Five Million Shield Packages Delivered to the Vulnerable

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Five Million Shield Packages Delivered to the Vulnerable

Brakes and Bidfood, the UK’s leading foodservice providers, have confirmed that more than five million shield packs were successfully delivered across England and Scotland to those identified as clinically extremely vulnerable during the four month respective Government shielding programmes, which are paused from 31st July.

The initiative was launched to ensure that vital food supplies could reach Britain’s most vulnerable people during lockdown. Involving more than 3,000 employees from Bidfood and Brakes, it has been described as the largest effort to feed the nation since the Second World War.

The boxes contained more than 20 products, including some that were a challenge to source at the beginning of the pandemic, such as pasta and rice. In total, more than 15 million cans of soup, enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools and 3,000 tonnes of rice and pasta, the equivalent weight of 30 blue whales, were delivered during the initiative.

In total, Bidfood and Brakes delivered approximately 4.7 million packs in England and 800,000 packs in Scotland.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “I want to thank all those involved at Brakes and Bidfood for the sterling work they have done to get food to the most vulnerable people in our society.

“Together they have packed and delivered 4.7 million food parcels across England – a truly outstanding effort in such a short space of time.

“While the food boxes have come to an end, those who had registered for them will remain eligible for a priority supermarket delivery slot and the NHS Volunteer Responders Programme will continue to provide support with getting food, prescriptions and essential items to those who are self-isolating for any reason.”

Both Bidfood and Brakes have each received an overwhelming number of thank you messages from grateful recipients of the free weekly boxes, who would otherwise have been unable to access food during this period due to shielding to protect their health.

In a joint statement, Alex Mayfield, Director of Supply Chain and Operations at Brakes, and Jim Gouldie, Supply Chain and Technical Services Director, Bidfood, said: “Everyone involved across both businesses have been so proud to have played a part in helping some of the nation’s most vulnerable people at a time when supporting them was so crucial. We had this scheme up and running in a matter of days and since then, every morning, hundreds of vehicles have left our depots carrying thousands of essential supplies across the country to those who need them.

“The number of calls, letters and messages on social media that we’ve received have been amazing. Our drivers have heard first-hand how these boxes have been a lifeline for the clinically extremely vulnerable receiving them throughout lockdown and we’re delighted to have been able to be a part of such a critical programme.”

BIRDS EYE SIMPLIFIES MEAT-FREE COOKING WITH GREEN CUISINE MIXES

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

BIRDS EYE SIMPLIFIES MEAT-FREE COOKING WITH GREEN CUISINE MIXES

Birds Eye is expanding its Green Cuisine range with meat-free mixes for families to recreate their favourite meals
Each mix combines a pea protein meat substitute with vegetables and tasty sauces, in three different flavours (Bolognese, Mexican-style ‘Fajita’, and Chilli Con Carne)
The new launch will be supported by a £2m multi-channel campaign, and follows the successful entry of the brand in to the meat-free category in 2019

Birds Eye is building on the successful introduction of its meat-free range in 2019 with the launch of Green Cuisine Mixes – a combination of pea protein, vegetables and tasty sauces that help to make meat-free family meals easier. The new range provides families with versatile and convenient ways of creating meat-free meals for everyday dinnertime occasions, and will be supported by a £2m multi-channel campaign during the summer.

The expansion of the Green Cuisine line is expected to increase penetration of meat-free frozen products into households through the three convenient and flavoursome recipe mixes; Bolognese, Mexican-style ‘Fajita’, and Chilli Con Carne. Each mix gives shoppers the versatility to enjoy a wide variety of meals, with further meal inspiration included on the packaging’s reverse side. Requiring just the addition of a side of choice, the Green Cuisine Mixes contain all of the ingredients and sauce needed to recreate family favourites – such as lasagne or spaghetti Bolognese – with a meat-free twist.

Anne-Marie Gayer, Senior Brand Manager at Birds Eye, said: “Our Green Cuisine range has been received incredibly well since launching last year. Using Birds Eye’s position as a leader in the frozen food market and the brand’s mainstream appeal amongst families, we’ve helped attract new shoppers both to the brand as well as the meat-free frozen category.

“With the new Green Cuisine Mixes, we’re making meat-free meals even easier to prepare. We know 65% of consumers have eaten food containing meat substitutes , yet many shoppers find regularly creating meat-free meals a challenge, which can be a barrier to experimenting further with plant-based options. We’ve worked to create versatile mixes that that recreate the taste and textures of meals people already love, but in a meat-free way.”

