Month: September 2014

Craft Bakers Week next week

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate

By Lesley Foottit

Craft Bakers’ Week kicks off on Monday (29 September) and almost 400 bakeries have already signed up.
Registration is still open and 389 bakeries have already pledged to the week, equating to 1,072 shops.
Businesses have been provided with POS including posters and bunting with media support also available to help spread word about events they will be putting on for the week. Support is also on offer from the Make-A-Wish Foundation UK regional team for fundraising ideas.
Returning for 2014 will be TV baking stars Tom and Henry Herbert, who will support the campaign on social media and with a series of media interviews, as well as providing some of their favourite recipes.
Keith Houliston, sales director (craft sector) at British Bakels and chair of Craft Bakers’ Week 2014, said: “We are so excited that Craft Bakers’ Week is just around the corner. Those who participated in Craft Bakers’ Week 2013 reported great benefits to their business and it benefits the industry as a whole too.
“We hope bakers across the country get in to the spirit and have fun during Craft Bakers’ Week while showcasing the skill and passion involved in bringing freshly baked goods to communities across the UK, encouraging the nation to love your baker.”
Get involved
The week’s organisers recommend that bakers put on events to drum up awareness and support in their communities. Options include two-for-one promotions, children’s guessing or colouring competitions, tastings and giving customers bakery tours and demonstrations where possible to show them what goes on behind the scenes.
Bakers also have access to special sugar discs to place on cupcakes, buns and cookies with 10p from the sale of each item going directly to the charity.
Getting involved can mean positive PR and column inches for your business with many of 2013’s participating bakers reporting an uplift in footfall, sales and staff morale.
Craft Bakers’ Week is funded and supported by the Craft Bakers’ Association, Scottish Bakers and stakeholders from across the bakery sector including British Baker, California Raisins, CSM, Bakels, Bako, BFP, Dawn, Ireks, Marriages, Macphie, Puratos, Reynards and Zeelandia.
– See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13203/Craft_Bakers__Week_kicks_off_in_three_days.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly%2BIssue%2B455#sthash.2Xn5p4Lc.dpuf

Visit http://www.craftbakersweek.co.uk for more information. – See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13203/Craft_Bakers__Week_kicks_off_in_three_days.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly%2BIssue%2B455#sthash.2Xn5p4Lc.dpuf

Website launch from AB informing you of the facts about Sugar

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate, Latest News

By Martyn Leek

Bakery supplier AB Sugar has launched a new website that aims to debunk some of the myths around sugar and obesity.

Makingsenseofsugar.com is is packed with the latest facts and stats, and AB Sugar hopes it will clarify some of the confusion behind sugars. The company has also launched a Twitter account @senseofsugar
The website comes after health campaigners this week called for sugar to account for less than 3% of people’s energy intakes.
AB Sugar has also commissioned an independent report in partnership with 2020Health, exploring potential policy solutions to the current obesity epidemic, along with launching the website and social media campaign.
Mark Carr, chief executive of AB Sugar, said: “This campaign forms part of a long-term, sustained investment from AB Sugar and, as a responsible business, reflects our commitment to help tackle the UK’s obesity challenge.
“Obesity is a complex issue that has no single cause. Current scientific consensus points to the over-consumption of calories in all its forms and our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, rather than obesity being a result of a single ingredient, such as sugar. In fact, as obesity rates continue to rise total sugars in the diet have actually fallen by almost 12% per capita in the past decade.**
We believe that there is an important job to be done to help empower consumers to make informed choices and to balance their overall calorie intake and diet. Tackling the obesity epidemic requires collaborative action and we are committed to playing our part.”
Sharon Fisher, communications manager of AB Sugar, added: “We’ve launched Making Sense of Sugar to inform and educate people about sugar. Our research has found that there is much confusion around health and obesity, especially where sugar is concerned.

