPro chiller you benefit not only from a product designed to cope with the rigours of the process industry, but one that has impressive green credentials. Units operate on R454B, an environmentally friendly refrigerant with a GWP rating over 75% lower than R410A.”

With free cooling, ambient air is used to cool, rather than mechanical refrigeration. Energy consumption reduces, hand in hand with operating costs and carbon impact. Whilst it’s application specific, annual energy savings can be in-excess of 80%, giving payback in as little as 6-18 months and great return on investment.

Depending on unit size, the EcoPro chillers have either a 0.7mm thick copper coaxial evaporator or a shell & tube evaporator, constructed from 0.4mm thick copper. Both evaporator designs have large water pathways and the chillers come with a 3-year parts & 1-year labour warranty.

For more information call the Aqua team on 0333 004 4433.

WRIGHTS FOOD GROUP DEVELOPS ITS LARGEST EVER YEAR-ROUND M&S RANGE

Posted on October 25, 2022 by franck.houssaye@wrightfsg.com

Food manufacturing specialist Wrights Food Group has announced its widest range of year round products listed with Marks & Spencer.

Among the products now in the retailer’s freezer cabinets is a selection of year-round and seasonal dishes including a Three Cheese & Potato Pie alongside a new Christmas-only addition to the instore bakery, the Panettonut, a Panettone inspired doughnut.

Making its first winter line appearance and now included within the M&S premium “Collection” range is the slow cooked British Beef Bourguignon & Dauphinoise Pie which features slow cooked beef in a red wine & mushroom sauce encased in all butter puff pastry and topped with creamy, garlicky potatoes.

The range of year-round pies now listed with M&S includes the Ratatouille Galette and a frozen Chicken, Ham Hock and Leek Pie featuring British chicken, shredded ham hock and sliced leeks in a creamy white wine sauce in puff pastry, topped with breadcrumbs and herbs. While Christmas sees the introduction of the Layered Christmas Turkey Pie – tender turkey, layered with cranberry sauce, pork, leek and sage stuffing and a rich turkey gravy.

Pippa Masters, Buyer for Frozen Foods at M&S, said: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Wrights Food Group to bring customers an even bigger selection of high-quality, convenient comfort foods this winter. We’ve seen a growing demand for luxury dinner centrepieces that can be easily cooked from frozen as customers continue prioritise easy at-home entertaining, and these indulgent mains really do make it as easy as pie to host friends and family at short notice. From our showstopping Collection Beef Bourguignon & Dauphinoise Pie to our brilliant Ratatouille Tart and Layered Christmas Turkey Pie joining our Effortless Entertaining range, we’ve made sure that quality and flavour are at the forefront for these new additions.”

She added: “We’re continuing to expand our frozen ranges as part of our ongoing transformation of our freezer aisles, enabling us to offer customers an ever-growing selection of great-value dinner centrepieces, sides, desserts, ingredients and more.”

Wrights Food Group is a third-generation family business started in the North West by husband and wife team Jack and Lizzie Wright in 1926. As part of the Compleat Food Group, the company operates with a team of 600 across three sites in Crewe, specialising in the manufacture and retail and foodservice distribution of confectionery, savoury bakery products and ready meals.

Commercial director Helen Bowyer said: “Every year we expand our lines into Marks & Spencer and are creating more and more specialist and indulgent items – particularly for the celebratory Christmas season.

“Hearty, home-style food is the very foundation of our creativity here at Wrights and we are delighted that our team’s own passion for innovating and creating exceptional food continues to be recognised and embraced by Marks & Spencer – a truly iconic, quality British food brand.”

Wrights Food Group’s £30million manufacturing facility in Crewe produces more than three million savoury products per week including gastro pub pies and ready meals for the retail and hospitality sector. Its vegan range includes a Vegan Peppered Steak Slice, a Vegan Steak Pie, Vegan Chicken and Mushroom Pie, a Vegan Pasty and a Vegan 6 inch Sausage Roll, complementing the brand’s existing vegan offering and wider savoury range.

The full range and descriptions of Wrights Food Group products into Marks & Spencer is:

Frozen: Chicken, Ham Hock & Leek Pie – British chicken, shredded ham hock and sliced leeks in a creamy white wine sauce, in puff pastry and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and herbs (all year round)
Frozen: Three Cheese & Potato Pie – Thinly sliced potatoes layered with mature cheddar, mozzarella & Regato sauce in puff pastry topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and herbs (all year round)
Frozen: Layered Christmas Turkey Pie – Tender turkey, layered with cranberry sauce, pork, leek & sage stuffing & a rich turkey gravy (Christmas only)
Frozen: British BeefBourguignon & Dauphinoise Pie – Slow cooked tender beef in a rich red wine & mushroom sauce encased in all butter puff pastry and topped with creamy, garlicky potatoes (Winter line and part of the ‘Collection’ range)
In-store bakery: Pannettonut
Ratatouille Galette (all butter, puff pastry open ‘pie’)

SYSCO GB TAKES HOME MSC FOODSERVICE WHOLESALER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Posted on October 25, 2022 by clare.twiss@brake.co.uk

Sysco companies, Brakes and M&J Seafood, have been rewarded for their passionate focus on the quality, sustainability and provenance of their seafood, collecting the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) Foodservice Wholesaler of the Year award for the 9^th consecutive year.

Sysco is committed to supporting customers to create more sustainable and healthier menus, from the way ingredients are sourced and produced, to their handling through the supply chain and menu development. When sourced responsibly, fish and seafood can be a fantastic ingredient with strong nutritional values. Working with organisations and certifications including MSC, MCS and ASC, Brakes and M&J Seafood have developed an enviable range of sustainably sourced seafood, winning the MSC Foodservice Wholesaler of the Year every year since the awards were launched in 2014.

