WE'RE PLEASED TO BRING YOU JUST SOME OF THE MAJOR FOOD & DRINK RETAIL AND SUPPLY STORIES RECENTLY COVERED BY THE GROCER.
Danone, Bel and Nestlé lead on methane cuts as rest of sector ‘lags’
New research by NGO Changing Markets Foundation has revealed ‘major blind spots’ amid most dairy and coffee firms’ action on methane emissions. Read more>>
New farming minister announced as Angela Eagle leaves post
Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan replaces Eagle, the new security minister at both the Home Office and the Cabinet Office. Read more>>
Farming income figures mask problems facing the sector
Defra data showed the £1.4bn (20.5%) rise in the nation’s total income from farming was driven by two sectors: beef and dairy. Read more>>
British consumers concerned about standards of imports, says Red Tractor
Imports should be clearly labelled, stated 39% of people surveyed by Red Tractor, with just 2% believing they should be allowed without restriction. Read more>>
Food inflation slows to 2.2%
Annual food inflation slowed to its lowest rate since 2024 in May, falling to just 2.2% from 3% in April. Read more>>
Kit Kat to be made with regenerative wheat in Wildfarmed tie-up
The wafer inside Kit Kat bars will now be made using Wildfarmed’s regeneratively farmed wheat. Read more>>
‘Instagrammable’ sushi sales booming in UK, Seafish research reveals
Report shows sushi sales surged 13.6% in value and 2.9% in volume in the year to May, with sales worth £228m. Read more>>
Scottish government rules out ‘moving goalposts’ on nutrient profiling model
The Scottish government said it had heard the message from the food industry that it would be wrong to shift the goalposts. Read more>>
Currency volatility hitting profitability for food and drink exporters, study finds
Nearly half of UK food and drink businesses operating on margins below 10% had seen profitability slashed by a third over the past year. Read more>>
Zack Polanski backs campaigners calling for CO2 stunning ban for pigs
The politician joined animal welfare advocacy group Project Slingshot as it projected a video of pigs ‘being slaughtered inside CO2 gas chambers’. Read more>>
‘Simpler and fairer’ Sustainable Farming Incentive unveiled
The 2026 scheme is backed by £240m for new agreements, building on more than £560m already committed. Read more>>
Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of UK potatoes dumped, industry warns
Potato growers are facing such large volumes that they are struggling to find a home for them, the chairman of Nationwide Produce told The Grocer. Read more>>
Weight-loss drugs wipe £780m off Britain’s grocery sales
Nearly two million British adults now take the appetite-suppressing drugs. Read more>>
Healthy diet requires 85% of disposable income for lower-income families
Report by the Food Foundation shows families in lowest 20% of incomes are finding it increasingly difficult to feed their families with nutritious food. Read more>>
Farmers need help to adopt low-carbon fertilisers, Tesco boss Ashwin Prasad says
Tesco’s UK CEO said low-carbon fertilisers could play an important role in reducing emissions. Read more>>
Lorraine Hendle to leave William Reed after 27 years
Starting out as sales development manager on The Grocer, Hendle has been a defining force in its evolution and, ultimately, across all William Reed’s UK portfolio. Read more>>
Ultra-processed food fears biggest factor in diet changes, finds FSA survey
The report found three-quarters of the population had made at least one change to their diet. Read more>>
Whole Foods Market losses narrow after new store openings
Sales have improved after new store openings, but the latest loss takes Whole Foods’ total UK losses to well beyond £200m since 2004. Read more>>
Food sales surge in May as heatwave drives shoppers online
Barbecue goods were in high demand as the UK enjoyed the hottest day of the year ahead of the May bank holiday weekend. Read more>>
El Niño putting a tenth of UK food imports at risk, research finds
The Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit has found the nations most vulnerable to climate change-driven extremes were the source of 13% of UK food imports. Read more>>
M&S’s Farm to Foodhall ad gets perfect score for effectiveness
System1 tests ads for effectiveness by monitoring the second-by-second facial expressions of 150 adults. Read more>>
Report reveals healthy products facing ‘ban’ under HFSS shake-up
A report shows that products that have been made healthier thanks to tens of millions of pounds in reformulation will be taken off the shelves if it goes ahead. Read more>>
Bird flu protection zones lifted across Great Britain
The decision was made after the risk of highly pathogenic bird flu fell, according to the latest assessment. Read more>>
Food bosses unveil ‘bold’ new programme to tackle workforce crisis
IGD said there was ‘growing consensus’ that there needed to be a step-change in support for young people to enter the industry to prevent a generation from being left behind. Read more>>
Booths unveils major rebrand as it targets growth beyond stores
The Northern supermarket is pushing its family credentials in a major push to expand the distribution of its own-label products. Read more>>
FSA slaughterhouse charges unlawful, High Court finds
In a victory for AIMS, the BMPA and the NFU, the judge ruled that the FSA’s main rate and enforcement rate were unlawful. Read more>>
Regenerative farming strengthens drought resilience, says study
Across cereal crops in drought-affected regions of France, Soil Capital said regenerative practices reduced yield losses by at least 10% in around 85% of cases analysed. Read more>>
El Niño set to disrupt UK food supply, industry warns
The World Meteorological Organization confirmed El Niño conditions are developing and have an 80% likelihood of occurring during the summer. Read more>>
Danone, Bel and Nestlé lead on methane cuts as rest of sector ‘lags’
New research by NGO Changing Markets Foundation has revealed ‘major blind spots’ amid most dairy and coffee firms’ action on methane emissions. Read more>>
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