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Annual food industry social media report – food businesses still at risk

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Annual food industry social media report – food businesses still at risk

Businesses in the food industry are still leaving themselves exposed to risk when it comes to social media.

That’s according to the 2015/16 Social Media at Work Survey conducted by specialist food lawyers Roythornes and marketing and PR agency, Pelican Communications.

Now in its fifth year, the survey – which polls a wide range of businesses in the food sector – asks about policies and practices in relation to social media use in the workplace.

This year’s results show that despite around 80% of businesses having some form of online presence, a staggering 26% have no policy in place on how social media should be used, leaving them wide open to reputation management issues.

In addition, the survey reveals that the number of firms allowing staff to use their own devices to carry out work-related social media activity has increased significantly from 30% in 2012 to 53% this year.

This increase, however, is not reflected in the number of companies introducing controls over what employees can do on social media channels while in the workplace.

Just 38% of businesses say they have policies governing use of personal devices in place.

Roythornes Maz Dannourah (1280x852)Maz Dannourah, associate at Roythornes who specialises in social media and employment law, said organisations are leaving themselves open to reputational damage.

Maz said: “It’s great to see the large increase in the of businesses monitoring their online presence over the last four years; 90% of respondents now keep an eye on what is being said about them online compared to just 66% in 2012.

“However there is always room for improvement and I can’t stress strongly enough the importance of having quality policies and procedures.

“The cost of repairing reputational damage following an incident can often far outweigh that of ensuring preventative measures and appropriate protections are in place.”

As well as studying policies and procedures, the survey also looks at the food industry’s preferred social media channels.

Around 80% of companies now have a presence on Twitter while Facebook and LinkedIn are also extremely popular.

However, surprisingly few respondents said they used Instagram, despite its huge popularity with consumers.

Pelican Michael Bennett_I0A8953 (853x1280)Michael Bennett, Managing Director of Pelican Communications, said: “Food is an integral part of people’s daily social media activity and companies are using it more and more proactively to promote their brands.

“However, while we see wonderfully creative campaigns being created, the survey shows that many companies remain unprotected when it comes to policies and procedures.

“As social media becomes increasingly commercial and companies begin to use it as the central core of their promotional strategy, ensuring policies and procedures are in place is vital.

“It helps to not only ensure a strong and consistent brand image and voice, it also provides a vital safeguard in the case of misuse.”

For more information and to view the full report and the rest of its findings, visit http://www.roythorne.co.uk/site/business/employment-solicitors/social-media-policies-solicitors/social-media-policies-solicitors_index.html

Birchall Foodservice named Lancashire Employer of the Year

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Birchall Foodservice named Lancashire Employer of the Year

Birchall Foods Red Rose Employer of the YearA high-flying foodservice company has added another top accolade to its trophy cabinet – this time for the way it looks after its employees.

Burnley-based Birchall Foodservice won the Red Rose Employer of the Year award at a prestigious ceremony held at Blackpool Winter Gardens on March 10. They beat five other finalists from across the county to be named the best employer in Lancashire.

Sales director Louise Birchall said: “We are over the moon to have won this award. A happy and healthy workforce is a vital component of any business and we strive to ensure that all measures possible are put in place to aid the welfare and career development of our team.

“We pride ourselves on our staff training policy and have many long-serving employees who have worked their way up through the business into management positions.”

In addition to the company’s policy to promote from within and provide ongoing training for its staff, Birchall Foodservice has also taken a keen interest in promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace.

The company’s move to larger premises last year enabled them to build a staff gym with separate male and female changing rooms with showers. Twice-weekly fitness classes for staff are held in their training and exhibition centre and bike racks have been installed in the car park to encourage cycling to work. A group of employees are currently taking the ‘Couch to 5k’ challenge.

The business, which recently won Burnley Business of the Year, is also a keen advocate of healthy eating and has installed vending machines in the staff canteen selling fresh sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes, which are re-stocked on a daily basis.

These measures were enough to convince the Red Rose Award judges that Birchall Foodservice was a worthy winner. They said: “Birchall’s commitment to their staff was evident in the organic development of family values that steer the business.

This is a company that enjoys developing its people both inside and outside work.”

Iceland chooses XPO Logistics to support future growth

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Iceland chooses XPO Logistics to support future growth

XPO Logistics has secured a five-year warehousing and distribution contract with leading frozen food retailer Iceland.

With a turnover of £2.7 billion in 2015, Iceland has recently been named Britain’s best online store in the annual Which? supermarket survey. The retailer has also won The Sunday Times’ best big companies to work for in the UK twice in the last five years. In addition to its online presence, Iceland currently has 850 stores and a growing network of new ‘out-of-town’ Food Warehouse outlets throughout the UK.

To help Iceland meet its growth targets, including the opening of up to 40 new stores year-on-year, XPO Logistics has developed a supply chain solution that combines Iceland’s dedicated network with the capacity of XPO Logistics’ shared-user facilities to accommodate increasing volumes, seasonal peaks and promotional activity.

