Tues 18th Nov, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London

THE CO-OP AND LOVE BRITISH FOOD JOIN FORCES

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

THE CO-OP AND LOVE BRITISH FOOD JOIN FORCES TO BOOST SALES OF BRITISH FOOD

Love British FoodCo-op Food is announced as Official Sponsor of Love British Food and the 2016 national food promotion, British Food Fortnight.  The two organisations will join forces to spearhead the celebration of British produce during the patriotic year ahead.

Led by Raymond Blanc OBE, his son Olivier and farming ambassador Milly Fyfe, the Love British Food team are working to bring the ‘buy British food’ message to consumers.

A National Committee including Campaign to Protect Rural England, National Trust, Sustainable Restaurants Association and the National Association of British Market Authorities is planning a raft of grassroots activity to increase sales and give British food a boost across the UK.

2016 sees The Queens 90th Birthday and a huge sporting summer including the Euros and Team GB taking on the world at the Olympic Games and then, in the autumn, British Food Fortnight will take place at its traditional time, from the 17th September to 2nd October, with lots of British food promotions and consumer-involvement activity.

Celebrations of regional specialities and long lost recipes are planned; and the annual competition to find the most imaginative celebration of British food enters its 4th year, having been won by the City of Peterborough in 2015.

Alexia Robinson, Founder of Love British Food says: “We are looking forward to working with Co-op Food during this summer of patriotic celebrations and then British Food Fortnight in the autumn when we want people to fly the Union Jack on their plates as well as on their bunting.   With Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th Birthday and Team GB’s efforts in Rio, 2016 looks set to become another milestone for the celebration of British produce. There is a significant opportunity to build upon the commercial success seen by food businesses during the celebrations of 2012.”

Cathryn Higgs, Food Policy Manager at Co-op Food says: “We are really very pleased to be supporting Love British Food this year and sponsoring British Food Fortnight. We know food provenance really matters to our customers, which drives our enthusiasm to invest in the UK economy to provide an opportunity for British food to have pride of place in our stores. It’s why we continue to be a major supporter of British farming and home produced foods, trading with almost 2,000 UK farms and over 500 suppliers from across the UK.

British products are the ‘staples’ of our stores, and we go above and beyond many other retailers to make it easy for our customers to choose British – from fresh beef, chicken, pork and sausages to the meat in our sandwiches and chilled pies and ready meals.

We are looking forward to working together with Love British Food and seeing the exciting activities we’ve got planned for 2016 coming to fruition.”

For further information about all the activities planned this year visit www.lovebritishfood.co.uk

When Dairy Free Hits The Sweet Spot

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

When Dairy Free Hits The Sweet Spot: Free From Finally Meets Foodservice

Taywell 2VanillapageIce cream and desserts have finally hit the spotlight in this obesity-obsessed era where a desire for indulgence has been replaced by a guilt of eating sugar-laden products. Adding further fuel to the fire is the belief that dairy is now bad for you and veganism is the way forward. That this apocalyptical message has now escaped Pandora’s Box should strike fear and terror into any manufacturer of sweet desserts. But it doesn’t.

Many manufacturers are quite happily ploughing on and treating one or both of these fears as a temporary blip. Oppo Ice Creams were recently quoted in the Grocer magazine as saying ‘Dairy-free is a flash in the pan. A vocal but tiny market, and a very crowded one’. That less than five brands are selling dairy-free ice cream in the multiples appears to be lost on the brothers and that Sainsbury’s are launching an entire ‘Deliciously Free From’ frozen dessert range – manufactured by Taywell Ice Creams, shows two distinct camps have formed. Swedish Glace is the UK’s 9th largest brand of non-dairy ice creams and is growing at 25% per annum, so who is right?

To date, most dairy free has either been a ‘sorbet type’, made with soya or made using a base of nuts such as almonds or cashews. Last year, in the US, one in five of all new product launches was made using coconut and the flavour profile and mouth texture of coconut has many similarities to dairy ice cream: especially the fat content. This makes it an ideal candidate when considering the alternative nut based or soy based products.

Taywell has launched a dairy free, casein, egg, soy, gluten and allergen free range into the foodservice sector and this is available either directly from the company itself or through Turner’s Fine Food in Kent. The range consists of Coconut Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry and is Vegan Society and Kosher approved.

