Toddlers in the UK obtain almost half of their calories from ultra-processed foods, rising to 59% by the age of seven, according to the largest study of its kind. The first comprehensive review of dietary intake at such an early age, by researchers from UCL in London, comes amid rapidly rising global consumption of UPF such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food (The Guardian).
The boss of Tesco has called on the UK government to work with business to ensure new legislation to improve workers’ rights also increases productivity and growth. Ken Murphy said he was keen to use a planned consultation on the wide-ranging employment rights bill to “make sure that whatever the government decides to put forward has the intended consequence of stimulating productivity and growth and protecting workers at the same time” (The Guardian).
Upper Crust owner SSP said UK and Ireland like-for-like sales surged 9% over the three months to the end of September thanks to buoyant demand for air travel and less rail disruption (The Standard). It blamed the Paris Olympics for slower sales across continental Europe this summer, reporting a 3% rise in like-for-like sales at constant currency rates (Financial Times).
In its 60th year, Asda “does not have much to celebrate”, according to a Financial Times opinion piece. “Pursued by German discount chains Aldi and Lidl, highly leveraged after a private equity backed £6.8bn takeover in 2020, its sales falling and lacking a chief executive, it has seen happier times.”
An independent brewery in West Sussex is poised to become the first in Britain to make its beer using an ultra-high-temperature heat pump in place of an oil boiler. Hepworth Brewery expects to cut the emissions from wort boiling by using a heat pump that can produce steam at up to 130C (The Guardian).
The government has pledged nearly £22bn to fund projects that capture greenhouse gases from polluting plants and store them underground, as it races to reach strict climate targets. The plans are designed to generate private investment and jobs in Merseyside and Teesside, which will be home to the new “carbon capture clusters” (Sky News).
Olive oil exporters in Spain, the world’s biggest producer, have warned there are no viable alternative routes to the lucrative US market amid a strike at US ports on the east and gulf ports (Reuters).
No comments yet