Sysco GB Merchandising Director, Stuart Smith, said: “We have unique expertise in fish, with M&J’s long-established reputation for sourcing the best of the catch and Brakes’ unrivalled scale and foodservice knowledge, providing customers access to an incredible foodservice fish proposition.

“While it’s fantastic that we’ve been awarded Foodservice Wholesaler of the Year for the past nine years, we are committed to continuing to build the category, bringing customers new, exciting and sustainable fish options that will enhance any menu.”

Brakes and M&J Seafood have continued to innovate in the seafood category, including introducing new MSC British coley, Jersey MSC lobster and converting all breaded plaice to MSC certified in the past year.

GOURD NEWS FOR FRIGHT NIGHT FRIES FREAKS!

Posted on October 25, 2022 by

Here’s some scary Halloween food news for you from Lamb Weston, Cambridgeshire-based producer of potato products and fries for the UK’s most popular burger chain: In the UK up to 8 million pumpkins will come to a grave end this year, with 18,000 tonnes of edible food going straight to the bin!

Only 1 in 3 consumers choose to cook the flesh once carved, meaning the rest (66%) are wasted, not tasted.

Even more horrifying, pumpkins generate up to 448g CO₂ equivalent per kilo – so they’re gruesome for greenhouse gas emissions too.

Enter Lamb Weston with a clever trick that could dramatically cut down on food waste and save up to 1.6m tonnes of CO₂ per year – carving potatoes instead of pumpkins!

Cheaper to buy and easier to carve, potatoes are the UK’s favourite vegetable to eat^ and much more versatile for turning into a tasty meal after carving! Plus potatoes generate less than half the CO₂ per kilo produced compared to a pumpkin.

Believe it or not, this isn’t a new idea as the original Jack-o’-lanterns were actually made from turnips and potatoes by the Irish!**

So it’s time to rethink old habits that are unhealthy for our planet and all hail the potato this Halloween. Take a look at some of our ideas, carve out some of your own and then love the leftovers in a delicious fright-night feast. Gourd for you and gourd for the planet too!

*Source: onegreenplanet.org Research by Hubbub & Knorr

**Goodhousekeeping.com

^Jongga Study, 2022 – UK’s favourite vegetable, (2,000 respondents)

For innovative ideas, recipes and potato inspiration, head over to www.lambweston.eu/uk, call 0800 963962 or email us at salesUK@lambweston.eu

A few reasons to become a member of BFFF

To find out more about becoming a member call 01400 283 095 or email the team

Join BFFF

Member profile on BFFF website

Free BFFF Member List

Free listing in the annual Member Directory

Access to latest industry news and information

Weekly newsletter, press and media opportunities

Press and media opportunities

Marketing, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

Networking via opportunities at BFFF events

Free market data provided by Circana and World Panel

Access to industry specialists

Expert guidance from Technical and Health & Safety teams

Access to Primary Authority schemes and assured advice

H&S Audit Service/Advice

Free access to HR and legal guidance and advice line

Training and Education

Member Benefits

Exclusive Partnership deals on key products and services:

BFFF energy deals and rates
Vypr member deals and introduction
Defib Plus deals
Company Shop – membership
Mentor – MHE training health check

Exclusive access to networking opportunities and events:

Meet the Buyer events (retail & foodservice)
Annual Business Conference with networking dinner
Specialist H&S and Technical Conferences
Special interest groups (packaging, frozen food temperatures)
Annual Lunch
Awards Night

Become a member

Sponsorship Packages

We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities to BFFF members across our events throughout the year, with flexible packages that can be tailored to suit your business objectives.

Need a comment from the BFFF?

The voice of the frozen food industry
Representing over 340 businesses in the frozen food industry
Available out of hours

Contact the BFFF PR Team

what our members say...

Helen Atkinson

Wakefield Council

“What an amazing piece of work and indicative of how BFFF respond to the concerns of their members and make an impact on the whole industry sector.”

See Full Quote
Paul Duncalf

Sysco

“You guys really ‘Do The Right Thing’ for the good of the industry”

See Full Quote
Co-CEO Dries Talpe

Darta

“The BFFF awards night is becoming an “appointment not to miss” on our calendar and we again enjoyed it immensely together with lots of well-known people from our industry. The…

See Full Quote
Lewis Kain

Kantar Worldpanel

“The Business Conference was an excellent day that was very well organised and allowed so many likeminded individuals in the room to learn so much more around the Frozen industry….

See Full Quote
Gail Hodson - Technical Director

Lakeside Food Group Ltd

“This Not For EU labelling situation alarmed us and quickly became a major worry to our business. These are times when you really rely on some support and from previous…

See Full Quote
Domenic Granelli - Financial Controller

Meadow Vale Foods Limited

“We had a few questions with respect to the new EPR waste packaging legislative changes. I know some of my colleagues have been assisted by BFFF in the past so…

See Full Quote
Dave Griffiths, General Manager

Newberry International Produce Ltd

“I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding event you organised. I have only worked in this sector for the past nineteen months coming from twenty-five years…

See Full Quote
Liam, Commerical Director

Place UK Ltd

“The BFFF 2024 Conference was compelling and thought provoking, with a many relevant and interesting topics covered at great pace and some depth by excellent speakers – will certainly attend…

See Full Quote
Peter Bambury

Roswel Spedition GMBH

“Thank you and the team for rushing around so brilliantly before, during and after the conference. It was pleasure to be part of the conference.”

See Full Quote
Alexandre Alves De Mattos

Seara

“The event was great, in my opinion. Not only it was very well organised, but the venue and the catering were excellent too. Furthermore, the content of the presentations was…

See Full Quote