Scottish Milk is planning to merge with the Axis farmers co-operative to create a new group called British Milk, which will have 18% of the milk market. [22-Dec-2000]
Chillspeed R&M, the fish distribution company, is to go into liquidation and most of the business will be taken over by Frigecosse. [20-Dec-2000]
Diageo and Pernod Ricard have agreed to acquire the spirits business of Seagram for £5.54bn, and now plan to sell off the Oddbins off-licence chain and a number of smaller Seagram brands. [20-Dec-2000]
Perkins Foods, the manufacturer of chilled and frozen convenience foods, is to undergo a £230m management buy-out with the backing of ABN Amro. [19-Dec-2000]
EU fisheries ministers have agreed to reduce cod and hake catches by up to 50%, prompting concern that up to 1,000 jobs could be lost in north-east Scotland. [18-Dec-2000]
Hazlewood Foods is to shed 80 jobs at a pizza factory in Bedford early next year, due to the introduction of new automation. [15-Dec-2000]
Geest is seeking permission to set up a chilled food manufacturing facility at its site in Barton, North Lincolnshire, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. [15-Dec-2000]
United Biscuits is to invest £1.2m in the modernisation of its KP Snacks plant in Consett, which will safeguard more than 200 jobs. [14-Dec-2000]
Allied Domecq is to acquire two leading champagne houses - Perrier Jouet and GH Mumm - for £348m, and has also confirmed that it will not bid for Seagram's wine and spirits business. [14-Dec-2000]
Granada Compass is planning to double its share of the outsourced global catering market over the next five years, and has also confirmed plans to demerge its media operations in February. [14-Dec-2000]
Rayner Food, the flavourings and condiments manufacturer, has undergone a £40m management buy-out. [14-Dec-2000]
Granada Compass is to close the Granada catering accounts centre in Stockport in 2002 with the loss of 250 jobs, in order to transfer the work to the Compass centre in Birmingham. [13-Dec-2000]
Perkins Foods has received a takeover approach from an unnamed financial buyer. [13-Dec-2000]
Granada Compass has won a five-year catering contract from Sainsbury that will involve taking over the staff restaurants at 427 supermarkets. [13-Dec-2000]
Kelda has sold ALcontrol Laboratories, the environment and food testing business, to private equity group Bridgepoint Capital for £70m. [12-Dec-2000]
Halliday Catering Services is to merge with Wilson Storey to create a leading independent contract catering business called Wilson Storey Halliday Group. [11-Dec-2000]
Inter Link Foods is to acquire Hepworth & Whittles, the Dewsbury-based company that trades as Newton House Bakeries, for £4m. [08-Dec-2000]
Riverside Foods is planning to set up a smoked seafoods and meats factory at Frizington in Cumbria. [08-Dec-2000]
Fyffes is to shed 200 jobs as part of an overhaul of its Geest banana business, which will involve the closure of ripening centres in Leicestershire and Wiltshire and job cuts at the Southampton head office. [07-Dec-2000]
Premier Brands, the tea company, is planning to relocate its support functions, including sales, logistics, marketing, purchasing, finance and systems from Merseyside to Long Sutton or Histon, Cambridgeshire. [07-Dec-2000]
Stolt Sea Farm is planning a £1m expansion of its salmon hatchery in the Bays area of the Isle of Harris. [06-Dec-2000]
Swankie Food Products is to close its fish processing factory in Arbroath with the loss of 30 jobs, as new owners John Law Frozen Seafoods and Joseph Robertson plan to transfer production to Aberdeen. [06-Dec-2000]
Diageo has announced plans to relocate the sales and marketing operations of Guinness UDV from Harlow to the Guinness brewery site in Park Royal, London, by April 2002. [04-Dec-2000]
Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream is to close its ice-cream factory near Skipton with the loss of 50 jobs due to the effect of recent flooding, and is now looking for an alternative site. [29-Nov-2000]
Abacus Frozen Foods is seeking a buyer for its fish processing factory at Mintlaw near Peterhead, in order to save 112 jobs. [28-Nov-2000]
Tate & Lyle has sold Universal Milling Technology, its milling equipment division, to Andritz of Austria for £5m. [28-Nov-2000]
Unilever is to relocate it safety research laboratory from Port Sunlight to Bedford next September, which will affect 60 jobs. [24-Nov-2000]
Hydro Seafood has announced plans for a £1.5m modernisation programme at its South Shian processing plant near Oban, which will result in the loss of 32 jobs. [24-Nov-2000]
Bernard Matthews, the poultry products group, has agreed terms for a £232m management buy-out. [24-Nov-2000]
Dairy Crest is to build a new dairy in the west of England and invest £15m upgrading its Chadwell Heath plant in east London, but other sites in west London and Northern Ireland will be closed. [17-Nov-2000]
Allied Domecq has bought the US distribution rights for Stolichnaya, the leading vodka brand, for up to £50m. [17-Nov-2000]
Hibernia Foods is creating 52 new jobs at its ready meals factory in Hartlepool. [16-Nov-2000]
Classic Couverture, the Speke-based chocolate manufacturer with 50 employees, has been acquired by Billington for undisclosed terms. [15-Nov-2000]
Mayur Foods has completed a £5m expansion into larger premises in Leicester, in order to produce Indian ethnic breads for supermarket chains. [15-Nov-2000]
Geest has acquired Isleport Foods, the Somerset-based cakes supplier, for under £5m. [13-Nov-2000]
Uniq is to close its Malton Bacon Factory in Middlesbrough in February with the loss of 450 jobs. [13-Nov-2000]
Axis Milk is in negotiations to acquire Aeron Valley Cheese from Milk Marque. [13-Nov-2000]
Hazlewood Foods has agreed to a £258m takeover offer from Greencore of Ireland, and Greencore expects to raise £120m from disposals and to achieve £7m of cost savings from combining the businesses. [13-Nov-2000]
Express Dairies is to form a liquid milk joint venture with Golden Vale to reduce excess capacity in Northern Ireland, which will involve the closure of Golden Vale's Lurgan plant and the transfer of production to Express's Ballymena plant. [13-Nov-2000]
Hi-Peak Feeds is to close its corn mill in Derby and move the operation to Killamarsh near Chesterfield, and the historic site will be sold to developers. [10-Nov-2000]
Unilever is to locate a new IT centre at Ewloe in Wales, which will involve 200 new jobs and the transfer of 170 jobs from nearby Port Sunlight. [10-Nov-2000]
Premier Fresh Foods, the poultry processing company that employs 2,000 workers in the North Lincolnshire region, has been acquired by 2 Sisters Foods of Smethwick for undisclosed terms. [10-Nov-2000]
Diageo has opened the new Cameronbridge Distillery in Windygates following a £9m renovation, and it will produce up to 30m litres of spirits a year. [09-Nov-2000]
