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    Lytham Foods has recalled Taylors of Lytham Chicken Tikka Sandwiches due to the potential threat of salmonella. 

    The possible presence is in the tikka powder ingredient, supplied my Catermix which, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), was manufactured in unhygienic conditions and failed to comply with the food hygiene regulations. 

    “Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores selling these products,” said a statement published on the FSA’s website. 

    “These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.”  

    The FSA advised consumers who have bought the product not to eat it, but to instead return it to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. 

    Taylors of Lytham’s website claimed that its sandwiches were made using only high-quality ingredients. Lytham Foods’ products are supplied to a number of UK retailers and airlines, as well as foodservice and catering establishments. 

    This recall follows Easy Eats UK withdrawing chicken tikka products due to similar concerns. 

    Chicken tikka sandwiches recalled

    Fresh meat and poultry sales have seen another decline in value sales. According to Kantar Worldpanel’s Meat, Fish & Poultry Market update for the 3 months to 8 November 2015, value sales dropped 0.7% while volume sales saw modest growth at 1.5%.  

    Lamb had a strong performance in the last 12 weeks compared to 2014, attributed to a strong performance from leg roasting joints. Pork saw continued decline in both value and volume, with 560,000 fewer households buying compared to last year. 

    Kantar Worldpanel added that British Sausage Week failed to drive sales, with the sausage category seeing a -4.7% and -6.8% decline in value and volume sales respectively. However, burgers and grills grew over the same period, experiencing a 7.3% increase in value sales and a 10.8% jump in volume sales. 

    While the Kantar Worldpanel data doesn’t take into account the impact of the recent World Health Organisation study into red and processed meat, IRI Retail Advantage, which measures sales across the major retail multiples, showed that since the week of the report (w/e 31 October) and the following week (w/e 7 November), losses in sales of sausages and bacon were estimated to be £3 million. 

    IRI reported that value sales of pre-packed sausages saw a decrease of -15.7% for w/e 31 October compared to the same week of last year while pre-packed bacon saw a steeper decline, with sales down -17%. The product has fallen -6.5% in the past quarter, and -5.6% in the last year, which is equal to a 10% fall in sales as a result of the WHO report. 

    Meat value sales drop once again

    Retailers not supporting Britain’s high-welfare pig farmers this Christmas season can expect to be named and shamed by the National Pig Association (NPA).  

    Those that put in a bulk Christmas order from countries with lower animal welfare standards, or provide misleadingly labelled gammons, will be made known to the public. 

    “In addition to carrying out our own checks, we are asking shoppers to check gammon labels carefully this Christmas to ensure the product they buy is made from cured British leg of pork, and not from imported pork that has only been cured in Britain,” said NPA chairman Richard Lister. 

    NPA’s Christmas “GammonWatch” campaign is conducting surveys across the country, with their findings being reportedly published in weekly bulletins until Christmas 

    “If our prices fall any further we will see more pig farmers freezing all investment in new buildings next year and others quitting altogether, and either route will be a serious blow to an industry that is known the world over for its high-welfare, high-quality product.” 

    According to NPA, only 30% of gammon currently available on the market during the festive season is British, this is despite there being plentiful supply from producers. 

    Dr Zoe Davies, NPA chief executive, believes the British public will be willing to pay extra for high-quality products: “We know from successive surveys that customers prefer to buy British pork and pork products even if it costs a penny or two more for the extra quality we offer,” she said. “This is especially true since horsegate in 2013 when most retailers sought to reassure customers by promising to stock more British meat.” 

    NPA’s Christmas GammonWatch will also include a special PorkWatch survey in December. PorkWatch is the industry’s bi-monthly survey of British pork, bacon, ham, sausage and, as of next month, gammon facings in supermarkets. 

    Misleading gammon labelling to be “named and shamed” this Christmas

    A new campaign to relaunch the Specially Selected Pork brand is to be developed.  

    Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) is to work closely with the Marketing Strategy Group, made up of industry representatives, to put together a unique promotional plan for the brand, which represents the product from QMS’ assurance scheme.  

    Laurent Vernet, head of marketing with QMS, said: “The QMS marketing team is looking forward to working with the industry to consider the options for relaunching the Specially Selected Pork brand, as levy income to support promotional in 2016/17 become available.” 

