ISB bread criticism

The Real Bread Campaign has published a report criticising in-store bakery loaves, claiming that many are made with processing aids and artificial additives. It also pointed out that ISBs do not always make their breads from scratch.

Rowe’s challenge

Rowe’s Bakery recently launched a competition for students undertaking graphic design, contemporary crafts and illustration courses at University College Falmouth, to create a piece of work that encapsulated Rowe’s 60 years of baking heritage in Cornwall. The winning design a collaboration between two students saw Ben Cridland and Janie Tonkin walk away with a £600 prize.

Support for women

Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing have secured funding to relaunch the Women and Work programme, which aims to help women access higher-paid and skilled careers, through subsidised training. The new expanded programme will offer grants of £650, which can be used to help fund a broad range of training, qualifications, short courses and coaching.

Retailers’ share slows

Kantar Worldpanel’s latest grocery market share figures, for the 12 weeks ending 21 March 2010, have revealed a fall in growth of the major retailers to the lowest level since 2007, at 3.6%. Asda lost 0.2% market share. Both Aldi and Lidl also experienced loss of market share. However, Morrisons has grown its market share by 0.5%, with sales increasing by 7.8% on last year, while Waitrose was the fastest-growing retailer with a 14.1% sales increase. Sainsbury’s also grew sales by 4.6%, Tesco by 4.1% and Asda by 2.7%.

Topics