Iceland has become the first supermarket in the UK to launch plastic-free reusable woven bags that will see the retailer expand its alternatives to traditional plastic bags.

The new bags are a combination of paper and cotton and provide customers with a strong, reusable bag that has been designed to match the performance of existing woven bags.

Iceland will launch the bags in all of its stores across the country as it continues to monitor customer feedback for all its plastic-free innovations.

The bags will cost £1.00 each and will be sold alongside sustainably sourced reusable and recyclable paper bags (30p) and insulated freezer bags (£1.50).

Richard Walker, Managing Director of Iceland, said: “We know that many customers are still using ‘bags for life’ only once so we have been working hard to create an alternative plastic-free reusable solution. Nearly 500 million plastic bags for life were sold last year in the UK – a steep decline in recent years – but this figure is still far too high.

“These new paper cotton bags will offer our customers a strong, reusable alternative to plastic bags. We’re looking forward to seeing how customers respond to these new bags as part of our wider plans to reduce our plastic footprint.”

This is the latest in a long succession of industry-leading plastic removal projects, as the retailer continues to lead the UK’s grocery sector in its fight against plastic. In 2019, Iceland became the first UK supermarket to trial plastic bag free stores.

The retailer continues to lead the way in the fight against plastic, recently becoming the first major UK supermarket to fully publish its plastic footprint.

For further information on Iceland’s plastic reduction progress to date, please visit sustainability.iceland.co.uk.

The 2022 AD and Biogas Industry Awards, organised by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) and the World Biogas Association (WBA), reached their climax on Wednesday night with the Awards Ceremony celebrating the winners and highly commended entries of this year’s competition.

Held since 2010 to recognise excellence and innovation in the UK and global biogas sector, the Awards have reflected the rapid growth of the industry on a global scale, as well as its diversification, with an increasing number of entries from around the world and the launch, this year, of the Women in Biogas category.  The latter proved exceptionally popular with three joint winners out of a shortlist of 37 – the judges having decided that the quality of all the entrants justified giving them all a chance to win.  Another milestone this year was the Award handed out to former WBA President, David Newman, for his lifetime achievements.

Chris Huhne, Chairman of ADBA, commented: “Congratulations to all our winners, highly commended and all finalists to this year’s competition.  These Awards demonstrate the excitement that is running through the green gas industry as a result of the opportunities that are opening up. Not only does biogas have a key role to play in combating climate change, but it is also essential to our energy security in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Charlotte Morton, WBA Chief Executive, added:  “Our industry can deliver 50% of the Global Methane Pledge targets signed up by over 100 countries after COP26. 

Realising that potential will require a massive growth of the sector and the commitment of all its players. To achieve this we will have to be at our best, and we will. Our industry’s global footprint is growing and so is its diversity, as exemplified by the calibre of the 37 shortlisted women for the Women in Biogas award. The evidence is clear that a more diverse workforce delivers significantly greater performance.

Congratulations to our winners and highly commended recipients, and a big thank you to all our finalists for their commitment to our industry.  Keep up the very good work and we hope to see you again next year.”

Full winners and highly commended list:

The Health and Safety Award – Sponsored by SGN Commercial Services
Winner: Energen Biogas/ Bio Capital Group 
Highly Commended: Shropshire Energy UK Ltd 

Women in Biogas – Sponsored by Air Liquide
Winners: 
– Lucy Lewis, Marches Biogas 
– Dr Fatima Zahra Beraich , BIODOME.SARL
– Christine McKiernan, Bioenergy Devco

AD Hero of the Year – Sponsored by Future Biogas
Winner: Fatima Zahra Beraich, BIODOME.SARL 
Highly Commended: Sophie Randall, Waste4Generation Ltd 

AD Rising Star – Sponsored by Esmil
Winner: Timothy Hamill, Bio Capital Group 
Highly Commended: Charlotte Catt, BioteCH4

Best Anaerobic Digestion/Biogas Support – Sponsored by Blended
Winner: PRODEVAL: Between Services and Innovation 
Highly Commended:
– DiBiCoo, Biogas and Gasification Matchmaking Platform
– Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Brazil: Biogas Training Track offered by the GEF Biogas Brazil Program, CIBiogás, UNIDO & MCTI 

AD Circular Solutions 
Winner: McCulla Ireland: Sustainable Transport Circular Solution 
Highly Commended: 
– Project Biogas Ladyzhyn of MHP (Ukraine) 12 MWe 
– The Bennamann Biocycle 

