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NFCU WARNS BUSINESSES TO BE VIGILANT TO SUPPLY CHAIN RISKS DUE TO THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS

The BFFF have recently received the following advice from colleagues at the National Food Crime Unit:

The rise in the cost of living, with its multiple causal factors, is the biggest theme affecting food businesses and consumers. We are aware that businesses are continuing to face rising energy costs affecting aspects such as production, refrigeration, drying and transport whilst simultaneously facing raw material supply chain disruption and price increases. We are also observing shifts in consumer shopping habits with a greater focus on affordable staples and, for example, cheaper proteins. Cost of living pressures may mean consumers – and businesses – are even more attracted by competitively priced products than usual.

Businesses are urged to remain vigilant to risks within their supply chains, such as product specification divergence during these times. Offenders may exploit opportunities linked to stages in production where costs can be cut, or financial gains can be maximised. Vulnerable areas may include refrigeration and heating costs, waste disposal processes and sourcing of alternative raw ingredients.

Businesses should do as much as they can to ensure products have full traceability and are what they claim to be, to ensure that they and their consumers are protected from deception. Where this vigilance uncovers suspicious behaviours, questionable product quality or other matters of concern which may point towards fraud, businesses are encouraged to explore this further and to report this to the NFCU.

To report a food crime call Food Crime Confidential: 020 7276 8787 or email: foodcrime@food.gov.uk .

An online confidential reporting tool can also be found here

THE NETWORK AND PROJECTS COORDINATOR AT THE LINCOLN INSTITUTE FOR AGRI-FOOD TECHNOLOGY SPEAKING AT THE TECHNICAL CONFERENCE

The network and projects coordinator at the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) at the University of Lincoln, Steve Brewer, will be speaking at this year’s Technical Conference.

Steve’s background includes the UKRI- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)-funded Internet of Food Things Network Plus, an interdisciplinary initiative which is working to reduce food waste, increase nutritional value and productivity, and reduce environmental impact across the supply chain, plus a number of Innovate UK projects including Trusted Bytes and Digital Sandwich. Steve is a part-time doctoral candidate at the University of Southampton investigating the role of a previous Network Plus, IT as a Utility as a Living Laboratory.

The food system is facing many challenges today: waste, cost, nutrition, safety, authenticity, and climate change. In the sense of digital information, data offers a range of solutions through technologies such as robots, AI, IoT, drones and telecommunications. Steve will present various insights and potential solutions based on his work and experience.

You can view the full conference day programme here.

CELEBRATE VALENTINES DAY BY BECOMING TWO PEAS IN A POD

Have you left it a little bit late for a Valentines gift for your partner? Look no further… Yes Peas! have got the pea-fect way to show your partner how much you love them and mark the most romantic day of the year – by literally becoming two peas in a pod!

In the UK, peas are sown from February through to July so it’s the perfect time to show your grand gesture of love with peas.

All you have to do, is click here, to tell Yes Peas! yours and your partners names and they will officially name two peas in the same pod after you both. They will even give you a digital Valentine’s Day card as a symbol of your newly named peas and to show your partner you love them, and you will even get a handy map showing which field your peapod will be planted in.

If that’s not enough, Yes Peas! have also got some delicious recipe ideas for your Valentine’s dinner.

ANNE GRAVETT FROM THE FSA ANNOUNCED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE TECHNICAL CONFERENCE 2023

With just under three weeks to go, the BFFF are pleased to announce the keynote speaker for this year’s Technical Conference will be Anne Gravett, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, Receipt & Management at the Food Standards Agency.

Having heard from speakers on food security, sustainability and nutrition, Anne will be rounding up the event with insight into how EU exit and Covid has impacted their work and the changes they’ve put in place to ensure consumers are protected from food safety incidents; using new proactive systems and approaches.

This session should drive some really good discussions, so if you haven’t already booked your seat, then make sure you do that today and don’t miss out!

SYSCO LAUNCHES ‘CLIMATE STRIPES’ ELECTRIC VEHICLE IN GREAT BRITAIN

Sysco in Great Britain has called for greater cross-industry collaboration, as it launches its latest electric vehicle, built as part of a partnership that it hopes will be the catalyst for widespread, fully electric, multi-temperature deliveries.

The new electric vehicle will become the first foodservice vehicle to carry the ‘Climate Stripes’ graphic, which is designed to highlight the issue of rising global temperatures. The Climate Stripes were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading and are designed to show vividly how global average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries.

Speaking at the launch of the Climate Stripes vehicle at its Brakes depot in Reading, Peter Jackson, CEO of Sysco in Great Britain, said: “Food and transport are two of the most carbon-intensive sectors. We have a huge responsibility to tackle climate change through our operations and inspire our customers to do the same.

