Tues 18th Nov, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London

THIS YEAR’S FROZEN FOOD BUSINESS CONFERENCE WILL TAKE PLACE ONLINE FROM 19TH – 23RD APRIL.

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Company Shop sponsor Frozen Food Business ConferenceThe conference programme has been broken down into 5 themed days which will run from 9am – 11am each morning. We will also be announcing the category winners of our 2020 Frozen Food Awards during the week.

Day  1 sponsored by Company Shop Group.

We kick off the week focussing on Retail and are delighted to have Chris Hayward of IGD, Duncan Cross of Asda, Carol Redman of Kantar and Myles Hopper of Mindful Chef joining us to discuss market data and predictions and the role of online in retail.

We will also be announcing the winners of the Best New Ice Cream/Confectionery Product in Retail and in Foodservice and the Best Vegetarian/Vegan/Meat Free Product in Retail and in Foodservice during the course of the morning.

You can book your ticket to join us on Monday 19th April now. Click here for the full line up of speakers and Frozen Food Award announcements, and to book your tickets for individual days or the full week.

 

Best new dessert/ice cream/confectionery retail product sponsored by Coppenrath & Wiese UK

Best new vegetarian/vegan/meat free retail product sponsored by The Food People

Best new dessert/ice cream/confectionery foodservice product sponsored by XPO Logistics – Shortlist Announcement Coming Soon!

Best new vegetarian/vegan/meat free foodservice product sponsored by Greenyard Frozen

Why CE is No Guarantee – Arco Virtual Lab Tour

Posted on by debra.cowell@arco.co.uk

Arco, the UK’s leading Experts in Safety, invite you to take a virtual tour of their Quality and Product Assurance Laboratory, the UK’s first safety distributor in-house laboratory.

Arco’s very own UKAS and SATRA accredited laboratory which sits at the heart of Arco’s promise – to keep people safe at work.

Take a guided tour around the 3 labs to see first-hand the 5-stage assurance process Arco conduct to make sure they keep that promise.

The laboratory is used to implement a thorough testing regime throughout product development and beyond. It also compliments our certification and due diligence testing programme. The main focuses of the lab are chemical permeability testing, mechanical testing of safety footwear, gloves and Hi-Viz clothing in accordance with the relevant EN standards. Arco aim’s not simply to test to standards, but to exceed them and challenge them for the benefit of our customers and ultimately our end users.

Getting in the car and trusting that your seatbelt is going to work, should you need it to, is the same as trusting the CE mark on PPE products. Out of 100 products, only 1 needs to pass for it to be given a CE mark, so how do you know which products to trust? CE markings do not guarantee compliance.

Arco are able to ensure compliance by carrying out the tests listed below; you will be able to see these tests in action during a 30 Minute virtual tour coming soon.

  • Physical Lab
  • Chemical Lab
  • Textile Lab
  • Slip Testing – Pendulum test
  • Chemical permeation testing
  • Fire resistance testing
  • Toecap failures
  • Azo dyes testing
  • Chromaticity and luminance testing
  • 10 Seconds to save a life.
  • Glove legislation and actions

We need to add – to register your interest for the Arco lab tour, please contact simonbrentnall@bff.co.uk or carlabrown@bfff.co.uk

DEFRA CONSULTATION ON REVISED WASTE PREVENTION PROGRAMME FOR ENGLAND

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Members may be interested to learn that on 18th March Defra launched a 12 week consultation on the revised Waste Prevention programme for England.

The purpose of this new Waste Prevention Programme is to build on the over-arching framework of the Resources & Waste Strategy with regard to shifting action up the waste hierarchy, setting out a more detailed and specific set of actions with a sectoral dimension. Through this, as well as by explaining the case for change in each sector, Defra intend to encourage action by industry as well as to facilitate action across government departments.

The consultation is open for responses until 10th June and can be found here

 

XPO LOGISTICS UNVEILS GXO AS NEW COMPANY NAME FOR PLANNED SPIN-OFF OF LOGISTICS BUSINESS

Posted on by Hayley Mc Quade

XPO Logistics, a leading global provider of transport and logistics solutions, today announced the identity of the new company that has been created in connection with the planned spin-off of XPO’s logistics business. The company is named GXO Logistics, Inc. and will go to market with the tagline “Logistics at full potential.” The company made its debut with a video introduction that showcases its logo and message.

