All articles by Richard Clarke
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News
Lacors wants clampdown on premium own-label names
Local authority body Lacors has told the Food Standards Agency to clamp down on the use of 'top of the range'-style terms on food packaging because they could mislead consumers. In its submission to an FSA consultation on guidance on food...
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Waitrose/Co-op in Somerfield bid
Waitrose and The Co-operative Group have teamed up to launch a joint bid for the Somerfield grocery chain, The Grocer has learnt. The two retailers will go head-to-head with Asda - currently the favourite to buy the retailer - and four or...
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Soya suppliers fight for the right to call products 'milk'
Manufacturers of soya-based liquids face a battle with the dairy industry over a fresh bid to persuade the European Commission they should be allowed to use the word 'milk' to describe their products. At present, EU rules prohibit them...
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News
Amar buys Mary Berry brand stake
Fine food distributor RH Amar has bought a minority stake in dressings and sauces brand Mary Berry & Daughter. RH Amar has been responsible for distributing the premium range in the UK since 2006, resulting in a 12% rise in annual sales...
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Brits launch second wave of empire building
The Brits are abroad again. Last week, Waitrose revealed plans to open 20 stores in the United Arab Emirates by 2010 under a licensing arrangement with local player Spinneys Dubai. The move makes it the latest in a string of UK grocery...
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Campaigners urge industry to act on children's salt levels
Anti-salt campaigners are to urge companies to cut salt in everyday foods eaten by children, and to put maximum salt levels for different age groups on products specifically aimed at kids. Consensus on Action on Salt and Health (Cash)...
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Dubai deal 'will cut prices in UK'
Waitrose's bid for global expansion will mean cheaper prices in its stores back in the UK, MD Mark Price claimed this week. The retailer plans to open 20 Waitroses in the United Arab Emirates by 2010 - with three in Dubai set to be up and...
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Did the tills ring out for Christmas?
So, was it a Christmas cracker for grocery retailers? Or did the credit crunch leave them nursing a hangover? No-one has yet posted their full Christmas trading figures, but the picture emerging is one of a merry Christmas for most -...
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Iceland caves into revolt
Frozen foods retailer Iceland has backed down in a fierce row over controversial changes to its trading terms. After a supplier revolt, the chain has agreed to withdraw a demand for a 2.75% settlement discount on invoices. It has...
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Tesco tops the big Xmas ad spenders
Tesco was the biggest spender on advertising in grocery retailing over the Christmas period, The Grocer can reveal. The UK's largest retailer ploughed £18.6m in festive advertising, pipping Morrisons which spent £18.29m, according to...
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Boost for GDAcamp
Supporters of front-of-pack Guideline Daily Amount labelling have been given a major boost by a European Commission proposal to make the system mandatory across the EU. In plans for a shake-up of food labelling, not yet published but seen...
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News
Tyrrells' £5m windfall will fast-track move into vodka
Crisps maker Tyrrells Potato Chips is to invest a £5m prize in advertising and a factory that will make vodka from potatoes and apples. The company scooped the investment, in the form of an interest-free loan, when it won the Midlands...
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Manufacturers urge FSA to scrap 100g model and think serving sizes instead
Manufacturers have called on the Food Standards Agency to develop an approach to nutrient profiling that takes into account how foods are consumed and recognises the industry's efforts to reformulate products. In its response to the FSA's...
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News
A green light for the best of both worlds?
W hich way do you swing? Traffic lights? GDAs? Or a bit of both? A poll of GPs and healthcare workers at a National Obesity Forum conference last week found 71% of them preferred traffic lights over GDAs. The survey is the latest in a...
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Industry bridles over FSA's tough stance on additives
Scathing comments from FSA chair Dame Deirdre Hutton this week have fuelled growing anger at how the agency is handling the issue of artificial additives in food. Dame Deirdre, speaking at Thursday's FSA open board meeting, said she was...
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Wanis goes green in Olympic move
Afro-Caribbean food importer Wanis has opened a £17m eco-friendly distribution facility in East London after being forced to find new premises by the London Olympics. The company has moved to the 120,000 sq ft site on the new Golden...
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Cook boosts capacity with move to new site
Frozen food retailer Cook has moved to a new £2.5m factory in Kent as part of plans to grow the scale of its business. The 30,000 sq ft Sittingbourne facility, dubbed a "kitchen" by the company because all its dishes are hand-prepared,...
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Half of shoppers doubt the authenticity of organic food
Retailers have been warned they need to do more to educate shoppers about organic food after research indicated nearly half of them do not believe food sold as organic actually is. Of 1,000 shoppers surveyed by MarketTools, 49% said they...
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News
World News - 15th September 2007
Whole Foods set to trial c-store. Austin, Texas: Whole Foods Market is planning to test a convenience store format in the US. It will convert an 18,500 sq ft Wild Oats store in Boulder, Colorado, to the new format, to be...
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News
Relaunched divi card pulls in 500,000
Membership of the Co-operative Group's dividend scheme has swelled by 500,000 since it was relaunched a year ago. The profit-sharing scheme was relaunched in September last year, allowing members to use their dividend cards across all the...