Food brand Mey Selections has become the first Scottish consumer goods company to put carbon labels on its products. Its Luxury Shortbread and two honey products will carry the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Reduction Label in stores from 1 May, and the company’s ultimate aim is to have the label on its entire range.

Northern Foods’ Bakery division put in a strong performance in its fourth quarter with underlying revenue up 10.4%. The firm said bakery had performed well over the Christmas trading period, with its Fox’s brand continuing to drive growth within the division.

We have had the usual newspaper correspondence regarding the hardships entailed by the journeyman bakers in making Hot Cross Buns, and we have even had a number of employers declaring publicly that it does not pay to make them, and that when the additional cost for overtime and the general upsetting of the business are taken into account, they would prefer to see Hot Cross Buns entirely abolished. In a town in Hampshire, which contains six master bakers, they entered into an agreement not to make Hot Cross Buns at all, as the amount of overtime involved compelled all hands to work incessantly for 24 hours. Yet the argument appears to us to be a little inconsequential. A custom can scarcely be considered to be dying out if it involves overtime to the extent of 24 hours. We have no sympathy at all with the cry, either inside or outside the trade, for the abolition of the Hot Cross Bun.

"Fruit was flown in from Paris daily, meat had to come all the way from Yorkes Butchers in Dundee, while the incorrect choice of biscuits for the executives' afternoon tea was a disciplinary offence. The mistaken inclusion of pink wafers on one occasion led to a stern memo headlined 'Rogue Biscuits'"

Stop the Week is happy to say that it has a proud history of tracking advances in toaster-based technology, culminating in last year's top-10 series of toasters, which ranged from waterproof toasters to toaster printers.

Step forward a certain Neil Berrett from San Francisco, who is the genius behind this job resignation letter, printed on a cake. The cake, posted on image-sharing website Flickr, reads: "Dear Mr Bowers, During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim. However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen... Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27. Sincerely, W Neil Berrett."

With preparations for National Cupcake Week (NCW) now under way, why not get involved by linking to our official NCW Facebook page? You're welcome to post pictures of your outlandishly impressive cupcake creations, recipe suggestions, cupcake-themed shop fronts or messages of support. National Cupcake Week is set to take place 14-19 September, 2009. Find the page at: tinyurl.com/cljdba

A combi-oven can hardly be accused of being a one-trick pony, unless said pony is capable of carrying out an array of different cooking tasks. For bakery retailers wanting to offer a range of different products, from bake-off pasties to pizzas and quiches, a combi oven is certainly capable of doing the job.

Walk into your average bakery outlet and, nine times out of 10, you're confronted with a fridge full of familiar soft drinks courtesy of a well-known-manufacturer. And while these established products are often viewed as the prudent choice, it might be time to reassess your range. Not only can your drink extras create extra sales, they can also help enhance your brand identity and assure customers of your discernment.

The clock is ticking on the 2009 Baking Industry Awards and the search is on again to find the baking industry's high fliers and success stories. The awards, now in their 22nd year, recognise the hard work and passion of the people and companies that make the British baking industry one of the most exciting and innovative in the world.

Designing somebody's birthday cake and creating sugarpaste figures to go on it is all in a day's work for cake decorator Leanne Tang, but this doesn't mean it all comes easily. The winner of Renshaw-sponsored Celebration Cake Maker of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards 2008, says one of the most challenging parts of the competition was trying to keep her showgirls' heads on with spaghetti.

Sweet mild peppers, sometimes referred to as bell peppers or capsicums, are related to chillies.

With National Doughnut Week (NDW) not far off (9-16 May) sponsor BakeMark UK is urging craft bakers to get a head start and make the most of the charitable week with a great giveaway.

Sorting through my grandmother's bakery file with my pop, we came across a folder containing old documents and newspaper clippings. One item from the year dot was my great grandmother's birth certificate, dated 1887, and the rank/profession of father is recorded as baker. That confirmed my heritage as being at least a fifth-generation baker and gives my son, Milo, the opportunity of being the sixth (no pressure - but we're already seven years into an 18-year training programme).

Jus-Rol is expanding its frozen pastry shapes range with the launch of a new shortcrust oval. The company is promoting the new shape as a convenient way to top pies, but it can also be used as an individual pie base.

