WHAT A DIFFERENCE a decade makes. Just a few years ago biofuels were being hailed by politicians and environmentalists alike as the tool to relieve the world of its dependency on oil. Times have changed, and so have opinions on using food crops for fuel. “Biofuel crops not only displace food crops but are…
Read moreMonthly market insight
Christopher Clare, Prestige Purchasing's head of insight gives Footprint the first in a series of quick walkthrough guides in the world of food and drink supply markets. Overview CPI (Consumer Price Index) is up 0.2% compared to last month (2.7% to 2.9%), whilst food inflation is down by 0.5 percentage points (4.4% to 3.9%).…
Read moreDemystifying the deep
A NEW online tool will help foodservice businesses compare and contrast the 16 seafood certification schemes on the market. Sustainable sourcing of seafood is one of the most difficult challenges facing foodservice businesses. It is also one of the most high-profile.…
Read moreA peek behind the Golden Arches
MCDONALD'S HAS decided to open its supply chain up to the public but is it a genuine attempt to be more transparent or a marketing stunt? At a recent food safety conference in York, Sainsbury’s head of quality and supplier performance, Alec…
Read moreCarbon food fight
A NEW report suggests the UK is importing vast amounts of high-carbon products, including food. Do you want the good news or the bad news? The good news is that carbon emissions from UK production have fallen by 20% in the past two decades (that’s probably where politicians hoped the Committee on Climate Change’s latest report ended).…
Read moreThe Political Print: Thatcher and NGO’s
WHEN YOU associate Margaret Thatcher with food the first thought that springs to mind is probably milk. Yet the Iron Lady’s legacy to the industry is far greater than denying kids a free glass of the white stuff. Supporters would, with some justification, argue that the food system we now have – characterised by bountiful…
Read moreAccounting for the environment
LARGE BUSINESSES will have to divulge more than financial data each year under proposed changes to European accounting laws. This year the UK’s largest companies will have to get to grips with manda- tory carbon reporting. But soon they could be asked to…
Read moreHave you been caught out?
FIRST IT was horse burgers, now it is fish fraud. Foodservice companies need to ask some tough questions of their suppliers. There's rarely a dull moment when it comes to food traceability at the moment. According to research reported on the BBC's…
Read moreWhat’s on the menu? Provenance and price increases
WHEN THERE’S a food price spike it’s often played down as a flash in the pan. That’s what happened in 2008. But then there was another spike in 2010 and it’s happening again now. Or is it? In January, Waitrose’s managing director, Mark Price, warned that price increases in some commodities will be “massive”. After…
Read moreInvestors go cold on renewable heat
WHEN IT COMES to the UK’s green energy policies, renewable heat has often been referred to as the “sleeping giant”. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was supposed to awaken it. But, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, less than a fifth of the total £133m RHI budget for 2012-13 is likely…
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