NEWS
NEWS BRIEFS Dutch government
offer UK agri-food innovation
The Dutch government has called for British agri-food companies to utilise their investment in innovation. They encourage public-private partnerships in the agri-food sector, creating a variety of opportunities. Strong links with academia, and heavy government investment have created an agricultural industry with expertise in sustainability and innovation.
Rexam strengthens leadership team
Rexam, the global consumer packaging company, has appointed a number of new functional executives to its leadership team. Oliver Graham joins as Group Marketing Director, while Nikki Rolfe and Malcolm Harrison move to become Group HR Director and Group Operations Director respectively.
Values in packaging
In their latest report, Engage Research claim that savvy consumers will place increasing pressure on FMCG brands to adopt product packaging that more closely represent their values as well as their needs. Engage Research director Lyndsay Peck explains, “As part of that, a growing number are looking for smaller meal portions, re-sealable packs to help reduce food waste, and also a change towards a more sustainable approach to packaging.”
Boost for Robotics and Autonomous Systems in the UK
A £1 million funding competition that will help develop Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) technology in the UK has been launched by Universities and Science Minister David
Willetts.The Technology Strategy Board’s investment is for feasibility studies to accelerate the development of RAS concepts where robots are able to interact with each other and humans.
News Focus Horse meat scandal - the round up
The European Union has issued a Europe wide alert, as the number of countries and retailers affected by the horsemeat scandal continues to grow. Initially discovered mid-January during routine tests on burgers by the Irish Food Safety Authority, due to be sold in a number of national supermarkets, including Lidl, Tesco, Aldi and Iceland. Ten million suspected products were taken off the shelves, as well as a number for precautionary reasons. Shortly after Burger King also announced they had been supplied burgers contaminated with horsemeat. Both Tesco and Burger issued apologies in national newspapers. The issue further widened across Europe when in early February, Findus recalled their beef lasagne products. Reports from the Food Standards Agency stated that the ready meals sourced from French supplier Comigel, contained between 60-100 per cent horsemeat. Frozen meat from Freeza Meats company in Newry, Northern Ireland was also reported to have contained up to 80 per cent horsemeat. Beyond, the initial taboo surrounding the
consumption of horsemeat, safety concerns have also been raised. The painkiller phenylbutazone, commonly referred to as bute, is often used in veterinary treatment for horses, but has the potential to cause serious adverse effects in consumers. So far eight horses slaughtered in the UK have tested positive for the substance, three of which may have entered the food chain in France. The government has however, issued a statement saying that all processed beef products on sale in the UK are safe to eat. 16 countries have now become embroiled in the crises, and serious questions have been raised about the entire meat supply-chain in Europe. Some investigations have gone as far as to state that the contamination has not been accidental, and is part of a wider criminal conspiracy. Only time will tell how far reaching, and deep-rooted this contamination is, and whether trust can be restored in consumers.
*All information correct at time of print What they’re saying... British Retail Consortium Director
General Helen Dickinson “Our members take their responsibilities to customers very seriously. They are lead- ing from the front on product testing to a tight timetable and being transparent with customers, the Food Standards Agency and Government. Retailers’ risk-based testing programme is well advanced. Testing is being led by intelligence and targeted on the products that may have been associated with these incidents.”
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Owen Paterson, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
“Food fraud is completely unacceptable. Consumers need to be confident that food is what it says on the label. It is outrageous that consumers have been buying products labelled beef, but which turn out to be horse. I am deter- mined that we get to the bottom of this and that any wrongdoing is prosecuted.”
Paul Huck, Director, Zolfo Cooper’s Forensic and Litigation Support Services
“The horsemeat scandal is further evidence of the catastrophic consequences of weak links in the supply chain. Businesses need to ensure they are doing all in their power to prevent such situations. The golden rule is; know your suppliers.”
FMCGNews.co.uk | FMCG News | 7 ‘‘ Danielle Pinnington
I wonder how quickly will shoppers return to both the fridges at Tesco and also their Everyday Value range. It may call into question the whole price/value equation shoppers make on a daily basis. The term “you get what you pay for” has always been about making com- promises and trade-offs. Ok, so it’s not 100 per cent steak mince, but it should be 100 per cent beef, not 29 per cent horse. In shopper’s ever increasing quest to cut their weekly food bill down, we may have pushed the supermarkets and in turn their suppliers too far.
The FSA
They and the food industry are committed “to work together to identify the best points in the supply chain to test as part of the ongoing programme and to publish regular reports of test results.”
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