Statement to the Commons The Prime Minister has given a statement to the House of Commons, outlining how Coronavirus “lockdown” measures in England will be eased in the weeks ahead. Lockdown will be released in stages, across the country as a whole ( ie : no local “tiers”) and will depend on four tests being met: Continued rollout of the vaccination programme Vaccines remainin...

Capitalising on appetite for convenient and healthy products Whitworths new ‘Protein By Nature’ range encourages shoppers to trial and eat more beans, pulses and grains. Despite a significant increase in people following plant-based and vegan diets, consumption of dried beans, pulses & grains (BPG) has remained flat. Getting enough protein into a plant-based and especially vega...

In a market where shopper loyalty was very low, Tesco found a way to promote health and keep parents coming back. The retailer’s in-store free fruit initiative also positively impacted fruit and vegetable sales. (Free Fruit for Kids is paused in stores due to COVID-19) Before the pandemic impacted behaviour, shoppers were using 12.4 food and grocery stores a month, across 4.7 diff...

Using licenced characters and price promotions to incentivise healthy choices can have a significant impact on sales. Although 86% of UK shoppers claim to be actively trying to eat more healthily, very few of us manage to consume our 5 A Day. For that reason, interventions that improve fruit consumption, whilst boosting sales are a clear victory. Before COVID-19 impacted the family ...

Your overview of political and economic news with a focus on the food and consumer goods industry, featuring the latest developments and guidance on COVID-19 and adapting to a new relationship with the EU. Possible grace period extension for Northern Ireland Protocol The UK-EU joint committee is due meet on 24 February to have further discussions on the working of the Northern Irela...

New ONS inflation data shows that prices for food fell by 0.8% in January 2021, versus the same month in 2020, when measured using the CPIH method. Food price change has therefore been slightly negative for the last three months. CPIH inflation for “all items” was +0.9% in January – this is below the government’s target rate of +2.0%, but the latest forecasts from the Bank of Eng...

The Resolution Foundation has issued a new report , Long Covid In The Workplace – the title is a reference to the long duration of the Coronavirus emergency and its impact on work, not the medical condition. The report features original quantitative research carrier out in January 2021, making it more up-to-date than official data from ONS. The report shows the asymmetrical impact ...

2020 was a year like no other. Could the pandemic be prompting a fresh focus on fruit and vegetables? Shoppers seem to think so. As we look ahead, I explore five practical actions you can take to help consumers meet their health aspirations and turn positive new behaviours into long term dietary changes. Health remains high on the list of shopper priorities Nearly nine in 10 shoppe...

The next phase of changes to UK border operation will occur on 01 April 2021. Agri-food products entering the UK will be affected by this and also by the final phase, which will occur on 01 July. To ensure that border systems are ready, the UK government has carried out a full review and will begin “real world” testing of systems with selected business users in March. Introduction of ...

Your overview of political and economic news with a focus on the food and consumer goods industry, featuring the latest developments and guidance on COVID-19 and adapting to a new relationship with the EU. COVID-19 community testing for workers Businesses with fewer than 50 employees in England are encouraged to contact their local authority to explore the possibility of using comm...