My family bakery in Kent has just had its inspection, ready for work experience placements next year. This made me wonder how many bakers are taking up this worthwhile and rewarding opportunity.

Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) and Brewing Research Inter-national (BRI) have merged to form Campden BRI, a combined resource for the food and drink industry.

US-based Kellogg Company, in Michigan, is expanding its capacity, after acquiring the assets of IndyBake Products LLC and Brownie Products, a privately- held contract manufacturing business.

Australian dessert maker, Pudding Lane, has high hopes for expansion in the UK, after winning a one-star gold award for its Macadamia and Brandy Pudding at the Great Taste Awards.

Snack and confectionery company Glisten's latest financial results reveal a year of strong growth, with revenue for the year to 30 June rising 26% to £73.8m and pre-tax profit up 18% to £6.68m.

Rubicon purchase

De Gustibus' Oxfordshire bakery has been destroyed in a fire.

The British Richemont Club will host a three-day meeting of international members from 27 to 29 September.

After a particularly wet August and September, the milling and baking industries are waiting to see how the weather has affected the quality of UK wheat.

British Baker is pleased to announce that, from January 2009, it will publish the Bakers' Review, the official journal of the National Association of Master Bakers (NA), in a special section within the magazine.

At Monday night's Baking Industry Awards, Piero Scacco won the coveted Baker of the Year title.

Consultancy role

Irwin’s Bakery are a slice ahead of the game, with the launch of its new bread sizes, ahead of a new EU directive in April 2009, which will see historical bread weight restrictions lifted. Irwin’s, based in Co. Armagh, is bringing in new smaller loaf sizes in one of its signature brands and claims it is the first bakery to offer new sizes in Northern Ireland.

Costa Coffee’s sales increased 25.6% to £123.2 million according to parent company Whitbread's interim results for the six months to 28 August 2008.

Greggs is shrugging off the effects of the credit crunch with a total sales increase of 6.7% in the 16 weeks to 4 October.

Marks & Spencer sandwich supplier Uniq said the growth of its sandwich division slowed significantly in the third quarter of the financial year.

Allied Bakeries has relaunched its Kingsmill Wholemeal loaf as Kingsmill Tasty Wholemeal.

Warburtons' latest TV ad campaign will air for the first time this Saturday (4 October) on satellite and terrestrial TV.

The former Sayers Bakery in Norris Green, Liverpool was severely damaged by fire on Sunday 28 September in a suspected arson attack.

Tesco is introducing three loaves in non-standard sizes ahead of anticipated changes to EU laws.

Tesco is hoping for a slice of the action in the discount store market with a new low-cost range, to include bakery products.

The British Society of Baking’s Autumn conference is to be held on 6 and 7 October at Coombe Abbey Hotel in Binley, Coventry.

All-round bakery manufacturer Finsbury Foods’ has experienced a group revenue increase of 53.9% to £169 million. The preliminary results for the year ended 30 June 2008 show the company has achieved strong growth in each of its subsidiaries with like for like sales up 13%. Adjusted pre-tax profit stood at £7.7 million compared to £4.6 million last year.

Visitors to Café+, the café, sandwich and coffee shop show organised by British Baker’s publisher William Reed Business Media (WRBM), will benefit from top business-building advice in an exclusive seminar.

The National Associations of Master Bakers (NAMB) is hoping to create an ‘action group’ with the hope of redressing certain perceptions of the craft baking industry.

Tesco’s sales of part-baked bread have soared by 47% in the past year. And the supermarket giant has hinted that it may in future offer part-baked versions of all its bakery products.

The British Society of Baking is to hold its autumn conference on the 6 and 7 October at the Coombe Abbey Hotel, Binley, Coventry.

Visitors to Café+, the café, sandwich and coffee shop show organised by British Baker's publisher William Reed Business Media (WRBM), will benefit from top business-building advice in an exclusive seminar.

Ingredients giant Tate & Lyle (T&L) has opened an innovation centre in Lille, France.

Pantheon has launched a new kettle to heat and store soups and casseroles. The PSK Soup Kettle heats up to 10 litres of liquid-based products, such as soup, sauces and casseroles. It then maintains them at the optimum serving temperature. The operator can alter the temperature dial, depending on usage.

