Gardner Fine Foods is expanding its sandwich manufacturing business with the acquisition of a new site in Walsall, and has also announced the acquisition of Snack Attack Catering of Flintshire and Fetchers Foods of Walsall. [27-Dec-2004]
Carreg Brewing Company is planning to transfer production of its authentic Pilsner lager from Belgium to Wales. [21-Dec-2004]
Diageo is to acquire Chalone Wine, the US winemaker, for £134m, adding to its two existing Californian vineyards. [21-Dec-2004]
Devro has acquired Biofilm, the Glasgow-based developer of dissolvable thin film technology that can be used as carriers for flavours and other active ingredients. [20-Dec-2004]
McLelland Cheese of Glasgow has been acquired by Lactalis of France for an estimated £170m. [20-Dec-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle is to strengthen its position in the Indian beer market by forming a £55m alliance with United Breweries. [20-Dec-2004]
Ilchester Cheese, the blended cheese producer, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Inflexion Private Equity. [17-Dec-2004]
Kraft Foods is expected to shed up to 120 jobs at its plant in Banbury, following the sale of its Bird's Custard and Angel Delight brands to Premier Foods. [14-Dec-2004]
Inter Link Foods has acquired Cukiernia Mistrza Jana, the Polish cake manufacturer, for up to £1.2m. [14-Dec-2004]
IAWS has acquired Groupe Hubert, the French bakery products supplier, from Apax Partners for £90m. [14-Dec-2004]
Elizabeth Shaw is planning to close its confectionery factory in Bristol and relocate production to a new site nearby. [13-Dec-2004]
Tenderlean Meats is planning a £1.2m expansion at its factory in Fermanagh, having secured a £0.4m EU grant. [10-Dec-2004]
Premier Foods is to acquire Bird's Custard, Angel Delight and associated brands from Kraft Foods for £70m, and production will be integrated into its Knighton factory in Staffordshire. [10-Dec-2004]
Robert Wiseman Dairies is planning to invest up to £30m in a new dairy and distribution depot in Somerset, and is currently seeking a suitable site. [10-Dec-2004]
Napier Brown Foods is to relocate production of icing and marzipan from Runcorn to Liverpool in March, with the loss of 75 jobs. [09-Dec-2004]
Arla Foods is to merge with Campina of the Netherlands, creating a combined dairy business called Campina Arla with 28,000 staff. [09-Dec-2004]
Glanbia has acquired Kortus Food Ingredients Services of Germany for £10m. [08-Dec-2004]
Morrisons is planning to acquire Kepak Buchan, the Turriff-based abattoir with 200 staff, for undisclosed terms. [08-Dec-2004]
NWF Group has acquired JGW Thomas & Son, the Devon-based animal feed manufacturer, for £3.6m. [06-Dec-2004]
Beech's Fine Chocolates is to shed up to 18 jobs at its confectionery plant in Preston by the end of the year. [06-Dec-2004]
Unilever has agreed to sell its frozen pizza and baguette business to Dr Oetker of Germany for undisclosed terms. [02-Dec-2004]
The Rural Payment Agency is to shed 270 of the 440 jobs at its office in Exeter over the next two years, following the simplification of European farming subsidies. [02-Dec-2004]
Sleaford Quality Foods, the supplier of dried foods with 120 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Lloyds TSB Commercial. [01-Dec-2004]
Tate & Lyle has acquired Dolcre Food Ingredients, the South African fructose importer with net assets worth £1.4m. [30-Nov-2004]
Glisten is to acquire Halo Foods, the manufacturer of cereal, energy and diet bars with 450 staff at three sites in Wales, for £5.6m. [29-Nov-2004]
Northern Foods is to create 100 jobs at the Palethorpes manufacturing plant in Market Drayton over the next few months, in order to produce sausage rolls and other products for Marks & Spencer. [29-Nov-2004]
Arla Foods is to close its HT Webb imported cheese distribution business in Northfleet, Kent, casting doubt on the future of 170 jobs. [29-Nov-2004]
Unilever is to close the Elmlea cream plant in Needham Market in 2006, with the loss of 66 jobs, in order to transfer production to its site in Purfleet. [29-Nov-2004]
Wilson Storey Halliday has merged with Baxter Smith, creating a combined contract catering business known as Baxter Storey with annual sales of more than £100m. [29-Nov-2004]
Cereal Partners UK is investing £12m in the expansion of its cereal manufacturing plant in Wirral, with the creation of 30 jobs. [26-Nov-2004]
Dairy Crest has acquired Coombe Farm Dairies of Sussex, and the milk bottling and processing plant will close with distribution moved to Dairy Crest sites in Eastbourne, Brighton and Worthing. [24-Nov-2004]
UA Group, the Scottish livestock auctioneering company with 90 staff, has accepted a £52m takeover offer from Elphinstone of Glasgow. [24-Nov-2004]
Chivas Brothers is to close its whisky bottling plant in Kilwinning and its distribution depot at Linwood next year, with the loss of up to 93 jobs, in order to transfer the work to sites in Paisley and Newbridge. [23-Nov-2004]
Invest NI has announced that O'Kane Poultry has been granted £1m from the EU Processing & Marketing Grant Scheme to expand its poultry processing facilities in Ballymena. [22-Nov-2004]
Vitacress Salads is to shed 25 of the 650 jobs at its salad production operations across the south. [22-Nov-2004]
Sirhowy Valley Foods, the crisps manufacturer with annual turnover of £5m, is to relocate to a larger factory in Newport in March. [22-Nov-2004]
Nestle Rowntree is to expand chocolate crumb production at its factory in Girvan, Scotland, with the creation of an unspecified number of jobs, but 57 jobs will be lost with the closure of its Mallow factory in Ireland. [22-Nov-2004]
Diageo is to acquire Ursus Vodka, the Dutch owner of two vodka brands, for £102m. [22-Nov-2004]
Diageo is planning to expand the Guinness production plant in Runcorn by next summer, with the creation of scores of jobs. [19-Nov-2004]
