Tues 18th Nov, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London

U.K.’S LEADING FOOD & DRINK WHOLESALER BOOKER & WICKED KITCHEN® PARTNER TO LAUNCH LARGEST VARIETY OF CONVENIENT PLANT-BASED FOODS NATIONWIDE

Posted on by Susan Knight

Wicked Kitchen, the chef-driven and 100% plant-based global food brand with an extensive range of chef-created products and Booker, the market leading wholesale provider in the U.K., have come together to offer the largest line up of vegan options for food service and cash and carry just in time for summer menus.

Booker now offers a range of Wicked Kitchen’s catering packs companywide at its 195 locations – with additional offerings coming this summer— to meet consumer demand for craveable, chef-crafted plant-based foods. This launch comes at a time when 77% of U.K. consumers feel there are not enough choices or that plant-based is not available when they go out.* Booker and Wicked Kitchen will overcome these barriers by offering restaurants, pubs, and caterers quick, convenient, and deliciously versatile food service options including Wicked’s meal solution pouches, breakfast pastries, savory pies, burgers, sausages, desserts, and ice creams, capitalizing on Wicked Kitchen’s expansive variety of bold-flavoured foods.

“As chefs who grew up in restaurants and catering, we love Booker and are honored to offer a one-stop solution while also helping to inspire chefs and food service operators with amazing vegan foods that are versatile and easy to prepare,” said Chef Derek Sarno, co-founder of Wicked Kitchen. “By bringing the largest variety of plant-based products for food service to market, we are meeting consumer requests for flavour-forward, 100% vegan catering packs. Our foods appeal to vegans and omnivores alike.”

In addition to meeting food service demand for full-flavour, chef-crafted plant-based foods, Booker’s commitment to expand its vegan selection supports its sustainability goals as plant-based products are recognized as better for the environment because of a lower carbon footprint when compared to their animal protein counterparts.

Starting with frozen items found in a dedicated space at all Booker wholesale locations, and available for direct ordering online, Booker now carries:

  • Sourdough Pain Au Chocolate
  • Tantalising Tikka Pouches
  • Smoky Chilli Pouches
  • Sweet Potato & Vegetable Tikka Pies
  • No-Chicken Pies
  • Chorizo Style Sausages
  • Italian Inspired Amazeballs
  • Jalapeño Griller Burgers
  • Sticky Toffee Puddings

Additional products available soon with more to come include:

  • Sourdough Croissants
  • Vanilla Ice Dream
  • Cookie Dough Ice Dream
  • Berry White Ice Dream Novelty Sticks
  • Chilli Not Dogs

“We’re excited to launch into food service in the U.K. with such a great partner as Booker that not only has wide reach but a strong commitment to offering the very best in choice, price and service,” said Pete Speranza, CEO, Wicked Kitchen. “We are a ‘for-chefs-by-chefs’ operation on a mission to help restaurants, pubs, hotels and caterers offer irresistible meals and menu items that cater to all tastebuds without sacrificing taste or convenience.”

Wicked Kitchen was first launched in the U.K. at Tesco in 2018 by chefs and brothers Derek Sarno and Chad Sarno, helping to fuel the plant-based movement with more than 150 products featured in Tesco locations. The brand expanded globally in 2021 into the U.S. and in 2022 into Finland and Thailand.

Wicked Kitchen launched into food service in the U.S. last year partnering with the National Basketball Association’s Minnesota Timberwolves team to offer one of the first plant-based concessions in the U.S. at the team’s home arena, Target Center. Additionally, the brand’s offerings are available in a multitude of large-scale arenas and stadiums as well as theaters and convention centers across the U.S.

*ProVeg, Plant-Based Food in the UK report, 2020, Market and Consumer Insights

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SOME OF FROZEN FOODS’ BIGGEST COMPANIES AT THIS YEAR’S GALA DINNER DANCE

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

The Gala Dinner Dance returns to The Brewery, Chiswell Street on the 15th of June and the guest list is already full of some of the biggest brands, manufacturers and retailers in the food industry.

These include Freiberger, Creative Foods, Cook, Marks & Spencer, Daregal, Crops, Pacific West, Heron Foods, Seara, Dawsongroup, Greenyard, Seafish UK, Fullers Food, Apetito, What’s Cooking, Birds Eye, Billington Foodservice, Inspired Energy, Cargill and Brakes.

Guests will have the opportunity to network throughout the evening and have the exciting experience of the British Frozen Food Award announcements, highlighting some of the latest NPD in the Frozen Food industry.

The night will also be part of the British Frozen Food Federations’ 75th anniversary celebrations, which will include an anniversary event brochure and a special awards video released on the night.

Only BFFF members are able to purchase tickets to this prestigious event and they are selling fast!

Purchase your tickets today

FROZEN FOOD MARKET RETURNS TO VOLUME GROWTH IN Q1 2023

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

The volume of frozen food sales has returned to growth in the first quarter of 2023, according to new Kantar data from the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF).

The 12-week figures to 19 March show that volume sales of frozen food grew by 2,572,000 tonnes, compared to the same period last year.

