After last year’s fruitful harvest for the wine industry, vineyards across the UK are set to be boosting sales this year. Catalysed from the results of climate change, winemaker’s Chapel Down, the UK’s largest winemaker is seeing large amounts of growth in sales and produce from the wet summers. By 2026, the company are aiming to double their production rate by investing in more vineyards and a new winery. 

Chapel Down are based in Kent, near the market town of Tenterden in Small Hythe. The vineyard has the benefit of chalky soil, which like France’s Champagne region, have a successful production rate. In the last year, Chapel Down has produced nearly 900,000 bottles of wine, consisting of Pinot Noir, Bacchus, and Chardonnay grapes. 

Chapel Down are now considering raising their investments from shareholders or even potentially selling the business entirely. Even though the wine industry in Britain remains in the southern parts of England, there has now been developments to move vineyard production further north with the effects of climate change. 

With Britain averaging as the fastest growing wine region in the world, production could be set to double in the next decade.

Sainsbury’s has introduced NAW, a natural dog treat brand which will be sold in 309 stores across the UK. 

The dog treat brand has been increasing in popularity due to their ethics in creating natural products for pets that avoid using highly processed products in their recipes. The company name NAW stands for ‘no animal wasted.’ The products are made using all parts of the animal, even the hair, which NAW state to be a natural worm preventative. 

NAW have stated that their products are also free range and hormone-free. 

With the growing interest in natural treat options for dogs, NAW’s products have become increasingly popular with consumers looking to avoid processed options.

The company have only been trading for the last 12-months and in that time have managed to gain huge amounts of popularity. This has resulted in their newest venture with Sainsbury’s. NAW will now be selling 10 products across various Sainsbury’s stores. 

The products will include NAW’s Buffalo options, as well as chicken, lamb, and a natural beef. 

NAW’s CEO, Simon Brown has said, “Dog owners are more health conscious than ever before. We saw a gap for a value-led and relatable natural treat brand, particularly in the grocery space, the Sainsbury’s launch is conformation that we were right.”

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At the beginning of 2023, Yeo Valley announced their transition of removing non-recyclable plastic from their 350g and 450g yogurt pots. This not only meant that the pots were becoming recyclable, but Yeo Valley went the extra mile to remove their plastic lids. Yeo Valley have proudly announced all their products being 100% recyclable and sustainable.  

Although the fully recyclable range of packaging has only been released as of this year; the operation has been in process over a few years in the hopes of creating a positive change to the industry’s future. 

Yeo valley stated, ‘using pots made out of 100% recycled plastic to changing our creams packaging to a more recyclable bottle, we’ve been able to make changes that have made a difference’.

The transition has enabled the company to remove a colossal ‘145 tonnes of plastic a year’ which they have compared to the same weight as ‘24 African elephants or 17 tractors.’ 

This eye-opening statement further embellishes Yeo Valley’s formative decision; but they haven’t stopped there. Yeo Valley also announced their collaboration with Enval to help recycle all Yeo Valley products to help their plastic not end up in landfills. 

Enval’s scheme focuses on Yeo Valley’s pouch packaging. They have stated that the pouches are ‘heated to 550c which separates the materials into pure aluminium, gas and oil.’ The divided components each serve a purpose for Enval as ‘The gas is used to power the plant and the oil is re-sold as fuel’. This scheme prevents an astonishing 15,000 plastic pouches being disposed in landfills.

But not only does the oil and gas serve a purpose, but the re-use of aluminium also prevents ‘raw aluminium being extracted from the earth and reduces the company’s carbon footprint by 75%’. 

Yeo Valley are hoping that creating a 100% recyclable range will not only be pragmatical to the environment but also serve as an influence to guide fellow dairy brands into generating a circular economy. In the hopes of moving the industry into a sustainable direction by reducing their plastic footprint. 

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Sainsbury’s is set to introduce a new scheme to help consumers keep their dairy products from going to waste. 

