In November 2025 the BFFF attended the Anaphylaxis UK Business Symposium 2025 which brought together leading experts, industry professionals and policymakers as well as individuals with lived experience to share cutting-edge research, practical solutions and real-world insights. 

One such individual was Daniel Kelly, Founder of ‘May Contain’ and Co-Founder of the newly launched ‘Trust Diner’.  

Daniel Kelly has lived with a severe peanut and tree nut allergy since he was five years old. That experience inspired him to create ‘May Contain’ — a podcast and platform dedicated to empowering people with allergies to feel confident when eating out, travelling, and navigating daily life. Daniel’s content has now reached more than 40 million people across social media, helping to raise awareness and spark conversations around living with allergies. 

Building on this success, Daniel has teamed up with fellow creative Jacob to co-found ‘Trust Diner’ – a free, community led platform that helps people with food allergies find genuinely allergy friendly restaurants. It’s built around clear allergy ratings, simple filters and honest reviews from people who live with allergies themselves, so you can feel more confident when eating out. 

Both Daniel and Jacob live with severe food allergies and understand first-hand how scary eating out can be. Trust Diner is already live in the UK and Ireland, with Australia launching in January. Since December, the community has shared over 460+ allergy reviews, helping others feel safer and more confident when choosing where to eat.  

Trust Diner is completely self-funded and will always remain free, because no one should have to pay to eat out safely.  

Find out more about Trust Diner here  

The UK Government have recently published their yearly report on Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE). This report brings together all the results of monitoring of radioactivity in food and the environment by the RIFE partners (Environment Agency, Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency). 

Radioactivity is all around us. It occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, and it can be found in the food we eat, the water we drink, as well as the air we breathe. We are also exposed to artificial sources of radioactivity, such as in medical applications used in hospitals and nuclear power. It is a legal requirement to ensure that the radiation exposure from artificial radioactivity, from all sources, is kept as low as reasonably achievable and within the annual 1 millisievert (mSv) per year limit to protect the public and the environment. 

The report details exposure levels across various sites and areas in the UK but reveals that, exposure to the public from all sources of artificial radioactivity in food and the environment was low and well within the legal limit. 

Overall, between 2023 and 2024 there were no significant changes to the radioactivity measured in food and the environment. 

You can read the report in full here  

On 14^th January the BFFF attended a webinar, hosted by Live EO, updating on the changes regarding the EU Deforestation Regulations (EUDR)

Following recent amendments to the regulation, both the implementation timeline and the specific obligations for operators and traders have changed, with significant implications for compliance teams.

During the 30-minute session, Live EO covered everything that has changed regarding EUDR at the end of last year including:

• Updates on EUDR timeline
• Understanding the new Roles & Obligations
• Immediate steps to take for your compliance project

For those of you who may have missed it, the recording and slides can be found here:

Watch Recording

Access Slides

Three outlet bespoke channel guides and video partnership with The Fat Foodie launched to help all operators capitalise on booming burger and delivery demand.

The UK’s out-of-home (OOH) market is on track to hit £105.3bn this year[1] and food delivery is powering towards £14.3bn with 3.1% projected growth[2]. In response, Lantmännen Unibake’s Americana brand has launched its ‘Built to Deliver’ campaign to help operators meet rising consumer expectations for consistently high-quality burgers across both dine-in and delivery channels.

With 81% of consumers grabbing a burger out of home at least once a month[3] and 56% ordering delivery or takeaway at least once a fortnight[4], the burger category represents significant growth potential. However, research reveals that burger execution challenges are undermining this opportunity with nearly a quarter (24%) of delivery customers citing soggy buns or the bun falling apart as a major disappointment[5].

The structural integrity challenge

The campaign highlights a fundamental point – the bun isn’t just a vessel for the fillings, it’s a structurally critical component that can make or break the entire burger experience. Consumers rank a quality, soft but robust bun that holds its shape as the top-quality indicator when it comes to burger excellence, and most significantly, 73% of consumers are prepared to pay more for it[6].

Samantha Winsor, Marketing Manager at Lantmannën Unibake UK, says: “OOH operators have an incredible opportunity to capitalise on the UK’s burger obsession, and the data tells us something important about where the industry needs to focus and it starts with addressing the fundamentals. The bun makes up 69% of the burger[7], yet is often treated as an afterthought rather than the foundation of a quality dish.

“Delivery is finding this the most challenging, where 30% say their delivery experience is hit or miss[8] due to cold food on arrival (38%), slow delivery times (31%) and soggy or fallen apart burger buns (24%). That’s a significant proportion of diners who aren’t getting the quality experience they expect”.

Guides Built for Every Channel

Recognising that every operator faces unique challenges, Americana’s Built to Deliver campaign includes three bespoke channel guides tailored to the specific needs of pub & bar, QSR and restaurant operators. Each guide is packed with insights, market trends and top tips to help operators create burgers that keep it together under any condition.

From lightly toasting the inside of the bun to create a moisture barrier, to being strategic with sauce placement or using a cloche for flavour enhancement, the campaign shares the secrets to burger success.  Far from generic tips, the guides offer channel-specific strategies designed to help operators maintain the structural integrity and incredible flavour profiles of the burgers they serve up.  The brand’s partnership with The Fat Foodie brings this to life, demonstrating exactly how Americana buns really deliver – whether that’s taking on the challenge of delivery on the back of a moped or holding their own on the pass.

