Food 'n' Drink – Food and Drink news |

In Cheshire, Morrisons is about to open another 100,000 square foot plant, in order to increase its food processing ability.

The supermarket, which is based in Bradford, is going to be buying the facility, which is capable of processing lamb and pork, and is located in Winsford. It is expected that the deal is going to help to secure the 300 jobs at the factory.

Morrisons has recently been expanding the number of operations it has for processing food and products for its supermarket shelves. The company of recently also purchased a cut flowers business and in addition to this they own numerous other meat processing facilities, bakeries and factories. By owning its own facilities the company is able to ensure that its products are fresh and always in supply.

The manufacturing director for the company is Martyn Fletcher and he has stated, “By owning the factories that produce the product we have on our shelves, we can ensure that we have a regular supply. Furthermore, it allows us to keep prices low so that we can constantly offer the best deals to our customers. Quality and price control are two elements at the core of Morrisons and we are always looking at improving them.”

The Co-op have invested £220,000 into its food store at the Square in Kirriemuir, as part of their ongoing commitment to the local community.

The retailers, which boasts a food store in every postal area of the UK, has undergone a major transformation during recent years and once more become a leading light in food retailing.

This investment in Kirriemuir has transformed that store with new décor and signage, a new kiosk and improved layout. A instore bakery has also be introduced, and the new store will also carry additional ranges produce, chilled dairy and meat products. It has also been confirmed that popular pre-existing services such as paypoint will be staying.

The manager of the Co-operative food store at Kirriemuir is Margaret Leighton, and she has said that they are operating at the very heart of the community and by doing so they provide the ideal location for people to shop locally. She also said that it was important to continue in meeting the needs of their customers as well as providing a welcoming environment in which to shop.

Ms Leighton added that the upgrade of the store would also freshen up the customers shopping experience, and improve the areas vitality. The opening hours of the upgraded store will be remaining the same and will open 7am-10pm seven days a week. The Co-operative works in a different way to other retailers as it gives its profits back to its members through its membership scheme.

Members have the choice of keeping the cash or donating it to local causes. It only costs £1 to join the Co-operative group as a member, and it offers a wide range of benefits including a say in how they run their stores, as well as the opportunity to support the ongoing campaigns that the Co-operative run, including Fairtrade, social inclusion and climate change. The opening hours of the upgraded store will be remaining the same and will open 7am-10pm seven days a week.

Beau’s is a company that are brewing extract free and organic beer and they are known for having a serious commitment to long-term sustainability, and all of their packaging, advertising and brochures are made from 100 percent recycled materials.

As well as these great commitments, they also give financial assistance to a large number of advocacy groups, such as the Guelph Food Technology Centre.

They recently featured in the news after they launched a plan to deliver their product to people’s homes and they employed a young homeless man to do the delivery.

They are also known for their exceptional beers, many of which are seasonal, so are only available for a short time during the year. They have also had successful collaborations with other brewers as part of something they call the Friendship Series.

The co-founder of the company is Steve Beauchesne and he has commented, “We know there is a lot of great brewing happening in many different countries, and we wanted a chance to meet these people. Over the past five years we have met with some fantastic brewers and shared knowledge about creating a great product.”

The latest collaboration by the company has been called Mates with Dates and it is going to be first coming on sale in Toronto. In order to celebrate the first sale of the beer the head brewer from the company, Matthew O’Hara is going to be attending. The beer was created through a partnership with All Beer, a company owned by Alex Barlow, and he is also going to be attending the event.

The beer is roughly based on a brown ale from the UK with the important difference being that it is made with dates. The beer is strong at nearly 8 percent alcohol and is regarded as a perfect winter beer.

One of the UK’s biggest shortbread manufacturers has announced that it will be adding Braille labels to its packaging in an effort to cater for the needs for all customers.

Paterson Arran’s products will now include Braille labels identifying the weight and size of the box, as well as the nutritional information, on those ranges that were launched by the company last Christmas.

Although the Braille labels are currently only featuring on special shortbread boxes, such as the 380g Shortbread Fingers and the 185g Shortbread and Biscuits assortment, Paterson Arran is still the first shortbread company in the UK to incorporate Braille into its packaging; and there are plans to expand the number of products aimed at those with sight problems.