With over half a million tonnes of waste every year, it is stated that most of this waste is thrown away in our homes. WRAP have suggested that reducing the waste that is produced ever year can help lower “GHG emissions, tackle water stress and other sustainability challenges.” 

Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets will now be using best-before dates on all their dairy products. This suggests that the date label and storage advice will become more prominent; placed on the front of the product. As well, a ‘Bonus Days’ icon that will be placed near the best-before date. 

The ‘Bonus Days’ icon will suggest how to keep their dairy products fresher for longer. with the icon stating: ‘Keep me below 5c to enjoy extra days of freshness after the Best Before date.’ The icon is supposed to help consumers navigate their judgment of when the product is best to eat. 

The visual guide will make it easier for consumers to help reduce the amount of waste in their homes. As well, on larger packs the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign will use messages such as ‘milk is amazing, it’s too good to bin. Pop it back in the fridge pronto/pour it on your cereal, not down the drain.’ 

The new design will affect 44 products and will apply to over 730 million pints of milk sold by Sainsbury’s each year. 

Catherine David, Director of Behaviour Change & Business Programmes at WRAP, stated: ‘Applying a best-before date to milk rather than a use-by date means that people can use their judgment to eat beyond that date, allowing longer to use what they buy.’

As well, Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Sainsbury’s, stated: ‘Around a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted combatting food waste is one of our top priorities and we are continuously innovating to tackle this issue, all the way from farms and suppliers, right to our customer’s homes.’

‘By switching to best-before dates on our milk we are empowering customers to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat, helping to prevent them from disposing of food too early.’

The new date labelling is set to roll out in the beginning of 2024. With the start of new year, the food industry moves closer to their goal of reducing food loss and waste in all areas of the supply chain by 2030. 

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Oppo Brothers have announced their new range of frozen fruit snacks that are dipped in Belgian chocolate. The company are now expanding beyond their well-known range of ice cream and moving in a new direction to ‘Oppo Dipped’.

The award-winning company are sold over the UK, aiming to create ice cream that is not only delicious, but also helps protect the planet.

The new line includes three flavours for consumers to buy: pineapple and coconut in white chocolate, strawberries and raspberries in milk chocolate, and banana and caramel in milk chocolate.

Harry Thuillier, founder of Oppo Brothers has said: “Since the mochi craze, everyone’s wondering what the next exciting thing is going to be in frozen snacking. So, we’re proud to introduce Oppo Dipped, a new and genuine disruptive frozen treat that no one will have experienced before.”

Oppo Dipped will be released on Ocado and distributed through Sainsbury’s stores from October.

Omsco has recently released their transition to the trading name of Organic Herd. This rebrand has come with a line of products for consumers to buy while still maintaining their trademark appeal of regenerative farming.

As a 100% farmer owned company, Omsco is the longest established organic dairy co-operative in the UK. The company has been working with nature for nearly 30 years, first starting in 1994 as a group of just five dairy farmers. They have stated: “by its very nature, organic farming is a regenerative food system, providing a haven for the natural environment to thrive.” 

With Omsco not using herbicides or artificial fertilisers they have 50% more bees, butterflies, and other pollinators on their land. 

Omsco’s transition into Organic herd has created the new line which includes a variety of different organic goodies. The range has been crafted across the UK, starting with the more traditional organic mature cheddar, made in the home of cheddar, Somerset. As well as a velvety cheese range that has the flavours of garlic and parsley as well as chilli. This velvety line has been crafted in West Sussex.

The range also has a selection of butters, from salted to unsalted and even truffle. Lastly, their organic chocolate range is not to be missed. Made from ethically sourced, sustainable Peruvian cacao, a range of chocolate bars and chocolate flakes crafted from biodiverse ecosystems in the Scottish countryside. 

The range will be distributed to retailers across the UK. The aim for Organic Herd is to try and connect their products to people. Omsco has always been the supplier; but now they are moving into the world of branded production, with their catchline ‘Proudly sustainable, naturally delicious, always organic’. 