Anglo Beef Processors is creating 300 jobs at a new £18m meat processing factory at West Moor Park in Doncaster, in order to supply meat to Asda. [18-Nov-2004]
Kraft Foods is to sell the Altoids and Life Savers confectionery businesses to Wrigley for £795m, which will include the transfer of 100 staff at a manufacturing plant in Bridgend. [16-Nov-2004]
Diageo is to invest £4m at the Cameronbridge Distillery at Windygates in Fife, in order to make efficiency and environmental improvements to the production process. [16-Nov-2004]
Northumbrian Ice Cream Company is seeking a larger site for its 40-strong workforce in Ashington, which will lead to the creation of ten new jobs, and also wants to open a factory in Australia. [15-Nov-2004]
Kraft Foods is looking to sell a number of dessert brands, including Bird's Custard, Angel Delight and Dream Topping. [09-Nov-2004]
Nichols has completed the sale of Nichols Foods, the Haydock-based beverage supplier, to management for £8.1m. [08-Nov-2004]
Northern Foods is to sell the Cavaghan & Gray Seafood chilled and frozen fish business to IFP Holdings, a subsidiary of Icelandic Group, for £13m, which will involve the transfer of 240 staff based in Grimsby and 150 in Aberdeen. [05-Nov-2004]
Cadbury Schweppes has acquired the Orangina soft drink brand from Pernod Ricard for £21m. [04-Nov-2004]
Inter Link Foods, the Blackburn-based cake manufacturer, has raised £8m in a share placing to fund the acquisition of additional capacity. [04-Nov-2004]
Alpha Airports has won a five-year contract to provide catering services for American Airlines at Heathrow, Gatwick and Glasgow, and has also announced the £5m acquisition of a 60% stake in Istanbul Duty Free of Turkey. [04-Nov-2004]
Britvic has acquired the water division of Huddersfield-based soft drinks company Ben Shaws, which employs 48 staff. [03-Nov-2004]
HP Bulmer is to shed 49 jobs at its cider factory in Hereford in May, and parent company Scottish & Newcastle hopes to transfer some of the jobs to other parts of the group. [03-Nov-2004]
Carr's Milling Industries is to acquire Meneba UK, the operator of flour mills in Kirkcaldy and Maldon, for £4.7m. [01-Nov-2004]
Newboulds, the Middlesbrough-based manufacturer of pies and pasties, has undergone a management buy-in backed by Allied Irish Bank. [01-Nov-2004]
Hall & Woodhouse is to shed 220 jobs at its soft drinks factory in Blandford St Mary early next year, and production will be outsourced. [01-Nov-2004]
Evesham Vale Growers is to spend £2m expanding its glasshouse facilities in Worcestershire by six acres, in order to cope with rising demand for tomatoes. [01-Nov-2004]
Grampian Country Foods is to restart production at the Harris Quality Bacon factory in Winsford next month, and the site will eventually employ more than 400 staff. [29-Oct-2004]
Premier Foods has temporarily closed the Branston pickle factory in Bury St Edmunds, which employs 300 staff, following a fire. [29-Oct-2004]
Geest is forming a joint venture with Rannoch Food to produce ready-to-cook meals at Holbeach in Lincolnshire, with the creation of 100 jobs. [28-Oct-2004]
Samworth Brothers is to create up to 250 jobs at its various food production sites, including a £10m investment at Walkers Charnwood in Beaumont Leys, £3m at Midshire Foods in Leicester and £2m at Kettleby Foods in Melton. [26-Oct-2004]
European Supplies, the supplier of British foods to Spanish retailers, is being acquired by Lennox Holdings, and £4m will be raised in a flotation on Aim. [25-Oct-2004]
Heveco Mushrooms is planning to relocate production from its two farms in West Sussex over the next 18 months, and is seeking a site large enough to double its capacity. [25-Oct-2004]
Close Brothers Private Equity has provided £16m of development capital to fund the buy-out of Pilgrim, the food ingredients company. [22-Oct-2004]
Lerwick Fish Traders has threatened to relocate its salmon processing plant and 140 jobs to the mainland if Shetland Islands Council proceeds with plans to build a bridge across its site. [22-Oct-2004]
Bon Bon Buddies, the Crumlin-based supplier of character-licensed confectionery, has secured a £0.75m regional selective assistance grant to fund a move to larger premises. [21-Oct-2004]
Glenmorangie, the whisky company with 350 staff, has been acquired by LVMH of France for £300m. [21-Oct-2004]
Perkins Foods is looking to sell its chilled food division for more than £60m, and Stamford Partners has been appointed to handle the auction. [20-Oct-2004]
Castle Morpeth Council and Morpeth Pride are working on plans for the development of a £4m business enterprise and visitor centre, which would create 85 jobs in the production of Northumberland food, drink and crafts. [20-Oct-2004]
Geest Mariner Foods is to set up a new 60,000 sq ft ready meals factory at Europarc in Grimsby by next April, with the creation of 100 jobs. [19-Oct-2004]
Robert Wiseman Dairies is seeking planning permission to build a new milk depot in Market Drayton, with the creation of up to 80 jobs, but alternative sites are still being considered. [18-Oct-2004]
FareShare, the food redistribution charity, is planning to open six new depots and expand sites in Yorkshire and London by 2007. [18-Oct-2004]
Hill Station is planning to set up a new upmarket ice cream factory in Wiltshire, funded by a £1.4m flotation. [18-Oct-2004]
Dungannon Meats is to close a meat packing plant in Belfast with the loss of 30 jobs. [15-Oct-2004]
Grampian Country Foods is to close its meat processing factory in Spalding with the loss of 138 jobs, as well as its chicken factory near Uckfield with the loss of 485 jobs. [15-Oct-2004]
Icefresh has acquired Prospero, the Norfolk-based frozen and chilled desserts manufacturer with 55 staff. [13-Oct-2004]
Salad Garden, the York-based supplier of sandwich fillings and salads with 18 staff, has undergone a management buy-in and the plant will double in size over the next two years. [12-Oct-2004]
