The Grocer – 10 August 2019

Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 10 August 2019 | The Grocer | 39

Companies seeking sustainabil-

ity: Packaging giant Smurfit

Kappa has seen “a marked

increase” in the number of com-

panies seeking sustainable packaging alterna-

tives for fresh fruit & veg. The supplier said some

75% of its consumers had indicated a preference

for paper-based packaging against less sustaina-

ble alternatives during the past year.

Tulip butchery apprenticeships:

Pork giant Tulip has teamed up

with Bishop Burton College in

Yorkshire to create a bespoke

butchery apprenticeship programme. The college

will start a 15-month course in September for 18

apprentices at Tulip’s Ashton and Tipton sites.

Sixth listeria death: A sixth hospital patient has

died after eating pre-packaged sandwiches and

salads linked to a listeria outbreak. The death was

one of nine cases previously linked to collapsed

sandwich chain The Good Food Chain. The indi-

vidual fell ill with listeriosis at a Western Sussex

Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust hospital.

New look for Blue Diamond: Blue

Diamond Almonds has revamped

its Almond Breeze milk alterna-

tive range with new pack designs.

On-pack illustrations now feature a Californian

almond “to reinforce the brand’s almond exper-

tise and rich heritage”, it said. The new designs

will begin rolling out this month.

Former NFU president dies: Tributes have been

paid to former NFU president Sir Simon Gourlay,

who has died aged 85. Gourlay, president from

1986 to 1991, farmed on the English/Welsh border,

first as a beef farmer, before turning his hand to

dairying and later free-range egg production.

Yazoo Kids backs Change4Life: No-added-sugar

flavoured milk brand Yazoo Kids has pledged its

support for Public Health England’s Change4Life

campaign. The move will see the campaign’s

‘Good Choice’ badge appear alongside bottles

of Yazoo Kids’ Strawberry and Banana packs in

store and within its marketing mix.

Lancashire cows top grazing target: Dairy farm-

ers supplying yoghurt brand Lancashire Farm

grazed their cows for an average of 174 days last

year, significantly above its 150-day target. The

supplier said its free-range dairying commitment

had helped sales grow by a fifth on 2017 levels.

The Brook at Co-op: Plant-based

brand The Brook has secured a

listing in the Co-op for its frozen

vegan ready meals. Available in

selected stores nationwide, the range “specifically

fills the gap for an animal-free food product that

delivers on taste”, it said.

fresh digest

Kevin White
Danone has expanded its
flagship Activia lineup
with the launch of two
new live culture yoghurt
smoothies packed with
fruit & veg.
The range is made up
of an Orange Fruit & Veg
variant – containing a
blend of Activia yoghurt
with mango, peach, car-
rot, date and linseed; and
a Red Fruit & Veg variant

• containing a blend of
  Activia strawberry, blue-
  berry, beetroot, pome-
  granate, persimmon and
  chia seeds.
  The drinks, which will
  be merchandised in the
  food-to-go aisle, contain
  no added sugar and gut-
  friendly live cultures.
  And in a first for the
  brand in the UK, they

Activia moves into

food-to-go aisle with

yoghurt smoothies

also offered shoppers the

benefit of including one

of their 5 a day, Danone

said.

The smoothies will

begin rolling out later

this month to selected

retailers, and will

be on sale in Ocado,

Whistlestop and

Pumpkin cafés from

September and in the

Co-op from October.

A wider launch was

also planned across the

mults later this year (rsp:

£2.09 per 250g bottle).

The products had also

launched in “several”

other European markets

in recent months, the

food giant added.

The launch marked

a “big step change for

Activia”, said brand

manager Ben Kind, as it

entered a new category

and shelf position.

It will be supported by

a nationwide media cam-

paign with a strong digi-

tal and in-store focus.

The products would

open up “great potential

to leverage the growth

of fermented products”,

added Kind, and offered

shoppers the option of

both nutrition and con-

venience in one bottle.

Activia’s smoothies will go

on sale in two variants

It comes amid plummeting
beef prices in recent weeks

The British Meat Proc-
essors Association has
called for a “beef sum-
mit” to combat “sniping”
across the sector.
It was reacting to
comments made by NFU
VP Stuart Roberts last
week, after he called out

Meat processors call

for a ‘beef summit’

“certain parts of the sup-

ply chain” for “not pull-

ing their weight” and

promoting British beef.

Roberts had called on

processors to match the

investment support of

the AHDB behind a con-

certed marketing push.

It comes amid a grow-

ing crisis for producers,

with beef prices hit-

ting three-year lows last

month. However, the

BMPA said processor con-

tributions towards meat

levies equated to approx-

imately £6m, equal to

the amount AHDB puts

towards marketing.

Dutch meat trader Jan

Fasen has been arrested

by Spain’s Guardia Civil

in connection with 2013’s

horsemeat scandal.

Fasen, an executive

for Cyprus-based Draap

Trading, was arrested

in Spain on 23 July at

the request of French

authorities.

He was one of four

men convicted in April

for selling 500 tonnes

of horsemeat to French

manufacturer Comigel.

Madrid’s National

Court must now decide

whether to allow his

extradition to France.

Dutch trader

arrested over

horsemeat