Therefore, dessert menus can finally hit the sweet spot and keep the vegans and the new free from ‘lifestylers’ who make up 40% of the UK market happy. It will be these ‘lifestylers’ who drive the market and at present, most restaurants are woefully unprepared for them. It was hard enough to keep the gluten free coeliacs happy and now foodservice outlets must contend with dairy free. Let’s hope they do it at a better pace because these ‘lifestylers’ are young and mobile and will quite easily walk out the door if they are unsatisfied.

Finally, for the more adventurous, Taywell has launched a retail range of natural, dairy and allergen free frozen dessert and to top it, made without any white sugar. It has over 60% less sugar than normal ice cream and caters for the vegans, diabetics and healthy lifestylers. This Sweet Rebellion branded range will soon been available for the foodservice sector. The health credentials of ice cream and dairy free has just got an awful lot better.

Over £350k in sales at North Wales’ biggest foodservice trade show

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

More than £350,000 in sales at North Wales’ biggest foodservice trade show

Harlech Trade ShowNorth Wales’ leading wholesale food trade show is set to be even bigger in 2017 after its organisers completed record-breaking sales and attendance figures at this year’s event.

Independent wholesaler Harlech Foodservice recorded sales of £350,000 at its two-day trade show at Venue Cymru, Llandudno.

More than 2,000 foodservice professionals from across North Wales, Shropshire and the North West attended the show, which featured new and best-selling products from 147 exhibitors.

And next year’s event will feature at least 30 more suppliers after Harlech Foodservice pledged to increase the capacity for its 2017 trade show.

Exhibitors included household names like Nestle and Unilever alongside leading North Wales producers including Patchwork Pate, Edwards of Conwy and South Caernarfon Creameries.

Ian Woodcock, purchasing director at Harlech Foodservice, said: “This is the third time we’ve held our annual trade show in Llandudno, and we’ve seen it grow year-on-year.

“Attendance figures were up by 20 per cent on last year’s event, with more than 2,000 people visiting across the two days.

“We’ve worked hard to establish our trade show as the premier foodservice event in North Wales, and some of the show’s growth is down to our expansion into Shropshire and the North West.

“We’re increasingly winning business in both of those areas, as well as North & Mid Wales, and need to plan accordingly for an even bigger event next year.

“We had to turn away over 20 applicants for this year’s trade show, so we’ve booked extra capacity at Venue Cymru for 2017, which will be on 28/2-1/3/16.”

Harlech Foodservice, which employs 150 people and had a turnover of £25m in 2015, operates from depots in Criccieth, Chester and Shrewsbury.

The wholesaler, which supplies a range of products to the foodservice industry, specializes in sourcing niche produce from across the world. It also manages own-label butchery, ice cream and coffee brands.

Harlech Foodservice is a member of the Fairway Foodservice buying group, comprising 17 independent wholesalers from across the UK, Ireland, Jersey, and the Spanish Costas and Balearic Islands. Group members benefit from collective buying power, shared sector intelligence, marketing resources and access to leading food sector technology.

For more information visit www.harlech.co.uk

Girl Power

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Girl Power

Country Range Girl PowerAn all-female team from Loughborough College has been victorious in the Country Range Student Chef Challenge.

The talented trio scooped the top award in a highly competitive final against nine other teams at Hotelympia on Thursday (March 3).

The team – Daniella Bromley, Emily Bucknall and Rebecca Brooks under the tutelage of their chef lecturer Darren Creed – are the first all-female winners in the competition’s 22-year history.

The Challenge targets teams of three full-time student chefs studying hospitality or catering college courses across the UK and requires the preparation, cooking and presentation of a three-course, two-cover menu created around a theme.

For the 2015/16 Challenge, which is run in conjunction with the Craft Guild of Chefs, competing teams were asked to go ‘Freestyle’ by presenting a menu that embraces the modern trend for clean, well-portioned and precisely executed cooking. Menus had to be produced using a maximum of £8 worth of ingredients per cover and should be balanced with the three courses working well together.

Westminster Kingsway College (Harry Whitewood, Charlie Phillips, Kieran McGarrigle) were awarded the silver medal, and City of Glasgow College (Nicolle Finnie, Charles Quiambao and Claudia Cozariuc) bronze.

Darren Creed, chef lecturer of the winning Loughborough College team, said: ”I’m so pleased for the three of them. They worked incredibly hard and always listened and went away and tweaked their menu until they were completely happy with it.