Associated British Foods has announced a £130m exceptional charge to rationalise its business, which will involve acquisitions and the sale of commodity operations. [09-Nov-2000]
Hazlewood Foods is to start production at a new £15m sandwich factory in Worksop later this month, and it will employ 1,500 staff when fully operational next March. [08-Nov-2000]
The National Assembly for Wales is supporting plans from a new farmers' co-operative called The Welsh Meat Company to set up two meat processing plants at Horeb in Ceredigion and at Caernarfon in Gwynedd. [08-Nov-2000]
Dawnfresh Seafoods is to create about 60 jobs at a new £10m fish factory in Uddingston, which replaces a plant destroyed by fire last year. [08-Nov-2000]
Bon Bon Buddies has received a £1.5m investment from 3i in order to finance the expansion of its novelty confectionery business into the US. [08-Nov-2000]
Springbar has opened a new watercooler supply business in Watford, which includes a bottling plant, customer service and distribution facilities. [07-Nov-2000]
Freshpack is looking to recruit up to 30 staff for its new frozen food packing unit in Alsager. [07-Nov-2000]
J&K Meats has closed its meat processing business in Sunderland with the loss of 113 jobs. [06-Nov-2000]
Matthew Clark has acquired Forth Wines, in order to expand its wine wholesaling business in Scotland. [06-Nov-2000]
Granada Compass has acquired Beaver Foods, the Canadian contract caterer, for £67m. [03-Nov-2000]
Hawes Creamery has acquired North Yorkshire cheese-maker Fountain Dairy Products, in order to increase capacity for the production of its Wensleydale cheese. [02-Nov-2000]
Moy Park is to invest £14m in the expansion of its three food factories at Craigavon, Moira and Dungannon, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. [02-Nov-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes has acquired Wuxi-Leaf, the Chinese chewing gum company, for £1.6m, and will combine the distribution network with its chocolate business. [02-Nov-2000]
Coldwater Seafood is setting up a new company in Grimsby called Coldwater Shellfish, which will produce shellfish for the retail and catering markets. [01-Nov-2000]
Allied Domecq is planning to spend an additional £5m on product development this year, in an attempt to compete with rival products in the ready-to-drink market. [01-Nov-2000]
Pro-Pak Foods is seeking permission from Ryedale District Council to move its chilled foods factory and 140 staff to a larger site in Malton, with the creation of an unspecified number of new jobs. [31-Oct-2000]
Allied Bakeries is to close its Aberdeen depot next summer with the loss of 28 jobs. [30-Oct-2000]
Associated British Foods is to sell its Burton's Biscuits subsidiary to Hicks Muse Tate & Furst of the US for £130m, in order to focus on products where it has a leading market position. [30-Oct-2000]
Hazlewood Foods is to open a 230,000 sq ft bakery in Hull early next year, in order to supply major retailers across Europe. [30-Oct-2000]
WD Irwin & Sons is planning to invest £3.4m at its bakery in Portadown with the creation of about 50 jobs. [27-Oct-2000]
Bernard Matthews, the poultry products company, has received a £232m takeover offer from its original founder, but Sara Lee of the US may launch a rival bid. [27-Oct-2000]
Anglia Oils, the edible oils company, has acquired Rowallan Creameries of Kilmarnock for undisclosed terms, which is expected to lead to the centralisation of additional work in Hull. [26-Oct-2000]
Hazlewood Foods, the sandwiches and ready meals group, is considering a number of takeover approaches, including offers backed by Schroder Ventures and Legal & General Ventures. [26-Oct-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes is to buy out the minority shareholders in its South African subsidiary for £143m and sell its brewing division to South African Breweries for £45m. [23-Oct-2000]
Golden Vale is planning to create a further 40 jobs over the next two years at its recently-opened Rye Valley frozen ready meals factory in Enniskillen. [18-Oct-2000]
Dailycer is to set up a £4.5m cereal bar factory at the Deeside Industrial Park next year with the creation of 34 jobs, but an existing plant in Chester will be closed. [18-Oct-2000]
GC Hahn, the German manufacturer of food stabilisers, has opened a new £0.5m food technology centre at its UK headquarters on the Mold Business Park. [18-Oct-2000]
Ideal Bakeries is to close its van sales depots at Johnston and Aberystwyth in Wales with the loss of 40 jobs. [18-Oct-2000]
S&A Foods is to recruit an additional 100 workers at its ready meals factory in Derby. [17-Oct-2000]
Unilever has put the recently-acquired US bakery division of Bestfoods up for sale, which could raise up to $2bn. [17-Oct-2000]
Northern Foods is to close its two R&K Wise cake factories in Swindon with the loss of 540 jobs, and production will be transferred to sites in Oldham and Bolton. [12-Oct-2000]
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries has announced plans for a strategic review, which is expected to lead to the sale of all or part of the company. [10-Oct-2000]
De Vere is to close five more of its Tavern drinks wholesaling depots in Stoke, Honiton, Redruth, Glasgow and Edinburgh, in order to stem losses. [05-Oct-2000]
Colchester Institute is planning to develop a new £5m catering centre to improve facilities for students. [04-Oct-2000]
Jacobs Bakery is to shed 60 of the 600 jobs at its factory in South Wigston, Leicestershire, in order to focus on the production of tins of assorted biscuits. [04-Oct-2000]
Virgin Wine is planning to invest £10m in its home delivery wine operation, in preparation for a possible flotation in 2002. [02-Oct-2000]
Brake Bros has shed about 35 jobs at its recently-acquired Cearns & Brown frozen food warehouse in Runcorn. [29-Sep-2000]
Branston Potatoes is investing £1m at its vegetable packing plant in Lincolnshire, with the creation of 50 new jobs. [29-Sep-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes is in negotiations to buy the Orangina soft drinks business from Pernod Ricard of France for £450m. [29-Sep-2000]
Unilever has agreed to sell a number of brands - including Oxo, Royco, Lesieur, Bla Bland, Batchelor's and McDonnells - in order to win European approval for its £14bn acquisition of Bestfoods of the US. [29-Sep-2000]
Diageo is to sell a Brazilian spirits subsidiary to Campari of Italy for undisclosed terms. [29-Sep-2000]
Granada Compass is acquiring a 49% stake in Levy Restaurants, the US catering company, for £53m. [28-Sep-2000]
Tate & Lyle has sold its Rumenco animal feeds business to a management buy-in team for undisclosed terms. [21-Sep-2000]
