Training award

BakeTran, Warburtons and Karen House Associates have jointly won a North West Training Award at the National Training Awards for running a technical excellence training programme to upgrade the knowledge and skills of 20 bakery technical managers at Warburtons. Manchester Metropolitan University awarded the managers credits equivalent to one-sixth of a degree.

Devon bakery raid

Police are hunting thieves who broke into the Golden Grains bakery in Exwick, Devon, by smashing the front door. Bakery owner Dee Gilpin said the intruders made off with two customised birthday cakes, four trays of cakes, fizzy drinks and pastries and had emptied the crisp rack, reported the Express & Echo. She estimated that the raiders caused £400-worth of damage to stock and materials.

EAT on sale again?

Sandwich chain EAT is rumoured to have been put on the market for a third time with the hope of fetching up to £100m. The firm, which is 12th in the BB75, with a turnover of £85m and 102 outlets, has attempted a sale twice before first in 2008, when potential deals were hampered by the financial markets’ meltdown and again earlier this year, when supermarket chain Waitrose pulled out after three months.

Wheat bulbs infested

Results from HGCA’s autumn wheat bulb fly survey show the highest infestation for six years. Moderate, high or very high egg populations were found in 16 (80%) of the sampled fields in eastern England, while results were slightly better in northern England, with only one of the 15 farms falling into the very high-risk category and six (40%) deemed low-risk. An HGCA spokeswoman said it was not an epidemic.

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