    He also said that despite the fact that QMS has not been able to undertake any major promotional activity behind the brand since late 2012, it is well recognised by consumers. 

    “Forty-two per cent of Scottish shoppers recognise and trust the Specially Selected Pork brand,” he said.  “Specially Selected Pork branded products are available in three Scottish retailers, representing a third of the fresh pork Scottish market retail share.”

    He pointed out that QMS’ partnership with the Scottish SPCA, the animal welfare charity, has also played an important role in communicating the message of higher pig welfare and well-being to consumers. 

    However, he said there were also real challenges in the marketplace, with the volume sales of fresh pork down 8.5% year-on-year in Scotland and average retail prices down by 3.7%.  

    “There is no doubt that there are some challenges to be tackled, but our Scottish pig industry has many strong messages, such as the priority given to health and welfare, and I believe there are real opportunities to grow the Specially Selected Pork brand in the months and years ahead,” he said.  

    Specially Selected Pork to get new campaign

    Employees from Cranswick Country Foods set off on a 115-mile round bike ride to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

    The second annual Flying Pigs Charity Bike Ride saw the 25 cyclists set off from the Lazenby’s site in Hull at 6.45am, travelling to the Gourmet Bacon site in Sherburn, then on to the Gourmet Pastry site in Malton and finally back to the Lazenby’s site. 

    The riders hope to reach a fundraising total of £12,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. 

    One of the riders, Mary Banks, category marketing and insights controller for Cranswick Country Foods, said: “It was a real team effort and although we are all keen cyclists, this was a very long route to undertake in one day. Thank you to everyone who generously supported us.  

    “Supporting local charities is important to us at Cranswick. We are proud to be a part of this region – we invest heavily in jobs and facilities, but it remains important to us to give charitable support and we are delighted to be supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance again.” 

    Cranswick Food staff get on their bikes for charity

    UK beef prices are coming under pressure from a range of factors, experts in Scotland have claimed.

    According to Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), a number of issues, including currency exchange rates, were impacting on the beef sector, with the strong sterling increasing the gap between Irish and European prices.

    Stuart Ashworth, head of economic services with QMS, said: “Despite Irish producers getting 6% more euros from the market than last year, the UK price is 13.5% higher in euros, so the gap has widened. However, because of currency movements, while the UK price is around 2-3% lower in sterling, Irish prices have fallen by 7-8%.”

    Latest statistics from January show UK beef exports declining, while imports, including Irish meat, increased, boosting beef volumes on the UK market.

    “While some of this would have been used to refill the supply chain after good Christmas trade, once the supply chain was fully restocked, pressure was exerted on prices from a well-supplied market,” Ashworth said.

    While prices started the year looking positive, prime cattle values have fallen in the past six weeks, with the average price around 2-3% lower than a year ago, and the number of cattle being slaughtered tightening.

    He added: “During February, Scottish abattoirs handled 3.8% fewer prime cattle than last year, compared with Northern Ireland at 2.5% fewer and England and Wales at 2% more.

    “However, a bigger influence here is that carcase weights continue to be higher than last year, by around 1.5%. The result is that, despite the number of animals beginning to tighten, the volume of beef they produce is continuing to run ahead of last year.”   

    Another problem for the sector has been the slowdown in demand for manufacturing beef, which has impacted on the value of forequarter meat in the wholesale markets.

    Pressures on UK beef price

    New figures released show higher calf registrations in Wales in 2014, resulting in the prediction of higher beef production next year. 

    The British Cattle Movement Survey (BCMS) showed a 2% increase in beef calf registrations in Wales compared to the previous year. 

    Charlotte Morris, industry information officer with Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), said: “This means we are likely to see an increase in Welsh beef production during 2016, when these animals reach the abattoir.” 

    HCC explained that this brought the total to 227,700 head with Limousin and Limousin cross being the most registered breed making up 36% of the total number of calf registrations, followed by Charolais and Charolais cross at 19%.

    The overall UK number of beef-sired calf registrations in 2014 increased by 2% to stand at 1.73 million. 

    Morris added: “The BCMS statistics also revealed that much of the growth in calf registrations occurred during the second half of 2014, increasing by 5% in comparison with the same period the previous year. This indicates that some farmers may be moving towards summer/autumn calving, due to better weather conditions. 