Mission Foods is looking to recruit 40 new employees at its tortilla chips factory in Coventry, following a rise in sales. [20-Sep-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes has acquired Snapple Beverage Group, the US soft drinks company, for £1.05bn, and is now seeking further acquisitions in the US, Europe and Australia. [19-Sep-2000]
Tesco is investing £0.5m in an organic farming research project at Newcastle University, and is already funding a similar scheme at Aberdeen University. [14-Sep-2000]
Baynflax, the food machinery company, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, and plans to develop into a £30m business through acquisitions and strategic alliances. [14-Sep-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes has bought Pepsi Cola Bottlers Australia for a sum thought to be about £34m. [14-Sep-2000]
East Staffordshire Borough Council has approved plans from Ranks Hovis McDougall for the development of a £30m flour processing plant in Burton, which will create up to 200 jobs. [13-Sep-2000]
Horticultural Research International is to close its Stockbridge House research centre near Selby in North Yorkshire next March, with the loss of 50 jobs. [12-Sep-2000]
Inter Link Foods is to build a new bakery in Blackburn, with the creation of up to 150 jobs over the next two years. [12-Sep-2000]
Tewkesbury Borough Council is to consider plans from Hamilton's, the chartered surveyors, for the development of a £5.5m livestock market at Innsworth. [11-Sep-2000]
S Daniels is planning to export its New Covent Garden Soup franchise to continental Europe and launch a lower-cost Soup Stall franchise in high traffic locations. [11-Sep-2000]
Efdex, the online market for the food and drinks industry, is going into liquidation having failed to raise further funds. [08-Sep-2000]
Speyside Distillers, the Scottish whisky company with 90 staff, has been sold by Swiss company Scowis to a group of private investors for undisclosed terms. [07-Sep-2000]
Speciality Sauce Company of Gwent has been acquired by Shoda Shoyu of Japan, resulting in new investment at its Welsh plant. [07-Sep-2000]
Eurobuns has awarded a £3.6m contract to Marriott to build a fast-food production and storage facility in Milton Keynes. [07-Sep-2000]
Plymouth City Council is considering plans from Direct Wines to build a wine delivery call centre at the new Plymouth International Business Park, with the creation of 260 jobs. [06-Sep-2000]
W&J Parker has moved its Parker Fine Food Services catering division to a new £2m site in Beaumont Leys, and is recruiting staff for a new contract with Birmingham's NEC. [31-Aug-2000]
Kerry has made a takeover approach for Bush Boake Allen, the US food ingredients company, and has also announced the acquisition of Harald-Industria e Comercio de Alimentos of Brazil and a US chocolate coating company owned by York Dragee. [31-Aug-2000]
BGR is planning to open 24 new Fish! restaurants over the next two years, and is in discussions to sell its Signature outlets to a private consortium. [31-Aug-2000]
Nutravida.com, the online natural health products company with 12 employees, is to wind itself up unless further funding can be secured. [31-Aug-2000]
South Derbyshire District Council is to consider plans from Amelca, a new company formed by 150 dairy farmers, to build a £18m dairy products factory at Hilton, with the creation of up to 300 jobs. [24-Aug-2000]
Andrews Feeds and United Dairy Farmers are forming a joint venture called United Feeds to supply animal feeds in Northern Ireland, which is expected to result in the closure of an existing Andrews Feeds plant with the loss of 20 jobs. [24-Aug-2000]
Greencore is acquiring Robert's Group, the manufacturer of frozen savoury and dessert products at factories in Leeds and Huddersfield, for £29m. [24-Aug-2000]
Christian Salvesen is to shed 60 jobs at its cold store and vegetable packing plant in Grimsby, following a fall in sales. [23-Aug-2000]
Bass is to complete the sale of its beer division to Interbrew of Belgium for £2.3bn following a European Commission decision not to intervene, and the company now plans to sell its controlling stake in the Britvic soft drinks business. [23-Aug-2000]
Scottish & Newcastle has acquired a 49% stake in Central De Cervejas, the Portuguese brewer, for £93m, and will use it as a platform to launch new brands in Portugal. [21-Aug-2000]
Diageo and Pernod Ricard are planning to launch a joint takeover bid for Seagram's wine and spirits business, which could be valued at up to £6bn. [21-Aug-2000]
Bonds Confectionery is setting up a new factory at Huthwaite in Nottinghamshire which will secure 72 jobs, as its previous site in Annesley was too large. [17-Aug-2000]
Greencore has announced plans to set up a £13m Canadian Pizza factory on Deeside, north Wales, with the creation of 230 jobs. [17-Aug-2000]
Glanbia has formed a joint venture with Leprino Foods of the US to target the European pizza cheese market, and they will operate two facilities in Magheralin, Co Armagh and Llangeffni in Wales. [16-Aug-2000]
Transit Express, the Grimsby-based fish transport company, has ceased trading due to the cost of fuel and a shortage of fish, with the loss of about 50 jobs. [11-Aug-2000]
Nottingham Processing Company has closed its abattoir with the loss of 34 jobs, but the Meadow Lane site will continue to operate as a meat wholesaling business. [11-Aug-2000]
Mighty Oak Brewing Company is looking to relocate its small Essex brewery from Hutton to a larger facility at nearby Maldon. [09-Aug-2000]
Cavaghan & Gray has won approval to start building a £5.5m frozen food factory in Carlisle in January, as part of a reorganisation of its facilities. [08-Aug-2000]
Unilever is to reorganise its business into two global divisions, one for foods and the other for home and personal care, in order to improve decision-making and innovation. [07-Aug-2000]
Golden Wonder, the crisps company, is expected to be acquired by private equity firm Bridgepoint Capital for £110m, and the business is expected to be expanded through acquisition. [31-Jul-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes is considering plans to make acquisitions outside its core business areas of confectionery and beverages, and could spend up to £3bn. [27-Jul-2000]
Unigate is to change its name to Uniq, and is considering plans to demerge its Wincanton logistics business and possibly sell its Malton Foods pork processing business. [27-Jul-2000]
GBL International has relocated its drinks distribution business from Chesterfield to Clay Cross, following the success of its range of vodka drinks. [27-Jul-2000]
S&A Foods has won planning permission to build an ethnic meals factory on the Lymedale business park in Newcastle-under-Lyme, but alternative sites around the country are also being considered. [27-Jul-2000]
Golden Vale is to expand production at its Rye Valley frozen ready meals plant in Co Fermanagh over the next two years, with the creation of 80 jobs. [27-Jul-2000]