Milkshake brand Yazoo has unveiled a new £3.5m television and outdoor advertising campaign, which forms part of the brand's ongoing mission to drive growth in the UK flavoured milk category.

Italian manufacturer PFM Packaging Machinery launched a new integrated multihead weigher and bagging machine at the Pro2Pac exhibition at the ExCeL centre in London this month.

Mecaplastic offers a range of sandwich filling and sealing machines, enabling businesses to select the right capacity for their requirements.

Swansea-based machinery firm Mono Equipment hosted an open day at Miller's Vanguard's Training facility in Bury earlier this month, to display the latest machinery, designed to increase efficiency, productivity and profit.

Dibas is promoting its deck oven for establishments that bake-off snacks and pastries, but which also want to serve pizzas as part of their offering. The EBO Deck Oven, manufactured by Dibas, is distributed in the UK by CBES Food Systems. It allows up to three baking chambers to be stacked on top of each other, but each has its own individual controls, enabling bakers to bake a range of different products at the same time.

Sollich is promoting the Minitemper 100 FD to add real chocolate to your product, for bakers aiming to enhance sales appeal and profitability. Sollich said it was important to use real chocolate, despite the fact the cocoa butter present makes it more challenging to handle compared to compound chocolate.

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In recent years, the independent craft bakery sector has sometimes struggled to promote itself to customers and potential employees. Now, the time has come to banish the 'humble baker' persona and start shouting about yourselves!

How do you grow in a recession? That was one of the interesting topics discussed at the recent British Confectioners' Association meeting in Gloucester.

Imports of macadamia nuts are experiencing year-on-year growth, according to the latest figures published, with the baking industry also seeing increased use of the nut. In 2008, macadamia nut imports rose by 45%, from 500 to 737 tonnes. However, consumption of these nuts is thought to be much higher, as the figures do not include the quantity of the nut imported as part of fruit and nut mixes.

Pine nuts: Prices have remained firm since our last report and are now trading some 15% higher than in December. Apart from the volatile currency, availability from China this season seems very sporadic, with a reduced supply to China from Russia and Siberia.

Workers at Allied Bakeries' plant in Netherton are fearing for their jobs after Tesco reduced its business with the firm, which employs 150 staff at the site.

Costa Coffee could be forced to close one of its shops, following a planning appeal in Beverley. The coffee chain opened a store in the Yorkshire market town last year, without permission to change the use of a former shoe shop - a Grade 2 Listed Building in the town's conservation area.

Supermarket chains are attrac-ting record numbers of young bakers to their apprenticeship schemes.

== Kingsmill links with Wallace & Gromit ==

Morrisons plans to extend a regional scheme, selling bread made from flour milled in the local area.

The future of McCambridge's Bradford bakery is in doubt as bosses consider a proposal to close the cake manufacturing site at Thornton Road.

Ireland's food safety body has advised against the mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid.

Wholesale giant Brakes has set its sights on becoming the num-ber one UK bakery foodservice wholesaler, following the launch of its new bakery division next week, which will target the coffee shop and catering sectors.

Finsbury Foods' profit has taken a severe hit, with adjusted pre-tax profit down 45% to £1.8m for the six months to 31 December 2008. Pre-tax profit stood at £0.2m compared to £1.6m in 2008, despite increasing sales in its bread and free-from divisions.

Canada Bread Company, owner of UK bagel supplier Maple Leaf Bakery, will take no further action after an internal investigation into allegations that an employee at its UK bakery operations may have sought to influence the pricing of a competitor.

This week we open for table bookings to the Baking Industry Awards, which take place on Tuesday 8 September at a new venue, the prestigious Park Lane Hilton.

== Cupcakes sponsor ==

Most craft bakers would be happy to spend time and money on staff training, a poll by British Baker on behalf of the National Skills Academy (NSA) has revealed.

It found that 92% would release bakers for training at least once a month, with 46% willing to sacrifice at least three days each month if it meant workers learned the necessary skills.

Finsbury Foods’ profit has taken a severe hit, with adjusted pre-tax profit down 45% to £1.8m for the six months to 31 December 2008. Pre-tax profit stood at £0.2m compared to £1.6m in 2008, despite increasing sales in its bread and free-from divisions.

