The owner of a bakery infested with flour beetles and covered in mud has been fined £3,700 for breaching food hygiene laws.Maxime Barrowcliffe of the Village Bakery, Magdalen Road, Exeter, was also ordered to pay £1,097 costs by Cullompton Magistrates Court.

n Gent’s pie shop and bakery in Standish, Lancashire, has warned that parking restrictions outside its premises may force it to close. Malcolm Gent said Wigan council’s decision to install double yellow lines would put off customers and damage local business.

n The HGCA is to hold a Grain Market Outlook conference, on 9 October in London, exploring global and domestic markets and assessing what is to be expected in the coming months, as well as tackling the impact of EU policy, biofuels and climate change. "Recent events have highlighted the important place that the cereals sector holds, in terms of both human food and animal feed," said Alastair Dickie, HGCA’s director of crop marketing.

n Morrisons is launching Halloween cakes and biscuits free from artificial colours and hydrogenated fats. Products include gingerbread and shortbread bats, scary fairy cakes with different Halloween designs, including ghosts and skeletons, and Morrisons’ Halloween mini muffins.

n The Organic Trade Group, whose members include Waitrose, has accused the Food Standards Agency of failing to consult properly over new guidance for parents on the side-effects of E-numbers. A letter sent to FSA chairwoman Dame Deirdre Hutton said the FSA was not making full information available to parents.