Unilever is to close the Birds Eye frozen food factory in Grimsby early next year, with the loss of 600 jobs. [08-Oct-2004]
Coors is to close a cask ale production line in Burton in February with the loss of 18 jobs, having lost a contract to brew Draught Bass beer. [08-Oct-2004]
Fastnet Fish, the Grimsby-based fish processing company, has been acquired by Andrew Marr International of Hull for undisclosed terms. [06-Oct-2004]
Britvic Soft Drinks is planning a flotation early next year, with Citigroup and Deutsche Bank being appointed as advisers. [04-Oct-2004]
Arla Foods is to close two dairies in Newcastle upon Tyne and Ruislip, with the loss of more than 400 jobs. [01-Oct-2004]
Crown Pet Foods is seeking permission to build a pet foods factory in Castle Cary, Somerset, which would employ about 80 staff. [01-Oct-2004]
Robert Wiseman Dairies is to create 175 jobs at a new £7.5m distribution depot in Northampton by 2005. [30-Sep-2004]
Northern Foods is to close chilled food factories in Evesham and Carlisle next year, with the loss of 1,000 jobs. [29-Sep-2004]
Virgin Wines is recruiting a further 35 wine advisers at its headquarters in Norwich, taking the total workforce to 135. [29-Sep-2004]
Coca-Cola Bottlers Ulster may close its soft drinks bottling plant in Antrim, which employs 500 staff, as the parent company wants to consolidate its Irish operations onto a new unidentified site. [29-Sep-2004]
White Young Green has been selected as preferred consultant for the development of a £20m national distribution centre in Cannock for Unilever Bestfoods by the end of next year. [28-Sep-2004]
Newboulds is to invest £1m in new machinery and building work at its Riverside Park factory on Teesside, having won a contract to supply meat products to Asda. [27-Sep-2004]
Del Monte is to create 250 new jobs at its fruit packing site in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. [27-Sep-2004]
Tamar Foods has awarded a £3m contract to Dean & Dyball to extend its food factory in Callington. [27-Sep-2004]
Minola Smoked Products of Abergavenny is to close next month with the loss of eight jobs, due to the rising cost of building insurance. [24-Sep-2004]
Richmond Foods is considering plans to close its ice cream factory in Ivybridge, Devon, next year, with the loss of almost 200 jobs. [24-Sep-2004]
Shire Foods is to relocate its pie production plant and up to 75 staff from Warwick to a new £4.5m factory at Tachbrook Point in Leamington early next year. [23-Sep-2004]
Dairy Crest has announced a £4m deal to buy out its partners in the English Butter Marketing Company. [23-Sep-2004]
Baxters Food Group has acquired SoupExperts, the Canadian supplier of condensed soup with 100 staff. [22-Sep-2004]
Country Style Foods is creating 25 new jobs at its frozen desserts factory in Stockton, taking the workforce to 250. [20-Sep-2004]
Daniels Chilled Foods is creating about 140 jobs at its newly-opened £4m prepared fruits factory at Waterside Park in Leeds, with production being transferred from its Seacroft site. [20-Sep-2004]
Geest, the fresh foods group, is to shed about 100 management jobs at sites across the country. [20-Sep-2004]
Geest is to acquire Anglia Crown, the supplier of meals to hospitals with sites in Colchester and Manchester, for £14m. [17-Sep-2004]
Lakeland Dairies is to close its powdered milk plant in Omagh by the end of the year, with the loss of 53 jobs. [16-Sep-2004]
Greggs is to close the Carricks Bakery in Newcastle next year, but at least 55 of the 105 staff are expected to be retained in other parts of the business. [15-Sep-2004]
Brakes is in discussions to acquire the Peter's Food Service chilled food distribution business from Compass. [15-Sep-2004]
Buccleuch Heritage Brands has closed its abattoir at Castle Douglas with the loss of up to 14 jobs. [14-Sep-2004]
Barratlantic is to receive financial support from Western Isles Enterprise for the £0.5m expansion of its fish processing factory on Barra, with the creation of five jobs. [13-Sep-2004]
Interbrew is to close the Boddingtons brewery in Manchester in February 2005, with the loss of 55 jobs, in order to transfer production to south Wales, Glasgow and Preston. [10-Sep-2004]
Northern Foods has announced plans to relocate its head office from Hull to Leeds, which will involve the transfer of up to 100 staff to either Leeds or an existing site in Wakefield. [10-Sep-2004]
Northern Counties Meat is to close its abattoir in Sunderland, and has applied for planning permission to build executive housing on the site. [07-Sep-2004]
Unilever is looking to sell the Birds Eye fish products factory in Grimsby, prompting fears that the site may be closed with the loss of 650 jobs. [06-Sep-2004]
Napier Brown Foods has acquired Renshaw Scott, the manufacturer of baking ingredients with 175 staff at sites in Liverpool and Carluke, for £18m. [03-Sep-2004]
Greencore is to close its malting plant in Carnoustie by the end of the year, with the loss of 12 jobs, in order to concentrate work at its sites in Buckie and Glenesk. [02-Sep-2004]
Humdinger has acquired A Taste of Luxury, the Plymouth-based biscuit importer, for undisclosed terms. [01-Sep-2004]
Dairy Crest has lost a £60m-a-year contract to supply milk to Tesco, raising fears about possible dairy closures. [30-Aug-2004]
Oakdale Bakeries, the cake manufacturer with sites in Morley, Wigan and Doncaster, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms. [30-Aug-2004]
British Cattle Movement Service is to create a further 50 jobs in Workington, assuming it is selected to administer the new National Fallen Stock Scheme. [25-Aug-2004]
Interbrew has confirmed plans to close the Bass Ireland Ulster Brewery in Belfast in January, with the loss of up to 85 jobs. [25-Aug-2004]
Glenmorangie, the whisky company with three distilleries, has been put up for sale with an estimated value of up to £300m. [24-Aug-2004]
