Birds Eye unveils a new recipe that combines same 100% fish fillet with crunchier crumb.

Birds Eye is relaunching its iconic Fish Finger with the brand’s best recipe yet, following extensive consumer testing1 that showed a clear preference for the icon’s new, crunchier coating, forming the perfect balance between crumb and succulent, flaky 100% white fish fillet. Rolling out across Birds Eye’s Breaded Omega 3, Cod and Haddock Fish Finger ranges, the new recipe comes with a bold new pack design created to stand out and capture attention in the freezer aisle.

With market leaders Birds Eye holding 57.5% share of the £192.3m2 UK fish finger category, the recipe and pack design upgrade aims to bring even more shoppers into a category already loved by households across the country. To support the rollout, Birds Eye will launch a multi‑million‑pound marketing campaign across TV, out-of-home, social and in‑store, celebrating the taste, versatility and quality that have made Birds Eye Fish Fingers a household staple for over 70 years.

At the heart of the upgrade are the simple ingredients used to make our fish fingers: starting with a block of frozen fish fillets, which are cut into the iconic fish finger rectangles. Each piece is then dipped in a flour-based batter, before being coated in Birds Eye’s unique baked breadcrumbs. The fingers are flash‑fried to set the coating and then frozen immediately to lock in their quality, a process similar to how they might be made at home, just at larger scale.

The Birds Eye fish finger portfolio gives households a choice of responsibly sourced fish options, each offering a tasty and nutritious addition to meals: Omega 3 (Alaska Pollock) Fish Fingers are a source of omega‑3 and a natural source of protein, while Cod and Haddock Fish Fingers (also both a natural source of protein) each deliver the flaky texture and delicate flavour that make them enduring favourites.

Claire Sutton, Marketing Director at Birds Eye, commented: “Birds Eye Fish Fingers have been part of British family life for generations because they consistently deliver on taste, quality, and convenience. This recipe refresh takes everything people love about our Fish Fingers and makes them even better. We’ve focused on creating the ultimate crunch while keeping the same succulent fish inside, giving shoppers the best fish finger experience possible.”
The new recipe and updated packs of Birds Eye Omega 3, Cod and Haddock Fish Fingers will start landing on shelves in Morrison’s from 3rd March. They will be rolling out in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Asda from 9th March.

Do you have a young leader who would benefit from being part of the BFFF Young Leaders Forum?

The BFFF Young Leaders Forum was launched at the BFFF Business Conference in March 2020. The aim of the forum is to bring young, developing individuals together to investigate initiatives to help support and promote the frozen food industry. The forum also gives the members the opportunity to develop through talks from industry experts, site visits, exposure to company operations and interaction with other BFFF members.

In 2026/2027, YLF members will be visiting Speciality Breads, Campden BRI, Space Maker Inc and ifp-labs, with further visits and online sessions being planned.

Current member and former chair, Lewis Wantling, said of the forum:

Being part of the YLF is a brilliant opportunity to connect across the frozen food sector, working together and learning from other young leaders in a wide range of sectors & positions. Being part of the YLF since the very beginning has been a rewarding experience. Gaining exposure to the different categories in the frozen food sector with each visit providing insights and building a greater understanding of the wider industry. Over the course of the visits, I’ve seen first-hand the passion businesses have for quality frozen produce, innovation and driving added value.

To become a BFFF Young Leader:

• You should ideally be aged between 18 and 35
• You must work for a BFFF member company

If you are interested in joining, or have a staff member that you think would be, please contact Kathryn Tindall: kathryntindall@bfff.co.uk for further information.

The British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Health & Safety Expert Group recently met for the first meeting of 2026.The group helps deliver best practice across frozen and the wider food and drink industry.

In attendance were BFFF members GXO, QK Coldstores, COOK, Sysco GB, Bidfood, StoreLogs, Holdsworth Foods, FareShare, Heron Foods.

