All articles by Sam Fortescue – Page 6
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News
Walkers challenged over 'wet' potatoes
Potato growers are angry about a Carbon Trust report that says they add water to their spuds. The trust's Carbon Footprints in the Supply Chain looked at how PepsiCo sources and processes potatoes for Walkers crisps. It concluded the...
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Healthy Start for new food voucher scheme
Greengrocers are set to grab a share of a £129m a year windfall, thanks to a government initiative. Healthy Start is a Department of Health scheme that gives families vouchers to spend on milk and, for the first time, fruit and...
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Most British livestock farmers unprofitable
If you picked a random UK sheep or beef farm, the chances are it would be making a loss, EBLEX says. The end of direct farming subsidies and the true cost of farm labour make most livestock producers unprofitable, according to figures to...
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Chips to get pricier as potato volume drops
Chip prices could rise after Christmas as supplies of top quality frying potatoes become scarce, according to the British Potato Council. The long, hot summer and low rainfall stressed out the plants, cutting yields and increasing disease...
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Obesity: maybe fatty animals are to blame
Obesity isn't just a problem for humans, according to a British academic. Thanks to modern farming, animals are too fat, and as well as leading to obesity in humans, this is also contributing to a growing incidence of mental ill health,...
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Tesco backing S&A in ongoing worker row
Tesco and Sainbury's are standing by soft fruit grower S&A as it clashes again with unions. The Herefordshire strawberry growing co-op came under the spotlight earlier in the year after the TGWU received complaints from 200 migrant...
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First Milk set sights on premium cheese
First Milk has set its sights on building a premium own label cheese business out of the factories it has bought from Dairy Crest. First Milk chief exec Peter Humphreys said there were great opportunities to be found in building up...
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Sainsbury's plans fruit and veg roadshows
Store managers and consumers need more education about fresh produce, Sainsbury's says. The retailer claims it sells more fresh produce per customer than competitors, and is launching initiatives to keep it that way. Staff in the...
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Net about to close on the North Sea pirates
Pirate fishing is the biggest threat to commercial fish stocks in the North Sea, Barents Sea and the north east Atlantic, and is undermining responsible fishing management plans. Speaking at the Norwegian Embassy's responsible fishing...
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It's no longer just a Cameo appearance
Cameo, a trademarked bi-coloured dessert branded apple, beat 145 entries to win top prize at the National Fruit Show. Its rise to prominence underlines how the English apple season, while still based on Cox, is embracing varieties with an...
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NFU fires latest salvo in the milk price war
The National Farmers' Union last week kicked off its latest attempt to highlight low milk prices. It has challenged dairy farmers to stand up and be counted by submitting an invoice to the NFU for the difference between farmgate milk...
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Levy gives his energy to Eat in Colour launch
The Eat in Colour initiative to boost fresh produce sales is finally set to launch - more than a year after the concept was floated. It has been given new impetus by the appointment this week of Anthony Levy as chairman. The Fresh...
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Ocean Spray exploits cranberry's diversity
Ocean Spray is looking to further extend its reach beyond drinks and move into new areas, which could include vitamin supplements and oral care products, as part of a drive to exploit the health benefits of cranberries. The co-operative...
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English apples set for bumper sales season
It is shaping up to be a bumper year for British apples, as supermarkets report the fruit is flying off the shelves. Asda claimed it was the first of the multiples to offer English apples from this year's harvest by getting Cox's on the...
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West Country scheme to make beef more tender
One of the West Country's major beef suppliers is working with farmers to produce beef that is more tender. The Better Beef Scheme has just put the first of the meat on Tesco shelves after being launched last year. It is expected to begin...
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OMSCo reined in by boom and bust fears
Britain's biggest organic milk supplier will be closing the door to new producers as early as January, it says. Richard Hampton, chief executive of the OMSCo co-operative, said that there was a risk of returning to the cycle of boom and...
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Mayan Gold potato is like 'history on a plate'
A potato billed as the first entirely new variety to arrive in the UK for 400 years has been launched by UK grower Greenvale. It is a very close relative of the spud first brought to England during the reign of Elizabeth I, which is...
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Immigration controls will harm horticulture
Growers in the UK may face serious labour problems if the government slaps restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants. The two countries have just been told that they can join the EU on 1 January next year. But serious conditions...
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First Milk delivers on Dairy Crest purchase
First Milk has bought Dairy Crest's own-label cheese business for nearly £62m. Analysts broadly supported the move but farmers fear it will force them to accept a lower milk price and are considering alternatives. Under the terms...
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Second opinion The crisis presented by the poor Scottish diet has serious lessons for the future of the whole UK food industry says Tim Lang
I have spent the last year chairing an official governmental review of Scotland's diet and health, published last week. It takes a sober look at what everyone is and is not doing to address Scotland's poor diet-related ill-health. Jokes...