Eclipse Scientific, the food testing company with 200 staff at eight laboratories, has undergone a management buy-out from Swan Group for undisclosed terms. [23-Aug-2004]
Ashbury Confectionery has secured a £2.5m finance facility to invest in new equipment and product development. [23-Aug-2004]
Maxxium UK is to invest £2m in the expansion of its alcoholic drinks business, including improved merchandising and the recruitment of 27 extra staff. [16-Aug-2004]
Warburtons has confirmed plans to build a £60m bakery in Wakefield by June 2005, with the creation of 200 jobs. [16-Aug-2004]
Countrywest Trading and Cornwall Farmers are forming a new company called Tamar Feeds, in order to operate the Countrywest mill at Launceston and supply animal feeds to farms throughout the region. [13-Aug-2004]
Dairy Farmers of Britain is to acquire Associated Co-Operative Creameries, which has 3,500 staff at sites in Whitby, Cardiff, Llangadog, Llandrynog, Portsmouth, Cricket St Thomas and Nantwich, for £75m. [12-Aug-2004]
Nichols is looking to sell its Nichols Foods business, which employs 350 staff, and a conditional offer has been received from management. [12-Aug-2004]
Arla Foods is planning to build a £10m milk processing plant in Lockerbie by next year, with the creation of about 100 jobs. [11-Aug-2004]
Uniq has confirmed plans to close its sandwich factory in Devizes later this year, with the loss of 203 jobs. [06-Aug-2004]
Manor Farm Ducklings, the Norfolk-based poultry firm with annual turnover of £17m, has been bought out of administration by MFD Foods. [06-Aug-2004]
Western Wines, the wine importer, has been acquired by Vincor of Canada for £135m. [03-Aug-2004]
Wrights Pies is planning to set up a new £3.5m confectionery plant in Stoke-on-Trent, with the creation of 150 jobs over the next three years. [03-Aug-2004]
Joseph Heler is investing £1m in the expansion of its cheese factory in Nantwich. [02-Aug-2004]
Manor Bakeries is to invest £45m in the expansion of its cake manufacturing operations over the next three years, with the creation of 300 jobs at its bakery in Barnsley. [02-Aug-2004]
Watton Produce is investing £1.7m in new vegetable packing facilities in Norfolk. [02-Aug-2004]
Glisten has acquired a toffee production line in North Shields from House of York for £0.1m. [27-Jul-2004]
United Biscuits is to acquire the UK biscuit operations of Danone for about £240m, including factories in Liverpool and Leicester. [26-Jul-2004]
Associated British Foods has acquired Burns Philp, the Australian yeast, herbs and spices company, for £730m. [23-Jul-2004]
Warburtons has awarded a £2m contract to Hargreaves Contracting to refurbish its bakery at Wednesbury. [22-Jul-2004]
Merrydown is to close a cider and soft drinks factory in East Sussex by the end of the year, with the loss of 35 jobs. [19-Jul-2004]
Dairy Crest is to close its yogurts and cheeses factory in Enfield next year, with the loss of 320 jobs. [19-Jul-2004]
Geest is setting up a new business called International Produce at sites in Yorkshire and Kent, in order to simplify the supply of imported produce to Asda. [15-Jul-2004]
Moray Council is to consider plans from Walkers Shortbread to set up a new bakery facility at its site in Elgin, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. [13-Jul-2004]
Napier Brown Foods has acquired James Budgett Sugars, the sugar processing company, from ED&F Man and Greencore for £17m. [08-Jul-2004]
DCC is to acquire Bottle Green, the Leeds-based wine supplier, for an initial £13m. [08-Jul-2004]
Young's Bluecrest is creating more than 250 new jobs at its seafood factories in Grimsby, due to an increase in fish consumption. [08-Jul-2004]
Interbrew is looking to sell the Bass Brewery in west Belfast, in order to ensure the future of the 80 jobs. [06-Jul-2004]
Aquascot, the Alness-based salmon and trout processing company with 120 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland. [06-Jul-2004]
Dundas Brothers, the Inverurie-based rendering plant, has gone into liquidation with the loss of most of the 63 jobs. [05-Jul-2004]
Yorkshire Forward is assisting Soy Magic of Israel with plans to build a £3m factory at Europarc in Grimsby to produce soya milk, yoghurts and desserts, with the creation of more than 50 jobs. [05-Jul-2004]
Macrae Food Group, the seafood company with 1,300 staff in Fraserburgh, Inverness, Edinburgh, Hull and Pewsey, has been acquired by Young's of Grimsby. [02-Jul-2004]
Nestle Rowntree is to sell its cocoa processing operations in York to Cargill, which will involve the transfer of 27 jobs. [01-Jul-2004]
RHM, the food group with 20,000 staff at 69 manufacturing sites, is preparing plans for a £1bn flotation later this year. [30-Jun-2004]
United Biscuits is investing £5m at its biscuit factory in Carlisle with the creation of 90 jobs, in order to transfer production of Ginger Nuts from Ashby-de-la-Zouch. [28-Jun-2004]
Dairy Crest is to close its milk and juice processing facility at Newport on the Isle of Wight, with the loss of 37 jobs. [21-Jun-2004]
Carlsberg is planning to transfer the production of Holsten beer from Germany to the UK over the next few years. [21-Jun-2004]
Unilever Ventures is to close its Rocket meal kits subsidiary, having cancelled trials in stores operated by Somerfield, Co-op, Total and Whistlestop. [21-Jun-2004]
Maximuscle, the supplier of sports supplements and drinks, has been acquired by Piper Private Equity for £9.7m. [21-Jun-2004]
Dewfresh Mushrooms is to close its mushroom production facility in Norfolk with the loss of 90 jobs. [18-Jun-2004]
East End Foods is to create 150 new jobs at its food distribution centre in West Bromwich by 2006. [17-Jun-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle is to invest up to £5m at the Federation Brewery in Gateshead, in order to transfer Newcastle Brown Ale production from the Tyne Brewery. [16-Jun-2004]
Dove Valley, the Derbyshire-based poultry supplier with about 700 staff, has been acquired by OSI of the US for undisclosed terms. [14-Jun-2004]