Topics discussed this time were:

• Member updates,
• Accident Statistic Benchmarking group for producers/retailers
• Review of current BFFF Health Surveillance PA assured Coldstore guidance
• BS30480 – Suicide in the workplace – intervention and support
• Violence and aggression in retail
• In house drugs and alcohol testing trials
• Primary authority update (buy time from the experts)
• BFFF member queries
• Announcement of the date for the next H&S Conference 17^th September 2026

Our guest speakers were Robert Sugar and Andrew King from Darkonium AI to demonstrate a plethora of applications for H&S in the coldstore environment and workplace including:

• Vehicle and pedestrian separation
• Heat emissions from parts of the body
• Vital monitoring
• Cold dose optimisation
• Preventing slips and trips
• Detecting falls
• Air quality
• Monitoring manual handling
• Warehouse shelf loading capacity
• Employee fatigue
• Emergency evacuation

The technology also has other business benefits such as efficiencies. We would like to thank all that attended for their valuable contributions.

To find out more about the work carried out by the BFFF Health & Safety group please contact: simonbrentnall@bfff.co.uk

The Gas Specialists

BUSE Gases Ltd is a subsidiary of BUSE KSW GmbH & Co. KG headquartered in Germany.

We are a trusted name in an evolving portfolio of gases for more than 130 years and a very experienced partner for your business.

As one of the leading suppliers in both the Industrial and Specialty Gas Markets, we provide our customers with the highest quality products and outstanding level of service.

Heritage

Rudolf Ehrenfried Buse originally pursued a completely different idea that had nothing to do with gas. In 1875 he set up a bag factory in Bad Hönningen. But instead, he became much more enthused about the natural gases, now known as carbon dioxide, in the Hundsacker district of Hönningen.

He was so interested in them that he devoted himself intensely to their liquefaction. He then set up carbonic acid plants in multiple locations across Germany, including one in Gerolstein.

Origins in drinks

As a pleasant by-product, he encountered water while drilling for carbonic acid from the spring. But it was not just ordinary water. It was top-quality mineral water that had already been discovered in Roman times. At this historic moment, Gerolsteiner Flora-Brunnen was founded in 1883.

From that point forth, Rudolf Ehrenfried Buse extracted not only mineral water in Gerolstein but also spring-sourced carbonic acid. He was able develop this business into the drinks industry.

Over the subsequent decades, the mineral water business expanded.

Establishment of the Buse Group at an international level followed with sites opening in Greece, and the Balkans, where BUSE developed into an established name in the local gas business. At the same time, we established a further site in the Netherlands. We rapidly established ourselves as one of the leading service providers for inspecting and filling canisters for pressurised gas and extinguishing agents for the firefighting industry. We are, to date, an expanding corporate group with international locations and an extremely broad services spectrum.

Food Applications

Intelligent Gas Solutions for Modern Food Production

We are your dependable partner in evaluating processing requirements and site-specific challenges. Our expertise lies in developing optimal gas supply systems that:

• Improve long-term profitability.
• Increase production flexibility.
• Reduce waste and environmental impact.
• Lower total cost of ownership

Whether your Food preparation requirement is:

• Freezing
• Chilling
• Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)

BUSE Gases delivers innovative supply options designed to improve operational efficiency. Our solutions combine:

• World-class technology
• Visible, data-driven monitoring
• Transparent, long-term partnerships
• Optimised supply and recovery systems

Clients are consistently surprised by the opportunities we uncover to enhance efficiency while safeguarding quality and sustainability.

applications@buse-group.uk             

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by a type of bacteria known as Legionella. 

While the bacteria are naturally found in freshwater environments like lakes and streams, they become a health risk when they grow and spread in man-made water systems. The disease is typically contracted by breathing in tiny droplets of water (aerosols or mist) that contain the bacteria.

 

Employers, landlords, and property managers in the UK have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH Regulations 2002 to manage Legionella risks. Key requirements include conducting a risk assessment, implementing control measures appointing a responsible person, and keeping records

 

With 35 years experience ensuring the microbiological safety of potable water, ifplabs UK are pleased to announce that we have recently expanded our testing portfolio to offer a UKAS accredited service for the detection and quantification of Legionella in hot and cold mains water.

 

We provide end-to-end testing support for monitored water systems, including culture methods to validate control schemes and outbreak investigations; aligned to UKHSA/HSE expectations. Routine potable and system hygiene indicators to track baseline quality and detect emerging risk. Sampling bottles included in analysis cost; scheduled dispatch to fit your monitoring plan. Online sample submission portal with results certificates available to authorised users; email certificates to nominated contacts for simple audit trails.

 

If ensuring water safety and controlling Legionella risk is your responsibility, let it also be ours, by trusting ifplabs UK as your testing partner.

