Page 348 — British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)

KFF LAUNCHES A NEW WAY TO ORDER

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Annie Bhatti

Foodservice supplier KFF, part of the Sysco Speciality Group, has made it even easier to place orders with the introduction of a handy App that brings the South-East based wholesaler’s extensive range – which now includes fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat, as well as fresh fish & seafood – right to the fingertips.

Existing online customers simply need to download the App onto their phone or tablet and sign into their account as usual, while new customers are invited to register to receive delivery details and a password that will have them shopping in minutes.

Via the App users can browse the easy-to-navigate, illustrated product catalogue to collate a shopping list, or they can take advantage of the repeat order button for a swift checkout. The App links to the website for automatic updates, and allows users to gain access to multiple accounts for group management. A basket prompt serves as a reminder of forgotten items, while a favourites list makes it easy to create and maintain lists.

“Around 60% of our customers currently order online, a figure that has grown significantly during the pandemic, and we have received regular requests to create an App, so we have developed one,” says KFF’s Marketing Manager, James Mills. “Running alongside our already popular online ordering service, it gives customers the added advantage of being able to order from a wealth of product sectors from the palm of their hand, wherever they are and whatever the time of day.”

For more information on the KFF App, or for details of products in the extensive KFF range, visit www.kff.co.uk or call 01622 612345

NFU MUTUAL URGES BUSINESSES TO DONATE SURPLUS FOOD

Posted on February 8, 2022 by ben.coates@nfu.org.uk

NFU Mutual has today launched a campaign urging businesses from across the food supply chain to donate edible food waste to redistribution charity FareShare.

With its network of farming, wholesale, retail and hospitality customers across the UK, the leading rural insurer is hoping to increase surplus food donations by introducing policyholders to the scheme.

In the UK, around 8.4million people struggle to afford to eat.¹ At the same time, the nation produces a yearly food surplus equivalent to 1.3billion meals.²

FareShare works with UK food businesses to take as much of that surplus as possible and redirect it to the people who need it most.

FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose fund also offers eligible businesses a contribution towards harvesting and transport to help them cover the cost of donating. ³ Since 2021, NFU Mutual has donated £150,000 in support of the scheme.

Dan Byrd, from B&G Nurseries, said: “We’ve been working with FareShare for three years now, it’s a really worthwhile initiative. They take most of our surplus crop, that would otherwise go unharvested, and direct it to those who need it most. Nobody should go hungry.”

Jo Lumani from NFU Mutual, said: “NFU Mutual has been supporting our communities on the issues that matter most for over a hundred years. As the insurer of three quarters of the UK’s farms and thousands of wholesale, retail and hospitality businesses, NFU Mutual is perfectly placed to introduce businesses to FareShare’s surplus scheme.

“Our network of farmers, retailers, wholesalers and hospitality venues could make a huge difference in the fight against food poverty. That’s why we’re urging business owners to speak to FareShare about how they can lessen their food waste and help feed those in need.”

Shula Granville, Commercial Manager at FareShare, said: “We work with over 500 food businesses who play a crucial role in our support for vulnerable people across the UK. Not only do their supplies help to get food on plates, but businesses tell us their work with FareShare contributes to their sustainability goals, gives them a chance to give back to their local communities and increases staff engagement.

“In the last 5 years, we’ve quadrupled the amount of surplus food we redistribute. The food industry is becoming increasingly active against food waste and we’re delighted to be working with NFU Mutual to continue to drive that change, encouraging more businesses to do their part in the fight against food poverty.”

To book a ‘Waste Walk’ to help your business identify edible surplus food, visit https://fareshare.org.uk/giving-food/book-a-waste-walk/

PLASTIC TAX WEBINARS

Posted on February 8, 2022February 9, 2022 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

With the plastic tax now only a few weeks away from coming into force HMRC continue to provide more information on how the tax will be implemented. During February they will run two webinars’ details as follows.

Webinar 1: Introduction to Plastic Packaging Tax

This webinar will cover how the tax will operate including:

what plastic packaging the tax applies to
who is responsible for paying and accounting for the tax
what information is needed for your tax returns and record keeping.

