Page 297 — British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)

BIRDS EYE IS LIVENING UP MEAL TIMES WITH LAUNCH OF NEW WORLD CUISINE-INSPIRED CHICKEN RANGE

Posted on August 31, 2022August 31, 2022 by Pete.Johnson@birdseye.co.uk

Birds Eye is tapping into popular world flavours with the launch of its new Chicken range inspired by World Cuisine. The innovation is an exciting twist on the traditional filled chicken with the first two products in the range inspired by the tastes of Italy and Mexico. The Italian-style variant features a soft and creamy sauce made from sundried tomato & mozzarella on the inside, with a red pepper and herb seasoned crumb coating the chicken, while the Mexican-inspired variant encompasses a light mild salsa sauce with a crunchy coating made with tortilla chips and seasoning. Both the Sundried Tomato & Mozzarella and Mild Salsa & Tortillas SKUs will roll into Sainsbury’s from the 19^th September.

The new Birds Eye products will join the Filled Grills sector, a category that has seen the fastest growth consumption compared to all other frozen poultry sectors with an increase of +20.4% over the past year[1]. While building on this success, the flavoursome dishes are also set to close a gap within the Frozen Chicken Grills category, giving shoppers a premium alternative, which will unlock incremental sales for retailers. Research by Nielsen[2] also suggests that the new products will be a big hit with consumers as data shows that the ‘Chicken Inspired by World Cuisine’ is the top winning concept for consumers within the Frozen Chicken Grills category, also achieving outstanding results in the ‘Attention Catching’ metric.

Dace Khudher, Brand Manager for Chicken Grills at Birds Eye, comments: “Evening meal occasions offer a huge opportunity for retailers as shoppers are continuing to search for affordable but creative ways to shake up mealtimes. Our new filled chicken range is a great choice for people who enjoy a variety of food from across the world, and with Italian and Mexican being two of the biggest world cuisines, the new products are perfectly positioned to entice consumers to try the flavoursome but healthy meal choice.’’

“With two delicious flavours on offer, our Birds Eye Chicken inspired by World Cuisine not only brings a fresh take on the traditional filled chicken, but they also deliver an exciting new taste experience to make at-home meals even more special.”

The products hold an RRP of £3* and will be launched into Sainsbury’s from week commencing 19^th September.

[1] Kantar Worldpanel, Usage data up to 52w/e 15 May 2022

[2] Nielsen BASES Idea Serener results (Aug 2021)

CO2 GAS SUPPLIER HALTS PRODUCTION OVER ENERGY COSTS PROMPTING FEARS WITHIN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Posted on August 31, 2022September 5, 2022 by Sarah Collison

The UK’s remaining ammonia plant, CF Fertilisers UK, which creates CO2 as by-product, is set to temporarily halt production due to surging energy costs. This move is the latest instalment in an increasingly regular and disruptive series of CO2 gas supply crises that have plagued the food sector over the past four years.

The plant in Billingham, Teesside, accounts for nearly a third of the UK’s supplies of the gas, which is essential to meat processors, brewers, bakers, farmers and soft drink producers, as well as being required for the slaughter of animals, including pigs and chickens.

CF Fertilisers said it had “not yet determined” the exact date when it would begin the temporary shutdown of the plant., or how long it will last.

Rupert Ashby, CEO of the British Frozen Food Federation, says the situation has heaped yet more pressure on suppliers already facing “crippling” energy costs.

“This is not the first time the UK has had issues with CO2 supplies in recent years, so this is another wake-up call for the need of a longer-term solution for CO2 production in the UK, so we can avoid challenges like this in the future,” he says.

Defra said it was “disappointing” CF had decided to halt ammonia production at Billingham. “However, since last autumn the CO2 market’s resilience has improved, with additional imports, further production from existing sources such as anaerobic digestion and bioethanol, and better stockpiles,” suggested a spokeswoman.

As the government engaged with businesses over potential impacts and continued to examine options “for the market to improve resilience over the longer term”, she urged industry “to do anything it can to meet demand, which is in the best interest of businesses and the public”.

AQUA OFFER FREE TCU TRIAL AS SINGLE AGENT

Posted on August 31, 2022August 31, 2022 by

Temperature control specialists, Aqua Cooling, have been appointed as sole UK agent for German manufacturer Single. To mark the occasion – and to show how confident they are in their products – Aqua have launched a ‘try before you buy’ initiative.

Singles’ products include a range of energy efficient temperature control units (TCUs), including the EASiTEMP model. With standard operating temperatures of 95°C or 150°C, the EASiTEMP offers precise, powerful control to every application.