The Net Zero Award – Sponsored by ECO2
Winner: Severn Trent Green Power 

AD Pacesetter: Micro AD
Winners: 
– Cold & High AD, Washington State University
– HomeBiogas 
Highly Commended: BioNomad, EcoNomad Solutions Ltd 

AD Pacesetter: Below 1Mwe
Winner: Liholmen, Norway: The World’s Northernmost AD Plant

AD Pacesetter: Above 1Mwe
Winner: Recovery of Plastics From Depackaging Process, Swancote Energy Ltd 

Lifetime Achievement Award
David Newman

Members will be aware of the FSA’s ongoing investigations into peanut contamination of soya lecithin produced in India.

To reiterate, as outlined in the FSA’s statement on 25th May, there is currently no evidence of unsafe food having been placed on the market and information provided by industry to date suggests that the incident has been controlled.

As investigations indicated a wide distribution, with many businesses affected across the UK and globally, the FSA decided that the most effective way of addressing the issue was to provide industry with guidance and to make consumers aware of the issue.

The industry guidance asked each business to carry out its own risk assessment to ensure that only safe food is placed on the market. However, following conversations with members, it’s clear that a few ‘pointers’ would be welcomed.

Please note that the following is not an exhaustive list and does not constitute formal advice or instruction but merely gives suggestions of things to consider:

• First and foremost, remember you need to ensure the food you sell is safe. Therefore, any food placed on the market or supplied needs to be risk-assessed to decide whether a recall/withdrawal is necessary to protect consumers.
• The risk assessment should be based on worst case scenario and look at the whole process.
• It is reasonable to expect that an effective positive release system is put in place at the raw material stage.
• The contamination levels may be below limit of detection for the chosen laboratory test method, therefore a calculation will be necessary.
• In your calculations, use the highest level of peanut protein that has been detected in the raw material. Also, consider mixing bowl tolerances – look at the highest potential inclusion levels of the affected ingredient(s)/components in combination with the lowest inclusion levels of non-affected ingredients/components.
• Consider the amount per unit of consumption and how much may be realistically consumed, even in excess.
• The Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL) Program is widely used as a useful tool to provide a risk-based methodology for food manufacturers to use in assessing the impact of allergen cross contact and to provide appropriate precautionary allergen labelling (PAL).
• If the result of your calculation is remotely near the VITAL threshold, we would recommend seeking expert opinion for confirmation. It may be that the quantity of product needed to be consumed to invoke a reaction is so huge that the food would not necessarily be considered unsafe and so a withdrawal or recall may be unnecessary.

Food inflation, labour challenges, sustainability and other hot topics facing foodservice businesses will be top of the agenda as the doors open on Brakes’ Summer Food Festival on 9 June 2022.

Brakes’ virtual events have already built a reputation as a destination site for food and food trends and the Summer 2022 Festival will give operators the opportunity to hear about the latest new products and insights, with chef demos providing practical solutions and ideas.  Visitors will also be able to gain valuable insight on today’s big issues and tailored support whether you’re a school, care caterer, pub, restaurant or workplace.

The 24-stand event will launch with on-demand content focusing on making menus as cost and resource efficient as possible, featuring insight and analysis from a range of industry experts.  Building on previous Virtual Events, there will be an increased focus on delivering practical chef-to-chef solutions and efficiencies, with new content regularly being added across the two-month event.

Brands including Unilever Food Solutions, Nestlé Professional, pladis and Mars Wrigley will join Brakes, the event organiser, providing new insight, practical guidance as well as creative menu solutions.

Paul Nieduszynski, Chief Commercial Officer, Sysco GB, said: “The Summer Virtual Food Festival will give foodservice operators a unique opportunity to hear from leading brands and Brakes, with vital insight in what remains a tough time for many.  As well as being a visually stunning festival of food with new product launches, video on demand and sector specific information, there will be hundreds of experts delivering insight and ideas that can have an immediate and positive benefit to customers’ businesses.

“It is an event not to be missed and because it’s virtual visitors can dip in and out at a time that suits them.”

Virtual Events have become an increasingly important way of communicating with customers, driven not only by COVID necessity, but also by time pressures that operators are facing.  Since being the first wholesaler to launch a virtual event in 2020, more than 10,000 customers have visited virtual events organised by Brakes.