Puff pastry supplier Jus-Rol has launched 'Shape It Up', whereby bakers can source ideas and recipes using Jus-Rol's three different pastry shapes - oval, round and square. Jus-Rol's Puff Pastry Shapes are pre-rolled, cut to size and defrost in a few minutes. Recipes include Cheese, Tomato & Bacon Wraps, Chicken Spinach & Red Pepper Open Tarts and Goat's Cheese & Aubergine Windmills.

Planglow has launched its new Deli Tickets, suitable for salad bars, deli counters and shelf edges. They are pre-laminated and no cutting is required; they can also be used repeatedly.

Premier Foods is launching limited-edition Mr Kipling Fiendish Fancies for Halloween. A variation on its popular French Fancy, the new cakes will have orange and black icing and Halloween-themed packaging.

La Pizza Company is offering its frozen part-baked Tear & Share Garlic Bread in new flavours. They are now available in cajun garlic, parmesan & black pepper and roasted red onion varieties, and are made using real garlic butter.

Furniss of Cornwall is now selling its Cornish Fairings biscuits in France. The biscuits will be hitting the shelves of Le Comptoir Irlandais stores across the country in its three varieties - orange and lemon, apple and cinnamon and stem ginger and honey - alongside its Cornish Gingerbread.

A new Breakfast Energy Muffin has been launched by Dawn Foods, aimed at the café sector. The American-style bakery product is made with carrots, raisins, pumpkin seeds, dates, apricots and cranberries, to provide breakfast on-the-go or a coffee accompaniment.

The National Association of Master Bakers (NA), supported by The Worshipful Company of Bakers, is running a seminar for newly appointed supervisors and managers on Wednesday 8 October 2008, at the Best Western Midland hotel, Derby. It will be delivered by Simon Johnstone, whose seminars have been reported as being "enlightening, amusing and very interesting".

Costa Coffee's sales have continued to rise over the past six months - up 23.6% in the half-year to 14 August. In its interim statement, parent company Whitbread said the brand had demonstrated "good growth", with like-for-likes up 3.7%.

The retail price of packaged croissants has almost doubled in the last six months, according to the latest price data from Verdict Research.

Organic winners

Dawn Foods will be sponsoring British Baker's Baking Industry Summit 2008. This year's summit, to be held in London on the 27 November, will cover all the essentials of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), with top speakers including Tesco, Asda and Greggs. "The summit looks set to stimulate interesting debates and we are pleased to be able to support this important forum," said Dave Roberts, Dawn Foods' UK national accounts controller.

The independent coffee shop market is far from saturated, with plenty of potential for future growth, according to the latest research from Allegra Strategies.

Enzyme price rise

De Gustibus’s Oxfordshire bakery has been destroyed in a fire. The blaze ripped through the artisan baker’s Abingdon plant on Wednesday night (10 September), damaging most of the building before firefighters arrived. Owner Dan Schickentanz said: “Only the walls are left standing – the place is completely gutted.”

Dawn Foods will be on hand at Bakers’ Fair North to keep hunger pangs at bay, by offering a cake and a hot cup of something to every visitor. Dawn are sponsoring the refreshments section of the show, which is the UK’s only autumn exhibition for bakery companies, cafés and coffee shops, and will be giving attendees a free cake from its Adore and Sweet Bakery Snacks along with tea or coffee.

A director of Fosters Bakery has been awarded Yorkshire’s Young Director of the Year at a prestigious ceremony in Leeds. Michael Taylor from Fosters in Barnsley received the accolade at a gala evening at the Queens Hotel on Thursday 4 September, held by the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Directors (IoD).

Hovis has revealed more details on its major TV campaign, which will be shown for the first time this Friday, 12 September.

German bakery machine manufacturer Fritsch has revealed the latest addition to its range - the Fritsch Laminator 300. It has been designed for bakers who require automation and better quality in the production of dough sheets.

A new food hygiene system has been launched in the UK by Applied Technology, a subsidiary of retail lighting company Bäro Lighting.

Italian machinery company Alimec recently opened its factory doors to show pizza manufacturers an in-house demonstration of its new Pizza Topping and Make-Up line.

Heinz has launched a five-strong range of premium soups in response to caterers' growing interest in health, well-being and nutritional quality.

Ginger Sensation is the new cake mix from ingredients manufacturer Macphie. The latest addition to the Sensations cake mix range, it has a warm spicy flavour and contains pieces of crystalised ginger. It is free from artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or hydrogenated fats and comes in 12.5kg packs, with only the addition of water and oil necessary.