Jennings Brothers is planning to create a visitor centre at its brewery in Cockermouth. [27-Jul-2000]
The Ministry of Agriculture is to shed 1,400 jobs in a reorganisation of its network of offices dealing with subsidy claims from farmers, and five of the nine regional centres will be closed or reduced in size. [25-Jul-2000]
Tanner Foods has acquired the long-life milk business of Lancashire Dairies, and production will be moved to its site in Essex. [24-Jul-2000]
Tomkins has agreed to sell its Ranks Hovis McDougall food business to private equity firm Doughty Hanson for about £1.1bn, in order to focus on its engineering business. [21-Jul-2000]
Bakery Services is planning to expand across the north and midlands following the acquisition of Don Miller's franchised bakeries. [21-Jul-2000]
Nestle is shedding 70 of the 270 jobs at its coffee making plant at Tutbury, near Burton, as part of a reorganisation programme that will see the company invest in new filling and packing equipment. [21-Jul-2000]
Roche is investing £30m at its vitamin C plant at Dalry in Ayrshire, which will involve new equipment and the creation of 25 jobs. [21-Jul-2000]
R Croan & Sons is looking to recruit 300 workers at its smoked seafoods factory in Edinburgh. [19-Jul-2000]
Diageo has confirmed plans to merge its Pillsbury food division with General Mills of the US and to combine its UDV spirits business with its Guinness brewing division, in order to focus the group on alcoholic drinks. [18-Jul-2000]
Diageo is to cut about 200 jobs at its Guinness operation in Dundalk, and a further 40 at its Runcorn packaging site. [17-Jul-2000]
Lingarden and Nationwide Produce Holdings have formed a new vegetable processing company called Verdian, based at Lingarden's site near Spalding. [17-Jul-2000]
Expatshopping.com is creating 30 new jobs in York, having won a contract with British Forces Post Offices to send food products to overseas bases. [17-Jul-2000]
Allied Bakeries is to close Reid's Bakery in Coleraine later this year, with the loss of 38 jobs. [17-Jul-2000]
Brake Bros is to acquire Cearns & Brown, the Cheshire-based foodservice wholesaler, for £24m. [14-Jul-2000]
Associated British Foods has bought the polyols business of Lonza for undisclosed terms, in order to expand its US-based SPI Polyols division. [14-Jul-2000]
Unilever is to sell European Bakery Supplies Business to CSM of the Netherlands for £440m, and is now said be looking to sell the recently-acquired Bestfoods consumer bakery division. [12-Jul-2000]
Britvic has acquired Orchid Drinks, the Hartlepool-based producer of herb-based drinks, for about £20m. [11-Jul-2000]
HP Bulmer is looking to win beer distribution contracts in order to benefit from the recent consolidation in the brewing sector, and is also aiming to get its cider products into more overseas markets. [11-Jul-2000]
Brakspear is planning to increase capacity at its Oxfordshire brewery by 25% following a £0.8m investment programme. [11-Jul-2000]
Albert Fisher has sold Van Soest, its Dutch cold storage and frozen vegetables subsidiary, to management for £6.1m. [07-Jul-2000]
Tomos Watkin has opened its new brewery in Swansea, as part of a £10m expansion that will create 150 jobs over the next five years. [06-Jul-2000]
Cardiff County Council and Portfolio Holdings have launched the Capital Business Park on a 76-acre site at Wentloog, which has the potential to create up to 1,000 jobs in the food, science and technology sectors. [05-Jul-2000]
Coffee Republic has announced a £11m share issue to fund a further 80 outlets over the next two years. [30-Jun-2000]
Fishworks is planning to raise £0.8m in a listing on Ofex next month in order to fund the opening of four new restaurants in the south-west. [26-Jun-2000]
Diageo is planning to float Burger King on the New York Stock Exchange in order to raise up to £3bn, with the first 20% being floated within 12 months. [23-Jun-2000]
Aramark is planning to form a joint venture company with Campbell Catering, which would create a combined catering group with £350m turnover and about 900 accounts. [23-Jun-2000]
Seagram is expected to sell off its nine Scottish distilleries, which employ about 700 people, following the merger of its Canadian parent with Vivendi. [22-Jun-2000]
Northern Foods has sold its Irish food service and frozen food distribution business to IAWS for £16m, in order to allow its Green Isle Foods division to focus on the development of frozen food retail brands. [21-Jun-2000]
Tomkins is to sell Red Wing, the US manufacturer of grocery products, to Ralcorp for £88m. [20-Jun-2000]
Perkins Frozen Foods is planning to rebuild its chicken convenience foods factory in Cleator Moor following a fire last week, and the 51 workers will be given temporary jobs at its other sites in Penrith and Shap. [20-Jun-2000]
Peter's Food Service has acquired Green Country Foods, the Cardiff-based sandwich manufacturer, for undisclosed terms. [19-Jun-2000]
Moorland Poultry of Dalton has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms. [19-Jun-2000]
Peter Hunt's Bakery Foods is to invest £2.5m to expand output, due to rising demand for own label savoury products. [19-Jun-2000]
Iceland is to spend £8m a year providing organic produce in its stores at no extra cost to the consumer, and will stock only organic vegetables by October. [15-Jun-2000]
Bass has agreed to sell its brewing operations to Interbrew of Belgium for £2.3bn, and the proceeds will be invested in its pubs, hotels and restaurants. [15-Jun-2000]
Hazlewood Foods is planning to close or sell a significant number of its 40 sites, as part of an ongoing restructuring programme that has already resulted in the disposal of 17 sites. [14-Jun-2000]
Nelson Hind, the catering company that operates 250 restaurants and corporate dining rooms, has been acquired by Elior of France for undisclosed terms. [14-Jun-2000]
SmithKline Beecham is investing £6m in a new bottling centre for Lucozade and Ribena at its Forest of Dean factory. [13-Jun-2000]
John Lusty Group has combined its Wunderbar division with sister company Ryner Quality Confectionery to create a £11m confectionery group. [12-Jun-2000]
Authentic Food Company is planning to build a £10m ethnic food factory near Manchester Airport. [12-Jun-2000]
Tate & Lyle is selling its Australian sugar business to Societe Financiere des Sucres of Belgium for £165m, as part of a reorganisation that will also see it pay £274m to buy out minority shareholders in its Amylum and Staley starch business. [09-Jun-2000]
Unilever is planning to sell off its European and UK baking products business, and discussions are taking place with CSM of the Netherlands, Associated British Foods, and a number of private equity firms. [08-Jun-2000]
Unilever is to acquire Bestfoods of the US for £13.4bn, creating the second largest global food business after Nestle. [07-Jun-2000]
