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INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS

Last week the Federation took part in a Zoom call with a number of frozen food trade bodies around Europe and America.

We were joined by associations in Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Austria and USA.

It was really interesting to hear both the common challenges and opportunities we all had despite the fact that we all operate in different countries and marketplaces.

Most of the people on the call reported a strong growth in Retail sales with nearly everyone in double digit growth. But also some very interesting differences with one participant saying frozen pizza sales are flat yet in the UK we are seeing this category in double digit growth. It was also clear that the Out of Home market has been decimated in all countries on the meeting.

Some of the common challenges were around sustainability and the climate balance for frozen. Food waste is also seen as a big topic and one that frozen has a very positive role in.

We hope to extend the connection with this “frozen family” in the coming months. To the benefit of all participants, through the sharing of knowledge, insight and experience.

MEADOW VALE’S AWARD WINNING SHREDDED CHICKEN FIRES UP TO 3 PRODUCTS WITH NEW SALT AND CHILLI

Following on from Shredded Chicken winning Gold at the British Frozen Food awards, Meadow Vale have introduced a new flavour to its very popular Homestyle chicken category after consumer demand for a spicy variant.

The new Salt & Chilli Shredded Chicken uses the signature Homestyle crunchy coating with a mix of authentic ingredients including Chilli and Paprika to give it a spicy kick. They come in convenient 1kg bags and are fully cooked, hand cut, whole muscle chicken breast fillets, simply deep fry in 1-2 minutes from frozen or oven bake for a consistent great tasting product.

Meadow Vale Foods Managing Director, Nigel O’Donnell commented ‘We are delighted to introduce another product to our popular Homestyle range, the coating was developed for the takeaway and delivery making it perfect for businesses who are adapting to offer this service for the first time.’ Nigel went on to say ‘our fantastic product development team have added 6 new products to our range despite the challenging year, this shows our commitment to continue to innovate and bring great tasting, quality products to the industry.’

Meadow Vale Foods specifically developed the Homestyle range with its innovative crunchy textured coating to appeal directly to the Delivery, Street Food and QSR markets. The authentic whole muscle chicken product has proved equally popular with caterers from all sectors. Each portion is hand cut and coated giving it a truly home cooked look and feel, they cook from frozen in just 90 seconds and thanks to their innovative textured coating remain crunchy for longer. We have created a menu idea brochure to show the versatility of our new Salt & Chilli Shredded Chicken which you can see on the Meadow Vale Foods website www.meadowvalefoods.co.uk

XPO LOGISTICS INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY AND SAFETY IN E-COMMERCE WAREHOUSES WITH TOUCHLESS MACHINE VISION SCANNERS

XPO Logistics, a leading global provider of transport and logistics solutions, has deployed 370 state-of-the-art barcode scanners with machine vision in warehouses in the UK, Spain, France and the Netherlands. The fixed-mount, computerised scanners speed the reading of inventory data, while replacing shared, handheld scanners with a more hygienic solution.

XPO selected the Cognex Series 370 technology following pilot programs for major retail customers, such as H&M, with additional trials underway. The scanners are installed in high-volume e-commerce warehouses where workers are managing the holiday surge in order fulfilment.

Richard Cawston, managing director, supply chain – Europe, XPO Logistics, said, “We’re constantly exploring new technologies that can enhance the efficiency and safety of our logistics network. Each time we replace a handheld scanner with a fixed-mount camera, we increase throughput by over 10% on average, and the task transfers from person to person touch-free.”

XPO is the European leader in outsourced e-fulfilment – a fast-growing area of logistics that has been accelerated by the shift to online ordering during COVID-19.

IT’S A JAFFA FOR BRAKES WITH LAUNCH OF A NEW VEGAN CAKE RANGE

The first vegan Jaffa Cake in foodservice leads the range

Brakes, the UK’s leading foodservice supplier, has launched a new range of cakes aimed at helping operators capitalise on the burgeoning vegan sector, which has grown by more than 400% in the past five years.

Leading the new range is a Vegan Jaffa Cake, the first in foodservice, which is complemented by four other cakes that mix the classic with the modern. The range provides operators with products that are not only vegan, but also taste great and offer excellent returns.

The full range of products in the range are:

  • Brakes Vegan Jaffa Cake
  • Brakes Vegan Salted Caramel cake
  • Brakes Vegan Choc Fudge Cake Pre-Cut
  • Brakes Vegan Cherry & Chocolate Dessert
  • Brakes Vegan Jam Roly Poly

Vanessa Baker, Category Manager Bakery, Desserts & Ice Cream at Brakes, said: “We’ve developed a fantastic range of vegan products, which do not compromise on taste or quality and will help our customers take a slice of this increasingly lucrative sector.  Over the past few years, Brakes has stood out from the competition when it comes to developing innovative, tasty award-winning products and this range is no exception.