 

Brad Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of XPO Logistics, said, “Today, we took an exciting step forward on our path to spinning off our logistics segment. The new company is called GXO — three letters that stand for the game-changing opportunities we’re bringing to the table for customers, employees and shareholders, with a nod to our XPO heritage. GXO will take this legacy into the future as an independent public company, with countless ways to deliver logistics at full potential.”

 

Fueled by years of investment in technology as part of XPO, GXO will be in a strong position to capitalise on the logistics industry’s predominant secular tailwinds: the growth in e-commerce and omnichannel retail, fast-growing customer demand for automation and digital capabilities, and a shift toward outsourcing supply chain services. GXO will have an undiluted focus on its strategic priorities and blue-chip customer base, with a standalone equity currency to create long-term value for its stakeholders.

 

“The new company’s brand identity captures the qualities that make us an industry leader — our ability to deliver faster, leaner, smarter logistics for customers at lower cost, using advanced automation and data science,” said Malcolm Wilson, XPO’s chief executive officer – Europe, who has been named to become CEO of GXO. “I’m looking forward to leading our global team to the many new opportunities in our future.”

 

In December 2020, XPO announced its intent to spin off the logistics segment of its existing business and create two pure-play industry powerhouses focused separately on transportation and logistics. Post-separation, XPO will remain a global provider of freight transportation, primarily less-than-truckload and truck brokerage, and GXO will be the second-largest contract logistics provider in the world. Usage of the new company name, logo and other brand components will become effective upon the completion of the spin-off.

 

Files Confidential Form 10

XPO further announced that it has filed a confidential initial Form 10 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for the planned spin-off of its logistics business. The filing represents another significant milestone in the process required to complete the transaction, which the company continues to expect will take place in the second half of 2021.

 

The transaction is subject to various conditions, including the effectiveness of the Form 10 registration statement, receipt of a tax opinion from counsel, the refinancing of XPO’s debt on terms satisfactory to the XPO board of directors, and final approval by the XPO board of directors. There can be no assurance that a separation transaction will occur or, if one does occur, of its terms or timing.

 

Advisors

XPO has retained Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC as its financial advisor and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as its legal advisor to assist with the spin-off process.

 

About XPO Logistics and XPO Logistics Europe

XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) provides cutting-edge supply chain solutions to the most successful companies in the world. The company is the second-largest contract logistics provider and the second-largest freight broker globally, and a top three less-than-truckload provider in North America. XPO uses a highly integrated network of 1,629 locations and over 100,000 employees in 30 countries to help more than 50,000 customers manage their supply chains most efficiently. The company’s corporate headquarters are in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA, and its European headquarters are in Lyon, France. XPO conducts the majority of its European operations through its subsidiary, XPO Logistics Europe, which trades under the stock symbol XPO on Euronext Paris – Isin FR0000052870.

Visit europe.xpo.com for more information, and connect with XPO on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

 

F SMALES & SON (FISH MERCHANTS) LTD APPOINTS TWO NEW DIRECTORS.

Posted on by vickie.dalby@smales.co.uk

Smales has strengthened its senior management team by the appointment of two long serving senior managers to its board of directors. Richard Winter has been appointed as Food Service Director and Bobby Joyce as the Company’s Sales and Marketing Director.

The Company is well placed to build on a solid customer base in the fish and chip and food service sectors. These two appointments will bring a new impetus for growth at Smales. Smales currently supplies around 25% of the UK’s fish and chip sector and also supplies many high profile food service customers with sustainable seafood and catering products.

The fish and chip shop sector has shown considerable resilience and has remained strong throughout the period of the pandemic. Fish and chip shops, supplying the national dish, have helped to maintain the U.K’s spirit in these difficult times. Smales are now looking forward to the future and are well positioned to grow its business as the hospitality industry fully reopens in the coming months.

Richard Winter has worked for the Smales family for many years. His sales management, logistic and product category experience has been gained from various roles within the business that included Depot Manager and National Account Manager for the former distribution subsidiary.

Following a period of working in other areas of the industry, Richard returned to the business in 2010 to create the Smales Food Service Division which now supplies some of the industry’s most respected and well known national operators in the catering market. Growth in the independent catering sector has been supported by an increasing number of regional Food Service wholesale customers.

Richard has successfully expanded many of our popular seafood product ranges including the development of our own Blue Horizon brand. He has also overseen the business achieve BRC AA grade accreditation for storage and distribution and MSC chain of custody certification.

Entering a new chapter for 2021, Richard will now become the Director of Food Service. We have no doubt that he will embrace this new role and help the company to grow and develop further.