    “The increase in beef calf registrations in Wales, in line with the trend in the rest of the UK, could be linked to the increase in the Welsh dairy herd in 2014, resulting in a higher number of dairy cows giving birth to beef-sired calves.” 

    Welsh beef supply is expected to be tight for the remainder of 2015, due to a 7% reduction in Welsh beef calf registrations in 2013 compared with the previous year. This could lead to positive farm-gate prices this year. 

    Higher production for Welsh beef forecast in 2016

    Moy Park is looking to capitalise on consumers’ preference for local produce as it looks to grow its fresh poultry sales in the UK and Ireland. 

    Detailing its strategy for 2015 at a special event held by parent company Marfrig Global Foods this week, Moy Park’s chief executive Janet McCollum told delegates that poultry is predicted to grow faster than other proteins, at around +3-4%, due to its price point against other meats and its standing as a versatile and healthy protein. 

    UK consumers’ preference for local produce represents an opportunity to grow domestic sales as around 40% of poultry is imported to the UK, she said, adding that Moy Park was aiming “to continue to grow its fresh poultry business in the UK and Ireland, ahead of the market”. 

    McCollum said the business had increased its processing capacity, and was on target to achieve slaughter numbers of five million birds per week this quarter. 

    Approximately 78% of Moy Park’s revenue comes from the UK and Ireland, which it supplies with fresh, ready to eat and coated products, mainly into retail, while 22% comes from continental Europe, which is dominated by sales of convenience products in the foodservice sector. 

    “Therefore it is clear to see that cross-selling opportunities exist to drive further growth,” said McCollum. 

    The business is also aiming to drive sales growth in Asia and Africa, with an overall target for net sales set at +8.5-10% by 2018. 

    Other goals include “expanding its multi-protein convenience retail sales, boosting its presence in the foodservice sector and strengthening Marfrig Global’s distribution platform in Europe”. 

    Subject to market conditions, Marfrig Global Foods also has signalled its intention to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) for Moy Park later this year, she confirmed. 

    The Marfrig Day event on Monday (10 March) followed the publishing of its fourth quarter and full-year results for 2014 last week. 

    Moy Park increased net revenue by 13% during the fourth quarter of 2014, compared to the Q3, to R$1.5bn (£316m), with revenues for the year up 17% to R$5.5bn (£1.1bn). The increase was positively impacted by currency exchange rates, and strong sales volume increases of fresh poultry and convenience coated products across the retail and foodservice channels in the UK and Ireland. 

    “This strong performance has been very much underpinned by our continued focus on service, quality and close collaboration with our customers,” said McCollum. 

    However challenges during 2014 were seen in the form of lower sales prices for poultry products and offals exports due to export restrictions in both Russia and South Africa, as well as lower foodservice volumes in its European business. 

    Moy Park keen to make most of popular poultry

    Morrisons’ chief executive Dalton Phillips is to leave the company after five years in his role, as the supermarket announced a fall in like-for-like sales (LFLs). 

    LFLs fell 3.1%, excluding fuel, over the Christmas period, for the six weeks to 4 January. The supermarket also announced the proposed closure of 10 stores, echoing a decision announced by Tesco in its Christmas statement. 

    However, the Christmas trading figures were slightly better than analysts’ forecasts, that predicted a fall of about 3.8%, but were still worse than rivals Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s.. 

    Morrisons announced Philips would leave after guiding the company through “significant change”. However, Philips has been under pressure after the supermarket posted consecutively poor results. 

    Chairman Sir Ian Gibson praised Philips for his work, but acknowledged the business needed change: “In the next chapter of Morrisons’ development, we need to return the business to growth. The board believes this is best done under new leadership. I would like to thank Dalton for his contribution as CEO. He has brought great personal qualities and values to his leadership of the business, having had to manage against a background of considerable industry turmoil and change. He deserves particular credit for facing into and dealing with the pricing issues that have now become evident, for taking the business into the convenience and online channels, and for the steps he has taken to modernise the Company’s operating systems. We wish him well for the future.” 

    In a statement, Philips said he was “proud” to have worked for the supermarket and would continue in his role until the year-end results to ensure a “smooth transition”. 

    Sir Ian Gibson is set to retire on 22nd January and will replaced by deputy chairman Andrew Higginson.

    Morrisons boss steps down, as retailer sees sales fall
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