Page 169 — British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)

DEFRA CONSULT ON REMOVING THE 16 WEEK DEROGATION PERIOD IN EGG MARKETING STANDARDS

Posted on January 31, 2024November 27, 2025 by Sarah Collison

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recently launched a consultation on the Government’s proposal to remove the 16-week derogation period in egg marketing standards.

16 weeks is currently the maximum amount of time hens are allowed to be kept indoors during periods of mandatory housing orders before the eggs they lay may not be labelled as ‘free range’. If poultry is housed for longer than 16 weeks, the eggs must be labelled as ‘barn’ rather than ‘free range’.

In practice, the over-stickering of egg cartons, over-stamping of eggs and in-store shopper communication has proved to be costly and labour intensive. And some argue that it has led to confusion for the consumer.

The proposed removal of the derogation limit would mean eggs can be labelled as ‘free range’ no matter how long poultry have been housed indoors.

The consultation, which closes on 5th March 2024, stretches across England and Scotland and can be accessed here.

JOINT LETTER CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO BROADEN THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY SYSTEM

Posted on January 31, 2024January 9, 2026 by Sarah Collison

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) along with the National Farmers Union (NFU), UK Hospitality (UKH), and UK supermarkets, have published a joint letter calling on Government to reform the ‘broken’ Apprenticeship Levy system and address labour shortages in food supply chains.

The letter argues that the Apprenticeship Levy should be broadened, allowing businesses to train up more domestic workers in order to fill the vital skills gaps, which would “foster greater resilience, support the nation’s food security, and benefit the economy.”

Currently, businesses are required to contribute hundreds of millions of pounds into a pot, while funds can only be spent in a very restrictive way. For example, businesses cannot use the money to fund any courses that are shorter than one year in duration. This inflexibility has cost the UK many thousands of training opportunities and billions of pounds of potential investment into the British labour market at a time when it is urgently needed.

More information, along with a link to the letter can be found https://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/secure-uk-food-supply-through-levy-reform/

FSA BOARD AGREES TO STRENGTHEN ALLERGY INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS

Posted on January 31, 2024November 27, 2025 by Sarah Collison

On Wednesday 13th December the Board of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) met and discussed the provision of allergen information for consumers when eating out. At that meeting they agreed that they would like to see written allergen information be mandated in the non-prepacked sector and confirmed they would be writing to Ministers to discuss the Board’s view.

They also stated their intention to develop strong guidance for food businesses on how to provide written allergen information to help drive up compliance and make it easier for people with a food allergy, intolerance, and coeliac disease to protect themselves when eating out.

In addition to providing written information, the Board also acknowledged that there should be an expectation for a verbal conversation to take place between customers and food business staff, to ensure an added layer of protection for consumers.

You can read a comment from Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the FSA here

100 Years of frozen

Posted on January 29, 2024October 28, 2025 by Sarah Collison

100 Years of Frozen

This year as an industry we are celebrating a huge historic milestone – 100 years of the frozen food industry.

Back in 1924 a man named Clarence Birdseye revolutionised food production, packaging and food distribution for the world for the next century and beyond. Whilst out fishing in Newfoundland, Clarence observed that when fish were caught and brought out of the freezing waters and placed on the ice, the combination of the temperature and exposure to the elements froze the fish almost instantly. Then, when it came to eating the fish once thawed, to his amazement they were as firm and fresh as if they had just been caught.

What made this method of freezing unique, whilst maintaining the freshness and flavour , was the speed of the freeze – ‘flash freezing’,

That is when Clarence Birdseye set about inventing and patenting his ‘Quick Freeze Machine’, Step-by-step, he invented the processes that would one day become standard practice across the world.

Celebrating our industry

In 2024 we take the opportunity to celebrate the past 100 years and the invention which created the huge frozen industry that it is today. We want to use this milestone to celebrate, educate and engage the industry on everything we have achieved, whilst looking to the future and what the next 100 years holds.

As part of our celebrations across the year, we will be reaching out and speaking to our members about the evolution of the industry over the decades. How technology has evolved and what predictions do we have for the future.