Winsor adds: “We are seeing operators struggle with the complexity of delivering consistent quality, across multiple channels. Our research shows that 30% of delivery experiences are falling short of consumer expectations. That isn’t just a quality issue, it’s a business issue, and the Built to Deliver guides give operators the knowledge and practical tools to close that gap and boost their revenue opportunity”.

Americana buns are built to deliver thanks to the way Americana buns are made using the brand’s signature sponge and dough technology, quality ingredients, baked in specially indented pans for consistent shape and size, and frozen within two hours of baking to lock in freshness. This means operators can serve the soft texture, fresh-baked aroma, and supportive structure that consumers crave.

Download Americana’s ‘Built to Deliver’ guides here.

Urban Farm‑It, the UK’s fastest‑growing functional mushroom producer, has announced its rebrand to Urban Farm‑Produce (UFP) as it prepares for major expansion across retail, foodservice and direct-to-consumer markets. The move reflects the company’s shift from a grow‑your‑own brand into a vertically integrated supplier capable of delivering consistent, certified‑organic Lion’s Mane at national scale.

Having become the first producer to launch fresh Lion’s Mane into Sainsbury’s nationwide, UFP is now consolidating its position as the UK’s leading specialist in this high‑value ingredient. The rebrand signals a strategic pivot, replacing reliance on imported Lion’s Mane with UK‑grown, low‑water‑usage, minimally processed product, supporting retailers, manufacturers and foodservice clients seeking to strengthen domestic sourcing and reduce supply‑chain exposure.

The company is also strengthening its cold‑chain infrastructure through its collaboration with Oakland International, creating one of the UK’s most advanced specialist systems for Lion’s Mane cultivation, processing and distribution. This integration ensures consistent quality, longer shelf life and reliable year‑round supply.

Urban Farm-It Founder and CEO Elliot Webb stated: “This rebrand marks a defining moment in our journey. What began as a mission to help people grow their own food has evolved into a commitment to reshape how functional, nutrient dense ingredients reach our plates. By producing Lion’s Mane mushrooms here in the UK, organically, sustainably, and at scale, we’re proving that food systems can be both innovative and responsible.

“Our mission is simple, to make functional, healthy foods accessible while supporting sustainable, UK-grown agriculture.”

To meet surging B2B demand, UFP has begun construction of a second production facility at Redditch, significantly boosting capacity for both fresh and value‑added formats. February will see the rollout of new Lion’s Mane product formats not yet available in the UK, supporting retailers, manufacturers and foodservice operators looking to diversify plant‑based and functional food ranges. Further sites are already in planning to support long‑term national availability.

UFP has relaunched its website to streamline trade ordering, giving chefs, wholesalers and procurement teams frictionless access to high‑volume purchasing and dependable supply of organic, UK‑grown Lion’s Mane. Certifications including Soil Association Organic, Red Tractor and BRCGS further underlining UFP’s commitment to traceability, sustainability and robust product standards. The brand’s recognition as Sainsbury’s ‘Best Newcomer’ 2025 highlights its rapid category impact.

With the shift to Urban Farm‑Produce, the company is positioning itself as a major domestic player in healthy, functional foods, offering a scalable, UK‑grown alternative to ultra proceed meat‑alternative ingredients, while supporting more resilient, lower‑carbon supply chains.

The name change takes effect 23 January 2026.

It was great to meet with new members Stancold in Bristol recently.

Stacy Horseman, Dan Bartfield explained how Stancold’s services could benefit BFFF members. Stancold has been established for over 75 years and are specialist in food facility fit-out, fire walls/partitions and cold store construction, the health & safety and fire safety aspects of cold stores are often overlooked.

We discussed how many facilities still have cold stores constructed from Polystyrene (EXPS/XPS) panels, these were extensively used in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s within the food industry. These are highly flammable and can lead to rapid fire and smoke spread and the release of toxic fumes. Similarly, some cold stores are fitted with Polyurethane Foam (PUR) panels, these were typically used until the mid-2000’s, while PUR are a little more difficult to ignite than Polystyrene, once ignited they will burn rapidly.

Over the years I have encountered several examples of where electrical sockets and charging points have been mounted or close to these highly flammable combustible panels, with emerging technologies such as Materials Handling Equipment fitted with Lithium-Ion batteries this can make matters much worse.

The solution here is to have your panels assessed by those competent to identify any hidden risk.

Unlike control measures for other hazards such as asbestos (being identified by a survey, marked and managed), the flammability risk of composite insulated panels is often unknown with employers and employees being completely unware of this risk.

Stancold has several accreditations including one from the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB)- LPS 1500, this is the standard for companies installing fire resisting compartment systems.

It was great to hear that Stancold are happy to work with our members to reduce this risk. In terms of replacing high risk panels, they are able to provide a phased replacement programme over agreed timescales.

To find our more about the services of Stancold, please visit:

https://stancold.co.uk/

We have been made aware that some businesses may have recently received a payment chaser email that was sent in relation to the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme.

For your awareness, this automated chaser email has been sent to producers who have either not yet paid OR have made a partial payment by any means other than Direct Debit, but are yet to agree a payment plan with PackUK. For clarity, if a producer’s Notice of Liability (NoL) has not been paid in full, they are required to either set up a recurring direct debit, or to have agreed a formal payment plan with PackUK.

All producers who received the chaser email, will soon be receiving follow up communications with the above clarification. In addition, the PackUK team are working to provide more guidance on how to set up a payment plan and this will be issued before the end of this week.

In the meantime, producers are encouraged to contact the Customer Support team to set up their payment plan on the standard details – 0300 060 0002 or via email at eprcustomerservice@defra.gov.uk