The value of the retail frozen food sales also continued to increase in the same period, up +9.5% (£273,061,000) largely driven by inflation across the entire food supply chain.

Frozen vegetables, meat & poultry, potato products, ready meals and savoury foods have all seen a jump in volume in the 12 weeks, whilst more indulgent products such as ice cream and confectionery have seen a drop in sales volume in the same period.

The news of growth in the frozen food market comes as Kantar also reports a decrease in the volume sales of fresh and chilled foods by -5.0% in the same period, showing that more consumers have recognised frozen food as a tasty, nutritious and affordable choice for helping them deal with the cost of living crisis.

Rupert Ashby, chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation, commented: “I am delighted to see that the frozen food market has returned to growth in the first quarter of 2023. Our members have been working incredibly hard under huge pressure of rising costs to make sure that consumers can still find the best quality products with unrivalled value for money in the frozen aisle of their supermarket.

“The cost of living crisis has had a significant impact on consumer spending habits over the winter months, which has likely driven sales of frozen food. However, I am confident that many consumers will now regularly return to the frozen aisle during their weekly shop as more people experience the exceptional quality and taste of frozen food.”

Mr Ashby added: “Innovation is at the heart of the frozen food market, with exciting new products regularly hitting supermarket freezer shelves. I am always impressed with the products which are being brought to the market by our members, so I would encourage all consumers to make friends with their freezer and visit the frozen aisle during their next shop.”

Download Latest Data

The BFFF is proud to recognise the innovation and quality of frozen produce at our annual British Frozen Food Awards, with the 2023 ceremony taking place on 15 June. More information about this year’s awards can be found here.

GOVERNMENT PUBLISHES REGULATORY REFORM UPDATE AND UPDATES REUL DASHBOARD

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

On 10th May, Government published a regulatory reform update, ‘Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy’. This accompanies the announcement from that an ‘amendment for Lords Report’ was being tabled, removing the current sunset clause in the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill.

The ‘Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy’ update will be the first in a series of updates on how Government intends to reform regulations to support economic growth. It sets out an ambitious programme of reform to reduce our overall regulatory burden, maximise innovation and growth and support UK businesses and consumers. A copy of this report is available on gov.uk and can be found here.

They have also updated the REUL Dashboard, which was first published on 22nd June 2022 and updated in January this year. The dashboard sets out for each piece of REUL its name, type, and territorial extent. The Dashboard also provides an overview of the percentages of REUL which have already been amended, repealed, or replaced. The data used to populate the dashboard will also be available to download via a file uploaded to the gov.​uk page which can be found here.

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES AMENDMENT TO REUL BILL WHICH REMOVES THE SUNSET CLAUSE

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

The Government has announced in a written statement on 10th May that it is tabling an ‘amendment for Lords Report’, which will replace the current sunset clause in the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill with a list of the retained EU laws that they intend to revoke at the end of 2023.

They state that this will provide certainty for business by making it clear which regulations will be removed from our statue book, instead of highlighting only the REUL that would be saved. The vitally important powers in the Bill that allow us to continue to amend EU laws will continue, so more complex regulation can still be revoked or reformed after proper assessment and consultation.

The passage of the Lords Report Stage will commence on the 15th and 17th May.

Rupert Ashby, chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation commented:

“The British Frozen Food Federation welcomes the government’s announcement that it will remove the sunset clause from the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill through an amendment at Lords’ Report stage.

“It is positive news for businesses throughout the frozen food supply chain, as lack of clarity on which regulations would be removed from the statute book at the end of 2023 was causing uncertainty. Many of these regulations are essential to maintaining high standards of food safety and consumer confidence while aiding our ability to trade with the European Union.

“I am also pleased the government has published the ‘Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy’ paper, as we should be looking to simplify regulation where appropriate. I am sure our members will welcome further updates through regular publications from the government on how ministers plan to reduce overall regulatory burden, maximise innovation and growth, and support UK businesses.

“Frozen food is an increasingly popular choice for consumers looking for high quality and affordable options in their weekly shop and I know that our members will be pleased to have more regulatory certainty past the end of 2023.”

You can read the Government’s announcement in full here

THE ICE CO. PARTNERS WITH HENLEY FESTIVAL FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Posted on by Lucy Barrow

Europe’s leading ice manufacturer and supplier, The Ice Co. has been announced as the Official Ice Partner of Henley Festival for the second year running. The music festival will run 5th – 9th July 2023.

As the Official Ice Partner for the festival, The Ice Co will provide a range of products for use in bars, restaurants, and other hospitality areas across the event. From its best-selling Party Ice to Super Cubes, The Ice Co will ensure that all festivalgoers’ drinks stay chilled and refreshing throughout the four days.

Additionally, The Ice Co ice buckets will be used across the festival’s bars and counters, allowing ticket holders to keep their drinks perfectly chilled whatever the weather.

To mark the occasion, The Ice Co is hosting two competitions on its Super Cubes Instagram channel, to give followers the chance to one of four tickets to this year’s festival.

