Cake supplier Inter Link said it had achieved its goal of becoming the UK’s number two cake supplier, with the £12.25m purchase of the Yorkshire Cottage Bakeries Group. The deal was the Blackburn-based firm’s ninth and largest acquisition and will put annualised turnover at approximately £125m a year, chief executive Paul Griffiths said. That puts Inter Link ahead of Northern Foods annual £110m cake turnover. But RHM was still ahead with a £300m cakes turnover.

Bakers were urged to “keep up the good work” on salt reduction by Food Standards Agency chair Sir John Krebs. He praised plant bakers for achieving a 13% reduction in salt and urged them to “do it again”.

Research from Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton Hospital showed a high incidence of asthma-related symptoms in bakers. A study of 239 bakers in 20 supermarket in-store bakeries found 26% had eye or nose symptoms, such as itchiness and excessive sneezing.

New Rathbones’ Carlisle plant was gutted in a fire, which took 80 firefighters two days to bring under control.

Sandwich businesses, including Pret A Manger, Greggs and the Sandwich Factory, were hit in the Sudan 1 crisis, withdrawing sandwiches made with spicy mayonnaise dressings made from contaminated Crosse & Blackwell Worcester sauce. Premier Foods, the British company that distributed the affected Worcester sauce, supplied it to more than 200 companies.

Allied Bakeries launched a new Kingsmill bagel range supplied by Mr Bagels, in a challenge to market leader Maple Leaf Bakery, which produces the New York Bagel Co brand.

Warburtons announced plans to launch a low-GI All in One Loaf – white bread with fibre and wheatgerm.