Martyn Anthony, Organic Herd’s chief executive has stated that “The transition into Organic Herd demonstrates the ongoing evolution of the business.” 

“We believe our new, more relevant and relatable name and great tasting new range of organic dairy products will enable us to redefine and reinforce all that is great about organic dairy.”

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Celebrating their 60^th year of production, Arnott’s, the largest biscuit manufacturer in Australia has made their debut in UK stores with the release of their beloved biscuit Tim Tam.

Customers have option of three flavours: Original, Chewy Caramel, and Dark. 

The biscuit is made up of two crunchy chocolate biscuits with a chocolate cream filling in the middle and a thin layer of chocolate on the outside. As well, the Chewy Caramel has a layer of Caramel paired alongside the cream filling. 

The release has introduced fans to the ‘Tim Tam Slam.’ A popular practice when eating the biscuit with a hot beverage. Traditionally, you would bite off the diagonal corners of the Tim Tam and then use the biscuit as a straw to drink the hot beverage. 

With further listings at retailers to be confirmed, consumers can get their hands on the iconic biscuits in Waitrose and Ocado (200g: RRP £2.50). 

Superloaf, designed by the brand Modern Baker is a healthier bread option to your usual supermarket choice. With the company’s ongoing success, they have been gifted a £450,000 grant from Innovate UK.

The bakery based In North Oxford has created a product that kicked ultra-processed bread out the window. The gut friendly loaf is set to help with re-engineering other ultra-processed foods (UPF) such as cereals, ready meals, pasta, etc.

With the launch of Superloaf back in 2021, the founders Melissa Sharp and Leo Campbell have been on a mission to change over 1 billion diets by 2028. Their aim was to create a product that contained the nutrients found in a whole grain diet, but with only naturally sourced ingredients.

Innovative UK is a supporting business-led organization and helping companies with innovative projects. Superloaf’s most recent grant of £450,000 is officially the companies sixth grant, with a total of £4m invested into the Modern Baker brand since their original launch.

Modern baker state that the loaf is “the healthiest bread ever baked”. With a focus on improving gut health, indeed, Superloaf is fuelled with high fibre to support your metabolic health.

The company have now worked with supermarket giant M&S to launch this loaf into consumer hands; and it won’t stop there. With this newly awarded grant, the company will have the ability to carry on their goal of producing a healthier alternative to ultra-processed food (UPF).

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Cauldron Foods have changed up their range of delicious plant-based meals but with brand new packaging and a release of new products. 

The company have stated that their staple products: Middle Eastern falafel, tofu range, and vegetarian sausages are still the same, but now have “a bright new look.” 

However, not only the packaging is new but a selection of Veggie Bakes in the flavours: Spinach and Carrot and Pumpkin and Caramelised Onion (200g: RRP £2.75). This range will be rolled out into Asda from the 4^th of April, then followed by Tesco and Waitrose. 

 As well, Cauldron Foods has launched an Extra Firm Tofu (220g: RRP £2.00). This Product will be launched in Asda from the 8^th of April, then followed by Sainsbury’s.

The company said that this new range has had a positive impact on over 90% of the consumers. With Gill Riley stating: “We’re here to reignite the brand and capture the imagination of our nation’s plant believers.”

The new packaging will be launched on the 25^{th of} March for consumers to get their hands on. 

Sainsbury’s new announcement of a 6 million investment to help dairy farmers with a long-term support scheme. 

From next month, dairy farmers will now be paid 1p extra per litre. With this new payment “on top of the independently calculated cost of production price of milk.” Sainsbury’s is hoping this will result in farmers receiving up to £27,000 extra per year.

With over 260 farmers within ‘The Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group’ (SDDG) the rise in dairy production costs poses a risk for future investments for farmers. However, with Sainsbury’s investment plan they are hoping to give the SDDG a sense of security for any long-term changes.