Nottingham City Council is supporting plans for the development of a new business park dedicated to food companies on a six acre site at Southglade. [07-Jun-2000]
Unigate is looking to spend up to £300m on acquisitions to expand its convenience foods and logistics business, and is considering plans to change its name following the recent sale of its dairy business. [06-Jun-2000]
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is considering plans from Heron Frozen Foods for the development of a new headquarters and warehouse at North Cave, which will create 31 jobs. [05-Jun-2000]
Hart Worldwide has opened a £3m apple and pear packing facility in Peterborough, with the creation of 100 jobs. [05-Jun-2000]
Hazlewood Foods is to relocate its sandwich factory and offices in Worksop to a new £20m purpose-built facility in October, with the creation of 300 jobs. [05-Jun-2000]
AG Barr has started work on the construction of a new Irn-Bru soft drinks blending plant at its Westfield site in Cumbernauld. [05-Jun-2000]
Duke Street Capital, the private equity firm, has acquired full control of Marie Brizard, the French drinks company, in a deal worth £118m. [02-Jun-2000]
Meadow Farms, the Devon-based organic milk supplier, has been acquired by Horizon of the US for £16m. [02-Jun-2000]
Northern Foods has confirmed plans to close its Rawmarsh Foods subsidiary in Rotherham with the loss of more than 300 jobs, and production of the chilled dairy products will be moved to an Eden Vale subsidiary in Shropshire next year. [02-Jun-2000]
Bass has announced plans to close offices at the Cape Hill brewery site in Smethwick, and staff will be relocated to a new building in Birmingham city centre in 2002. [02-Jun-2000]
Hull City Council is to contribute to the £4.1m cost of building a new fish market at Albert Dock, and the Hull Fish Auction consortium expects work to start in January. [01-Jun-2000]
United Milk is planning to build a new milk processing facility on a 30-acre site near Westbury in Wiltshire, employing 100 people. [31-May-2000]
Daintee Confectionery is to merge with sister company Tavener's of Liverpool to create a new group called Toms Confectionery. [31-May-2000]
Sun Valley Foods is to sell its turkey processing plant in Abergavenny to Brandons Poultry, in order to focus on chicken products. [31-May-2000]
Whitbread is selling its beer division to Interbrew of Belgium for £400m, in order to focus on hotels and leisure. [26-May-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes is planning to acquire the French chewing gum and candy business of Kraft Foods, and a deal is expected to be announced within weeks. [25-May-2000]
Allied Bakeries is to close its bakery in Ipswich over the next 12 months, with the loss of 220 jobs. [25-May-2000]
Diageo is in discussions to acquire the bakery business of Bestfoods, as part of the US company's defence against Unilever's takeover approach. [23-May-2000]
Robert Wiseman Dairies is looking to acquire small independent dairies, in order to increase its 7% share of the English milk market and fill the new £32m dairy being built in Droitwich. [23-May-2000]
James Finlay, the tea plantations company, is being acquired by Swire, the Asian conglomerate, in a £101m deal. [19-May-2000]
The Welsh Development Agency has announced that the Burger Manufacturing Company is to set up a meat processing factory at the Wyeside Enterprise Park in Builth Wells, with the creation of 65 jobs. [19-May-2000]
Sainsbury is to hold an online auction to choose a supplier of mild cheddar cheese, and will then use the GlobalNetXchange system to buy other products for its 432 stores. [19-May-2000]
Glenmorangie is forming an alliance with Brown-Forman in which the US-based drinks group will distribute Glenmorangie's whiskies in continental Europe, South America and Australasia. [18-May-2000]
Bernard Matthews, the poultry products company, is considering plans to sell the business back to the Matthews family in a deal worth about £224m. [17-May-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes is considering plans to bid for parts of Nabisco, the US tobacco and cookies group. [17-May-2000]
Allied Domecq is to close its Glencadam whisky distillery in Brechin, Angus, in September, due to overcapacity. [17-May-2000]
Granada and Compass are planning to merge to create a combined catering and hotels group called Granada Compass, while Granada's media operations would eventually be separated off. [16-May-2000]
WT Foods has acquired Rio Pacific Food Services, the Tex-Mex and Cajun specialist, for £7.5m. [15-May-2000]
ConAgra is to close its UK frozen food division with the loss of 65 jobs, but the Chadderton plant will continue to produce microwave popcorn. [15-May-2000]
The government is seeking advice from hotel chains about how to improve catering facilities in hospitals, which could lead to patients being able to order food at any time. [12-May-2000]
Jennings Brothers has sold two recently-acquired Burlingtons Restaurants near Preston to a new company called Burlingtons Dining Rooms & Bar for £1.6m. [12-May-2000]
Kepac is planning a £1.75m expansion at its meat processing plant at Bamber Bridge in Lancashire, with the creation of 50 jobs. [09-May-2000]
Allied Domecq is looking to acquire new vodka and white rum brands and also aims to expand its business in developing markets such as Asia. [05-May-2000]
Farne Salmon is planning to concentrate its smoked salmon business at its factory in Duns, which would mean the closure of its satellite operation at Galashiels and the transfer of 45 workers. [05-May-2000]
Colchester & East Essex Co-operative Society is to close the milk processing plant at its New Town dairy in Colchester with the loss of 42 jobs, and production will transfer to Ipswich. [04-May-2000]
Unilever has launched a £11.3bn takeover bid for Bestfoods, but the approach was rejected by the US consumer foods company as being financially inadequate. [03-May-2000]
Keith Spicer is to close its Big T teabag factory at Newtown in Powys with the loss of 65 jobs, and production will move to another site in Dorset. [03-May-2000]
Golden Vale has sold its 66% stake in Vejle Margarinefabrik, the Danish margarine company, to Puratos of Belgium. [02-May-2000]
British Cattle Movement Service is to continue to create new jobs at its facility in Workington, and may launch a similar service for sheep and goat information. [28-Apr-2000]
Hall & Woodhouse has bought King & Barnes, the Horsham-based brewery and pubs group, for undisclosed terms, and the brewery is expected to be closed with the loss of up to 50 jobs. [28-Apr-2000]
Greencore of Ireland has acquired Williams Rodgers Foods, the dried fruit manufacturer based in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, for undisclosed terms. [27-Apr-2000]
John Rannoch, the Suffolk-based ready meals company, is to invest £3m in the expansion of its capacity over the next two years, with the creation of 100 jobs. [25-Apr-2000]