Webinar 1 is running on: Friday 18^th February at 13:45 – 14:45 and Friday 25^th February 13:45 – 14:45 Sign up now by visiting this link here

Webinar 2: Administrative and Technical Aspects

This webinar will cover the technical points about recycled plastic and exemptions from the tax including:

how to claim tax credits
allowable sources of recycled plastic
methods for calculating or evidencing recycled plastic content and weight of packaging components
supply chain responsibilities

Webinar 2 is running on: Tuesday 22^nd February 09:45 – 10:45 and Monday 28^th February 13:45 – 14:45 Sign up now by visiting this link here

They have also provided additional updates across a range of guides.

New guidance on weighing plastic packaging components and each material used when manufacturing them

Examples of due diligence checks you can carry out if you manufacture, import or purchase plastic packaging from another business

Updated examples of packaging in and out of scope

Issued two guides to help you determine if your products are in scope and if you need to register, these guides can be found here:

Decision tree Check packaging in scope

Decision Tree Liability to register

In order to ease navigation, HMRC have published a collection page that lists the PPT guidance pages published on GOV.UK, webinars and also past consultations.

We continue to seek answers to questions raised by members. One of these remains exactly the process and documentation required to reclaim wasted material generated during repacking. Last week they advised us of the following.

“ We’ve yet to put more guidance in around this. In the meantime however I would suggest evidence of previous months waste on key processes would satisfy the printer for their records. I take it there is probably an industry expected range/standard for these sort of processes. With a new or not tested process I would suggest looking at similar processes as a guide or carry out some sort of test run. Presumably you are looking at minimising waste in any event.”

If members need further guidance they can contact the HMRC department responsible for this new tax on indirecttaxdesign.team@hmrc.gov.uk or you can send your questions to the BFFF

FSA REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK ON WORKER SHORTAGES/SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES

Posted on February 7, 2022November 7, 2025 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

To assist the Incidents and Resilience Team in their intelligence gathering they have asked that we circulate a few questions to our members for consideration on their behalf:

The FSA have reports of difficulties sourcing dextrose monohydrate a product derived from maize starch as well as difficulties in sourcing supplies of maize starch. At the moment they see these as labelling issues with business encouraged to discuss derogations with their LA partners. They don’t anticipate any food safety issues as long as no change in ingredients which affects the allergen status. Any additional information or views on the food safety elements from industry on this? Any other reports of other ingredient shortages?
Based on reported evidence of shortages of packaging materials, the increased price of packaging materials, and the incoming plastic in packaging tax from April 22 – are there concerns from members about lower standards in food packaging. Are there any concerns from a food safety perspective and how does industry plan to manage these concerns?
There are widespread reports of concerns in reductions in availability of workers including agency staff. There is an assumption that has led to higher percentages of newly trained staff as well as shortfalls in availability of staff to cover certain key functions. What if any are the food safety concerns from members on these shortages?
Reports of large manufacturers stating that current pressures are ‘unprecedented’, and that they are struggling to meet customer demand, with service levels significantly lower than previously experienced. In addition, there are reports that EU customers are potentially seeking financial compensation from suppliers for breaching contracts. What do member’s fear most over the coming months, bearing in mind industry responsibilities to ensure food is safe and is what it says it is? Have you identified any heightened incidence of, or risk of exposure to, specific forms of food fraud?
There have been suggestions of specific strains within supply into food service, particularly with regards to supply into private sector catering and hospitality. Does this tally with current experiences within the sector and if so, how successfully are businesses managing to secure safe and authentic food to deal with the seasonal spike in hospitality demand? Has inflexible festive demand led to riskier sourcing decisions or any specific incidences of food safety or food fraud?

Members are more than welcome to send any feedback to deniserion@bfff.co.uk for collation. We will then anonymise and send onto the FSA on your behalf. However, should you wish to contact the FSA directly then please send directly to receiptandmanagement@food.gov.uk.

FSA LATEST SUMMARY OF COMPLEX SIGNALS

Posted on February 7, 2022November 7, 2025 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

On 20^th January, we attended an FSA led Food Industry Liaison Group (FILG) meeting where we received the latest updates from the Incidents and Resilience Team.

One area we always cover at that meeting is what is referred to as ‘complex signals’. This is information that has been gathered from sources globally, highlighting potential and emerging issues relating to food, feed, and food contact materials.