Sainsbury’s have also suggested that £1.7 million of the investment will be used for a sustainability bonus.With dairy farmers reducing their carbon footprint by monitoring their use of fertilisers and using sustainable feed will allow them to wreak the benefits of the bonus and push the farming industry towards a greener future.

Gavin Hodgson, the Director of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Horticulture at Sainsbury’s has said: “the dairy farming industry is becoming increasingly challenging, and we recognise the responsibility we have as a retailer to support farmers and the need for continuous investment in this sector.”

“We are proud of our continued investment into the Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group and are confident our £6m annual investment will help farmers to plan for a long term and sustainable future. In turn, we hope this will also provide surety of supply for our customers as we continue to champion British milk now and for the future.”

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Tony’s Chocolonely, sold across the UK, is an impact chocolate company that takes its production seriously. With the company’s campaign to have 100% slave free chocolate: they’re not stopping there…

Tony’s Chocolonely, Ben and Jerry’s and Aldi have chosen to challenge the industry standard by implementing a pay increase for cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. This increase is due to inflation prices rapidly rising for farmers equipment, fertiliser, and daily essentials.

Tony’s has stated: ‘The Increased Living Income Reference Price (LIRP) is the first and crucial step with which all chocolate companies can address poverty and enable a decent livelihood for the people who farm their cocoa’.

The price for cocoa has now increased by 82% in Côte d’Ivoire and 77% in Ghana. Tony’s has said that the LIRP in Côte d’Ivoire will be increased from $2200 per ton to $2390 per ton; and in Ghana, pay will increase from $2100 per ton to $2120 per ton. With this incredible step towards helping cocoa farmers; they now look towards other large chocolate companies to match Tony’s pay increase. This will help decrease the impact of the cost-of-living crisis for cocoa farmers.

Joke Aerts, Open Chain Lead for Tony’s, stated: Cocoa farmers have the right to sustain a decent standard of living for all members of their households…Paying the Living Income Reference Price for cocoa is a core driver for getting cocoa households out of poverty. That's why we are inviting all chocolate brands to join us in our mission, by joining Tony's Open Chain.” 

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https://tonyschocolonely.com/int/en/other-stuff/newsroom/tonys-chocolonely-to-voluntarily-pay-cocoa-farmers-more-in-the-face-of-inflation

A new multi-million-pound campaign has been launched by Lipton Teas and infusions for PG tips to restyle their company with a new look, and an even better blend for a ‘full bodied taste’.

The new tea bags will give consumers the delicious taste of PG tips; but brewing will take no time at all. With a growing demand for brewing to be quick and easy, large companies like PG tips have realised that their classic recipe needs modifications. 

On an average, 85% of consumers will brew their tea for less than one minute. With the recommend brew time being between 3-5 minutes. PG tips have released their new brew which maximises taste while lowering infusion time. 

In addition to the quicker brew, Lipton Teas and infusions are now fully recyclable and plastic free. Sustainability has become a significant part of PG tips branding. Their biodegradable tea bags and sustainable sourcing of 100% Rainforest Alliance certified has proven to increase popularity among consumers.

Liam McNamara, PG Tips General Manager in UK, and Ireland has said: “We are immensely proud of the fact that British tea drinkers already enjoy five billion cups of PG Tips every year.”

“However, our tea-drinking habits and tastes are evolving. With that in mind, our expert tea-blenders have spent two years developing a new and better blend that delivers high quality taste to tea lovers.”

With this major investment, PG Tips is set to change not only the taste, but the time in which tea is made.

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https://www.pgtips.co.uk/sustainability/

For one day only, Wetherspoon’s will cut their food and drink prices by 7.5%.

With Weatherspoon’s domination of 827 pubs across the UK, they are one of the nation’s favourite pub chains. 

The price cut will happen on Thursday 14^th of September, this is in line with Tax Equality Day to highlight the advantage of a permanent reduction of VAT in the hospitality industry. All pubs across England are subject to 20 per cent VAT.

