The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is hosting a Small Business Start Up Seminar on May 28 in Galway. The Small Food Business Start up Seminar will be a one-stop shop for anyone who is thinking about starting a small food business and/or who has recently gone into business in the food sector. At this free, half day event, various experts from the FSAI will outline the following: the various information resources available from the FSAI, your food safety training requirements, how to set up your food safety management system, labelling regulations and what you need to do in the case of a product recall. A representative from the Environmental Health Service will detail how to register your food business and what to expect from an inspection. Meanwhile, a new product development expert from Teagasc will outline what is involved in developing a new food product and a small food business owner will outline their recent experience in setting up a food business. To register, email [email protected].
Malcolm Walker, chief executive of the Iceland frozen foods retail chain has expressed his frustration at the lack of available retail sites in Ireland, with the group's planned expansion here not progressing as quickly as planned. "Most of the properties in Ireland are in receivership, or controlled by banks, or the state or whoever," he told the Irish Independent. "It's a bugger of a job to get sites in Ireland. It's been a hard slog. Lots of them are in the wrong sort of location for us." Walker said that if the chain can open "one or two" stores this year, "I'll be delighted".
The Alcohol Beverage Foundation of Ireland (ABFI) has questioned the recently released WHO Global status report on alcohol and health. Kathryn D’Arcy, (ABFI) said: “We note the research from WHO and welcome the opportunity to discuss the important societal issue of alcohol misuse. However, it is important to note that this particular research was conducted in 2010 and since then, average per adult alcohol consumption has declined substantially - down a further 8.5% since this research was conducted.” D’Arcy went on to say that average per adult consumption is now over 25% lower than the peak of 2001. “We are consuming alcohol at pre-1990 levels and are fast approaching EU norms.” D’Arcy did, however, concede that the report is correct in highlighting the high levels of binge drinking. She said, “This is a particular concern to the alcohol industry and we are committed to addressing this and have sought to work with Government to affect long term societal change to address harmful drinking in the same way as we did with drink driving. The ABFI believe that changes can be made by addressing the sale of cheap alcohol, introducing a statutory ban on price-based advertising and introducing statutory codes to regulate the merchandising of alcohol."
An Irish mother, Niamh O’Dwyer, has launched a new 100% organic range of baby food into SuperValu stores. The mum of two’s range of 100% organic chilled purées and meals is aimed at parents wanting to feed their babies organic healthy food. O’Dwyer, founder and managing director at Organic Little One says: “It is recognised worldwide that the first 1,000 days of life from conception to a child’s second birthday offers a unique opportunity to shape a healthier future. With this in mind, when weaning my boys I wanted them to enjoy natural and tasty fresh foods. [...] I started making my own purées and quickly found myself spending all day Saturday making batches of purées and baby foods. Life can be hectic, and as family time is so precious, this inspired me to create Organic Little One.” Organic Little One offers a selection of weaning purées (Stage 1, 6 months + ) in individually sealed 60g portions. They are currently available in five flavours – carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato, apple and pear with a RRP of €2.99.
Butlers Chocolates has opened a new café in Terminal 1 at Dublin Airport. Situated in a new location on The Street, just before the entrance to The Loop main store, the café will serve a full range of coffee drinks, including lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and hot chocolate. All drinks come with a complimentary Butlers Chocolate. A range of artisan sweet treats from freshly baked croissants, scones and cakes as well as an extensive range of sandwiches are also available. Speaking on behalf of Butlers, chairman Mairead Sorensen said, “We have been serving passengers since 2001, when our first Butlers Chocolate Café opened at the airport. We are delighted to open a beautiful new café on the street which reflects a new design and fit out direction for us, serving our favourite hot and cold beverages along with a full range of Butlers Chocolates. There’s lots of comfortable seating for those who have time to sit and relax along with a delicious new food menu.” Butlers Chocolates have continued to expand over the years, with cafés in locations from London to Lahore and Abu Dhabi to Auckland. The new location in Terminal 1 follows on from the hugely successful opening of the company's new café in Terminal 2 last October.
Red Bull/Richmond Marketing and Tesco have partnered to create a unique Red Bull Cliff Diving event for shoppers. The collaboration aims to create a 360° shopper experience to promote the Irish leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, taking place at the Serpent’s Lair on Inis Mór, this June 28-29. In an effort to replicate the excitement of the Cliff Diving World Series for shoppers, Red Bull has created a ‘virtual world’ using Oculus Rift technology, giving users a 360° immersive experience - from the top of the diving ramp on Inis Mór, all the way through to the dive into the Serpent’s Lair. An Irish, if not world first, the Red Bull Oculus Rift Cliff Diving experience will be travelling throughout the country on street and in shopping centres until the end of June, plus selected Tesco stores until May 28. Henry Dummer, Marketing Director at Tesco Ireland said, “With the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Red Bull has certainly raised the bar and they have set a new standard in bringing a unique and thrilling experience to Tesco customers. We’re delighted to collaborate with Red Bull and to support the dive through our store network and a multi-channel ad campaign.”
Dublin City Centre is to get its own Christmas market this year, according to the Dublin City Business Improvement District (BID). The market will host 60 wooden stalls located along the outside of St Stephen's Green Park, between Grafton Street and Merrion Road. It is expected that around 150 seasonal jobs will be created at the event, which will run from Thursday November 13 until Tuesday December 23. The BID expects the market to generate an additional 600,000 people in footfall, with goods like handcrafted jams, wood crafts, seasonal food and drinks on sale. The event will be enhanced by entertainment from local carollers and choirs too, beginning the same day as the Christmas lights are turned on, also organised by BID.
Kantar Worldpanel has named Avonmore as the 'most chosen' grocery brand in Ireland for the second year running, in its annual 'Brand Footprint' rankings. Avonmore was picked an average of 27 times per year by 81% of the population, the study found. Brennan's bread ranks second on the list (again for the second year in a row), having been picked an average of 24 times by 73% of the population, while Denny ranks third, having been picked on average 19 times by 80% of the population. Other brands to feature in the top ten include Knorr (4th), Jacobs (5th), Batchelors (6th), Muller (7th), Heinz (8th), McVities (9th) and Galtee (10th).
The National Dairy Council (NDC) has launched a new multi-media advertising campaign featuring professional Irish rugby icons and 2014 Six Nations Champions, Rob and Dave Kearney. The NDC will invest €1 million in the campaign over the next two years. Zoë Kavanagh, chief executive, NDC, says, “The NDC campaign shows the goodness of our dairy based on quality pasture-based farming and promotes dairy as part of a healthy balanced diet and active lifestyle for all of the family. It highlights that that good eating habits start when you’re young and that good nutrition starts with a balanced diet - including dairy.” She added that the Kearney brothers are “terrific role models” for the campaign as they resonate with adults and children alike. The multi-media campaign will focus largely on TV with digital supports and will run initially for a five week burst, with subsequent bursts over the summer months of June and July. The latest NDC campaign rests within the “Irish Dairy: Sustainable & Nutritious by Nature” NDC strategy, which is rooted in provenance, quality and the excellence of our dairy produce. 2014 marks the 50th Anniversary of the National Dairy Council.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
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