Launched last year, Birds Eye’s Green Cuisine range has firmly established itself within the meat-free frozen category. The brand drove 40% of category growth during ‘Veganuary 2020’ , the biggest month ever for meat-free frozen products, worth £16m and up +12% . The range’s success has also seen the brand expand into frozen bakery products, with Vegan Pies and meat-free sausage roll products launched last month.

Birds Eye’s Green Cuisine Mixes range includes; Mexican Style (Fajita), Chilli, and Bolognese. All variants are available now in Tesco.

£25m investment in British potato industry to help manage climate change and COVID-19 impact

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

£25m investment in British potato industry to help manage climate change and COVID-19 impact

£25 million investment to support the future of British potato growing
40 per cent provided this year to help farmers combat immediate climate change and COVID-19 effects
Investment strengthens McCain’s 50+ year partnership with farmers and will support broader hospitality and retail industries
Collaboration is critical to protect the future of potato growing and McCain can’t do it alone, says Howard Snape, GB & Ireland President

Wednesday 12th August: McCain, the UK’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, today launches the McCain Potato Farmer Pledge, an investment of £25 million in the British potato industry. The investment will help British farmers manage the increasingly erratic weather caused by climate change as well as the impact of COVID-19. The investment will also strengthen McCain’s partnerships with its farmers and benefit wider industries such as retail and hospitality.

“British potato farmers have been hit immensely hard in recent years,” said Howard Snape, Regional President at McCain GB & Ireland. “Having faced a major drought and one of the wettest harvests on record, they’ve experienced two of the worst crops in 40 years. Added to that, without us honouring our contracts with growers and finding alternative outlets, they would have been left with a huge surplus of wasted potatoes due to COVID-19 shutting down the hospitality industry.

“Today’s investment will not only help the potato industry but will also strengthen McCain’s partnerships with farmers and support the wider supply chain including our customers and suppliers. However, we can’t do this alone – to overcome the challenges facing growers, everyone needs to take the initiative to work collaboratively. It’s why within our sector we’re committed to working with farmers, customers, industry leadership groups and government to create a sustainable future for years to come.”

The £25 million McCain Potato Farmer Pledge has been worked on with farmer feedback and is split into three elements:

Multi-year Incentives – A 3-5-year loyalty scheme rewarding farmers who continue to grow. The programme will help support the farming, hospitality and retail industries through a more stable and sustainable supply of potatoes.
Grower Grant Funding – A fund to which growers can apply for grants to invest in harvesting capacity and improved sustainable potato growing through irrigation infrastructure and innovative new technology such as self-propelled harvesters. There have already been 85 applications from growers to date.
Sustainable Contracts – Alongside honouring contracts during COVID-19, McCain is optimising its contracts. Improving prices on early season varieties, so farmers get
fair prices, and building greater flexibility into the farm-to-production system, to reduce delays. This is in addition to the Indexation Model which measures changes in the costs of production to ensure fair and sustainable contract pricing for growers, a method McCain pioneered in 2007.

McCain has also decided to allocate 40 per cent of the investment this year when farmers need it most, due to being hit by both severe weather and COVID-19’s enforced closure of the hospitality sector leaving a backlog of potatoes that cannot be used. This immediate funding will be delivered through grower contracts with McCain, grant funding and multi-year incentive offers.

Alongside the pledge, McCain has also been helping farmers navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to an oversupply of potatoes caused by the closure of bars and restaurants. As part of its commitment to honour all grower contracts, McCain worked to minimise wastage by reallocating potato varieties normally earmarked for foodservice to retail product lines, donating surplus stock to food banks via its partnership with FareShare and, where possible, storing potato stock for use next season.

Today’s investment also complements McCain’s ongoing work with farmers to increase the sustainability of agriculture, including our variety development, ‘Young Grower’ programmes, and our recently announced “Farms of the Future” that will showcase our focus on regenerative farming practices including enhancing biodiversity and soil health, through technology and innovation.