Kerry Foods Direct To Store is to set up a 60,000 sq ft frozen foods distribution centre on the Dorcan estate in Swindon, with the creation of more than 100 jobs. [11-Jun-2004]
Johnson Seafarms is planning to raise £2.5m to develop the UK's first commercial cod farm in the Shetland Isles. [10-Jun-2004]
MI Dickson, the pork butcher, is to invest £0.8m in the expansion of its South Shields headquarters and the opening of two new shops, securing the future of its 230 staff. [10-Jun-2004]
Princes Foods has acquired Well Well Well, the natural mineral water bottler with sites in Cumbria and Shropshire, in a multi-million pound deal. [09-Jun-2004]
Arla Foods is to invest £20m in the expansion of its new Stourton dairy near Leeds, and has also announced a deal with TNT Mail for its Express Dairies subsidiary to deliver letters and parcels to 6m households. [09-Jun-2004]
GBL International, the Chesterfield-based vodka supplier with annual turnover of £70m, is to change its name to Global Brands. [08-Jun-2004]
East Riding Council-backed Bridlington One Stop Shop is to help Global Cake Company recruit 120 staff at the former Hibernia Foods factory in Bridlington. [08-Jun-2004]
Maple Leaf Bakery is setting up a new £2m bakery at Lillyhall, near Workington, with the creation of about 70 jobs. [07-Jun-2004]
Genus is seeking acquisitions to expand its bovine genetics business, and is interested in two UK subsidiaries of international competitors that have been put up for sale. [07-Jun-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle is to invest £2m at the Caledonian brewery in Edinburgh, in order to double its capacity and transfer McEwans production from the Fountainbridge site. [04-Jun-2004]
Northern Foods has confirmed that moves are underway to relocate its headquarters away from Hull, and sites are being considered in Sheffield, Doncaster, Leeds and Wakefield. [04-Jun-2004]
Donegal Creameries is to merge its Carbury Mushrooms business with Monaghan Middlebrook, creating Europe's largest mushroom supplier. [03-Jun-2004]
Apetito is to set up a £0.5m frozen foods product development centre at its site in Trowbridge. [01-Jun-2004]
Greencore is planning to treble its production capacity for ready meals over the next two years, which could be achieved through acquisitions or by building a new factory. [31-May-2004]
Lyons Seafoods is to invest £3m in the expansion of its factory in Warminster by 2005, with the creation of 40 jobs. [31-May-2004]
Associated British Foods is to acquire The Billington Food Group, the Ipswich-based importer of unrefined raw cane sugars with net assets of £7.7m. [28-May-2004]
Organic Farm Foods Scotland has placed its West Lothian-based vegetable distribution business into liquidation, and its customers will now be supplied from the OFF sites in England. [26-May-2004]
Asda has ended milk supply contracts worth £90m with Robert Wiseman and Dairy Crest, and will now buy all of its liquid milk from Arla Foods UK. [26-May-2004]
Uniq is planning to close two dessert factories in Newton Abbot, Devon, and Evercreech, Wiltshire, over the next two years, with the loss of 550 jobs. [25-May-2004]
RE Winder, the Ulverston-based abattoir, has closed with the loss of 35 jobs. [24-May-2004]
Peter Hunt's Bakery Foods has acquired the frozen savoury foods business of Preston-based Ashworth's Foods, and production will transfer to its site in Bolton. [24-May-2004]
Manor Bakeries is to close its bakery in Eastleigh with the loss of 423 jobs, while 238 of the 550 jobs at its bakery in Moreton on the Wirrall will also be lost. [20-May-2004]
Procter & Gamble is to shed up to 60 jobs at the Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside, having outsourced its transactional accounts payment support function to Hewlett-Packard. [20-May-2004]
Cumbrian Seafoods is to create 40 new jobs at its factory in Maryport, having won a contract to supply coated fish to Morrisons. [17-May-2004]
Innovate Logistics is to create 150 jobs in Worksop over the next two years, having won planning permission to develop a 140,000 sq ft food distribution centre at the Manton Wood Enterprise Park. [17-May-2004]
Carlsberg UK is to open a 60,000 sq ft drinks distribution depot in Croydon in June, with the creation of about 50 jobs. [13-May-2004]
Gerber Foods is to build a £35m fruit juice factory near Bridgwater in Somerset, employing 800 staff, and the company will relocate from existing offices nearby. [13-May-2004]
Univeg is to close its vegetable packing plant near Penzance, with the loss of 27 jobs. [12-May-2004]
Robert Wiseman Dairies is planning to expand its dairy capacity by 2006, possibly by extending its Manchester site, while a new depot will open in the south-east next year. [12-May-2004]
Danish Crown has acquired Flagship Foods, the pork producer that includes Roach Foods and Dalehead Foods, in order to expand its Tulip subsidiary. [11-May-2004]
Kerry Group has acquired four flavour companies for a total £113m, including Manheimer and Flavurence of the US, Laboratorios Krauss of Mexico and Fructamine of Italy. [11-May-2004]
Uniq is to acquire a chilled desserts manufacturing business in Minsterley, Shropshire, from Northern Foods for £16m, which will involve the transfer of 520 staff. [11-May-2004]
Premier Foods, the grocery supplier owned by Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, is considering plans for a £1bn flotation. [11-May-2004]
Unilever Bestfoods is to shed 38 of the 176 jobs at the Colman's mustard and sauces factory in Norwich. [10-May-2004]
Kelloggs, the cereals manufacturer, is considering plans to relocate a small number of senior executives from its European headquarters in Manchester to Ireland. [10-May-2004]
Buxted Chickens is to shed 99 of the 550 jobs at its poultry processing plant in Flixton, Suffolk. [07-May-2004]
