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Food & Drink - 2000
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Newsham Hybrid Pigs has been bought out of receivership by two Yorkshire meat companies - JSR Farms and Wild Pork - saving about 50 jobs.
16-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
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
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
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
Freshpack is looking to recruit up to 30 staff for its new frozen food packing unit in Alsager.
07-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
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
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
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
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
S&A Foods is to recruit an additional 100 workers at its ready meals factory in Derby.
17-Oct-2000
Colchester Institute is planning to develop a new £5m catering centre to improve facilities for students.
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
Branston Potatoes is investing £1m at its vegetable packing plant in Lincolnshire, with the creation of 50 new jobs.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Gordon & Innes, the Moray-based potato company, is being bought out of receivership by Doncaster-based Higgins Group, saving 40 jobs.
06-Sep-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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
WT Foods has acquired Rio Pacific Food Services, the Tex-Mex and Cajun specialist, for £7.5m.
15-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
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
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
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
Albert Fisher has sold its Greencell fresh produce division to management for £1.4m.
10-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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Mother Hubbard Cakes of Manchester has been sold to management by Whitworths for undisclosed terms.
07-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
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
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 is planning to build a £3m blowmoulding facility and processing building at its milk depot in London's Shepherd's Bush.
24-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
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
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
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
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
Deans Food Group has acquired Daylay Foods, the former chicken and egg subsidiary of Hillsdown.
31-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
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
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
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
JW Swithenbank, the Bradford-based fresh food wholesaler, has been bought out of receivership by Wilton Investments, saving 170 jobs.
12-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
Inter Link Foods has taken a £0.4m option to buy the William Lusty bakery business out of receivership, and has 27 months to decide whether to acquire the company.
05-Jan-2000