Daniel Metheringham, Director of Agriculture at McCain GB & Ireland, says: “We’re the experts in potato agriculture – from our seed business in Scotland to our team of expert agronomists, we work closely with our 250 growers every step of the way and are committed to supporting them through these challenging times. The last two years have seen two of the worst potato crops in the last 40 years and this paired with the impact of COVID-19 has left our growers with a number of challenges including bad crops and surplus potatoes. McCain growers saw an average 18% reduction in yield in 2018 and 16% of our 2019 storage crop was still left in field. This Pledge is about doing all we can to help our growers and we can’t thank them enough for all their work.”
NFU President Minette Batters, says: “Following two seasons of extreme weather impact followed by Covid-19 market disruption, growers need all the support they can get to have the confidence to grow into the future. We’re therefore pleased to see McCain taking a leadership position and providing this much needed investment opportunity and making a commitment to support their growers, and we look forward to working with McCain to help ensure that British potato production has a strong and sustainable future.”

Nigel Adams, a potato grower for McCain, says: “Our operations aren’t just about what goes on within our farm, there’s a much bigger world and supply chain out there which has a huge knock-on effect on our sustainability. For us to operate we need the market and the weather to be favourable and during the past few years both aspects have been hit. When you’ve got a customer like McCain and you know your product has somewhere to go, you can work with much more confidence. We couldn’t have produced with the weather in recent years without the tools that we’ve invested in, through McCain’s support. The flexibility in the funding from McCain has also allowed us to create a solution that is fit for our own farm, which is immensely helpful. The systems aren’t just for this year either, it’s going to help our farm and production year-after-year, meaning we can build a more sustainable future.”

Wanted: Skill, talent and motivation for forklift operation

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Wanted: Skill, talent and motivation for forklift operation

Once again, but quite a bit differently this year, Talent in Logistics and UniCarriers are searching for the new Forklift Operator of the Year. After a first round of online testing and the exciting final challenges, the winner will be honoured at the online Talent in Logistics Awards night. While maintaining the original spirit of the competition, Talent in Logistics and UniCarriers are taking all necessary precautions regarding the current pandemic. For the first time, the competition will be hosted as a virtual event for supporters of the competitors. Therefore, the Forklift Operator of the Year challenge will provide an important and fun event for talented and knowledgeable logistics employees, all while protecting participants and their colleagues, friends and family.

With their work, employees in the logistics sector contribute to the global economy and the functioning of our society. The Forklift Operator of the Year is meant to value their commitment and dedication to this important sector – their work has become even more essential in times of the current coronavirus pandemic. But to work in logistics and warehousing takes quite an amount of skill and knowledge. And that is exactly what forklift operators are able to show at the yearly challenge created by Talent in Logistics and UniCarriers. “Forklift operators are a vital asset in an essential economy sector. Their job requires skill, motivation and constant attentiveness. With the Forklift Operator of the Year competition, we want to throw the spotlight on them and thank them for their valuable contribution. It’s great that we can still do so virtually”, states Chris Bates, Managing Director, UniCarriers, UK.

In a first round of online testing, the 30 best competitors qualify for a series of virtual competition finals. Those finals will take place in Telford, UK, from 9th to 11th September. The participants will have to accomplish four tricky Olympics themed tests to prove their skill and knowledge in operating a forklift. You always thought, that warehousing had nothing to do with basketball, weightlifting, show-jumping or golf? Well, spoiler alert: Yes, it does! “Notoriously, the Forklift Operator of the Year finals are something of a spectacle and great fun for all involved – competitors and spectators alike,” says Ruth Edwards, Business Development Director for Talent in Logistics. “Although the competition set-up will be slightly different this time around, the events will still retain the same sense of fun and entertainment, as well as of course closely examining the talent and knowledge of operators to identify the best of the best.” For this, UniCarriers provides the TX3 electric counterbalance forklift truck. This model won the International Forklift of the Year (IFOY) Award in 2019 as well as the Red Dot Award in 2018. With optimised visibility, excellent electric steering and a number of well-thought-out details and innovative ergonomic features, the TX3 is UniCarriers’ pioneering counterbalance truck for safe, healthy and efficient materials handling. UniCarriers will also present other vehicles during digital demonstrations, including more counterbalance trucks, reach trucks, order pickers and pallet trucks.

To guarantee a safe environment for all competitors and their supporters, Talent in Logistics and UniCarriers have established a special health and hygiene concept for the three days of competition. Participants will adhere to the social distancing recommendations during their stay and the tests. Thanks to the virtual event, interested spectators will be able to witness the competition from home or work.

Following the competition, the next opportunity to cheer will be the online Talent in Logistics Awards night on 1st October, where the winner, the “Forklift Operator of the Year 2020” will be announced and honoured within a unique online celebration and networking event for the logistics sector.

