In Short

Waitrose’s frozen line
Waitrose will launch a range of frozen bakery products, including par-baked croissants, pains au chocolat and rustic baguettes, as part of a major overhaul of its freezer aisle at the end of January. Other new frozen products will include pies, cakes, biscuits and desserts. In other news, Waitrose has announced that it will use only Certified Sustainable Palm Oil in its own-label products, including cakes, patisserie and pastry products, by the end of 2012.

Hovis ad approved
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a complaint from the Real Bread Campaign that the Hovis ’Rolls’ TV advertisement breached the TV Advertising Standards Code. In a four-page letter to the ASA, the Campaign argued the ad was misleading because its "imagery inferred that Hovis rolls are handmade by a craft baker rather than in an automated industrial plant".

Further VAT rise?
The change in VAT rates from 15% to 17.5% on 1 January could be followed by a further rise later in the year, according to Gary Harley, head of indirect tax at KPMG. "A further VAT rise cannot be ruled out as a way of reducing the budget deficit. The average rate across Europe is now just over 20%. It wouldn’t be surprising if the UK Government decided to bring the UK rate in to line with its European competitors."

Bakers thwart thief
A Forfars bakery employee managed to stop a thief stealing a lorry from its depot in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, by pulling him out of the vehicle and with the help of two colleagues sitting on him for five minutes until the police arrived, according to The Argus newspaper.