Northern Foods' Cavaghan & Gray subsidiary has sold Emile Tissot, the Telford-based frozen ready meals supplier with about 100 staff, to Dawn Fresh Foods for £3.5m. [06-May-2004]
Tetley is to invest £2.5m in the automation of its tea packing plant at Eaglescliffe in the Tees Valley, but 46 of the 600 jobs will be lost. [06-May-2004]
Canterbury Foods is planning to raise £5.8m in a share placing to fund the rationalisation of its four meat factories. [03-May-2004]
Wilson's Country, the fruit and vegetable processor with 170 staff, is to relocate to a new £3.2m factory at Carn near Portadown in the summer. [29-Apr-2004]
Produce World is to set up a new £1m fruit and vegetable packing operation in Peterborough, with the creation of 150 jobs. [29-Apr-2004]
J&J Haslett has sold Holmes Catering, the supplier of meals to schools and hospitals in Northern Ireland with 70 staff, to John Henderson Group for undisclosed terms. [28-Apr-2004]
Dawnfresh Seafoods has acquired Silver Trout, the Hampshire-based trout producer, for undisclosed terms. [26-Apr-2004]
Interbrew is considering plans to shed up to 30 jobs at the Bass brewery in Belfast, having lost a £6m contract to bottle Lucozade. [23-Apr-2004]
Rathbones Bakeries is to close its bakery in Peterborough in July with the loss of 172 jobs. [23-Apr-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle is to close the Tyne Brewery in Newcastle with the loss of 100 jobs, and production will transfer to nearby Dunston. [23-Apr-2004]
Euro Foods has secured a grant from the National Assembly for Wales to help with the expansion of its office in Newport and the construction of a new chicken processing plant. [22-Apr-2004]
Allerdale Council is to consider plans from Dutch consortium Partners in Cheese to build a £37m cheese factory in Workington, with the creation of up to 70 jobs. [22-Apr-2004]
GW Padley is in talks to sell most of its Lincolnshire-based poultry business to OSI Group of the US. [22-Apr-2004]
Yorkshire Forward is to help fund the development of a £0.3m harbourside shellfish complex at Whitby by mid 2005. [20-Apr-2004]
Kraft Foods is to close its Terry's confectionery factory and warehouse in York next year, with the loss of 316 jobs. [20-Apr-2004]
Five Star Fish, the Grimsby-based fish processing company with 250 staff, is to be acquired by the Real Good Food Company for an initial £17m. [20-Apr-2004]
Weetabix is planning to expand its cereals factory in Northamptonshire with the creation of up to 150 jobs. [19-Apr-2004]
Unilever Bestfoods is looking to sell some of its cooking fat brands in the UK and Ireland, but there will be minimum impact on staff at its Purfleet factory. [19-Apr-2004]
William Ransom & Son is to acquire Health Perception UK, the Berkshire-based supplier of vitamins and health food supplements, for £7.8m. [16-Apr-2004]
Diageo is to close the Park Royal Guinness brewery in London in 2005, with the loss of 90 jobs. [16-Apr-2004]
Burton's Foods is said to be considering plans to shed a further 100 jobs at its biscuit factory in Moreton, Wirral. [16-Apr-2004]
Hotbed, the private equity house, has supported the £10m management buy-out of the Red Devil energy drinks business. [14-Apr-2004]
Northern Foods is said to be close to agreeing the sale of its Hull headquarters to ING Real Estate to make way for the £160m Ferensway scheme, but there is no indication as to where the 200 staff will be relocated. [14-Apr-2004]
Flagship Fresh Meats has closed its West Bromwich pig abattoir with the loss of 40 jobs. [13-Apr-2004]
Co-operative Group is said to considering plans to sell off its ACC liquid milk processing and manufacturing division, which includes the Llandyrnog Creamery in Denbigh. [08-Apr-2004]
Moorsfresh is to open two new depots in Ripon and Doncaster, in order to distribute locally-produced food products. [08-Apr-2004]
Compass is to acquire Mitropa, the operator of concessions in German stations and motorway service areas, for £12m. [06-Apr-2004]
Nutrinnovator is to raise £2.5m in a share placing to fund the commercial development of healthy snacks and drinks. [05-Apr-2004]
Highland Country Foods, the supplier of meat products with 20 staff, has been acquired by ANM Group for undisclosed terms. [05-Apr-2004]
Greencore is to sell Rathbones Bakeries, the operator of eight UK bakeries, to Finedon Mill for £20m. [05-Apr-2004]
Arla Foods UK is to close a dairy in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, and a bottling line in Hatfield Peverel, Essex, with the loss of 310 jobs. [05-Apr-2004]
Uniq has sold its poultry operations in Rotherham and Driffield to the Sovereign Food subsidiary of Grampian Country Foods for £12m. [02-Apr-2004]
Dawn Group is to expand the workforce at its food processing factory in Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, from 220 to 400, but will close its Pontardawe facility, which employs 50 staff. [02-Apr-2004]
Union Snack is planning to expand the 80-strong workforce at its pretzel snacks factory in County Durham by 50% over the next three years, and £1m will be invested in new equipment. [02-Apr-2004]
Scotpigs, the Aberdeenshire-based pig farming company with 110 staff, has gone into provisional liquidation. [01-Apr-2004]
John Palin, the Matlock-based fruit and vegetable wholesaler with 60 staff, has undergone a management buy-out. [31-Mar-2004]
Nestle is to shed 270 jobs at its chocolate confectionery factory in Halifax over the next two years. [30-Mar-2004]
Allied Domecq is investing £3.5m at its Scapa and Glendronach whisky distilleries, in order to benefit from rising demand for single malts. [29-Mar-2004]
Kerry Foods is to shed 70 of the 250 jobs at the former Hibernia Foods ready meals factory in Hartlepool. [24-Mar-2004]
Geest is considering plans to expand its ready meals factory in Grimsby, which currently employs 300 staff, and an announcement is expected later this year. [23-Mar-2004]