To watch the live Forklift Operator of the Year virtual finals, visit https://www.unicarrierseurope.com/uk/Forkliftoperatoroftheyear2020

Guidance on the Shelf Life Extension of Frozen Food

Posted on August 11, 2020September 16, 2020 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Guidance on the Shelf Life Extension of Frozen Food

The British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) has issued new guidance to help businesses manage unprecedented levels of frozen stock approaching the end of its shelf life as result of COVID-19, in order to avoid significant amounts of food waste.

The guidance, which includes detailed advice on shelf life extension as well as labelling and redistribution, has been produced in collaboration with DEFRA, Primary Authority and WRAP. It is backed by trade organisations including the FDF, Federation of Wholesale Distributors, the FDF, UK Hospitality and the Provision Trade Federation.

The guidance is aimed at business supplying hospitality and foodservice who unexpectedly find themselves holding excessive stocks of frozen food. It is not intended for foods destined for general retail sale to the public.

Richard Harrow, chief executive, BFFF, said: “Preventing food waste is a key priority for the food and drink sector.

“Effective communication and greater collaboration across the supply chain will be vital in the months ahead to ensure the safe and appropriate use of frozen food currently held in storage and to reduce unnecessary waste.

“This new guidance is designed to help businesses facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the pandemic, mitigate severe losses without compromising consumer safety while also maintaining the already excellent levels of traceability and transparency across the supply chain.”

Victoria Prentis, DEFRA Food Minister, said: “Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the BFFF and all its members have acted as a united front – working innovatively to keep the supply chain moving and keep our country fed and I thank them for their hard work and commitment.

“Now, as restrictions continue to ease, we all need to work together to do all we can to ensure good, nutritious food does not go to waste. All food that is safe and suitable to eat should be made available for sale or redistributed. We in government are firmly committed to supporting this effort alongside industry.”

The BFFF is also calling for all parties to consider the full range of options available, to prevent individual business holding unexpectedly high levels of frozen food stocks, carrying the full burden of costs.

Mr Harrow added: “The processes manufacturers, suppliers and wholesalers have used effectively in the past to agree shelf life extensions, may simply be unmanageable with the extraordinary quantity of frozen food now held in the system awaiting distribution.

“Until the hospitality sector returns to normal, all operators will face uncertainty about when stock will be called upon and which products will be required. The sector’s recovery depends on all parties working together to manage this challenge and the costs associated with this issue in the coming months.”

Ben Elliot, the Food Surplus and Waste Prevention Champion for DEFRA, said: “I want to thank the BFFF for taking quick action to address the issue of surplus food.

“I recently wrote to food businesses urging them to work together to keep our supply chain moving as lockdown eases, so it is great to see the BFFF and all its members working quickly to do just that.

“We all have a role to play in what must be a nationwide effort, and this guidance should go a long way to help businesses play their part.”

Peter Maddox, director WRAP said “WRAP is delighted to support the development of this new guidance from BFFF and Defra, which will help many businesses to manage their frozen stock nearing end of shelf life more confidently, and reduce instances where good food may go to waste.”

You can access the guidance .

BFFF Young Leaders Forum take on Annual Frozen Food Report

Posted on August 11, 2020January 9, 2026 by Harry

The Frozen Food Report is widely regarded as a benchmark of industry performance. It is an opportunity to show the status of the industry, while gaining exposure for key industry issues which are either being addressed or need to be addressed.

The BFFF Young Leaders Forum is made up of young professionals from across the industry, whose skills and expertise have gained them recognition and support from company executives within their organisations. This has been clearly evident by the number of entries put forward for the BFFF People Awards Rising Star Category for the last three years running. Holly Jones, Technical Assistant, and Harry Hinks, Digital Marketing Manager, saw the opportunity to use this collective knowledge within the group to put into an industry benchmarking publication.

The report will be published at the start of January 2021 and will arguably be one of the most important Frozen Food Reports published, due to COVID-19 and the variety of challenges the industry is collectively facing. Retail and Foodservice will be covered in the report and will be approached very differently, as and the group looks into the change in consumers behaviour towards Food Waste and how businesses aim to be more sustainable.

Holly Jones said, “The Frozen Food Report has given this specialist group a strong direction for supporting and demonstrating the performance of the Frozen Food Industry, and with a report as significant as this, it will establish the value of an industry specialist interest group like the BFFF Young Leaders Forum for future initiatives.”

Previous Frozen Food Report – https://issuu.com/bfff/docs/frozen_food_report

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