Malton Bacon Factory has announced plans to build a new £20m meat products factory at its site in North Yorkshire, with the creation of up to 60 jobs. [25-Apr-2000]
Baxters has confirmed plans to spend £10m on a new chilled soups factory in Grimsby with the creation of up to 200 jobs, while £3m will be spent on the expansion of its headquarters at Fochabers. [25-Apr-2000]
J Welch & Sons, the North Shields-based confectionery factory, has closed with the loss of 35 jobs. [25-Apr-2000]
Guinness is to shed about 100 jobs at its Park Royal brewery in west London, as part of a strategic review of the site. [19-Apr-2000]
Whitbread is considering plans to sell its brewing business for about £400m, having asked Dresdner Kleinwort Benson to examine its strategic options. [17-Apr-2000]
Tate & Lyle is to sell its US grains business to JD Keiskell for about £35m, prompting speculation that its US sugar business could be sold next. [17-Apr-2000]
Whitworths, the home baking products company, is considering plans to close its Warrington factory and transfer production to Northamptonshire. [17-Apr-2000]
The Real Soup Company of Hexham and frozen ready meals company Danby's Foods have been acquired by Authentic Speciality Foods for undisclosed terms. [17-Apr-2000]
Yorkshire Forward has bought 85 acres of land at the disused Sherburn-in-Elmet airfield for £4.5m, in order to develop a new business park for the food industry that could create up to 3,000 jobs. [14-Apr-2000]
Unilever is acquiring two US food companies for a total £1.63bn - dietary supplement manufacturer SlimFast Foods and ice cream producer Ben & Jerry's Homemade. [13-Apr-2000]
Samworth Brothers is to expand production at its Bradgate Bakery sandwich factory in Leicester, with the creation of more than 100 jobs. [13-Apr-2000]
Greene King, the Suffolk-based brewery, is to close its storage depot in Rayleigh, in order to set up a 60,000 sq ft distribution centre in Crayford, near Dartford. [12-Apr-2000]
Shetland Catch is planning a £6m expansion at its Gremista fish factory in Lerwick. [11-Apr-2000]
Golden Wonder, the manufacturer of snacks, is being put up for sale by Legal & General Ventures for £100m, having dropped plans for a flotation. [10-Apr-2000]
Albert Fisher has sold its Greencell fresh produce division to management for £1.4m. [10-Apr-2000]
Ushers has failed to agree a management buy-out, and the Wiltshire brewery is now expected to close with the loss of 185 jobs. [07-Apr-2000]
HP Bulmer is to acquire Dawes Group, the drinks wholesaler that trades as The Beer Seller, for £32m, in order to introduce its cider into more pubs. [07-Apr-2000]
Express Dairies has sold Kirkwall Creamery to a local consortium, in order to secure 100 jobs and the future of Orkney Island Cheddar. [06-Apr-2000]
Robinson Group is to close its Wells soft drinks plant at Swan Valley in Northampton, with the loss of 140 jobs. [06-Apr-2000]
Marine Harvest is to invest £1.6m at its fish processing plant in Lochaber with the creation of 25 jobs, while its main plant in Fort William will also be upgraded. [05-Apr-2000]
Richmond Foods has acquired Associated British Foods' ice-cream division for £19m, consolidating its position as the country's largest independent ice-cream manufacturer. [04-Apr-2000]
Geo Adams has invested £6m in a new meat and pastry factory in Boston, and a further £1.5m on production improvements at its Spalding site. [03-Apr-2000]
North Devon District Council is to consider plans from Advanced Marketing Services to develop commercial greenhouses at Yelland, employing more than 150 staff and using waste heat from a proposed gas-fired power station. [03-Apr-2000]
Leaf UK has announced the sale of the Elizabeth Shaw and Famous Names chocolate brands to a management team operating under the name of Packbond Holdings. [31-Mar-2000]
Shepherd Neame has launched a £17m takeover bid for King & Barnes, the Sussex-based brewer. [30-Mar-2000]
Lerwick Fish Traders, the Shetland-based fish processing business, is to shed 40 of its 65 jobs, so that parent company Laschinger Group can transfer some production to Germany. [30-Mar-2000]
Branston Potatoes is to close its packing plant in Kirton Lindsey with the loss of 70 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites near Lincoln and in Somerset. [30-Mar-2000]
Unigate is to close its St Ivel chocolate desserts factory in Chichester next year with the loss of 182 jobs, as part of a £79m restructuring programme that will also involve the disposal of its French desserts operation. [29-Mar-2000]
Anglo Beef Processors is to close its lamb processing plant at Bathgate in southern Scotland. [28-Mar-2000]
Unilever is considering plans to sell off its European bakery division, having received a number of expressions of interest for the business. [27-Mar-2000]
Bass is planning to pull out of a brewing joint venture in China by selling its 55% stake to local partner Ginsber. [27-Mar-2000]
Tulip International is to relocate its processed meat production from Wellingborough to King's Lynn with the loss of more than 100 jobs. [27-Mar-2000]
Inter Link Foods has completed the acquisition of Nottingham-based Maid Marian Bakeries for about £1m. [24-Mar-2000]
Bernard Matthews is to close its lossmaking French poultry products business, but its factories in Germany and Hungary will be retained. [23-Mar-2000]
Robert Wiseman Dairies has announced a £225m cash offer for Unigate's milk and cheese business, which rivals the previously-agreed deal between Unigate and Dairy Crest. [23-Mar-2000]
Golden Wonder is creating a further 40 jobs at its snack food factory in Scunthorpe, following a £3m investment to produce crisps in tubes. [23-Mar-2000]
Campden & Chorleywood Food Research has awarded a £3.5m contract to Pettifer for the construction of a food laboratory in Chipping Campden. [23-Mar-2000]
Charcuterie Continental is planning to build a £1m factory in Glasgow to produce sausages, meats and pizza toppings. [23-Mar-2000]
Scottish & Newcastle is planning to acquire Danone's beer operations in France, Belgium and Italy for £1.7bn, to create the second largest brewing group in Europe. [21-Mar-2000]
Fyffes, the fresh produce company, is looking to spend up to £60m on the development of its business-to-business e-commerce projects over the next two years. [21-Mar-2000]
Percy Dalton Group is planning to move its peanuts business to Canvey Island early next year, with the creation of 100 jobs. [20-Mar-2000]
Meridian Foods of Denbighshire has acquired Organic Valley, the supplier of organic canned foods, for undisclosed terms. [20-Mar-2000]
Ethnic Cuisine has awarded a £4m contract to Ballast Wiltshier to build a prepared meals factory in Swansea. [16-Mar-2000]
