Industry has expressed sadness following the news that The Health Store and GNC chain of stores in Ireland has entered liquidation. It has been confirmed that Grant Thornton has been appointed as liquidators in the matter, which has been before the High Court in Ireland. Media reports confirmed that the provisional liquidators have been appointed by the High Court to businesses that operate 11 health food stores in the Leinster area. The appointments were made in respect of GNC Well Ireland Unlimited Company, and the related THSD Unlimited Company, which has 86 full and part-time employees in ..read more

The Mayor of West Yorkshire visited Suma Wholefoods to help celebrate the recent Co-operative Fortnight. Tracy Brabin visited Suma, based in Elland, as part of the recent campaign, a national celebration of co-operative businesses. The visit aimed to gain insights into Suma’s pioneering co-operative business model, its unique challenges and opportunities, and its plans for the future. Suma Wholefoods, established in 1977, operates as a worker co-operative, where each of its more than 200 members has an equal say in how their business is run and everyone gets paid the same wage. This democratic ..read more

The Heath Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) has announced the appointment of a new Technical Manager. Houaida Alawieh joins the organisation with a wealth of experience and insight, with a specialist knowledge of food legislation, regulatory affairs and industry best practices, and extensive experience in the global regulatory affairs domain. Working closely with CLEAR CHECK, Houaida will be assisting with technical queries, as well as keeping up to date with technical and regulatory issues and how they may affect members and the industry. Along with the CLEAR CHECK team and the scientifi ..read more

A leading retail group has described the recent inflation fall to 2.3 per cent as a step to bring people back to the high street. The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) says the inflation rate fall to 2.3 per cent this week is a good step to help bring people back to the high street – but stresses that the Bank of England needs to now reduce interest rates too. Bira, which works with over 6,000 independent businesses of all sizes across the UK, reacted to the news that the UK inflation rate has fallen to a figure just below the Bank of England’s target of two per cent. This marks ..read more

Soil Association Certification has announced a new partnership with European Natural Beauty Awards to elevate UK natural cosmetics on the European stage. The certification body for organic and sustainable products, and the European Natural Beauty Awards (ENBA) announced the new collaboration, which aims to combat greenwashing in the UK and elevate the best natural cosmetics from the UK in the wider European market. The European Natural Beauty Awards recognise excellence in natural beauty products across Europe. This partnership will offer a platform to increase visibility and recognition for U ..read more

Booja-Booja, the multi award-winning ice cream and chocolate truffle maker, is launching four of its most popular ice cream flavours in single portion ‘mini pots’. Following the success of its free-from ice cream range which launched last summer, Booja-Booja is now making 110ml pots of the flavours Deeply Chocolate, Vanilla, Caramel Pecan Praline and Mango & Raspberry. Perfect for impulse buys and food service, each one is made from an organic cashew nut base and just a handful of simple ingredients. They contain no artificial flavourings, preservatives or colours and they are all organic ..read more

The results of the Veganuary campaign have revealed 82 per cent of people who took part in 2024 plan to make significant diet changes after participating. The results from the participant survey found that the 82 per cent plan to either stay fully vegan or reduce animal products by at least 50 per cent. The number one reason people decided to stay vegan is that they learned more about veganism (24 per cent), followed by improved health (20 per cent) and finding it easier than expected (17 per cent). In terms of their experience during the challenge, around half saw some improvement to their ov ..read more

Sustainability data at farm level will soon be provided to schools and hospitals in a first for UK public procurement. Soil Association Exchange is set to deliver environmental measures for farms in public sector purchasing as part of the Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Buying Better Food and Drink agreement, available for UK public sector organisations to use for buying food and drink through a single online access point. Provided by Entegra, a Sodexo company, and expert in procurement solutions, and using AgileChain technology by Equilibrium Markets following a tender process in 2023. As we ..read more

To tap into the rapidly growing gut health market, sustainable food pioneer Alara Wholefoods is launching two new organic cereal products – Alara Organic Wheat Bran and Alara Organic Oat Bran. Both cereals are high-quality, single ingredient products that each offer a complex nutritional profile suited to anyone looking to support their gut microbiome. A growing body of research1 shows wheat bran promotes gut microbiota diversity, and is an effective prebiotic. Similarly, multiple studies2,3 confirm the prebiotic function of oat bran, plus its ability to reduce oxidative stress and inflam ..read more

New research has revealed that consumer expectations for snack products go beyond sustainably sourced ingredients. Data obtained by UK wholesaler, Epicurium, has suggested that modern consumers have come to expect manufacturers of sustainable snacks to enact changes in addition to sourcing ingredients sustainably. In the first of its kind undertaken by Epicurium, the recent study found that increasingly, consumer expectations of sustainable snack manufacturers goes beyond the sourcing of ingredients and instead now also encompasses full ingredient transparency, a requirement for companies to h ..read more