XPO Logistics will manage Iceland’s distribution centres in Warrington, Enfield, Livingston and Swindon. The scope of responsibilities includes warehousing activities ranging from product receipt to nationwide store distribution, as well as a number of primary collections. All 1,900 workers at the four sites will transfer to XPO Logistics as part of a phased Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment (TUPE) process.

In addition, XPO Logistics will manage Iceland’s temperature-controlled fleet of 320 tractor units and 450 trailers, and expects to create further operational efficiencies for Iceland by implementing an integrated inbound supply chain platform that leverages the retailer’s supplier relationships.

“XPO Logistics shares our values when it comes to putting people at the forefront of everything we do,” said Iceland supply chain director Nigel Morley. “This synergy, combined with XPO’s ability to deliver a flexible and scalable supply chain solution, will help us meet our growth objectives, both now and in the future.”

Richard Cawston, managing director, supply chain – UK and Ireland for XPO Logistics, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Iceland and believe that our significant experience working with major food retailers will be invaluable in supporting our customer’s expansion. We also look forward to welcoming the colleagues who will be joining XPO Logistics over the coming months.”

Chicken Proves High in the Pecking Order for National Poultry Day

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Chicken Proves High in the Pecking Order for National Poultry Day

The 19th March is National Poultry Day and with chicken making up seven of the top 20 main course dishes eaten out-of-home, Moy Park Foodservice is calling on caterers to make the most of the ‘chickenisation’ trend to boost their menus*.        

Moy Park Foodservice Buffalo WingsÔäóChicken is eaten at least twice a week by consumers, with supermarket purchases more than beef, lamb and pork combined^. Out-of-home proves no different, seeing chicken making up nearly a third of the top ten primary ingredients used*.

With sales flying, the national day is the perfect time for operators to give chicken more time on menus.  With chicken proving cheaper than many red meat options, adding more of the UK’s favourite poultry will drive profits even further.

Frannie Santos-Mawdsley, Senior Customer Marketing Manager, European Foodservice, Moy Park, explains: “Chicken’s wide appeal, versatility and lean-meat, protein powered status makes it a go-to menu option for caterers. Research – as well as our own insight – shows consumers have a real appetite for chicken. Classics like burgers, roasts and curries all benefit from chicken’s popularity – but consumers are always on the lookout for new and exciting dishes.  Operators need help to deliver wow factor dishes that keep consumers coming back time-and-time again.”

British Chicken BallotineOne way of tapping into the ‘chickenisation’ trend is with Moy Park Foodservice’s brand new ten-strong Casual Dining Range. From Katsu Chicken Curry Melts and Buttermilk Chicken Wings to Smoky BBQ Chicken Shank and Chicken Ballotine, the insight driven dishes tap into key consumer trends such as Americana, street-food and spiciness to enflame the imagination of consumers.

Frannie adds: “The beauty of chicken is that its versatility lends itself to a host of trends which is reflected in our new casual dining range.  Creating new dishes is easier said than done, when you need to factor innovation, trends, preparation, as well as profitability. Menu development takes time – something Moy Park Foodservice understands – which is why we’ve taken the hard work out of updating menus with this innovative new range.”

Supplied frozen, each product can be made plate-ready in a number of ways with the absolute minimum of fuss and wastage. The range also includes:  delectable Tomato and Mozzarella Chicken Melts, Southern Spiced Chicken Thigh Burger, Nacho Cheese Steak, Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper Koftas, Mexican Koftas, and Herb Crusted Chicken Thigh Burger.

Moy Park Foodservice is trusted by wholesalers, chefs and caterers throughout the UK and Ireland to deliver innovative, high quality frozen chicken products. A specialist in convenient, consistent menu-making solutions, everything the company does is backed by in-depth market insight, chef expertise, and years of foodservice experience, helping it to produce class-leading products that work harder for sites across all channels in hospitality.

*Horizons Menurama Trend Report ^BPC

For more information on Moy Park Foodservice visit www.moyparkfoodservice.com

Sykes achieves BAP accreditation

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Sykes Seafood’s Shrimp production plant is announced as the first in Europe to achieve BAP accreditation from Global Aquaculture Alliance

Sykes Seafoods are extremely pleased to announce its Sefton Meadow production facility reaching BAP accreditation and so it becomes Europe’s first and only BAP approved Warm Water Shrimp production facility. This accreditation reinforces and strengthens the Sykes commitment to a sustainable supply chain.

The new Warm Water factory was commissioned towards the end of 2015 and increases the capacity of the whole site to 80 metric tons per day, complementing the existing Cold Water Prawn production line. The plant is currently processing raw IQF prawns for Sykes own foodservice, retail and manufacturing customers and will be adding cooked prawns to the range from the end of March.

Sykes Chairman Martin Sykes adds:

“It gives us all at Sykes and Sefton Meadow Seafoods a great sense of achievement to complete this latest improvement, control and expansion of our UK packing facility. Having been feted over the years for our cold water prawn processing, it was a logical progression to look to the rapidly growing Asian Prawn sector and bring a greater provenance and peace of mind to our Retail and Food Service customers, particularly those who place great value on higher ethical and environmental standards.”

