NewsHound
It’s been a busy year already:
Two highly anticipated reports were released earlier this month, with wide-reaching implications for the entire food manufacturing industry. The report by the Sustainable Development Commission suggested that one-fifth of total UK greenhouse gas emissions was caused by the food chain, and called for government guidelines on reducing the impact. The day before, the Competition Commission recommended that an ombudsman be appointed to resolve disputes between retailers and food suppliers, with the power to award compensation and uphold the Supermarket Code of Practice. Proposals for changes to local planning laws were also recommended to provide consumers with greater choice. Local councils will be advised to carry out a ‘competition test’ for decision making into planning permission for new supermarkets, and a five-year time limit will be established on the current exclusivity agreements that prevent rival supermarkets from setting up retail outlets nearby.
High profile food stories are dominating the media, not least from Channel 4’s Great Food Debate, which has already had a significant impact on the sales of organic chickens across the country thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and co.
Fairtrade Fortnight (25 February – 9 March 2008) also looks likely to generate media and consumer interest with a series of high profile national and local events to raise the profile of the organisation that improves the lives of farmers and workers in developing countries.
Meanwhile, Queen of Puddings (and all things culinary) Delia Smith is hard to miss at the moment, with the launch of her new book ‘Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking’, and an expected return to TV in the spring. All this coverage is fantastic news for the numerous products and brands that she name-checks in print. Sales of Marks & Spencer’s Roasted Red & Yellow Peppers and Aunt Bessie’s Homestyle Instant Mashed Potato, amongst others, are set to rocket as Delia gives them the official seal of approval. In her last TV series Delia mentioned a metal pan for making the perfect omelette, which led to the revival of struggling producer Lune Metal Products when they received orders for 90,000 new pans in just four months, having previously made just 200 of the omelette pans a year.
And more good news for UK producers, as it’s big up the apples and pears, with demand for traditional British varieties of the fruit soaring last year, and expected to rise further in 2008. The sales of Bramley apples were up 14.2% between August and December 2007, from the same time period in 2006 due to consumer-driven demand for local produce.
Mirroring the Hutchinson Jonas Group’s interest in training within the food manufacturing industry (see who won our first undergraduate award from the University of Reading ), new research has been commissioned by Improve into the benefits of training in our industry. The study will focus on the value of skills and the results are expected to be released in May. http://www.improveltd.co.uk/
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