Temperature control units are utilised when a process requires heating – or heating and cooling – at high temperatures. TCUs are common in the plastic industry where they are used on extrusion and moulding lines, as well as in the food, pharmaceutical and automotive sectors.

With an analogue interface and unique Easi-Connect system, the EASiTEMP units are extremely quick to install. Cooling is via a brazed stainlesss steel plate heat exchange and solenoid valve, with all components well insulated to minimise energy usage. A check valve and strainer are incorporated on both the process and chilled water loop. A PID controller allows parameters to be easily adjusted and unit status is displayed by five LEDs on the front panel. The EASiTEMP units are also very easy to service and maintain as all the internal components are easily accessible.

The Single units are already winning acclaim amongst Aqua’s client base as Sales & Marketing Director, Owen Hymers, explains “Aqua are delighted to be Singles’ UK agent. The brand is synonymous with quality & reliability worldwide and fits well with our existing product offering. Feedback from our clients on the EASiTEMP has been extremely positive, not only do they love that the product has a small footprint and is easy to set up, but its ability to keep temperature and the automatic switch off feature are proving very popular.”

“Singles’ TCU units are market leading, and we are so confident that customers will love the product as much as we do, that we’re offering a free, no obligation, trial to customers. We have units in stock, at our Hampshire based warehouse facility, so delivery can be next day, UK wide.”

For more information and to arrange a free trial call the Aqua team on 0333 004 4433.

ICELAND LAUNCHES INCREDIBLE 3 FOR £10 DEAL THAT WILL SAVE SHOPPERS UP TO A THIRD OF THE COST

Posted on August 30, 2022 by mel.matson@iceland.co.uk

Following the recent news that the average price of a weekly grocery shop has risen by 11.6%[1] in the past four weeks, Iceland has announced the launch of an unmissable 3 for £10 deal that could see shoppers save up to a third on the total price of three main meal items.

The supermarket has been leading the way in supporting customers through the cost-of-living crisis, with a number of initiatives to help struggling households; from the introduction of a 10% discount for all those over 60 earlier this year, to the setting up the Iceland Food Club which offers short-term microloans to those who are struggling to make ends meet while access to credit or additional financial support is limited.

And now, Iceland has revealed the launch of an amazing 3 for £10 deal in which over 200 of its most popular freezer filling items are included that could mean savings of up to £5 for shoppers.

There is a huge range of main meal meats included in the deal, with over 100 options to choose from including Iceland Beef Steak Mince (£4.25, 550g), Iceland Stuffed Chicken Breast Joint (£4.50, 525g) and Iceland Luxury Half Pounder Burgers (£4.00, 454g) – great staples in a number of popular family meals such as classic spaghetti bolognese, wholesome roast chicken dinner and, perfect for hot weather, burgers with salad.

And, with this new deal, any parents wanting to stock up on all three to prep meals for back-to-school time, could get them for just £10 – saving up to £5.

The deal even includes popular products that are fan favourites among kids and adults alike, such as Bernard Matthew Cooked Turkey Strips (£3.50, 400g), Chiquito Habanero Chicken Wings (£3.50, 600g) and TGI Fridays Ultimate BBQ Sausage (£3.75, 360g).

If your family are more fish fanatics than they are meat mad, Iceland’s new deal also includes over 60 fish options, with huge variety to pick from.

And the savings are even bigger, with a number of items’ original price being £5 or just under including Iceland Atlantic Cod Fillets (£5.00, 4pk), Iceland Cooked Seafood Mix (£5.00, 400g) and Iceland Salt & Pepper Squid Fries (£4.75, 325g).

This means that if a shopper were to buy all three from Iceland, they could save a third off the total price.

If you love a takeaway on at the weekend but don’t want to pay the price for one, there are a number of popular takeaway-style items included in the deal too, that will save you money and taste just as good as the real deal.

This includes Mexican, such as Chiquito Pulled Pork Burrito Bowl (£4.00, 460g) and Chiquito Spicy Chicken Enchiladas (£4.00, 550g), Japanese, with Yo! Hoisin Duck Bao Buns (£3.50, 224g) and Yo! Katsu Chicken Bao Kit (£5.00, 385g) and Italian, including Chicago Town Takeaway Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Large Pizza (£4.00, 645g).

Iceland has even gone so far as to include desserts in this extensive list of products included, with a selection of its delicious Magnum range included in the deal in flavours such as Magnum Classic Ice Cream (£3.50, 4pk) and Magnum White Chocolate (£3.50, 4pk).