The opening of the new facility and this latest accreditation coincide with important changes to Sykes sourcing capability at raw material source in the Far East and India whereby we will announce a significant joint venture to control the flow of raw material into the UK facilities. This will enable Sykes to source its raw material direct from Shrimp Farms, peeling and then freezing highly fresh material within 1-2 hours of harvest.

Sykes Managing Director Alan Dale notes:

“We are excited to announce a joint venture in India which allows us to supply day in day out highly fresh and just harvested, peeled and frozen shrimp in facilities controlled by our own UK technical teams, the ability to control and impart our own standards in our own facility in India is a game changer and complements our UK operations perfectly”.

The Sefton Meadow facility will open officially at the end of March 2016 and will be opened by Mike Berthet – Marketing Development Manager UK, for the Global Aquaculture Alliance.

“’As Marketing Development Manager UK, for the Global Aquaculture Alliance I am absolutely delighted and privileged, to have been invited to open Sykes new processing plant at Sefton Meadow. There are some occasions in our industry that mark considerably important milestones and I consider this to be one of them. To have had both the foresight and commitment to become the first certified Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) processing plant in Europe is quite an achievement and Sykes should be justly proud. I look forward to seeing it become the benchmark for other processors of BAP products throughout Europe which enables ‘farm to customer’ security of BAP certified seafood” commented Mike Berthet.

Sykes will shortly announce further details of the official opening of the new site and its joint venture program in India.

More information about the BAP program and standards can be found here:

http://bap.gaalliance.org/bap-certification/why-certify-through-bap/

More information on Sykes production can be found here:

http://www.sykesseafoods.co.uk/company/our-production/

Enquiries regarding this statement of new facility can be directed to Dan Wright, Sykes Purchasing Director.

dan.wright@sykesseafoods.co.uk

 

ADBA CALLS FOR £25m R&I FUNDING FROM GOVERNMENT TO BOOST AD EXPORTS

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

ADBA CALLS FOR £25m R&I FUNDING FROM GOVERNMENT TO BOOST AD EXPORTS

As the Chancellor prepares his budget statement for Wednesday, the AD industry has called for him to recognise the global opportunity for UK companies and researchers in biogas, digestate and bioproducts.

In a policy paper to the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), ADBA has called on government to allocate at least £25 million of an increased innovation programme worth £500 million over the next five years.

To support this call, ADBA will use its sixth Research and Innovation Forum on 6-7 April in York to further develop the AD industry’s world-class academic base and to assess how this additional funding could best support the UK in becoming the market leader in anaerobic digestion and bioprocessing.

ADBA’s Chief Executive, Charlotte Morton, commented:

“The potential export value of anaerobic digestion technology is over £2 billion per year for a decade, and yet UK exports are currently estimated at just £50 – £100 million.

“That is why we are calling on government to allocate £25 million of the increased innovation programme for demonstration projects, such as power-to-methane and digestate processing. Supporting such new technologies through industry could bring ways of sustaining the sector with reduced reliance on financial mechanisms, allowing AD to remain the most cost-effective method of producing home-grown green gas and electricity, and contributing to the UK’s 2020 renewable energy, recycling, decarbonisation, and climate change targets.

“By using the relationship between research and industry at our R&I Forum at the University of York on 6-7 April to develop a strategy for how this additional funding could be best deployed, together industry and academia can encourage manufacturing and pave the way for the UK to become a world leader in anaerobic digestion.”

Oakland International Red Ribbon Awards Finalist

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Oakland International Red Ribbon Awards Finalist

Oakland International by Stuart James Photography
Oakland International CEO, Dean Attwell and Sallie Attwell – Marketing Director and MD Barry Davies

Celebrating the best of British family-owned businesses, Oakland International has been announced as a Midlands Regional Finalist for The Innovation Award for the company’s specialist distress load management service in this year’s Red Ribbon Awards at the National Red Ribbon Awards to be held at Wembley Stadium, London on Friday 15th July 2016.

Oakland International CEO, Dean Attwell, commented: “Our selection as a Midlands finalist in the Innovation Award category for Oakland’s unique Distress Load Management service is positive acknowledgement of our passion, integrity and commitment as a responsible family business to embrace innovation and change to deliver sustainability and value added services for our customers throughout our partner networks.”

A multi temperature supply chain specialist, Oakland International supplies UK and Irish retail, wholesale, discount and convenience markets from their UK and Ireland depots.

Daloon announces new UK management structure

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Daloon announces new UK management structure

Following the recent acquisition of the Daloon Group by IZICO the leading Dutch Frozen Snack Food manufacturer, owned by private equity firm Egeria, on February 2nd 2016, the company has undergone a full organisational review.

As a result of this review, Managing Director Geoff Burgess has left Daloon Foods (UK) Limited. His commercial responsibilities have now been assumed by Peder Andersen, Commercial Director Daloon Group.

Peder Andersen said “I am very much looking forward to continuing Daloon’s excellent working relationships with our customers and welcome the opportunity to meet them in the near future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Geoff for his professionalism and loyalty during his time at Daloon Foods (UK) Limited and I wish him well for the future”.