Jordans is to open a 63,000 sq ft distribution centre in Biggleswade next year, as part of a £20m investment in the expansion of its cereals and snacks business. [22-Mar-2004]
Nestle is to close its Purina petfood factory at Barrhead near Glasgow later this year, with the loss of 206 jobs. [19-Mar-2004]
Percy Dalton has won planning permission to set up a peanut processing factory in Haverhill next year, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. [19-Mar-2004]
Provexis has secured almost £0.6m to fund the expansion of its Liverpool-based medical foods business, which includes a new orange juice drink designed to reduce the chance of blood clots. [18-Mar-2004]
Freemans of Newent has shed 53 jobs at its poultry processing plant in Gloucestershire. [18-Mar-2004]
Tayto has acquired a snacks factory employing 25 people at Skelmersdale, and has also acquired a 32-acre site in Lurgan, Co Armagh, to set up a central distribution depot. [17-Mar-2004]
Lasco of Jamaica is looking into the possibility of opening a second factory in Plymouth to make fruit and soya products, while its first factory is due to start production in May. [15-Mar-2004]
Chitty Food Group is to close its Congerstone abattoir in Warwickshire, following the loss of a contract to supply lamb to Waitrose. [15-Mar-2004]
InterContinental Hotels is planning to float its Britvic soft drinks business and sell hotels worth up to £1bn. [12-Mar-2004]
J&J Haslett is in negotiations to sell its Holmes Catering Services division, in order to secure the future of 80 jobs in Ballymoney. [12-Mar-2004]
Premier Foods is creating 40 new jobs at its Branston Pickle factory in Bury St Edmunds. [12-Mar-2004]
Fiesta Soft Drinks, the distributor of beverages throughout the North-East, is going into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 20 jobs. [12-Mar-2004]
Faccenda is to shed 90 of the 330 jobs at its Okeford Fitzpaine chicken processing plant in Dorset. [12-Mar-2004]
Carlsberg-Tetley, the Danish-owned brewer, is to change its name to Carlsberg UK. [11-Mar-2004]
Associated British Foods is to acquire the Mexican oils and fats business of Unilever for £65m. [10-Mar-2004]
Exel has won a £100m contract to distribute drinks for off-licence chain Thresher. [10-Mar-2004]
Glenfarm Holdings has agreed to sell the Ballymoney Foods frozen chip processing facility to a consortium of local potato growers for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 50 jobs. [09-Mar-2004]
Eaton Group, the London-based contract caterer, has been acquired by ISS of Denmark for undisclosed terms. [09-Mar-2004]
Glisten has acquired certain assets of Penguin Confectionery of Carlisle from House of York for £0.4m, while other manufacturing assets are being sold to JF Packaging for £0.3m. [04-Mar-2004]
ICI is to sell the food ingredients business of Quest International, which is based in the Netherlands and employs 900 staff, to Kerry Foods of Ireland for £238m. [03-Mar-2004]
Arla Foods UK has sold its Alcester-based chilled distribution business to Corby Chilled Distribution for £2.8m. [02-Mar-2004]
Faccenda is to shed about 130 of the 500 jobs at its chicken processing factory near Chippenham, following a recent investment in automation. [02-Mar-2004]
Lakeland Dairies is to set up a food research and development facility at its Pritchitts dairy manufacturing site in Newtownards. [01-Mar-2004]
Nestle is to close its chilled desserts factory in Staverton in September, with the loss of 155 jobs. [01-Mar-2004]
Coca-Cola Enterprises is to consolidate its operations in the West Midlands into a 36,000 sq ft building at Coleshill, as part of a nationwide review of its properties. [01-Mar-2004]
Maxway Foods is to close its chicken processing plant in Milfield, Northumberland, with the loss of 85 jobs. [27-Feb-2004]
Youngs Bluecrest is to invest £15m at its seafood factories in Hull and Grimsby with the creation of 300 jobs, but about 260 jobs will be lost through the closure of its plant in Gosforth. [26-Feb-2004]
O'Kane Poultry is to build a new £3m poultry products factory in Ballymena, and the site should be operational by the autumn. [26-Feb-2004]
Glanbia is selling its UK cheese operations to Cheese Company Holdings, a new joint venture company set up by Milk Link and Glanbia, for £80m. [24-Feb-2004]
Cranswick Gourmet Sausage Company is to close its Teesside factory with the loss of up to 166 jobs, in order to consolidate operations at a new £5m site near Hull later this year. [23-Feb-2004]
Tate & Lyle is to acquire the sucralose manufacturing operations of US-based McNeil Nutritionals for £70m. [20-Feb-2004]
Compass is to acquire Creative Host Services, the US airport concessions company, for £22m. [20-Feb-2004]
Whitworths is to close its Trent Foods factory in Brigg next month, with the loss of 70 jobs. [20-Feb-2004]
Dale Farm has acquired Parmalat's dairy processing site in Kendal, securing the future of 200 jobs. [19-Feb-2004]
Uniq is in discussions with a number of companies interested in acquiring its UK poultry business, which has annual sales of £57m. [18-Feb-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle has confirmed plans to close its brewery in Edinburgh later this year, with the loss of 170 jobs, while a smaller site is being acquired from Caledonian Brewery to produce McEwan's ales. [18-Feb-2004]
Country Style Foods is to shed 69 of the 250 jobs at its recently-acquired factory in Stockton. [16-Feb-2004]
Norwich Food Company, the supplier of meat, fruit and vegetables, has been acquired by Smithfield Foods of the US, and Smithfield has also acquired London-based meat company Ridpath Pek. [16-Feb-2004]
Matthew Clark, the drinks company, is to be merged with the European division of its US parent company Constellation Brands, and a new corporate headquarters will be found in the London area. [16-Feb-2004]
FeedCo is to invest £1.7m in improvements at its animal feed manufacturing plant near Darlington over the next two years. [16-Feb-2004]