This offer comes as Iceland recently announced its first-of-its-kind partnership with energy company, Utilita, which was formed to help households through what is expected to be one of the most expensive winters in history.

Called ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’, the first of its kind partnership will help families better understand the cost of cooking, and identify the most economical cooking methods available to them to make budgets stretch further.

To view the full range of products included in this deal, please visit: https://www.iceland.co.uk/offers/famous-3-for-10

[1] https://www.kantar.com/uki/inspiration/fmcg/2022-wp-grocery-price-inflation-hits-new-peak-as-shoppers-navigate-533-annual-increase

WMS AND ERP TECHNOLOGY EXPERT APPOINTS BUSINESS OPERATIONS SPECIALIST LANCE AYERST AS GROUP OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Rob Sherwin

Warehouse Management Software (WMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software expert Principal Logistics Technologies (Chess Logistics Technology) has appointed operations management specialist Lance Ayerst as Group Operations Director.

The company has experienced strong customer growth across all industry sectors despite the significant challenges brought about by Brexit and Covid. Adding to this growth, two business acquisitions over the past 18 months have resulted in an increase in headcount from 16 to over 70, the addition of enterprise-level WMS and ERP technologies as well as sales order processing and cloud-based WMS software.

With numerous simultaneous customer projects in play, Ayerst’s expert operational management skills will help keep resources and customer requirements in sync. This recent management level hiring follows Chief Product Officer, Mike Cox, who joined the business in January 2021.

Founder and managing director, Peter Flanagan commented: “l‘m delighted to welcome Lance to the team. We’re experiencing significant increase in activities across the entire business and we now have the additional capacity in place needed to deliver on current and forecasted customer projects.”

Ayerst joins the company from Credit Card Systems Ireland (part of the Fimak Group), where he was Director of Operations. Previous positions include Head of IT and Delivery, and Technical Director and co-founder, with technology consulting firm Project Lifecycle Partners. Ayerst will support customers from the company’s Dublin, Ireland headquarters and its recently acquired Manchester, UK offices.

About Principal Logistics Technologies
Since 1990, Principal Logistics Technologies (Chess Logistics Technology) has delivered innovative, functionally-rich, warehouse management software (WMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to 3PL, distribution, wholesale, manufacturing and retail supply businesses. Our technology is in-house developed and is designed to optimise operational performance, add new value-added services, reduce operating expense and increase revenue. The company continues to support its customers across the 3PL, chemicals & hazardous goods, chill picking, cold storage, commodities, cross docking, eCommerce & eFulfilment, FMCG, grocery, food & beverage, healthcare, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, wholesale & distribution sectors.

POWER OF ELECTRIC GROWING FOR OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL

Posted on August 30, 2022 by hayley.smith@oakland-international.com

Continuing their focus of introducing sustainable initiatives wherever possible, total supply chain solutions specialist, Oakland International, is seeing their electrification plans expand as uptake grows amongst employees.

Introducing electric vehicles (EV) to their fleet some ten-years ago, Oakland International’s investment in renewables and electrification has seen its number of electric cars increase from six to sixteen in less than twelve months, with another twenty on order. The supply of free employee EV charging points, growing employee demand for the company’s EV car scheme, and although electric vehicle range is still a major factor, as well as price and availability, in preventing people from changing to electric, the huge fluctuation recently in fuel prices is helping drive interest in Oakland’s EV offering.

Oakland International HR Director, Cory Winstanley, commented: “The company has a longstanding history of utilising environmental and green technologies wherever possible, and as the business has expanded so has our research and development into how we can harness and incorporate green technologies into our business practices, and benefit our employees.

“All three UK depots now have over fifty EV charging points to provide ‘free at work’ charging, which at least helps with offsetting the investment in a new EV car.”

A specialist in contract packing, storage, picking, food distribution and a brand development support provider for ambient, chilled and frozen food to the retail, convenience, discount, wholesale and food service markets in the UK, Ireland and via their partner in Spain, Oakland International is BRCGS AA accredited and a double Queen’s Award for Enterprise recipient for International Trade and Sustainable Development and having taken the first step to become B Corp certified, joining the fast-growing movement of using business as a force for good, and is working towards becoming the first business within their sector to achieve net-zero.

Added Cory: “If we’re to help and encourage more of our team to consider electric as an affordable and achievable option then we need to provide the resources to enable them to do so. In the long term we aim to make Oakland International as sustainable as possible.”

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