The FSA have kindly allowed us to share with members a summary of the complex signals discussed, which amongst other things includes:

Mustard contamination of wheat crops
Ethylene oxide contamination of various products
Increase in foreign body incidents

You can access the complex signals summary for January 2022 here

The FSA are also asking for your help in a couple of specific areas:

The FSA is sampling leafy veg for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic and would welcome any data you willing to share.
Following concerns about the availability for commercial tests for Ethylene oxide and Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC) the FSA would find it useful to have a wider understanding of the food analysis landscape, including any issues faced by industry. All feedback on this would be most welcome including any detail on samples being lost when sent outside the country.

Please send any information on the above to deniserion@bfff.co.uk and we will happily collate and feed back to the FSA on your behalf. Note: all information will be anonymised unless you expressly wish your identity to be divulged.

DAWN LAUNCHES COCOA DELICREAMS WITH SUSTAINABLE FATS

Posted on February 3, 2022 by

Dawn Foods has launched a new range of fat-based, pre-and post-bake, ready-to-use Delicream Cocoa Fillings for croissants, cookies or muffins and other sweet bakery items.

With a smooth and creamy texture, and an indulgent chocolate taste, the range includes Delicream Cocoa Bake, Delicream Cocoa & Caramel Bake, Delicream Hazelnut & Cocoa and Delicream Nut Bake, all of which contain non hydrogenated fats and RSPO palm oil.

For bakers looking for a filling with an alternative to palm oil, Dawn now offers Delicream Cocoa Bake made with Shea Butter, a naturally renewable raw material.

Delicream Cocoa Fillings are easily spreadable and ready-to-use in both baked and un-baked applications. All the Delicream Cocoa Fillings do not contain water, so they work perfectly in fresh and longer shelf-life products.

Delicream Cocoa Bake, Delicream Cocoa Bake with Shea Butter and Delicream Cocoa & Caramel Bake also contain sunflower seed paste for extra creaminess and spreadability.

Delicream Hazelnut & Cocoa is the one product in the range to be used after baking. Containing high levels of hazelnuts for a rich flavour, it is ideal for filling muffins or spreading on baked products.

The new Delicream Cocoa Fillings have been introduced as part of Dawn’s commitment to using more sustainably produced fats in its ingredients. The company only uses RSPO palm oil in recipes where palm oil is required, and the use of shea butter is a first in Dawn UK & Ireland’s Delicream product range. Shea butter is made from the shea nut or shea tree which grows naturally in the ‘shea belt’ in Africa. The shea tree is difficult to cultivate in plantations and new trees are a result of carefully targeted regeneration by farmers, with all nuts harvested by the local population, so providing an environmentally friendly fat alternative.

For more information about Dawn Foods please visit www.dawnfoods.com.

A few reasons to become a member of BFFF

To find out more about becoming a member call 01400 283 095 or email the team

Join BFFF

Member profile on BFFF website

Free BFFF Member List

Free listing in the annual Member Directory

Access to latest industry news and information

Weekly newsletter, press and media opportunities

Press and media opportunities

Marketing, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

Networking via opportunities at BFFF events

Free market data provided by Circana and World Panel

Access to industry specialists

Expert guidance from Technical and Health & Safety teams

Access to Primary Authority schemes and assured advice

H&S Audit Service/Advice

Free access to HR and legal guidance and advice line

Training and Education

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

Become a member

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.

Need a comment from the BFFF?

The voice of the frozen food industry
Representing over 340 businesses in the frozen food industry
Available out of hours

Contact the BFFF PR Team

what our members say...

Helen Atkinson

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.”

See Full Quote
Paul Duncalf

Sysco

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

See Full Quote
Co-CEO Dries Talpe

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…

See Full Quote
Lewis Kain

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….

See Full Quote
Gail Hodson - Technical Director

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…

See Full Quote
Domenic Granelli - Financial Controller

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…

See Full Quote
Dave Griffiths, General Manager

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…

See Full Quote
Liam, Commerical Director

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…

See Full Quote
Peter Bambury

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.”

See Full Quote
Alexandre Alves De Mattos

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…

See Full Quote