Wetherspoons have said: “A customer spending £10 on food and drinks will pay only £9.25 on Tax Equality Day.”

The tax difference between pubs and supermarkets has driven Wetherspoons to promote this price cut. “Supermarkets pay zero VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs and restaurants pay 20 per cent.”

Supermarkets have the benefit of selling food and alcohol at a lower price due to their zero VAT. Wetherspoons stated: “pubs have been under fantastic pressure for decades, because of the tax disadvantages which they have with supermarkets.”

Wetherspoons are urging the chancellor “to create tax equality between pubs and supermarkets.”

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One of the leading supermarkets across the UK, Waitrose is known as number one for their animal welfare standards. With their ‘room to roam’ and free-range standards, the company have been promoting their animal welfare and supporting countless farmers across the UK.

Their new announcement now suggests their welfare will go beyond the UK and move to international welfare standards. Making a move bigger than any other supermarket in the UK, Waitrose own brand Italian continental meat is now supplied and produced to ‘the highest animal welfare standard. 

Waitrose have stated the products: Milano Salami, Prosciutto Crudo, and Prosciutto di Parma. This selection of continental meats will be supplied from Lombardy and Emilia Romagna in the regions of Northern Italy. 

The deli meat farmers have won the Good Pig Award and Good Sow Commendation as well as other awards from the Compassion in World Farming. Waitrose have stated: ‘this means pigs are going to have larger living spaces and straw bedding, and the sows give birth freely.’

Jake Pickering, Senior Manager for Agriculture at Waitrose has stated: “We are confinement free in UK farming and have a 2025 commitment for all our continental meat. This represents a huge step forward for the welfare standards within our Italian breeding, growing, and finishing supply chains and means that well over 50% of our continental meat sales will now come from higher welfare pigs.”

Consumers awareness of animal welfare within the food industry is becoming considerably popular in recent years. Although consumers know very little of the intricacies of animal farming, a profound feeling of cage free production and compassion is universally recognised. 

Waitrose has made an important step towards improving welfare standards; and this will not only promote a positive consumer interest but promote a change in animal welfare for the UK and aboard.

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The Coconut Collaborative, known for their signature plant-based yogurts have now released a 100% cow free milk. After a large success across the UK since launching in 2014, they have expanded their product range from custards to creams and desserts.

With their new addition, the ‘Barista M!lk’ is supposed to ‘fantastically froth’ and should have a surprisingly ‘un-coconutty taste’. 

However, the milk still contains the same ethical standards, with The Coconut Collaborative using only the freshest coconuts and working with local communities across Southeast Asia to plant thousands of trees.

James Averdieck, the founder of The Coconut Collaborative has stated: “We know one in three Brits are drinking plant-based milk; however, we also know almost every variant currently available on supermarket shelves influences the taste profile of the end product- whether this is a cup of tea or a bowl of cereal.”

The new addition will be first launched on the Ocado website.

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The supermarket giant Aldi is opening its 1000^th store in Woking on the 7^th of September 2023. 

After Aldi’s brilliant year of opening 60 new stores in London and increasing their employment with over 6,000 new roles. The opening of their 1000^th store is a cause of celebration for the company’s consistent growth and nationwide popularity.

With Aldi being the UK’s fourth largest supermarket and with its growing global presence, Aldi’s growing demand has urged them to announce a further 500 stores, which will push their long-term target to 1,500 UK stores by the end of the year. 

The unveiling of their £1.3 billion investment plan in 2020 and 2021, has aided another 20 stores opening by the end of 2023. Aldi have said: ‘UK sales have continued to rise by 10.0% with its market share standing at 8.0%. The number of customers shopping with Aldi now stands at more than 18 million.’

Aldi UK and Ireland CEO, Giles Hurley, said: “Opening our 1,000 store is a huge milestone and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our 40,000 incredible colleagues.”

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