Ireland’s food safety body has advised against the mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid.
The implementation group on folic acid fortification said there would be no benefit to public health, because food manufacturers were now adding it to dairy spreads, fruit juices, milk, yoghurts, soups and cereal bars.

England’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) now has the results of two studies looking at the effect of folic acid on cancer and heart disease, and is likely to make its recommendation following a committee meeting in June. It had previously agreed flour should be fortified, before being encouraged by the chief medical officer to consider more studies.

Canada Bread Company, the parent company of the UK’s biggest bagel supplier Maple Leaf Bakery, will take no further action following an internal investigation into allegations that an employee at its UK bakery operations may have sought to influence the pricing of a competitor.

Lynda Kuhn, senior vice president, communications and consumer affairs, told British Baker that initial allegations made in a tabloid newspaper in December 2008 involving The Bagel Group - a company Maple Leaf had previously been in talks with to acquire - were unfounded and that no evidence had been supplied to substantiate the claims, despite requests.

Cake and dessert supplier Elisabeth the Chef has added a number of new cartoon character licences to its portfolio. Batman – in a new bright cartoon format - joins the line-up in a bid to capitalise on a new light-hearted animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which hits TV screens at the end of March.

It is difficult to account for the determined hostility of certain interests to bread-eating. In the broadcast given recently by our foremost dietician Sir John Orr, he stressed the importance of fruit, dairy products and eggs; his remarks as to the value of bread, however, fell short of doing justice to the great energy-imparting virtue of this famous foundation for the ideal diet. Hollywood diets have attained an unusual publicity. So it is of interest to note that Beatrice De Sylva, "Special Beauty Advisor to Famous Stars", is constantly, she states, disabusing the minds of people who have the idea that self-starvation is an essential to beauty. In her opinion any slendering diet must include bread as one of its most important ingredients. Semi-starvation is a very dangerous proceeding, leading to nervous and mental disorders, and, to keep fit in mind and body, a generous diet is a necessity, with bread as an essential groundwork.

What do you do if you're an England international rugby player who has just been banned for two years after being busted for cocaine abuse? Suddenly finding himself with a lot of free time on his hands, South African born 26-year-old prop Matt Stevens is said to be planning on opening a coffee shop in Bath called Jika Jika, which translates as twist or turn in Zulu.

If St Anselm's thought a boozy bakery was bad, heaven knows how they might have reacted had Grand View Topless Coffee Shop - which has opened in the US town of Maine - opened next door. The name captures the essence of what this café has to offer without the need of further elaboration from Stop the Week.

"In my profession, my taste buds and sensory skills are crucial. My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavours. My taste buds also allow me to distinguish any defects"

Bread and wine have long been seen as a pretty decent pairing - not least since this coupling was cemented when it was put to good use at a certain dinner table some 2,000 years ago.

Subtitled 'Whole Grain Products: the Holy Grail for Health Conscious Consumers?', this conference at Newcastle University aims to explore the use of wholegrains and their role in nutrition, health and food manufacturing. The aim is to contribute to current debates by policy-makers, such as EFSA and the FDA in the US, on ways to promote wholegrain use, legislate on associated health claims and establish workable definitions of whole grain and wholegrain foods.

== 15-18 March ==

There's no better symbol of how the world has been turned on its head than the jammy doughnut. At the beginning of last year the poor old ball doughnut was in a sorry state. Sales had been declining for several years, with sexy young newcomers such as iced ring doughnuts, making all the running. It looked like the jam doughnut's best days were behind it.

The breakfast cereals industry was quick to fully capitalise on the potential for marketing the health benefits of wholegrain. In contrast, bakery is only now truly catching up, with a glut of wholegrain wrapped bread launches in recent months.

Despite the fact that the founders of The Village Bakery in Coedpoeth, North Wales, came from a plant background, the business was founded on craft ideals and principles. These have always been important to the company and no doubt played their part in the company scooping the Rank Hovis-sponsored Craft Business Award at last years' Baking Industry Awards.

Are you a baker training at college or with a company? Are you a keen apprentice? Are you a company with good trainees who deserve recognition? Or perhaps you are a bakery trainer with some outstanding students, whom you feel should be noticed.