Britvic Soft Drinks is creating 40 new jobs at its factory in Chelmsford, in preparation for the launch of a new series of products. [16-Mar-2000]
Tavern is to close its soft drinks depot in Kelso with the loss of 28 jobs, and the work will be transferred to other depots in Edinburgh and Glasgow. [16-Mar-2000]
Unilever is looking to shed up to 185 of the 1,150 jobs at its Birds Eye Wall's ice cream factory in Gloucester over the next two years, as part of an ongoing efficiency programme. [15-Mar-2000]
ED&F Man has sold Farmers Fertiliser & Milling Company, its US peanut shelling business, to Birdsong Corporation for £60m. [15-Mar-2000]
Hydro Seafood is set to be acquired by Nutreco of the Netherlands, to create a combined fish-farming group employing 1,100 staff in Scotland. [15-Mar-2000]
Glenfarm Holdings of Northern Ireland has acquired a controlling stake in Fat & Proteins, the Lancaster-based animal by-products rendering plant. [15-Mar-2000]
Elgro has sold its Freshtime vegetable growing business in Boston to a management buy-out, in a £4m deal backed by 3i. [14-Mar-2000]
North Devon Meat is planning to set up a new £0.5m pork boning facility at its plant in Torrington. [14-Mar-2000]
Brake Bros is acquiring M&J Seafoods, the supplier of fish to caterers, for £44m. [13-Mar-2000]
Christian Salvesen has acquired Tinsley Food for £4.9m, in order to expand its chilled food coverage in Kent, Lincolnshire and the north-west. [13-Mar-2000]
Penguin Confectionery is to close its confectionery factory in Sheffield with the loss of up to 100 jobs, due to the loss of key contracts. [13-Mar-2000]
Virgin is planning to launch an online wine business called Virginwines.com, selling up to 8,000 labels at discount prices. [10-Mar-2000]
Cromer Crab Company is to open a £3.8m shellfish processing factory in Cromer, Norfolk, later this year, with the creation of 65 jobs. [10-Mar-2000]
Laurens Patisseries is to create 300 jobs at its factory in Newark, having won a contract to supply desserts to Tesco. [10-Mar-2000]
Thorntons, the chocolate manufacturer and retailer, is planning to spin off its internet, mail order, and interactive TV operations. [08-Mar-2000]
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries is to cut 200 office jobs at the recently-acquired Mansfield Brewery over the next few months. [08-Mar-2000]
Compass has won a £1.2bn contract to supply catering services to IBM in the US until 2030. [07-Mar-2000]
Unigate has acquired an organic dairy facility at Thornbury in South Gloucestershire, to produce organic milk for large retailers. [07-Mar-2000]
Mother Hubbard Cakes of Manchester has been sold to management by Whitworths for undisclosed terms. [07-Mar-2000]
Brake Bros has won a £30m-a-year contract to supply food to the JD Wetherspoon chain of pubs, and will dedicate its Puritan Maid depot at Broughton Astley to the business. [06-Mar-2000]
Wrigley is to shed 38 of the 700 jobs at its gum factory in Plymouth. [06-Mar-2000]
Malton Foods is to close its pork processing factory at Ahoghill, County Antrim, in June, as part of a reorganisation that will result in the loss of up to 300 jobs at its Northern Ireland operations. [06-Mar-2000]
Unilever has acquired Cressida, the Honduras-based manufacturer of food and detergents, for about £200m. [03-Mar-2000]
Gafoor Poultry Products is to build a new £2m halal poultry products factory in Preston, with the creation of more than 40 jobs. [03-Mar-2000]
Welsh Whisky is preparing to open its new distillery at Penderyn, near Hirwaun, which will create 25 jobs. [03-Mar-2000]
Dessert Company is planning to close its chilled desserts factory in Newark in April with the loss of 700 jobs, following the loss of a contract from Tesco. [03-Mar-2000]
Lightbody of Hamilton is planning a £3m expansion of its cakes factory in Hamilton. [02-Mar-2000]
S&A Foods is considering a number of potential sites in Derbyshire to build a new ready-made meals factory, which will create up to 700 jobs. [01-Mar-2000]
Heinz is to cut 100 administrative jobs at Ross House in Grimsby, but the nearby San Marco pizza factory will be transformed into one of its leading manufacturing sites. [01-Mar-2000]
Grampian Country Foods is to shed 500 of the 1,200 jobs at its chicken processing factory at Newbridge, near Edinburgh, but 110 extra staff will be recruited at its sites in Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross. [01-Mar-2000]
AG Barr is considering plans to launch a franchise operation to sell its Irn-Bru soft drink in the US. [29-Feb-2000]
British Cattle Movement Service is to create 80 new jobs at the Derwent Howe Centre in Workington. [29-Feb-2000]
Farne Salmon is creating an additional 60 jobs at its smoked salmon business in Duns. [29-Feb-2000]
Perkins Foods is investing up to £23m to acquire a Dutch chilled and frozen poultry company and a French chilled salads company, and is now seeking manufacturing bases in Spain, Portugal and Italy. [29-Feb-2000]
Tetley has been acquired by Tata Tea of India for £271m, and the brand is expected to be launched into new markets worldwide. [28-Feb-2000]
Plymouth Gin has sold a 50% stake in its spirits business to Vin & Sprit of Sweden for undisclosed terms, and is also planning a major expansion into the US market. [28-Feb-2000]
Garma Foods International has acquired Kallo Group, the supplier of stock cubes and organic rice cakes, for £7.5m. [28-Feb-2000]
Unigate, the chilled and convenience foods company, is said to be facing the prospect of a takeover bid from venture capital firm Candover. [24-Feb-2000]
Unigate is planning to build a £3m blowmoulding facility and processing building at its milk depot in London's Shepherd's Bush. [24-Feb-2000]
Unilever is planning to close 100 plants and cut 25,000 jobs in Europe and North America, as part of a restructuring programme designed to focus manufacturing on 150 key sites and save £1bn a year. [23-Feb-2000]
Tomkins has shortlisted four private equity firms in the auction for its Ranks Hovis McDougall food business - CVC Capital Partners, Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, Doughty Hanson and Paribas Affaires Industrielles. [23-Feb-2000]
Unigate has closed a sauces factory in Bradford, and transferred production to a plant near Rochdale. [21-Feb-2000]
Unilever is to scale down its Birds Eye Wall's next-day ice cream delivery service, following a report from the Competition Commission that is expected to lead to the capping of its market share. [21-Feb-2000]
Unigate has agreed to merge its dairy and cheese operations into Dairy Crest, leaving it free to focus on the expansion of its convenience foods business in Europe. [18-Feb-2000]
Bass has announced plans to sell its brewing division, which could fetch about £1.8bn, in order to focus on international hotels and leisure retailing. [18-Feb-2000]
Bradford Metropolitan District Council has approved plans from Princes to build a soft drinks warehouse at Toftshaw Lane in Bradford, with the creation of 50 jobs. [18-Feb-2000]