Take a look at our water safety leaflet:

What Good Water Safety Looks Like

 

Contact our UK sales team – UK.sales@ifp-labs.com or call 01422 405678

Freezing performance directly impacts yield, operating cost and compliance. This article outlines three requirements to consider when investing in modern IQF equipment.

Freezing is often seen as one of the final steps in production. In reality, it is one of the most decisive. No matter how carefully raw materials are selected, product quality and saleable yield can deteriorate significantly if the freezing process is inconsistent. For UK frozen food producers navigating rising costs and tighter specifications, understanding IQF is no longer optional, it is strategic.

What should you expect from IQF?

The principle of Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) is straightforward: freeze each piece quickly and separately.

However, the process behind that principle is far from simple. When evaluating IQF equipment, the decision should not be limited to capacity or footprint alone. The chosen solution will directly influence product consistency/quality, yield retention, energy exposure and long-term margin stability.

3 Requirements to Set When Investing in IQF

When investing in new IQF capacity, these process requirements should form part of the evaluation.

1. Rapid freezing

The initial phase of freezing, where the product surface forms a stabilising crust, is critical. If this phase is too slow, moisture migration increases, leading to higher dehydration and potential product deformation. If airflow is excessive or unstable, unnecessary weight loss and surface damage may occur.

Freezing time, air velocity and pressure must work together. The aim is to achieve rapid surface stabilisation while maintaining balanced aerodynamics across the product bed.

For processors, dehydration is not only a quality concern, it is a yield variable. Every percentage of moisture lost during freezing represents lost saleable weight. Across high-volume operations, even small deviations in freezing control can translate into measurable financial impact.

2. Limiting Operational Costs

Different freezing technologies carry different cost structures; typically based on either liquid gas or electricity. Both models expose processors to price volatility, but in different ways and to varying degrees.

Within mechanical IQF, efficiency is not defined by installed power alone. The key factor is controllability. As products move through different freezing phases, airflow requirements change. Systems that allow independent adjustment of airflow across separate freezing zones enable processors to align energy use with actual process demand, rather than operating the entire freezer at uniform output. This approach can reduce fan-related energy consumption by up to 30%.

Beyond energy consumption, manual labour requirements and water usage are additional operational factors that can drive long-term costs and gradually reduce potential margins if not carefully considered.

3. Food Safety

Food safety in IQF depends on controlled temperature reduction, stable airflow and hygienic equipment design. Freezers that are difficult to access or clean can interrupt production schedules and increase contamination risk. Systems designed for efficient cleanability without extensive dismantling or prolonged downtime support both compliance and operational continuity.

Design choices also matter. Replaceable bed plates instead of traditional conveyor belts reduce hidden debris zones and simplify sanitation. Controlled airflow and humidity management minimise snow formation inside the freezer, which otherwise signals uncontrolled moisture extraction and potential hygiene challenges.

Ultimately, food safety in IQF depends on predictability: stable temperatures, controlled airflow and equipment that can be cleaned thoroughly without compromising uptime or product integrity.

About OctoFrost

OctoFrost is a Swedish manufacturer of food processing equipment, specialising in advanced solutions for IQF freezing, cooking, frying and chilling. With installations in more than 50 countries, the company combines engineering expertise with deep knowledge of food processing applications.

For more information, visit www.octofrost.com.
Or contact David Johansson, Sales manager UK.

Further to our member update on 12th February PackUK has now confirmed that the UK Government has agreed to close the funding gap for Year 1 of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme to ensure local authorities receive the full level of funding committed under pEPR.

Members can read this latest announcement in full here.

Note: this is a one-time intervention by the UK Government to help mitigate increasing costs for producers and maintain stability during the first year of the scheme.

As you will recall, earlier this month PackUK announced that they had identified a shortfall in the funding originally calculated for Year 1 of pEPR. More accurate packaging data had been resubmitted by producers, resulting in lower total packaging tonnage than previously submitted.

Under normal circumstances, this would have required a recalculation of producer per tonnage fees. However, PackUK state that they recognise that packaging EPR is a significant change in how packaging is managed, and there has been a high number of resubmissions in the first year as businesses familiarise themselves with new requirements. Therefore, there will be no change to disposal fees for Year 1 of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR), which will remain as outlined in producers’ Notices of Liability in October 2025.