We aim to look at a cross section of the industry from a range of producers, wholesalers, retailers and foodservice and push this out across all media platforms. We want to utilise this huge milestone to raise the profile of our industry and celebrate all that is frozen.

Get Involved

Get involved by downloading the 100 years of frozen logo and adding it to all your marketing communications across the year including:

Email signatures
Digital adverts and banners
Social graphics

If you would like to get involved in our campaign and support with article and PR please contact sarahcollison@bfff.co.uk

Download the logo here

BFFF TECHNICAL EXPERT GROUP MEET TO DISCUSS THE LATEST HOT TOPICS

Posted on January 25, 2024November 27, 2025 by Sarah Collison

Tuesday 23rd January saw the first meeting of the year for the BFFF Technical Expert Group. It was a fantastic turnout, with the majority attending in person, driving some very constructive discussions on the hottest topics, issues and concerns impacting industry.

We were also pleased to be joined by guest speakers Bradley Eels and Georgios Tetradis-Mairis from Nomad, who presented an overview of the work on what we are referring to as ‘Warming up the cold chain’ i.e. investigations on whether storage temperatures above – 18oC can be used to reduce freezer energy consumption. Intrigued…then take a look here

Amongst other topics discussed was of course the developments around Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) and also the Windsor Framework. This included concerns of having to label ‘Not for EU’ on goods on the NI and GB market and also the shock announcement by Defra to carry out SPS checks on goods coming via the shorts-straights 22 miles inland from the port of Dover at a Border Control Post in Sevington. This represents a massive biosecurity risk and BFFF along with other trade associations are pushing for clarification and an urgent review on this decision.

We also took the opportunity to review the latest updates given from the FSA incidents team on such things as Salmonella in Polish Chicken, peanut contamination of African spices, E. Coli STEC O145 in unpasteurised cheese and food poisoning outbreaks involving melons. Please do contact Deniserion@bfff.co.uk if you would like more information on any of these topics and we will happily provide you with an update.

As many of you will be aware this meeting was also the last to be chaired by Vince Craig. Vince has supported and chaired the BFFF Technical meetings since 1992 so I am sure he will be greatly missed by all. But we wish him the very best with his future plans and extend a huge thank you for all his help and support over the years. A new chair for the group has been appointed and will be announced in due course so please watch this space!

NICHIREI LOGISTICS GROUP TO ANNOUNCE ENTITY MERGER TO SOLIDIFY ITS LEADERSHIP IN THE FOOD LOGISTICS

Posted on January 25, 2024January 31, 2024 by Kevin Hancock

Nichirei Logistics Group are pleased to announce the merger between Eurofrigo
B.V, Thermotraffic Holland B.V. (both based in the Netherlands), Kevin Hancock Ltd. and Norish Ltd.
(both based in the United Kingdom) that will see the creation of a new end-to-end logistics service
provider for the food industry in Europe.

The merger, effective as of 1st January 2024, brings together the strengths and resources of the several
companies. Where Thermotraffic is a leader in seaport logistics and customs services, Eurofrigo and
Norish are renowned for their cold storage activities and Kevin Hancock is the specialist for value added
services for the food industry. All companies belong to the European arm of Japan based Nichirei
Corporation’s Logistics Division and will now continue as one under the brand name Thermotraffic.
By joining forces, we aim to foster a dynamic synergy that will enable us to meet the ever-evolving
needs of our customers. All organisations share a strong commitment to excellence, customer centricity,
and a passion for innovation. The merger will allow us to leverage our combined expertise and
experience to deliver more value to our clients.

“We are excited about this merger as it represents a significant step forward in our collective mission to
provide innovative logistics solutions to our clients in the food industry. The combined talents and
expertise of all organisations being part of this merger will create a powerhouse that is well-equipped
to address the challenges and opportunities of the future,” said Rob Haesakkers Managing Director of
Thermotraffic, and we see this merger as a strategic move that will enhance our ability to deliver value
to our customers and stakeholders”

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.

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what our members say...

Helen Atkinson

Wakefield Council

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Sysco

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Darta

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Kantar Worldpanel

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Lakeside Food Group Ltd

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Meadow Vale Foods Limited

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Newberry International Produce Ltd

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Place UK Ltd

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Roswel Spedition GMBH

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Seara

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