The Marketing Manager at Paterson Arran, Amy Coles, added that the company is always looking for new ways to keep its customers happy, and Braille labels for blind and partially-sighted consumers seemed a logical step to take. Fazilet Haidi of the RNIB welcomed the action taken by Paterson Arran to reach out to all their customers, but called on more food manufacturers and supermarkets to follow their lead

He believes that many food companies are missing out on sales because blind and partially-sighted consumers are unable to identify and buy their products. The UK has two million blind and partially-sighted people, which could translate into a lot of sales for smaller food manufacturers. Haidi added that shopping is a difficult enough process for those with sight problems, and anything that companies can do to make this easier is to be welcomed.

Harry's nuts! decreed to be Elephant friendly

With the Asian Elephant suffering so much hardship through persecution where it feeds and massive losses of its natural habitat, it’s great to hear that Harry’s Nuts! Are grown so responsibly that they are benefiting both the elephants and the farmers.

Harry’s Nuts are the delicious salted nut snack from Harry Hill, and have been declared as being Elephant friendly thanks to the work of the Cashew nut farmers in India who are working so hard to protect the endangered species.

These snacks are available from Waitrose, Sainsburys and many other outlets and with every munch you take of a Cashew nut you are giving the environment a boost too.

The cashew farmers have used some of the extra money which comes with Fairtrade to protect wild Indian elephants which had been trespassing on their farms from the local forests. Farmers had found trees they had been growing for twenty years felled by the power of these elephants. Wanting to protect their crops, farmers often fought back, risking both injury to themselves and the elephants.

The farming organisation Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK) decided the farmers, their trees and the elephants needed to be protected and studied ways of keeping the animals at bay without hurting them. FTAK came up with the idea of investing the Fairtrade premium on solar panels to power electrified fencing around the farms. This provides a very mild shock.

“The shock deters but does not injure the elephants, so these cashews are now elephant-friendly,” explains FTAK’s Tony Mathews. Dan Bucknell, Head of Conservation and Campaigns of the charity Elephant Family, says: “With the Asian elephant suffering from massive habitat loss and persecution where it feeds on crops, it is refreshing that Harry’s Nuts! are grown in such a responsible way that works for both the farmers and the elephants.”

The 3,200 cashew nut farmers are all part of an organic conversion programme and 45% of them have already achieved this certification. Organic methods are seen by the farmers as the best way of protecting their crops while protecting biodiversity.

The farmers are operating in a ‘biosphere’ of exceptional biodiversity and take protecting this environment extremely seriously. There is also a focus on replanting indigenous breeds of cashew trees which produce a better crop.

The farmers were also concerned that an indigenous breed of goat, the ‘Malabari’, was becoming extinct – a breed which has far greater immunity to disease than crossbreeds, eats less fodder and is much cheaper to rear for milk and meat. They have started a breeding programme which sees a farmer being given a male and female goat and then passing on the offspring to another farmer.

Harry Hill works with Fairtrade nut company Liberation Foods on Harry’s Nuts!, currently available in two varieties – salted peanuts and salted cashews. Liberation’s biggest shareholder is a co-operative of nut farming and gathering organisations including FTAK. Managing Director Kate Gaskell says: “All of the nuts in Harry’s Nuts! are transported to the UK by sea – the most environmentally friendly form of long haul transport. Everything we do in our business reveals a respect for the environment as well as the farmer.” Fairtrade has strict environmental criteria though it is, of course, best known for the fair prices it guarantees to farmers.

Harry’s Nuts! are popular for their taste – they are cooked for longer than other salted peanuts and cashews to give them an extra crunchiness and deeper flavour. They have been backed by celebrity food writer Sophie Grigson who says: “The peanuts have a very appealing creamy texture and a delicious sweet, rounded flavour enhanced by just the right degree of salt.”

Harry launched the products after travelling to Malawi and meeting some of the peanut farmers, many of whom are women looking after Aids orphans. He heard that the benefits which come with Fairtrade are a huge help to them.