As part of its on-going expansion programme, Pecan Deluxe has developed the flexibility of its confectionery range so it can be used in baked goods.

Valera has introduced a new range of buffet display units for hot, cold or ambient products.

BakeMark UK has added three new multiseed bread ingredients to its Arkady range - Waldkorn Classic, Waldkorn Krokant and Combicorn Malzsonne.

The Feel Good Drinks Company is launching a new range of soft drinks aimed at kids. The fruity range, called Feel Good Kids, will initially feature Raspberry, Strawberry and Blueberry; Orange, Pineapple and Banana; and Blackcurrant, Apple and Grape varieties.

Percola, a Fairtrade cola drink, has been launched by food and beverage company Food Brands Group. The drink, an extension of its Percol Fairtrade coffee range, is the first Fairtrade cola with no preservatives or artificial colours and will be available in a 500ml bottle.

Irn-Bru maker AG Barr has announced the acquisition of Groupe Rubicon - a UK-based manufacturer and distributor of exotic juice drinks.

Dave Brooks, chief executive of major own-brand premium cakes supplier Finsbury Food Group, who steered the business into its number two position within the UK cake industry, is to step down from his role with effect from 29 September.

Continued poor weather is prompting fears of a shortage of bread-making wheat, a decline in quality because of falling protein levels and rising bread prices, as only half the harvest has been completed in some areas.

Tesco's executive director of corporate and legal affairs Lucy Neville Rolfe will be giving an insight into the supermarket's corporate social responsibility strategy (CSR) at British Baker's Baking Industry Summit, to be held in London on 27 November.

Online training provider The Bakery School is adding a further module to its 40-module bakery training portfolio. The module, Training Matrix, will go live on 5 September. Designed to support the employer or super-visor, the module will help them to set up a simple matrix system for bakery training, in an easy-to- follow format, enabling the operative to see the progress of the training.

A bakery in Merseyside has become a victim of identity theft. A fraudster, claiming to be connected with Liverpool's artisan bakery and patisserie Satterthwaites, misled hundreds of people into sending money by electronic transfer for concert and festival tickets, which never materialised.

Greggs' chief executive Ken McMeikan has pledged to crack down on wasted food, as he takes the helm of the UK's largest bakery retailer.

Paul Morrow, managing director of British Bakels, has appointed Ian Dobbie as new managing director designate from 1 October. Dobbie, who currently heads up the UK division of Délifrance, takes over full responsibility at Bakels from 1 January.

It's your last chance to get tic-kets for the Baking Industry Awards 2008, to be held at London's Grosvenor House hotel on 15 September.

A £15m relaunch of the Hovis brand - the largest in its history - gets under way this month, after its declining market share contributed to a 23.2% slump in half-year profits to £14.6m at Premier Foods' bakery business.

The baking industry has moved one step closer to establishing a National Skills Academy for Bakery, after a shortlist of academic institutions invited to bid to become the 'network champion' was decided this week.

Coffee Republic chairman Peter Breach has promised to “forcefully address” the “disappointingly weak” performance of its company-owned coffee shops.

Coca-Cola Zero has teamed up with Sony Entertainment and huge movie franchise James Bond in a deal that sees the brand working with the next 007 film, Quantum of Solace.

A Tory government would ditch the traffic light system of food labelling favoured by the Food Standards Agency and seek voluntary agreements with industry to tackle obesity, shadow health spokesman Andrew Lansley said last week.

Bakery author Paul Hollywood has begun supplying a new branded range of six traditional breads including brioche into 11 London Waitrose stores and Harrods.

Family baker Braces is offering charities, schools and community groups across the south and south-west of England donations to mark its 106th birthday.

The charity karting event, in support of the Baker’s Benevolent Society, and sponsored by Rank Hovis, will be taking place on Thursday 18 September. It will be held at the Daytona Karting track in Milton Keynes between 10.30am and 4pm.

Paul Morrow, MD of British Bakels has appointed Ian Dobbie as new MD designate from October 1.

Dave Brooks, the chief executive of major own-brand premium cakes supplier Finsbury Food Group, who steered the business into its number two position within the UK cake industry, is to step down from his role with effect from 29 September.

