Food and Drink Suppliers

Supplier news

This plots biggest-ever meat-free crowd round to supercharge growth

This – launched in 2019 by Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman – is aiming to raise at least £4m from the round but expects to overfund and beat the €5.4m (£4.6m) raised by Spanish brand Heura last month

Suppliers given six weeks to change packaging as sunflower shortage hits

Others have given a 12-week cut-off, but suppliers said the deadline was stil far too tight and would inevitably result in shortages.

Capreolus launches British charcuterie range into Waitrose

Waitrose will be stocking three of the brand’s Great Taste Award winning products: Dorset Coppa, Dorset Chorizo and Dorset Air-Dried Beef

Finnebrogue announces plant-based partnership between Better Naked and the Co-op

Among the six listings are four new lines which will be available across all 1,200 stores this week

Growers warn apple prices will have to rise due to cost of production

Trade body British Apples & Pears said the industry was experiencing an up to 25% rise in cost of production this year

Glebe Farm launches major rebrand across all products

The British oat milk company will emphasise its heritage and its status a family run business in the rebrand across all lines

Cranswick recalls chicken from supermarkets due to salmonella link

Cranswick has had to recall 111 products from Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Amazon, Tesco, Waitrose, M&S, the Co-op and others

Canned wine brand Hun sold to owner as rival brand Babe exits UK

Hun, which was backed by Waitrose executive director James Bailey, has been acquired by its wine supplier Origin Wine after running aground

Russian white fish tariffs ‘imminent’, prompting fears for cod & chips

Tariffs could ‘make cod and chips more expensive than wagyu beef’ warn suppliers

Tesco hits suppliers with distribution charge hike, blaming new diesel tax

The supermarket has written to suppliers saying rates will go up by almost 8% from 29 May

Rapid grocer Jiffy launches fresh cooked pizza delivery in London

The ultra-fast delivery player has forged a partnership with Miguel’s Pizza to serve as an “on-site supplier”

Clutch of craft brewers close as independents struggle with pandemic recovery

Kelham Island, Fallen Brewing and Beatnikz Republic are among those closing down

Birds Eye launches biodiversity campaign on packs of peas

The Peas for Bees campaign aims to educate the nation on the importance of sourcing food sustainably and biodiversity

Onken yoghurt launches major marketing campaign with Gok Wan

The campaign is a content series of five three-course set menus from five culinary destinations around the world

Nomad Foods calls on industry to implement carbon impact assessments

When analysing the 22 frozen Nomad products, most had an equal or lower carbon footprint as similar products using other preservation methods

OneFarm plans to open major vertical farm in Suffolk

The first phase of development at the Newmarket site will deliver 6,400m² of growing area

Heck posts growth but warns of future impact from rising costs

The North Yorkshire-based supplier saw year-on-year turnover rise by just over £1.6m to £27.7m

Farmgate milk prices soar – but ‘still not enough’ to offset costs

A growing number of dairy farmers are warning price increases are failing to keep up with soaring input costs

Soya campaign launched to stop chicken farmers using Brazilian feed due to poison fears

Bees, macaw parrots, tapirs, fish, frogs, birds of prey and bats are, according to the organisation, ’falling victim to the toxic chemicals sprayed on soya’

Waitrose adds £16m to support package for its pig farmers

The retailer said the pledge would cover the full cost of rearing and producing pigs across its 250 supplying farms – including labour, feed, and fuel

Bleiker’s Smokehouse under investigation for food fraud as it enters administration

The North Yorkshire-based smokehouse was previously a supplier of fish products to major UK supermarkets but it is now under investigation by the National Food Crime Unit

Winners revealed at first Farm Shop & Deli Show Product Awards

Of the hundred of products entered, 27 attained the highest level gold award

Sunflower planting campaign launched to help Ukrainian farmers

The proceeds of seed sales will be donated to Ukrainian farmers and will be distributed by MAS Seeds, Bright Maize’s Ukrainian arm

FSA updates list of tradeable CBD products from 3,500 to 6,000

The additions included brands stocked by major retailers such as CBDfx, Leaf Life, Kiki, Pollen and Vita Coco

Wyke Farms owner warns UK is ‘sleepwalking’ into grain shortage

The problem will be exacerbated by the lack of “intervention stores” in the UK and Europe designed to be used if food runs out

Health groups step up calls for mandatory salt targets

250 medical experts have written to Boris Johnson urging the government to bring in mandatory salt reduction target

Food poverty crisis warning as food banks face surge in demand

The Trussell Trust.provided more than 2.1 million parcels to people facing food poverty between 1 April 2021 and 31 March this year

Vertical farm tech business backs farm-in-a-shipping-container startup

The extended partnership will see Vertical Future invest in the company, as well as offer a building and commissioning service

David Beckham-backed CBD brand pulls ingestibles range

Cellular Goods has suspended sales of its ingestible CBD range after it failed to comply with Food Standards Agency rules

Finnebrogue launches new plant-based Better Naked sauces into Tesco

The flavoured sauces include two mayonnaises and two ketchups

Wheat focus turns to India and US as Ukraine war cuts supply

Delhi expects bumper crop but bad weather casts cloud over American harvest

Arctic Iced Coffee launches biggest ever marketing campaign

The £750,000 nationwide campaign will start from mid-April and continue throughout the summer across a variety of channels

FSA confirms tradeable CBD list will be updated ‘very shortly’

The list is to get two updates before 30 June, following complaints from brands missing from it

Growers warn of tomato shortages due to supply issues

Supplies of tomatoes will remain limited in the short term resulting in further shortages and higher prices over the next few weeks, according to Mintec

Heura smashes €1m crowdfunding target as thousands invest in plant-based brand

Its second ‘Equity for Good Rebels’ campaign on the Crowdcube platform saw the Spanish-headquartered business reach its €1m goal in just 30 minutes.

FSA to add more brands to list of tradeable CBD products

Several brands say they have received confirmation from the FSA they are to be added soon

David Beckham-backed CBD brand among over 120 the FSA wants removed from sale

Other well-known affected brands include Vita Coco, which launched a CBD-infused cola into Sainsbury’s only last month, and CBDfx gum, which is sold in Boots

Report defends reformulation programme amid calls for mandatory HFSS targets

An FDF report includes fresh data from Kantar Worldpanel showing FDF members’ products contribute 10% fewer calories to the average shopping basket than in 2017

Heating costs add further threat to UK produce sector

Inflationary pressures are driving growers to plant fewer crops

Food export curbs spreading as Ukraine war fuels global commodity turmoil

Vegetable oils and seeds have been the worst-hit commodities

analysis & features

What’s next for the 120 CBD brands not on the FSA’s list?

The FSA says brands not on its list should be removed from sale – but many are on shelves at major retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Amazon

What does Fifa’s winter World Cup mean for food and drink’s summer of sport?

This year, the World Cup is moving to December. Will other summer sporting events take centre stage? And how will food and drink deal with the pressures of a World Cup at Christmas?

opinion