Harry, a big peanut lover, says: “These Fairtrade salted nuts are an extra tasty version of my favourite snack and there’s no money in it for me (what a mug!). I’m working with Liberation and it’s great that the company is run to benefit the farmers and their families.”

Fairtrade Fortnight this year (February 27 – March 11) has the theme Take A Step For Fairtrade http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/step This is the latest step from Harry’s Nuts!

For more information see http://www.chooseliberation.com or http://www.facebook.com/harrysnuts

In the past, it was always dining out that caused dieters a problem; faced with delicious-looking menus and sweet trolleys piled high with desserts, it was almost impossible for those watching their weight to eat sensibly.

Now, new research from slimming group Weight Watchers has found that as more people are choosing to dine in, inspired by cookery programmes and the need to save some money, these home-cooked meals can also have some unexpected consequences for those diners trying to lose a few pounds.

Home-cooked meals may be lower in fat, salt and sugar than many ready meals and processed foods, but the YouGov survey carried out on behalf of Weight Watchers found that dieters who are creating their own cuisine are either unknowingly or intentionally miscalculating portion sizes, weighing ingredients incorrectly and even going back for seconds despite not being hungry.

More than half of those involved in the study said they thought they were doing enough to control their portion sizes, but when questioned further it emerged that fewer than 15% of dieters were actually following Weight Watchers guidelines when it comes to how much food to put on your plate.

Similarly, a huge 95% of those who are trying to watch their weight admitted that they always clear their plate – even if they are already full – while over half of DIY chefs guess ingredients, rather than using measuring jugs or weighing scales, leading to meals and treats that can often have more fat or sugar in them than we think.

The study showed that many dieters relax when they are eating at home, thinking that they only need to alert to the dangers of over-eating when they are in restaurants or ordering from a take away. Lucy Vickers, a nutritionist at Weight Watchers, says that society is partly to blame for dieters being unsure about portion sizes.

In an effort to provide value for money, and attract customers, many supermarkets offer larger versions of their products for the same price; but this just leads consumers to start treating these super size products as normal size meals. She added that scientific research has proven that people will eat more food out of a large container, and that dieters need to re-educate themselves about how much food they really need.

The idea of cleaning your plate is one that can often be ingrained from an early age but, as Vickers pointed out, the beauty of eating in your own home is that you can eat as little as you want without offending the chef. Rather than simply eating the food because it is there, serve up meals in smaller portions and only have more if you are genuinely hungry – rather than piling the plate with food and finishing every mouthful because it is there.

If dieters really are interested in saving money, they can even use the leftovers from their healthy evening meals for lunch the next day. Weight Watchers carried out the study to coincide with the launch of their new Easy Start scheme, a seven-day diet programme with all the Pro Points for each meal already calculated.

Vickers and her colleagues hopes that by drawing attention to the increased number of calories in larger meals, dieters will have more success at losing weight with the Weight Watchers scheme. Losing weight is not just about what we eat, according to Vickers, but also how we eat, and successful dieters all have one thing in common; a healthy relationship with food.

Barbecue season is fast approaching and a new adult soft drink means designated drivers and non-drinkers can feel part of the al fresco party crowd this summer.

Hopper Soft Brew® is the world’s first brewed zero alcohol adult soft drink.  Made from malted barley and hops, fruit juices and spring water, it has been traditionally brewed, but the fermenting process halted before alcohol production takes place.

The result is a soft drink that satisfies the adult palate, with a smooth and mature taste that complements food perfectly.  It also pours like a beer with a frothy head and is an excellent pacer, meaning non and occasional drinkers no longer have to settle for sickly sweet children’s drinks.

So along with the novelty apron, burgers and bangers, make sure you stock up on Hopper Soft Brew® this summer!  Your guests will be wowed at how well the Apple variety goes with the spicy sausages and the Citrus flavour brings out the ‘zestiness’ of summer Cous Cous.

Apple and Citrus varieties of Hopper Soft Brew®, with less than 100 calories per 275ml bottle and  no additives or preservatives, are available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges and Amazon.  RRP is £1.26 per bottle.  For further information, log on to www.juicebrewery.com.