Food Exec’s To Plot Brexit Course for UK’s Largest Manufacturing Sector at Food & Drink Business UK Conference

The Food and Drink Business UK Conference, a leading gathering of food and beverage industry professionals, takes place on the 7th November in the Ricoh Arena, Coventry with a focus on Manufacturing, IT, Data, Logistics and more. The annual event will welcome 2,000 food industry professionals, 200 speakers and 150+ exhibitors.

There will be 27 conferences taking place within the event including the Supply Chain & Logistics Summit, Craft Beer and Spirits Expo, Sustainable Food & Beverage Manufacturing Summit and Quality & Safety Summit.

The Food and Drink Business UK Conference takes place as uncertainty grows within the food and drink industry as negotiations gather pace in Brussels ahead of Brexit. The food and drink industry, the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, faces a potential exodus of EU workers, a loss of £3bn in subsidies and the unwinding of over 4,500+ EU regulations and laws that govern the industry. According to the conference organiser Colin Murphy, the event presents a chance for the food and drink industry to discuss the likely challenges head on. Read More

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Steenbergs announces acquisition

The spice company Steenbergs has announced the acquisition of Old Hamlet Wine & Spice.

Founders, Axel and Sophie Steenberg, have bought the mulled wine specialists, which was established in 1975 and has been owned by Tim and Rachel Bell since 1991. Under their management, Old Hamlet has become a leader in making hand-crafted mulling wine mixes in cotton bags.

The company explained that not only does Old Hamlet fit neatly with Steenbergs existing spice and mulling spices products, but Old Hamlet’s ethical principles dovetail with those of Steenbergs, with both businesses committed to fair trading. Further, both Tim and Rachel have committed to provide Steenbergs with consultancy to ensure a smooth handover for customers, suppliers and to help with production quality. Read More

Baby food brand announces new MD to grows market position

A mew Managing Director has joined Organix to help drive brand growth and strengthen market position.

Philipp von Jagow (pictured), has joined the baby and toddler snack food brand in the top job, bringing with him expertise that will enable Organix to drive its growth and strengthen its position in the market, as the brand continues to deliver record sales performance.

Philipp has more than 12 years’ experience in brand leadership; previously he was Marketing Director and Vice President of the Jams Category at Schwartau, a family run enterprise of €300m based in Germany, which, like Organix, is part of the Hero Group. Prior to that, he spent two years as Group Product and Marketing Manager at Semper, the market leading Infant nutrition business, in Sweden, and previously held a number of marketing and trade marketing roles at Schwartau. Read More

Reformulation advice workshops kick off

A series of workshops are to take place to help food manufacturers with reformulation to make products healthier.

Following recent research by IGD revealing over two thirds (70 per cent) of UK shoppers are happy for food manufacturers to change the recipe of products to make them healthier, providing the products are still as tasty, the organisation has announced the launch of a series of free pop-up workshops to help the food and grocery industry tackle reformulation.

The free workshops are designed to help, inspire and guide companies in their reformulation journey. With a varied speaker line-up and attendees, the workshops are suitable for manufacturers, and caterers across all categories within the food industry, including small businesses.

Jon Woolven, Strategy and Innovation Director at IGD, explained: “The race is on for food companies to make their products healthier. Nearly two thirds have told us they have started their reformulation journey but still have work to do. Some 83 per cent said they have received positive feedback from their customers about reformulation, suggesting the benefits outweigh the risks.

“We want to help other companies who are perhaps concerned about the impact of reformulating or just do not know where to start their journey. The big question is how do you reformulate products while still keeping the same delicious taste?”

Each workshop is co-hosted by a well-known retailer, where they will present on their own reformulation activity. Find out more at www.info.igd.com