Bobby Joyce joined Smales as a fresh-faced 21 year old Sales Executive in 2002. Eight years later, he then took on the additional role of Purchasing Manager for our extensive range of catering products, a move which prompted sales growth of these items in all subsequent years.

Serving in his present role as National Sales Manager since 2015, Bobby has been heavily involved in establishing our Regional Distribution Centres, implementing dedicated area selling from our Head Office, the growth of our Fish & Chip customer base and many aspects of marketing the business – including rebranding the company logo, website, vehicle liveries and product guides.

Bobby has cultivated excellent relationships with both our customers at home and our suppliers across the seas, including many award winning Fish & Chip operators and has been involved in successful wider-industry PR campaigns. As a fantastic ambassador for Smales and the industry as a whole, we know that Bobby will continue to build on these achievements in his new position as Sales & Marketing Director.

THE FROZEN FOOD ANNUAL LUNCHEON

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Last year marked the first time in 75 years the British Frozen Food Federations Annual Luncheon had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. We are keen to not have a repeat of last year which is why, subject to government guidance, the BFFF will be holding the Annual Luncheon as a live event at the end of November at the Hilton Park Lane, London.

This year we are delighted to have Vine Meats sponsoring the event and the Luncheon moves from our traditional Tuesday to a Thursday. Every year our members and their guest tell us the event offers an excellent opportunity to network with industry colleagues from across the frozen food industry and we hope this year will be no different.

Tickets are now available for BFFF full members and can be booked here.

For enquiries please contact:

Charley Price, Events Manager

Tel: 01400 283091

Email: charleyprice@bfff.co.uk

SUPPORT THE BRITISH FROZEN FOOD FEDERATION AND ATTEND THIS YEAR’S FROZEN FOOD BUSINESS CONFERENCE

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Start your working day listening to industry leading speakers and find out the latest information coming from the Frozen Food industry. This year we have taken our annual Business Conference online and broken the programme down into 5 themed sessions which will run from 9am – 11am each morning from the 19th – 23rd April. We will also be announcing the category winners of our 2020 Frozen Food Awards.

Topics covered include Retail, Economy, Trends and Export, Foodservice and Sustainability. Click here for the full line up of speakers and to book your tickets for individual days or for the full week.

We are delighted to be partnering with Dawn Foods to offer the first 100 delegates to book a week ticket a goody box of 5 delicious treats that can be enjoyed at home whilst you attend the conference.

For enquiries please contact:

Charley Price, Events Manager

Tel: 01400 283091

Email: charleyprice@bfff.co.uk

THE BEST NEW BAKERY FOODSERVICE PRODUCT SPONSORED BY XPO LOGISTICS

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Welcome to the announcement for the Best New Bakery Foodservice Product in the 2020 – 2021 British Frozen Food Awards sponsored by XPO Logistics.

The First Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the Eton Mess Loaf Cake from the Premium Selection range at Bidfood. Our judging panels thought; the cake was appealing on the eye, great taste and lovely moist sponge.

Bidfood commented; “As avid supporters of the BFFF, Bidfood are honoured to have shortlisted for the Best New Bakery Product with our Eton Mess Loaf Cake. We wish the best of luck to all entrants and look forward to the results announcement.”

The Second Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the 6 inch Unbaked British Pulled Pork and Bramley Apple Lattice Sausage Roll from Brakes. Our judging panels thought the product; it was an excellent product, delicious, innovative and extremely tasty.

Brakes commented; “We always look forward to the BFFF Frozen Food Awards and we’re delighted to see Brakes products across such a wide array of categories shortlisted. We’re passionate about food and this is a fantastic endorsement of the innovation and quality of our frozen range. This is even more meaningful at a time when many of our customers are taking a fresh look at frozen, as a solution for the market unpredictability that has resulted from the Coronavirus pandemic.”

XPO Logistics Banner

The Third Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the 6 inch Unbaked British Pork Lattice Sausage Roll with Caramelised Onions from Brakes. Our judging panels thought the product had; excellent balanced taste, great look and is highly innovative.

The Fourth Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the La Boulangerie 10 inch part baked sourdough baguettes from Brakes. Our judging panels thought the product had; a lovely ‘oaty’ flavour coming through, excellent texture and good taste.

Congratulations to all our shortlisted companies and commiseration to the rest of the category product entries. The BFFF look forward to announcing more category shortlists, they will be released once a week until end of March 2021.

XPO Logistics BannerThank you to our Category Sponsor XPO Logistics