Commercial

Having signed a £48 million deal in June, AB Agri (part of Associated British Foods) has now completed the acquisition of National Milk Records (NMR), the primary supplier of management information and testing services to the UK dairy supply chain.

Meat alternatives brand Beyond Meat has seen its sales decline by nearly a third in the second quarter of 2023, as consumers opt for more affordable animal protein and the health credentials of plant-based meat are called into question by many.

Long-time senior CLAAS employee Thomas Spiering will be joining the group’s executive board from 1st October 2023, where he will be overseeing the company’s self-propelled harvesters business unit.

Morrisons has partnered with science-led data services company Downforce Technologies in its pursuit to optimise sustainable farming practices across five pilot sites, as part of the retailer’s ambition to become the first UK supermarket supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030.

Weeks of rumours have been put to rest last Thursday (15th June) when Irish meat processor ABP Foods announced it will be taking over the Bridge of Allan abattoir and Queenslie meat packing plant in Scotland, leading to concerns being raised regarding the nation’s red meat sector.

As part of its plans to reach net zero by 2035, National potato supplier Branston has become one of the first UK businesses to trial a fully electric-powered (EV) truck to support its transport operations, working in partnership with Crossroads Truck and Bus Ltd.

Over half of shoppers surveyed in AHDB’s latest research want to see meat-free products displayed separately to meat products and distinct labelling to be used for plant-based meat to avoid confusion.

Two of Scotland’s longest established fresh produce organisations, East of Scotland Growers Ltd (ESG) and R&K Drysdales Ltd (RKD), have joined forces to expand their product range and provide additional value to customers, with a combined turnover now approaching £50m.

Perthshire-based Taylors Snacks and Abertay University are joining forces in a new project looking at mitigating levels of acrylamide, a suspected carcinogen, in potato crisp production in a bid to enhance food safety.

To meet rapid growth in global demand, family-owned UK manufacturer Claydon Yield-o-Meter Ltd has recently expanded its factory at the Wickhambrook site in West Suffolk, with the completed building set to double production and create numerous additional jobs.

An unnamed processor currently under investigation by the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCA) has allegedly been passing up to tens of thousands of tonnes of imported pork per week as British in what is possibly the biggest food fraud and safety scandal since Horsegate in 2013.

Popular healthy drinks brand innocent will no longer be offering its vegan coconut, almond and hazelnut-flavoured smoothies due to a continued lack of interest from customers, labelling the news “nutterly disappointing”.