Kerry Group has sold its DCA bakery business in the US and Canada to Pillsbury, the Diageo subsidiary, for £62m. [18-Feb-2000]
Dromona Quality Foods is to shed 35 jobs at its cultured dairy products business in Bangor, in order to transfer production and distribution to other sites. [18-Feb-2000]
Granada is to restructure its contract catering business into three divisions, and the Granada Food Services banner will be dropped with the loss of about 30 jobs. [18-Feb-2000]
Youngs Bluecrest is to invest £5m in the upgrade of its fish processing factory at Marsden Road in Grimsby, but another factory in Hull will be closed with the loss of up to 176 jobs. [17-Feb-2000]
The NI Fishery Harbour Authority has announced plans for the £6m refurbishment of fish production facilities at the fishing ports Ardgass, Kilkeel and Portavogie. [17-Feb-2000]
Cadbury Schweppes is looking to spend up to £3bn on acquisitions, in order to expand its food and soft drinks operations. [17-Feb-2000]
Tom Hoskins is to auction the historic Beaumanor Brewery in Leicester later this month, in order to focus on its pubs business. [14-Feb-2000]
HP Bulmer has agreed a deal with Sinebrychoff for the production and bottling of its Woodpecker cider in Finland. [11-Feb-2000]
Granada Food Services and Cremonini of Italy have won a £40m a year contract to provide food on Eurostar trains, through a joint venture company called Momentum. [08-Feb-2000]
Northern Foods has acquired a 40% stake in Solway Foods, the supplier of sandwiches and salads, for £16m. [08-Feb-2000]
Tetley is selling its US coffee businesses to Rowland Coffee Roasters and Mother Parker's Tea & Coffee for undisclosed terms, in order to focus on its core teabag brands. [07-Feb-2000]
Fine Lady Bakery has warned that jobs will be lost among its 400-strong workforce in Banbury, following the loss of a contract to supply bread to Tesco. [04-Feb-2000]
Ribble Valley Council has approved plans for the development of a £2m high-tech dairy farm at Withgill Fold. [03-Feb-2000]
Western Isles Enterprise is supporting a £3.7m project by Smolt Seafarm to build a salmon processing plant on Scalpay with the creation of up to 80 jobs. [03-Feb-2000]
Universal Kelvin, the offshore catering company, has won £150m worth of contracts from Shell Expro and Marathon that should secure the future of more than 600 North Sea jobs. [02-Feb-2000]
Russell Burgess of Peterborough and Sutton Bridge of Wisbech are planning a merger that will create a £50m potato growing and packing business. [31-Jan-2000]
Unigate is to close its Malton Foods bacon slicing plant in Enniskillen. [31-Jan-2000]
Deans Food Group has acquired Daylay Foods, the former chicken and egg subsidiary of Hillsdown. [31-Jan-2000]
Robert Wiseman Dairies is to be investigated by the Competition Commission, because of its dominant position in the Scottish milk market. [28-Jan-2000]
Bensons Crisps is to change its name to Snackhouse, and has also announced plans to launch a web site offering bulk purchases of snacks at prices 15% lower than in the shops. [28-Jan-2000]
Maldon Crystal Salt Company is seeking permission to build a new sea salt processing, packing and storage plant at the Wycke Hill Business Park on the outskirts of Maldon. [27-Jan-2000]
Pataks, the manufacturer of ethnic foods, has started work on the construction of a £10m factory at Leigh in Lancashire. [27-Jan-2000]
Hancocks Holdings is to set up a new confectionery wholesale outlet at Vanguard Court in Stockton, with the creation of about 25 jobs. [27-Jan-2000]
Northern Foods is to build a £5.5m frozen foods factory in Carlisle, but will close a nearby Cavaghan & Gray meat products factory as well as Rawmarsh Foods in Yorkshire. [26-Jan-2000]
Express Dairies is to close a dairy and depot in Birmingham and a distribution facility in Salisbury, with the loss of 370 jobs. [26-Jan-2000]
Diageo is planning to set up an internet trading market for its suppliers, in order to combine purchasing budgets across its operations in 200 countries and to negotiate discounts. [25-Jan-2000]
Baxters is considering plans to build a fresh soups factory in Grimsby, with the creation of 200 jobs. [24-Jan-2000]
NFU Mutual is providing finance to the Triple S Ranch farmers co-operative for the construction of a £2m beef processing plant at Heathfield, which could create up to 150 jobs. [21-Jan-2000]
Hazlewood Foods is to combine its three Beaverlac cake factories in Hull into a new £15m purpose-built factory on Sutton Fields industrial estate next year, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. [20-Jan-2000]
Lordswood Dairy has bought the retail distribution division of Wessex Dairies, which employs 160 people in the supply of milk and other dairy products. [19-Jan-2000]
Associated Co-operative Creameries is to close its bottling plant in Stockton with the loss of 39 jobs, and production will be transferred to its Blaydon depot. [19-Jan-2000]
Ushers may close its Trowbridge brewery with the loss of 230 jobs, unless a management buy-out can be agreed with parent company Rhesus Holdings. [17-Jan-2000]
British Sugar is forming a £7m joint venture with Humber Growers to set up glasshouses for growing tomatoes at Wissington in Norfolk, and similar projects are expected at other British Sugar sites. [17-Jan-2000]
The Office of Fair Trading is to launch a new investigation into competition in the brewing industry, apparently due to concern about high beer prices. [15-Jan-2000]
Brake Bros has won a contract worth £20m a year to supply food to catering company Compass. [13-Jan-2000]
Albert Fisher is close to agreeing the sale of its 20% stake in FreshPoint, the North American food distributor, to Sysco, in order to raise about £36m for debt-reduction purposes. [11-Jan-2000]
Teesside Wholesale Meat of Marton has closed with the loss of 20 jobs, due to a fall in orders. [08-Jan-2000]
Lovells, the Newport-based chocolate confectionery company, has been sold by NFF to a local businessman for £0.9m. [08-Jan-2000]
Ash Manor Cheese is planning to build a £1m cheese processing facility at its site in Wrexham. [08-Jan-2000]
Tomos Watkin is to build a new brewery in Swansea and buy 50 more Welsh pubs over the next four years, in a £10m expansion plan that will create 100 jobs. [07-Jan-2000]
Highlands & Islands Enterprise is in discussions with Scanbro Scotland about plans to build a £4m plant to process fish farm waste in the Fort William area, which would create up to 45 jobs. [06-Jan-2000]
Carlsberg-Tetley is to close its Wrexham brewery in April, following the recent £40m investment at sites in Northampton and Leeds. [06-Jan-2000]
Tomkins has asked potential bidders to prepare offers for its food manufacturing business, which includes brands such as Hovis, Mothers Pride, Bisto and Sharwoods. [03-Jan-2000]