“The growth in vegan products has been exponential and it shows no signs of stopping.  It’s important, particularly in these difficult times, that we help our customers to capitalise on as many opportunities as possible. Having a great vegan range is an important part of that.  However, the beauty of these products is that while they are suitable for vegans, they offer the best of all worlds: a great tasting product that consumers will love, and which will be a fantastic addition to any menu in its own right – with the added advantage that they are also suitable for vegans.”

Baker continued: “Our research has shown a growing trend towards a familiar, nostalgic comfort food which has been driven by COVID-19.  Our flagship vegan Jaffa Cake is perfect for that.”

Henry Franklin, National Account Manager, Mademoiselle Desserts, which worked with Brakes to create the Vegan Jaffa Cake, said: “We wanted to create a cake that wasn’t just vegan, but would perform well in its own right.  In consumer trials, the feedback we received was amazing, and completely supported our belief that this is going to become a firm favourite on menus across the country.”

CAMPDEN BRI COO PETE HEADRIDGE TO SUCCEED CHRIS HUSCROFT AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Pete Headridge will become the new Chief Executive of the Campden BRI Group following Chris Huscroft’s retirement on 1 January 2021. Huscroft joined Campden BRI in October 2018 as Director of Technology, before becoming Director of the Centre of Technical Excellence and then COO, prior to becoming Chief Executive in January this year.

Tim Holmes, Chairman of the Campden BRI Group, said:

Campden BRI has faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 and Chris has guided the organisation through this difficult period very effectively. The effort that Chris has put into Campden BRI over the past year to adapt the organisation to a very different world has been immense and is something that the Board and I are very thankful for. In the latter half of the past year, Chris has worked closely with Pete and the senior team to set Campden BRI on a new course for the future.”

Headridge will take over as Chief Executive following a year as COO. He brings with him many years’ experience in senior technical and quality roles at the Kellogg Company.

Headridge said:

“This is an exciting time for Campden BRI. A new senior team has been brought together during 2020, with a number of key internal and external appointments. I look forward to working with them to deliver our exciting three-year growth strategy.”

Most recently, Emeritus Professor Tim Foster joined the team as Scientific Affairs Director, with responsibility for developing the new scientific strategy for the business and putting Campden BRI back at the technical heart of industry, academic and governmental groups. Sarah Armstrong was recently appointed HR Director, as the company undertakes significant organisational development as part of the implementation of its new Three-year Strategic Plan. The external client focus will be headed by Barbara Lunnon, Associate Director Marketing, as the new sales and marketing team takes shape. In the Operating Units of Analytical Services, Consulting-Science and Consulting-Technology, the Associate Directors of Nick Byrd, Julia Jackson and Emma Hanby are organising their teams to deliver for all our members and clients. Chris Ikpeme brings the backbone of sound financial management to the team as Finance Director, plus Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance, Patricia Murray. The senior team is completed by Annalie Brown, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive.

Holmes added:

“The Board and I would like to thank Chris for his commitment and excellent stewardship of the business throughout a difficult year and wish him well for his well-deserved retirement. We look forward to working with Pete and the senior team as Campden BRI moves into the next exciting phase of its evolution.”

THE BEST NEW VEGETARIAN/VEGAN/MEAT FREE RETAIL PRODUCT SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY THE FOOD PEOPLE

Welcome to the announcement for the Best New Vegetarian/Vegan/Meat Free Retail Product in the 2020 – 2021 British Frozen Food Awards sponsored by The Food People

The First Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the American Vegan Style Ice Cream – Caramel Coconut from the Gianni’s range at Aldi. Our judging panels thought; excellent flavour and texture, a well balanced delicious product.

Julie Ashfield the Managing Director of Buying from Aldi comments; “We are extremely proud that Aldi’s frozen food range has been shortlisted for nine categories at this year’s BFFF Awards. The frozen food category continues to be important to our customers and working together with the UK’s best suppliers, our Buying team has developed some incredible quality products at amazing prices to meet the ever-evolving needs of shoppers. We are honoured that this effort has been recognised by the British Frozen Food Federation.”

The Second Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the Brie and Cranberry Pastry Crowns from the Iceland Luxury Range at Iceland Foods. Our judging panels thought the product was; filling very flavourful, good looking product, flavour and texture of the product is excellent.

The British Frozen Food Awards Sponsor The Food People

 

The Third Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the Spinach, Leek and Cheddar Vegetable Lattices from the I am a Veggie at Aldi. Our judging panels thought the product had; bags of flavour, nice finish of pastry, golden colour and nice strong cheese.

The Fourth Shortlisted Company

Congratulations to the Red Pepper and Mango Curry from the Plant Menu Ready Meal Range at Aldi. Our judging panels thought the product had; good flavour, subtle mango and good value.

Congratulations to all our shortlisted companies and commiseration to the rest of the category product entries. The BFFF look forward to announcing more category shortlists, they will be released once a week until early march 2021.

The British Frozen Food Awards Sponsor The Food PeopleThank you to our Category Sponsor The Food People

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
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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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