In today's challenging trading environment, simply meeting customers' expectations is not enough - we need to surpass them," says John Lindsay, who is country manager and business unit director at BakeMark UK.

The focus of this award is not about size of operation or number of shops, but about product excellence, enterprise and ideas, says UK miller Rank Hovis, which is proud to once again sponsor The Craft Business Award in 2009.

Innovation is the lifeblood of any industry - and the baking industry is no exception. This is why Asda is pleased to support the newly launched Innovation Award, which recognises the companies that are driving the sector forward.

Renshawnapier is proud to continue its support of the industry by sponsoring Celebration Cake Maker of the Year once again.

Successful partnerships between suppliers and customers are vital in driving the baking industry forward. To help encourage and recognise the strong relationships that have been built in the sector, Sainsbury's is delighted to once again sponsor Bakery Supplier of the Year.

ADM Milling is delighted to sponsor Bakery Food Manufacturer of the Year for the seventh time. This year, we are looking for businesses that represent all corners of the food baking industry. Whether they are businesses that have grown from traditional craft bakery roots to become excellent specialist bakeries or large bakery manufacturers with a strong market presence - all are encouraged to enter.

The Achievement in Bakery Training Award is open to individuals and companies that have either initiated or been involved in successful training programmes. The award is once again sponsored by Rich Products, a leading provider of premium, indulgent frozen and ambient bakery products. Entrants do not have to be a customer of Rich's to apply.

Matching the high standards set by least year's entrants to the Baker of the Year category will be tough, but sponsor Vandemoortele is sure that the industry's top bakers will rise to the challenge.

In these challenging times, it is more important than ever to recognise the passion and hard work of Britain's best bakers and bakery companies. Times may be tough for some, but we must not forget that there are still a huge number of highly successful people and businesses in the baking industry, producing top-quality products at affordable prices.

Sports and energy drink brand Lucozade has repackaged its latest offering, Lucozade Alert, into cans to bring it more in line with consumers' perceptions of mental stimulation drinks.

Black garlic is the latest health-giving product set to take the snacking and ingredients markets by storm. The garlic is aged and fermented in a process that turns its bitter white cloves into soft, sweet, black segments, which are completely odourless. The resulting sweet chewy pieces can be snacked on, as well as cooked, and maintain all of garlic's health benefits.

BakeMark UK has introduced a new Extra Moist Toffee Cake Mix to its Craigmillar cake mix portfolio.

La Pizza has launched a range of Tascas - folded soft bread pockets - which can be used to create sandwiches with a difference. The manufacturer of frozen part-baked pizza bases, dough balls, tear-and-share garlic bread and speciality breads has introduced three new items: Ceasar Tasca, containing cracked pepper and an Italian cheese topping; Red Onion Tasca, containing red onion pieces; and a Plain Tasca, which can be used for a range of fillings.

ADM Milling is offering a spring promotion on its Harvester flour, as well as updating its logo and marketing material. Customers will be able to purchase 13 bags of Harvester flour for the price of 12.

Seventy-seven per cent of coffee chain customers are drinking their purchase in the outlet. Those who spend 15 minutes in a coffee chain spend £4.78 per trip on average. However those who spend more than four times longer - at least an hour - only spend 10% more or £5.22 on average.

Polarbröd, which translates as Polar Bread, is a Swedish company that produces bread from within an area of the same name in the Arctic Circle. Distributed by Pain Delice, the bread is promoted on healthy credentials, but the company said it does not compromise on taste.

Bakehouse's new Gourmet Burger Bun - designed to hold a fresh 4-8oz burger - has been developed to capitalise on increased consumer demand for premium fresh burgers.

Brakes has added two new products to its savouries and pastry portfolio. Brakes 8-inch Giant Sausage Roll is a ready-to-bake flakey pastry roll containing chopped and shaped pork. Featuring a laddered pattern, which ensures the pastry rises and cooks more evenly, the sausage rolls are available in packs of 40.

Coconut: Origin coconut prices have eased over the past 1-2 months, although these declines have been largely offset by the stronger dollar. Demand for coconut should pick up in the run-up to Easter.

The latest National Statistics on UK milled wheat and flour production, from Defra, revealed an increase of 2.9% in the total wheat milled in the UK, for the crop-year to date (starting July 2008), compared to figures for the 2007/08 crop year.

