Did you know… Lidl have donated €5,000 to Bumbleance, after €800 of equipment was stolen from the children’s ambulance service at the National Ploughing Championships? Tony Heffernan, founder and CEO of the Saoirse Foundation told the Irish Independent that the service would have to “take this one on the chin.” However, retailer Lidl stepped in, commenting: “We were shocked and saddened to hear of the theft of materials from the Bumbleance at the National Ploughing Championships. Mark and Tony Heffernan were winners at the inaugural Lidl-sponsored ‘Pride of Ireland Awards’ last June, and immediately we decided to help them out with a donation that will hopefully go some way to replacing the valuable materials and equipment stolen.” Speaking about the donation, Ramona Keogh of the Saoirse Foundation said, they are “so appreciative” of Lidl’s generosity.
Did you know… The French government is to push for the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products? French Health Minister Marisol Touraine said last week that plain packaging will form part of a raft of measures set to be put forward by government to discourage tobacco consumption. "There is no miracle cure for tobacco addiction," she said. "Neutral packaging is one measure among others to efficiently fight the industry's marketing."
Did you know… A new fund for agri-business start-ups was launched last week at the National Ploughing Championships? Businesses can apply for the €250,000 Enterprise Ireland Competitive Feasibility Fund until October 21, in the hope of gaining up to €25,000 per project. The initiative is open to a range of applicants, including individuals, early stage companies and prospective businesses. Funding is available for areas including vet-pharma, animal health and chemical products; farm related software and related services; machine design and manufacturing; fabrication, engineering and technical activities; and life sciences products with applications in the agri-sector.
Did you know… Centra has launched its ‘Pink Walk’ as part of its ‘Let’s Walk’ initiative? The initiative aims to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society’s Action Breast Cancer programme. Over 250 stores will take part in the Pink Walk this October. Stores will also sell a limited edition pink reflective vest in-store for Breast Cancer Awareness month, with all proceeds going to the charity. Centra has been partnered with the Irish Cancer Society for five years and has raised over €1.4 million to date. The Centra Pink Walks will take place on October 19 from Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown at 3pm in Cork and on October 27 in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, starting at 11am. World champion walker Rob Heffernan will be taking part in both walks.
Did you know… Global food ingredients giant, Glanbia, is boosting its presence in the gluten-free ancient grain market, investing millions in a new modern oat milling facility? Glanbia’s new OatPure gluten-free (GF) product will be milled at the fully automated facility in Portlaoise, commissioned last December. Larry McDonald, the site’s head of quality said that although the oats were naturally GF, the grains used in OatPure were grown under strict regulations, to ensure there were no gluten-containing contaminants in the final product. Furthermore, there are checkpoints at every stage of the supply chain. “We even have combine harvesters, which we lease out to the farmers specifically for the harvest of GF oats,” added Marion Murphy, the company’s business development executive. The site’s capacity is due to increase from 4,000 tonnes of oats this year, to 13,000 tonnes next year, according to McDonald. Meanwhile, he added “the site was designed with the scope to increase capacity further, and a future investment will give us an extra 20,000 - 25,000 tonnes capacity."
Did you know... The fourth ‘Whiskey Live Dublin’ is due to take place on Saturday October 25, in the Round Room of Mansion House? The event will bring together whiskeys from around the world, as well as featuring master classes, food and entertainment. Visitors will be able to sample whiskies such as Irish, Scotch, American and Japanese varieties, and will be attending alongside the producers and distillers. This year’s special guest will be Jack McGarry, one of the world’s top cocktail bartenders, from The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in New York. He will be hosting two master classes, and will also be joined by some of Dublin’s best cocktail mixologists. Whiskey master classes will also be running throughout the day. Furthermore, a number of new Irish distillers will be detailing their plans for the future, and will be offering samples of their poitins and gins. Tickets are available for two sessions, 2.00-5.30pm and 6.00-9.30pm.
Did you know… Pallas Foods is on a recruitment drive for its new, state of the art distribution centre in Dublin? The Limerick-based company is currently seeking to fill a number of positions at the multi-temperature foodservice site, including warehouse operations manager, transport operations manager, facilities manager and operations systems manager, as well as the roles of group procurement manager and group marketing manager for the wider group. The 40-acre site, located off the M50 close to Dublin airport, will complement the group's existing facilities in Newcastle West.
Did you know… Connacht Gold is sponsoring the new Rachel Allen TV series called ‘Rachel Allen: All Things Sweet’? The series will air on Wednesdays at 8.30 pm on RTE and started last week. Connacht Gold brand manager Lydia Rogers said, “With real butter as a main ingredient for so many cakes, desserts and irresistible recipes, Connacht Gold butter is the perfect partner for the series.” The series is described as “a guilt free zone” and will feature 39 recipes in various themes such as ‘afternoon tea’ and ‘exotic tastes’.
Did you know… The National Ploughing Championships last week attracted over 279,500 people over the three day event? Held at Ratheniska, Co Laois for the second year, the opening day attracted 82,000. The overall attendance was up by 51,500 people, which National Ploughing Association director Anna May McHugh was “absolutely thrilled by.” She said, “Every cog in the wheel turned just right for us. The weather, the location and the way the traffic went last year was more or less an invitation for people to come back this year.” Taoiseach Enda Kenny paid a visit to the event too, and said it was “an expression of modern Irishness” that he supports very strongly. He said, “It’s family. It’s community. It’s children building for the future and having the opportunity to come here to what is a really brilliant occasion.”
Did you know… The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) have reported that small businesses are waiting more than two months for payments from suppliers on average, with a quarter waiting even longer? ISME has called for a statutory 30-day payments regime for all businesses trading within Ireland with other Irish-based enterprises to be introduced, urging for current prompt payments laws to be scrapped. Speaking to the Irish Independent, ISME Chief Executive Mark Fielding said, “Ministers must stop this charade of being SME-focussed, while they allow ineffectual prompt payments legislation to continue to strangle small business. The facts are that since the legislation was introduced, SMEs are waiting longer to be paid, they are afraid to charge interest on late payments and the abuse of dominant trading positions is flourishing, despite assertions to the contrary.” The latest credit watch survey by ISME found the average payment period for SMEs in the second quarter was 62 days, while 25% of respondents experience delays of three months of more, and 5% are waiting over 120 days.
Did you know… The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued an alert about Tesco Chocolate Cake Kit Mix? The alert comes as a result of a reported allergic reaction due to a low level of undeclared egg detected in the following batch; best before date: Feb 2015; batch: HL1 4197 LM; size: 502g. The FSAI said, “This batch was tested on foot of a report of an allergic reaction following consumption of the raw mix. The above batch may be unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of egg or its constituents.” While the instructions for the use of the mix does include the addition of eggs, the detection of egg and the allergic reaction encountered relate to the cake mix without the addition of egg.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson and Emily Horne.
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