“With this campaign, we want to provide factual and helpful information, where people who may be confused or simply want to learn more about sugar can do so and we encourage anyone with an interest in sugar to visit the website and follow us on Twitter to get the latest campaign news and updates.”
On Monday it was reported that a study in a BMC Public Health journal had suggested sugar should account for less than 3% of people’s energy intake. This is even more ambitious than the proposal from the World Health Organisation and government advisors, which advised it should account for 5%.
Report co-author Professor Philip James, a nutrition expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and past president of the World Obesity Federation, suggested that vending machines should be removed in government controlled areas like schools and hospitals.
– See more at: http://bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13159/AB_Sugar_fights_back_in_sugar_obesity_row_with_facts_website.html#sthash.nfrDkJTc.dpuf

Kingsmill Launch Sandwich Thins

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

Kingsmill has this morning launched a new range of sandwich thins – coupled with the announcement of an £8.4m investment at its bakery in Glasgow.
Kingsmill Sandwich Thins are square, pre-sliced thin rolls, available in both white and 50/50 varieties.
Kingsmill, owned by Allied Bakeries, said the launch was to capitalise on £30m-worth of growth in the sandwich thins market and it apes the move by Warburtons into the sector some years ago
Janene Warsap, head of Innovation at Kingsmill, said: “Our in-depth research shows that consumers want both variety and healthier alternatives when it comes to bakery. Kingsmill Sandwich Thins, which have 99 calories each, are an easy way to make delicious sandwiches or snacks, such as mini-pizzas or dip accompaniments that all the family can enjoy.
Infrastructure
“Not only are we investing in our bakery infrastructure to build capacity and distribution, but we are also committing £5m over two years to a significant and sustained marketing campaign, including TV and shopper marketing, which demonstrates our belief in sandwich alternatives as the growth engine for bakery.”
The RRP is £1.29 for a pack of six thins and they will be available in store from September.
Chris Longbottom, from Kantar Worldpanel, added: “As a nation we eat 5.1 billion sandwiches a year – seven times more than our next favourite food, pizza. However, people are seeking out lighter alternatives and more variety from all their meals and snacks, which is evidenced by the staggering growth experienced in sandwich alternatives. In fact, we’ve seen nearly £30m of value growth in sandwich alternatives come from incremental sales alone – a level of growth that is far outpacing the growth rate of plant bakery overall.”

 

By Bronya Smolen

 

Kingsmill Sandwich Thins
– See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13100/Kingsmill_enters_sandwich_thins_market.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly%2BIssue%2B446#sthash.UMA5XwAt.dpuf

British Wheat Quality is on the up

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

A cereal survey has revealed a year-on-year improvement in Britain’s wheat quality.
AHDB/HGCA’s annual Cereal Quality Survey 2014 has prompted a positive outlook for next season’s export campaign.
It found that of 20,683 wheat samples analysed by 19 August, specific weights and Hagbergs were above average, however protein content was down.
Despite this, the company says the protein content could be corrected at a cost by adding gluten, or blending it with imported wheat.
Amandeep Kaur Purewal, AHDB/HGCA senior analyst, said: “Although other key EU wheat producers are expecting large crops, wet weather has caused concerns for quality and consequently we are expecting a large surplus of feed wheat in the EU. A good-quality wheat crop could provide Great Britain with a competitive edge, after an absence of two seasons from the export market.
“We do expect these provisional results to change as later-harvested samples are analysed, and any changes in the weather may also impact the final results. Nevertheless, so far, the provisional results look promising.”
The majority of wheat samples are from the east and south-east, accounting for 53% and 22% of the total sample size, respectively.
Nabim Group 1 varieties of wheat account for almost 40% of the total sample size, so the survey is currently biased towards milling wheat and not indicative of the total wheat crop.
The approximate weight range of wheat for 2014 is 73 – 84 kg/hl.
– See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13087/British_wheat_quality_on_the_up.html#sthash.sxerRory.dpuf

By Bronya Smolen