Donatantonio, the food ingredients supplier, has undergone a £12m management buy-out. [16-Feb-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle is to acquire a 20% stake in the Chongqing breweries in China for £35m. [12-Feb-2004]
Fenland District Council is to consider plans from Del Monte to expand its fruit processing site in Wisbech, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. [11-Feb-2004]
Interbrew is to set up an 82,000 sq ft beer distribution centre at the former Kwik Save warehouse in Newport, South Wales. [05-Feb-2004]
Fenland District Council is considering plans from Delamore to relocate its plant nursery and 175 staff to a new £5m site in Wisbech St Mary, with the creation of 45 new jobs. [04-Feb-2004]
Duckworth Group, the Manchester-based food flavourings company, has been acquired by Cargill of the US for about £40m. [04-Feb-2004]
Devro, the manufacturer of sausage casings, is said to considering plans to open a new factory in Hamilton, with the creation of 45 jobs. [04-Feb-2004]
RHM is investing several million pounds in a new pizza bases factory for its Charnwood Foods division in Wigston, Leicestershire. [03-Feb-2004]
Richmond Foods has acquired De Roma Ice Cream of Wigan out of administration for £3.4m. [03-Feb-2004]
Greggs of Yorkshire has announced plans for a £4.5m expansion at its bakery in Leeds by August, with the creation of up to 30 jobs. [02-Feb-2004]
Cafedirect, the organic tea and coffee supplier, is to raise £5m in a flotation in order to fund marketing activities and the development of more links with producers. [02-Feb-2004]
Alpha Airports is to reorganise its in-flight catering operations with the loss of 90 management and support jobs. [02-Feb-2004]
Kraft Foods is to shed 6,000 staff worldwide over the next three years, which could affect sites in York, Bridgend, Banbury and Cheltenham. [29-Jan-2004]
House of York is planning to close its sweet factory in Carlisle with the loss of 77 jobs, following the collapse of a deal to sell the business. [29-Jan-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle and Carlsberg are in discussions to combine the technical support services they offer to UK pubs, by forming a new company called Serviced Dispense Equipment. [29-Jan-2004]
Univeg is expected to shed dozens of the 100 jobs at its vegetable growing operation in Lincolnshire, following the loss of two contracts to supply supermarkets. [28-Jan-2004]
AF Blakemore has acquired the McColls confectionery distribution business in Walsall, and the 40 staff will relocate to Willenhall. [28-Jan-2004]
Scottish & Newcastle is conducting a review of its entire business in an attempt to cut costs, prompting speculation that it may consider closing two of its five UK breweries. [27-Jan-2004]
Northern Foods is looking to sell its Eden Vale yoghurt and chilled desserts production facility in Shropshire, which is valued at £19m. [26-Jan-2004]
Express Dairies is to close its Express Chilled dairy distribution depot in Swindon with the loss of 100 jobs, following its merger with Arla Foods. [22-Jan-2004]
Roberts Food Group is to shed about 60 of the 400 jobs at its Yorkshire puddings factory in Leeds. [22-Jan-2004]
Wessanen is to close its Dailycer cereals manufacturing plant in Telford with the loss of 140 jobs, although up to 67 jobs will be created at its Deeside site. [21-Jan-2004]
Watermark has acquired Air Fayre, the supplier of meals to airlines at Heathrow and Birmingham, for £17m. [21-Jan-2004]
Warburtons is to shed 40 of the 399 jobs at its bakery in Wednesbury following a recent fire, and work will start on rebuilding the site over the next few weeks. [20-Jan-2004]
Milk Link has acquired Peninsula Milk, the Okehampton-based liquid milk processor with 75 staff, for undisclosed terms. [20-Jan-2004]
Good Food Chain is planning to create about 30 jobs this year, following the expansion of its sandwich production site in Stone. [19-Jan-2004]
Navital is planning to set up a 450-acre mussel production site in the waters of the Cromarty Firth. [19-Jan-2004]
The Scottish Executive is said to be reviewing the funding of the Scottish Agricultural College and Ayr's Hannah Research Institute, which could involve work from the SAC's eight veterinary centres being transferred to Edinburgh's Moredun Institute. [19-Jan-2004]
WT Foods has sold Bart Spices, the Bristol-based herbs and spices producer, to management. [19-Jan-2004]
Dale Farm is to invest £4m in the expansion of its Dromona butter and dairy spreads plant in County Antrim over the next three years. [19-Jan-2004]
Glisten has acquired F Fravigar, the Skegness-based confectionery manufacturer with about 100 staff, for £6.5m. [16-Jan-2004]
British Bakeries is to close the Ormeau Bakery in Belfast this spring, and most of the 200 staff are expected to transfer to its other site in Apollo Road. [15-Jan-2004]
Shropshire Dairies is seeking permission to extend its milk depot in Shrewsbury, with the relocation of 14 jobs from Newtown in Powys. [14-Jan-2004]
Inter Link Foods has acquired Hoppers, the Kent-based bakery with 110 staff, for £5m. [14-Jan-2004]
Crystal Drinks, the West Yorkshire-based soft drinks manufacturer with 120 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Epic Reconstruction. [12-Jan-2004]
Christian Salvesen Foods is considering plans to shed up to 50 of the 120 jobs at its factory at Oulton Broad near Lowestoft, in order to transfer rice and green bean processing to sites in North Thoresby and Bourn. [09-Jan-2004]
Wilson's Countryfresh is to shed up to 20 of the 150 jobs at its factory in Craigavon, as part of an alliance with Willowbrook Foods that will involve the transfer of vegetable and salad production to Killinchy. [08-Jan-2004]
Yorkshire Water has approved a scheme from the Able Partnership to set up a fish farm and caviar production facility on a 14-hectare site in Caldervale, Wakefield. [05-Jan-2004]