The first competition launched Friday 5th May and closes on Monday 15th May, giving followers the chance to win two Grandstand B tickets on Saturday 8th July. The second competition will go live on Monday 5th June, and will give followers the chance to win two Lawn B tickets for the festival on Friday 7th July.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Henley Festival again this year,” said Lucy Redman, Head of Marketing at The Ice Co. “Last year’s festival was a huge success, and we are excited to be working with the festival team to make this year’s event even better. We see Henley as the perfect partner for us!

“We are happy to be giving The Ice Co fans the opportunity to win tickets and experience the festival, too. Hopefully, our lucky winners enjoy the fantastic line up while sipping on some delicious cocktails.”

The Henley Festival’s CEO, Jo Bausor, said: “We are delighted to have The Ice Co as our official ice partner for a second year. Their high-quality ice products were a hit with our guests last year, and we look forward to working with them again to provide an exceptional experience for our attendees.”

For more information on The Ice Co., please visit the website, and follow the Super Cubes Instagram page for a chance to win Henley festival tickets.

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2023: WAGNER’S INNOVATIVE FIRE PROTECTION SOLUTION FOR LITHIUM ION TECHNOLOGY RECEIVES AN AWARD

Posted on by carl.bryan@wagner-uk.com

WAGNER Group GmbH from Langenhagen near Hanover is one of the leading companies in fire protection. Now it has received an award for a fire protection solution that addresses a very topical issue: the storage of lithium ion batteries. In the election for Product of the Year in the Logistics Transport category, the certified and globally unique solution convinced the expert audience from the logistics industry: the solution achieved second prize in the award of the trade journal for intralogistics and logistics, materialfluss.

The laudatory speech at the award ceremony on May 2, 2023 in Haar near Munich honored WAGNER’s holistic fire protection solution: the company has developed a solution that protects a high bay warehouse for e bikes equipped with lithium ion batteries from the spread of fire, thus creating
safety for assets, personnel and the environment. In the case of lithium ion batteries, the technology means that a fire can start at any time due to a thermal runaway a fact that highlights the importance of a specific fire protection system.

“We are pleased that through innovative spirit and expertise we have developed a solution that represents a milestone for safety in the storage of lithium ion technology in automated warehouses.

We are all the more pleased that this is also seen by logistics experts and that we were awarded second prize. At the same time, this is an incentive to continue to focus on our innovation work and to produce solutions that will meet future technologies at all times,” explains Steffen Springer, Managing Director of WAGNER Group GmbH.

The awarded solution Lithium ion technology is ubiquitous as a mobile energy store in e mobility, cell phones or battery powered tools, for example. Accordingly, the batteries are often found as stock items in different warehouses. Batteries, with their specific fire hazards, place special demands on warehouse safety and thus on plant fire protection. Property insurers classify them as hazardous goods due to possible self ignition from a thermal runaway. The development of specific fire protection solutions for the storage of lithium ion batteries is therefore a highly topical issue.

WAGNER implemented this individual fire protection solution for the fully automated high bay warehouse of KETTLER Alu Rad GmbH, in which up to 50,000 e bikes can be packed ready for shipping and stored with batteries installed. It reduces the risk of the c onsequences of a thermal runaway as much as possible. With the help of fire tests, the experts from WAGNER have developed a special VdS tested fire protection solution for storing lithium ion batteries.

Specific factors such as the packaging material, the type of storage and, in particular, the charge level of the batteries were considered individually. The solution consists of the OxyReduct® oxygen reduction system, which largely reduces the risk of a fire starting and spreading by building up a protective atmosphere in the protected area, and the TITANUS® early fire detection system, which detects the source of a fire 2,000 times earlier than conventional ones in the event of thermal runaway of the batteries point detector. Since self-ignition of the batteries can never be ruled out, a defined distance between the bicycles stored in boxes ensures that a fire cannot spread and the extent of damage in relation to values and processes is limited as far as possible.

“Fire protection is an elementary part of logistics. The fact that our solution can be found among such a top-class field of applicants shows the relevance of both the topic and our solution. We also congratulate the other applicants for the award on their excellent products, which will be of crucial importance for the logistics industry in the future,” said Steffen Springer after the award ceremony.

WEBINAR: CLIMATE CONTROL FOR COLD STORAGE IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Posted on by Michelle Bell

In food production, your cold storage, and even your loading bay, will experience condensation and ice build-up if you do not have the right dehumidification solution. It is critical to control both the temperature and relative humidity level to avoid issues impacting work conditions, product quality, and maintenance requirements.

Join us for this 45 min webinar to give you an overview of what is needed.

Martin Ginty

Business Development Manager at Munters

Martin will guide us through the challenges related to cold stores. He has deep knowledge about the challenges within food production when it comes to humidity problems, and he has supported clients worldwide in finding the right climate control solution.

What you will learn

  • Why humidity control matters in cold stores
  • How to improve products quality
  • How to keep the facility safe for workers
  • How to lower operating costs
Date: Wednesday, May 17th
Time: 10:00-10:45 am GMT

Can’t join on this date?
Please register, and we’ll send you a link to watch on demand later.

Register for the webinar today!