“Winning the Country Range Student Chef Challenge will really set their career off on the right path now.”

The winning team will receive a five-day work experience week assisting the Craft Guild of Chefs culinary team at the Culinary Olympics in Germany.

Coral Rose, managing director of the Country Range Group, said: “The standard of entries this year was incredibly high and we extend our huge congratulations to the team from Loughborough College, who were deserved winners.

“The Country Range Group is extremely proud to sponsor this prestigious competition. We are honoured to be able to champion the chefs of the future and I never cease to be impressed by the range of talent on offer.”

For more information visit www.countryrangestudentchef.co.uk.

apetito makes mealtimes more manageable with LAUNCH OF Purée Petite

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

apetito makes mealtimes more manageable with LAUNCH OF Purée Petite

apetito Puréed Salmon Supreme served with Broccoli and Sauté Potatoesapetito, the leading specialist nutrition provider for care homes, hospitals and Meals-on-Wheels services, has launched its latest innovation – an energy-dense texture-modified range that has the potential to help thousands of people living with dysphagia.

Dysphagia is the clinical term for someone experiencing swallowing difficulties and often goes hand-in-hand with conditions such as stroke and dementia.  Being associated with other conditions, it increasingly affects the elderly and can contribute to the onset of malnutrition and associated illnesses.

With 11.4 million over 65’s in the UK[1], and the ageing population increasing, there has never been greater demand for meals that are not only safe and appealing for those with dysphagia to eat, but are also high in nutritional content.

In a first of its kind, the Purée Petite range of energy-dense meals is an extension of apetito’s award-winning texture-modified range.  Developed by the company’s in-house dietitian, nutritionist and team of chefs, the meals – which meet the National Texture Descriptors – are 40 percent smaller than its existing range of Category C meals.

This development is a direct result of feedback from healthcare caterers who have highlighted that some patients need meals with high levels of nutrition in smaller portions to reflect smaller or decreased appetites.

As each option within the range provides more than 500 calories and 15g-20g protein, those with dysphagia, as well as professionals responsible for their care, can be reassured that they are getting a high protein, high calorific meal that meets their nutritional needs.

With options to suit all individual tastes and preferences, as well as accounting for special dietary requirements such as gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan, the Purée Petite range includes 21 new recipes which make each mouthful as nutritious and tasty as possible.

Lee Sheppard, Director of Public Policy and External Affairs, said:  “Everyone deserves the right to dine with dignity and dysphagia has removed that for many thousands of people.  Hospital caterers have a unique challenge on their hands in the delivery of safe, nutritious and appealing food to dysphagic patients in the face of tight resources.  It’s no wonder that malnutrition remains a huge issue for the NHS.

“I’m incredibly proud of how we can make a real difference to people’s lives with these meals – food that looks and tastes like you would hope, delivers high nutritional value and is reassuringly safe.”

Created in line with the British Dietetic Association Guidelines, each meal is simple to prepare and crucially, maintains its appetising appearance after cooking.  And with a wide selection of options, from Puréed Steak Casserole served with Carrots and Sauté Potatoes to Puréed Tomato and Basil Pasta served with Cauliflower Cheese and Peas, there’s something to suit all individual tastes.  After all, offering genuine choice is a major part of creating a dignified dining experience.

The new Purée Petite range is available now.  To find out more information, please contact 01225 753 636 or visit www.pureepetite.co.uk

Follow apetito on Twitter @apetitouk

[1] Mid-2014 Population Estimates UK Office for National Statistics, 2015

XPO Logistics awarded reverse logistics and maintenance contract

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

XPO Logistics awarded reverse logistics and maintenance contract with Aldi

Working with Aldi’s asset management provider to support their existing returnable equipment network, the discount supermarket chain has awarded XPO Logistics a multi-million pound contract to wash and repair reusable transit packaging from its UK stores.

In a collaborative arrangement with other XPO Logistics customers, approximately 22 million Aldi plastic crates will be processed each year through XPO Logistics tray wash centres. XPO Logistics will take additional responsibility for the processing of beverage trays, universal display pallets (UDPs), potato shippers and fresh produce and meat shipping containers annually for Aldi.

The contract will be serviced by XPO Logistics regional facilities in Falkirk, Rochdale, Doncaster, Bristol and Dagenham. Consolidated items will be washed, inspected and returned back into the supply chain. Repairs can also be carried out as necessary. By combining volumes at these shared user facilities, XPO’s customers benefit from operational synergies and handling efficiencies.