Producers who resubmitted their packaging data, and had it accepted by the regulators, will have their approved tonnages reflected in an updated Notice of Liability. PackUK plans to issue updated NoLs by the end of March.

PackUK state that as familiarity with the scheme grows, the scale of data corrections is expected to reduce significantly in future years. Also, they are taking steps to improve data stability and prevent late adjustments in future years. This includes bringing forward the deadline for producer data submissions and using updated Year 1 data to improve guidance and calculations, so businesses can plan with greater confidence.

If you have any questions, please do feel free to contact Deniserion@bfff.co.uk or if you prefer, the PackUK service desk directly on PackUKEngagement@defra.gov.uk

In the meantime, we’re keen to understand how things are panning out for members since PackUK issued the first Notices of Liability (i.e. invoices) 

• Were invoices more/less than or as expected?

• Have you experienced any issues, or have concerns?

Your feedback is essential and will assist us in future discussions with government representatives.

• Birds Eye expands its fast-growing Chicken Shop range with two new wings SKUs created in partnership with award-winning Sauce Shop®
• The launch builds on the range’s double-digit value and volume growth1 as consumers continue to seek bold, customisable fakeaway solutions at home
• Birds Eye Chicken Shop Buffalo Hot Wings and Honey & Chipotle BBQ Wings launch in Tesco and Sainsbury’s from 2nd March

Birds Eye is expanding its high-performing Chicken Shop range with a new collaboration that taps directly into the UK’s appetite for bigger, bolder flavours. The brand has partnered with fast-rising flavour specialist Sauce Shop® to launch two new chicken wings products: Buffalo Hot and Honey BBQ Chipotle, each pairing Chicken Shop’s succulent wings with a dedicated Sauce Shop® sachet for at-home customisation.
Meeting the growing demand for bigger, bolder fakeaways
Demand for flavour-forward fakeaways continues to grow, especially among younger shoppers who want indulgent, customisable meals without the cost or wait of a delivery. Research shows flavour is the top priority in a chicken fakeaway, with over half of 18-34 year olds mixing up what they choose and 40% saying new flavours make the occasion feel more special.

Birds Eye’s Chicken Shop range is already well aligned to this behaviour, offering fast-cooking takeaway-style formats (including air fryer-friendly products), that suit the smaller group occasions that make up 74% of fakeaways.3 The addition of Sauce Shop’s high-intensity, trend-driven sauces gives shoppers even more control by letting them dial up the heat, sweetness or smokiness to their preferred level, while recreating the flavour profiles dominating quick service restaurant menus and social media trends.

A collaboration built around two names gaining momentum with flavour-seekers
Birds Eye’s Chicken Shop is one of the most dynamic brands in frozen, delivering +28.8% value growth and +28% volume growth YOY4 and recruiting new shoppers into frozen poultry +3.7% YOY.5
Sauce Shop® brings equally compelling category momentum. In a competitive sauces category, the brand has delivered +40.4% retail sales value growth with strong gains in hot-sauce and BBQ segments. Its Buffalo Hot Sauce, the brand’s top-selling sauce, is now the second largest Buffalo sauce in the market – and the biggest UK-made – growing +76% YOY.6
Together, the two brands are creating a proposition that drives cross-category interest designed to strengthen trial, repeat and basket spend.

Claire Sutton, Marketing Director at Birds Eye commented: “Our Chicken Shop range has always been about bringing quick service restaurant style quality into the frozen fixture, and flavour sits at the heart of that. Partnering with Sauce Shop®, one of the most exciting flavour brands in the UK, lets us bring the kind of sauces people obsess over online straight into the freezer aisle. These new Chicken Shop wings give consumers all the flavour, fun and flexibility they expect from a night-in without any compromise on taste.”

Pam Digva, Co-Founder at Sauce Shop®, said: “This partnership is rooted in flavour. Birds Eye Chicken Shop delivers great quality wings and pairing them with our sauces lets people tailor the heat and flavour at home. Buffalo Hot and Honey & Chipotle BBQ are two of our best-loved profiles, so they felt like a natural fit for the range.”

The new range will be available from 2nd March in Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The range is available as Birds Eye Chicken Shop Buffalo Hot Chicken Wings 385g and Birds Eye Chicken Shop Honey & Chipotle BBQ Chicken Wings 385g.