Where have all the bread and confectionery competitions gone? Down in Kent we still run a county competition each year to find the Champion Kent Baker. The Western Region has been running bread and confectionery competitions for many years. Both competitions are well-supported by bakers from all over their areas.

Wheat-free bakery products are more commonplace in Australia than the UK, according to the latest Austrends 2009 Trade report, and there are good growth opportunities available. The report, published by the Australian Trade Commission, provides insight into how Aussie food and beverage producers are delivering innovation within key trends in the UK market.

Aryzta has announced a healthy performance in its half-year results. Adjusted profit rose by 14.6% within its food division with underlying revenue increasing 6% for the six months to 31 January 2009.

Bakers are being urged to sign up to an online petition calling for an end to late payments. If enough people sign up, it is hoped the government will introduce industry standard contractual payment terms, ensuring that all companies pay suppliers within 28 days.

== Costa sales up ==

French bakery PV France is moving to Wales after out-growing its Merseyside factory in Kirby.

Premier Foods has said it will continue its Hovis marketing push in a bid to cement the brand's turnaround.

== M&S meal deal ==

The German-owned Tchibo chain of coffee shops, which is pulling out of its 51 high street retailing sites and 100 shop concessions in Sainsbury's and Somerfield, told British Baker at Café+ that, in three to four months' time, it would launch a new coffee service to bakery retailers. Tchibo, based in Epsom, Surrey, will provide its piacetta ground coffee, together with equipment and pods (small, fully equipped counter units) and larger fully equipped counters, to bakery and café retailers.

Equipment and products supplier Country Choice was promoting its serve-over format at Café+ as part of its Bake&Bite Café concept.

Warburtons, which was exhibiting at the Convenience Retailing Show from March 1-3, revealed to British Baker that it is targeting the foodservice sector for the first time, working with FusionFSM, a firm that offers a strategic service for suppliers interested in entering the market.

== Sayers staff thanked ==

Bagel Nash has scaled back its expansion plans, as the credit crunch bites into the sandwich market.

Leicester-based Samworth Brothers has won a £4m order to make loaf cakes and cupcakes for Marks & Spencer.

Doubling its sales has prompted handmade speciality bread and cake producer The Bread Factory to build a new production facility. The wholesale baker, which has been baking breads and morning goods for more than 17 years, needed more space after sales rose in the last two years.

British Baker is delighted to announce the launch of the 2009 Baking Industry Awards, to be held on Tuesday 8 September at the Park Lane Hilton in London.

Major sandwich shops and coffee chains have announced commitments to produce 'healthier' products as part of a wider project by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) targeting food outlets.

== Change of venue ==

The Federation of Bakers' annual conference will take place on Wednesday 20 May 2009 at the Dorchester Hotel, London. The speakers in the morning session are John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI; Dr Susan Jebb, head of human nutrition research from the Medical Research Council; and Scott Clarke, bakery category director at Tesco. A panel debate will include Jebb and Clarke, along with Paul Molyneux, quality director of Hovis, and NFU president Peter Kendall.

Lees Foods' Patisserie UK subsidiary has been placed into administration after attempts to sell it as a going concern proved unsuccessful.

Growth plans for Greggs, the UK's biggest bakery retailer, are still on track, despite taking a hit on profits due to cost increases and a withdrawal from Belgium, CEO Ken McMeikan revealed to British Baker.

Price is the big issue on everyone's mind these days - but are we really doing the right thing in cutting everything to the bone?

Savoury pastry company Pork Farms has decided to discontinue its relationship with Kerry Foods Direct To Store (KFDTS), in a move to build its business through the wholesale and independent network. In support of the brand, Pork Farms is also planning a £2m marketing push this year.

A leading bakery association is taking steps to limit the impact on its members of "bureaucratic and needless" European regulations for food enzymes, which introduce, for the first time, compulsory labelling of ingredients on business to business (B2B) packages.

== Spanish firm invests ==

Starbucks chairman, CEO and president Howard Schultz unveiled a raft of plans to support the coffee chain's growth, at its latest annual general meeting.

Consumers are losing the taste for premium soft drinks, such as smoothies and juice products, as shoppers sacrifice their five-a-day in favour of cost-conscious soft drinks like cola.