Danny Gibson, Corporate Logistics Director at Aldi, said: “With its expertise in managing a wide range of returnable transit packaging, and its extensive tray wash service capabilities, XPO Logistics more than meets our requirements for a high quality, reliable solution.

“The strategic location of XPO Logistics centres throughout the UK will enable us to achieve greater cost efficiencies and further reduce our road miles to improve our environmental footprint.”

XPO Logistics is a leading provider of reverse logistics solutions to the UK’s supermarket retail sector, and washes more than 400 million trays annually. The company is responsible for handling returnable packaging on behalf of two of the UK’s top three supermarket retailers.

Potential for multi-million pound losses in wake of product recall problems

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Companies warned of potential for multi-million pound losses in wake of product recall problems

Companies have been warned they could face costs running into the millions of pounds if they fail to properly insure themselves against the risk of a product recall.

That’s the advice today from the sector specialists at Arthur J. Gallagher — the international division of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. outside of the United States and one of the UK’s largest risk management and insurance brokerages — after chocolate manufacturer Mars was forced to recall both Mars and Snickers bars, reportedly across more than 50 countries, after pieces of plastic were found in products.

Garry Moseley, a director within Arthur J. Gallagher’s specialist Food and Drink Practice – which works on behalf of a range of sector-leading clients – said that in some cases, costs have quickly spiralled into the millions for companies without adequate protection.

Garry said: “With a company of its size, you can bet your bottom dollar that Mars has extensive product-checking procedures in place so this just goes to show that a recall can happen to any company.

“These types of recalls, particularly when you’re talking about an international issue, can lead to a myriad of issues from communicating the recall to consumers and sellers across a range of different countries in different languages, to managing the media response and the logistics of getting the products themselves out of circulation.

“There may also be legal costs involved should any harm come to consumers, which can be covered under product liability insurance.

“It just goes to show how vital it is that companies are properly protected with both well-tested crisis response plans and comprehensive insurance policies in place to cover costs.”

For 2016, Arthur J. Gallagher’s specialist Food and Drink Practice is producing a series of podcasts designed to encourage the food industry to confront and prepare for potential problems before they occur.

Produced in association with product liability expert QC, Malcolm Sheehan, of Henderson Chambers, one of the UK’s leading experts in the field, the first, which will be released soon, will focus on the operational journey around a product recall.

Other planned podcasts topics include product recall insurance claims, management of product recall issues, supply chain litigation and the health and safety of food products.

For more information on Arthur J. Gallagher’s Food and Drink Practice please visit
http://www.ajginternational.com/corporate-insurance/food-drink-major-risks

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent makes debut at CV Show

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent makes debut at CV Show with the promise of Europa League silverware

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent CV Show Preview 2016 MedResEnterprise Flex-E-Rent, one of the fastest-growing companies in the commercial vehicle rental market, is making its first appearance at the CV Show in April.

Visitors to the Enterprise Flex-E-Rent stand will experience first-hand the exceptional levels of customer service the company – which operates over 26,000 commercial vehicles, encompassing cars, vans and trucks as well as specialist temperature controlled and accessible vehicles – is renowned for.

As headline sponsors of the UEFA Europa League, Enterprise will also be offering visitors to the stand the chance to win an all expenses paid trip for two to the Europa League Cup Final in Basel on May 18th, which includes all travel, match day hospitality and VIP match tickets.

“Customer requirements are changing in a world where transport and mobility are evolving rapidly. We will be inviting visitors on to the stand to share our vision of what a truly responsive commercial vehicle rental provider can do for their business and experience the customer service on which the Enterprise brand is built.” said Danny Glynn, managing director, Enterprise Flex-E-Rent.

Examples of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent vehicles will be on display throughout the show including a DAF LF55 Euro VI 12-tonne rigid, fitted with a Dyson FLA 5000 Hydra Loader twin deck, two-vehicle transporter body at the main entrance to the show and a DAF 18tonne multi-temperature rigid fitted with a Frigoblock FK25 refrigeration system on the Gray & Adams stand. On the Coolkit stand there will be a Renault Master panel van with a Coolkit refrigerated conversion and on the Eberspacher stand an accessible Mercedes Treka conversion.