“We are on a journey to create a future where a delivery of sustainable produce arrives on an electric vehicle, charged with solar panels at the zero carbon depot. This is an important step. But we cannot do this alone and we need to work in partnership with customers, manufacturers, government and the rest of the foodservice industry.  We can only achieve real change if we work together.

“Our position in the food system creates an opportunity to inspire our customers to transform their menus and the food that they buy – by far the biggest portion of our own carbon emissions. We hope that the climate stripes on this vehicle will raise awareness of the challenge.”

The new DAF vehicle demonstrates the latest electric vehicle technology with a range of around 280 km and two temperature zones – frozen and chilled – powered directly from the battery, allowing frozen, fresh and ambient products to be delivered on a single vehicle. This is the next step towards Sysco’s ambition to stop buying new diesel vehicles in Great Britain by 2030.

As part of the launch, Jackson called for greater partnership with Government to support the uptake of zero emissions fleets, highlighting the challenges of a lack of infrastructure and the support needed to decarbonise commercial fleets.

Globally, Sysco has already announced its intention to electrify 35% of its North American fleet by 2030 as it seeks to reduce its direct carbon emissions by 27.5% by 2030.

ICELAND REVEALS HALF TERM INITIATIVE TO HELP FAMILIES’ BUDGETS GO FURTHER, WITH £2.00 BACK FOR EVERY £15.00 FREE SCHOOL MEAL VOUCHER SPENT

Families who receive Free School Meal Vouchers are eligible to use them at all Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores over the February half term to help ease the cost of living crisis.

From Monday 13th February, customers who visit stores with the e-gift cards and scan their Bonus Card will receive handy additional savings worth over 13%. The promotion will end on Friday 24th February, as schools begin a new term.

Eligible customers will receive a £15.00 voucher per child for the half term week from their schools or local councils. These can be converted into an Iceland e-gift card through the supplier portal, where the customer can choose which supermarket to spend their vouchers in.

To help make the vouchers go even further, customers redeeming a full £15 voucher at Iceland or The Food Warehouse can scan their Bonus Card and receive £2.00 back on their Bonus Card to use on their next shop. So, for example, if a parent of three were to spend all three of their Free School Meal Vouchers at either Iceland or The Food Warehouse, they would receive an extra £6.00 back onto their Bonus Card.

Richard Walker, Executive Chairman at Iceland, said: “Supporting families continues to be a high priority for Iceland. Times are especially tough right now, with grocery price inflation recently hitting a record 16.7%, adding a potential £788 to annual shopping bills[1].

“With this in mind, we’re keen to help ease pressures on families during the half term period through not only providing additional value to this excellent Government scheme, but also reminding and encouraging families to use these vouchers over the break.”

The supermarket has also launched two new bundles available for under £16, with a dozen products in each, to make sure parents have everything they need to keep their little ones fed well over the half term week. Each bundle also saves shoppers up to £3.

The first bundle comes packed with mealtime must-haves like Iceland 28 (approx.) Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets (£2.00, 392g) and Birds Eye 8 Crispy Batter Fish Fingers (£2.00, 224g), nutritious sides and snacks like Iceland Mixed Vegetables with Carrots, Cut Green Beans, Peas and Sweetcorn (£1.00, 725g) and Fyffes Premium Bananas (£1.00, 5pk) plus lunchtime essentials such as Iceland Thick Sliced Soft White Bread (£1.00, 800g), Cheesy Singles (£1.00, 10pk) and Iceland Wafer Thin Cooked Ham (£1.00, 130g).

Keep the kids happy all day long too, as this bundle also comes with Pom-Bear Original Multipack Crisps (£1.50, 6pk), Maryland Chocolate Chip Cookies (£1.50, 200g) and Wildlife Choobs Strawberry, Raspberry and Apricot Flavour Yoghurt Tubes (£1.00, 6 x 37g).

Or, if parents are feeling strapped for time, the second bundle could be a great option containing all they need to whip up a delicious dinner in a moment’s notice. The bundle includes Iceland British Jacket Potatoes (£2.25, 1.5kg), Branston Baked Beans (£2.50, 4 x 410g), and John West Tuna Chunks in Brine (£1.00, 145g) – making serving up an easy jacket potato with beans or tuna easier than ever.

Thinking about treating the kids on Friday? No problem, as this bundle also includes Iceland Thin and Crispy Cheese and Tomato Pizza (£1.00, 302g) and Iceland Steak Cut Chips (£1.00, 900g) – making for the perfect pizza and chips tea!

For more details on Iceland’s bundle offerings, visit https://www.iceland.co.uk/. Customers can check if they are eligible for the school vouchers here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.

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
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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.

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what our members say...
  • 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.”

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  • Sysco

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

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  • 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…

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  • 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….

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  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • 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.”

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  • 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…

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