Warburtons is kicking off a national promotion of its wholemeal range this September, in order to give the nation a ‘fibre boost’. It is also launching a mini online drama called ‘The Seeds of Love’ featuring its Seeded Batch Loaf. Warburtons’ Fibre Provider campaign follows on where its 2007 campaign, ‘Are you getting enough’ left off. Its aim is to raise awareness of the importance of fibre in peoples’ diets. The Nation’s Fibre Provider is running across its wholemeal range, and emphasising its recently launched Wholemeal Fibre Boost.

Former Sara Lee and Heinz Foods’ processing facilities are to be offered for sale by tender.

Online training provider The Bakery School is adding a further module to its 40-module bakery training portfolio.

Starbucks will be introducing a new collection of coffee in selected stores in the US.

Former Sara Lee and Heinz Foods’ processing facilities are to be offered for sale by tender. The entire contents of the food processing machinery located at the former confectionery manufacturer Sara Lee a world-renowned manufacturer of baked goods and confectionery are being offered by Pro Auction, as well as Sara Lee bakery equipment for pizza processing and sauce manufacturing from the former Heinz plant in Grimsby.

Staff at a branch of Northampton-based bakery retail Oliver Adams have been robbed of £600 at gunpoint by a masked raider.

Greggs has appointed a new general manager for the Midlands. Ian Bagnall will be responsible for the 168 shops located in the Midlands as well as the company’s bakery operations in Birmingham.

Esquires Coffee Houses is to expand its Irish franchisee network by opening three new cafes in Dublin, Cork and Naas in County Kildare by the end of 2008.

Greencore has revealed a 7.5% reduction in turnover to $284m (£225m) for the four months to the end of July, blaming “a notable deterioration in consumer sentiment in the UK since June” and the strength of the Euro against the pound.

Starbucks has confirmed that the head of its UK and Ireland operations has stepped down. Managing director Phil Broad has been replaced by Darcy Willson-Rymer, previously vice-president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Food and drink manufacturers are being encouraged to invest in the future of young talent by supporting a new qualification.

Starbucks has confirmed that the head of its UK and Ireland operations has stepped down. Managing director Phil Broad has been replaced by Darcy Willson-Rymer, previously vice-president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The Hairy Bakers will hit our screens tonight with a new series on BBC2 looking at all things bakery.

Dave Myers and Simon King, known as the Hairy Bikers will embark on a journey across the UK to discover the best of British baking. They’ll meet with top millers and bakers and test out various recipes along the way, from gourmet bread and pies to ornate wedding cakes.

Walkers brand ambassador Gary Lineker returns to TV screens this month as part of the crisp brand’s latest promotion.

Farm-pressed juice company, Chegworth Valley Juices, has launched its new organic range, to include: pear juice, single variety Bramley, Cox and Discovery apple juices and apple & beetroot. The juices, in 250ml bottles, are made using hand-selected fruit and contain no added sugar, sweeteners, concentrates, artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives.

Coca Cola is to relaunch its Lilt brand this summer.

Healthy option soft drinks look to be the key driver in terms of the UK soft drinks market, according to a new report published by Zenith International.

Join in the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas at this years’ Baking Industry Awards 2008. Last year was our biggest awards yet with over 900 attendees and we’re hoping to make this years’ premier industry event even bigger and better. Tickets are selling like hot cakes, so book now to avoid disappointment.

Pudding Lane:

The Speciality & Fine Food Fair London, taking place at the Grand Hall at Olympia, London, will feature over 700 exhibitors, catering for everyone from delis and independent retailers to chefs and restaurateurs looking to source artisan food and drink.

La Pizza, a privately owned manufacturer of dough balls, tear-and-share garlic bread and Mediterranean speciality breads, supplying into the foodservice industry, has developed a range of healthier frozen part-baked pizza bases. All products contain less than 1% salt and are made using natural ingredients, containing no preservatives or GM products.

Food Partners has developed a new sandwich brand - Taste4life - focused on health and sophistication. The range will include more than 50 sandwiches and related products and has been launched in outlets including coffee shops and catering suppliers.

Marco Beverage Systems has added the Maxibrew Freshcup to its product range. The bulk filter coffee brewer is programmed to dispose of stale coffee after a pre-set period of time, to avoid customers accidentally being served old coffee.

Farmhouse Fare is to launch its first-ever range of twin packs. The Lancashire-based company is seeking to widen its appeal beyond family-sized desserts and has brought out a range of 120g x 2 individual portion puddings including: luxury sticky chocolate and orange pudding, sticky carrot cake pudding and luxury sticky banoffee toffee pudding, as well as organic varieties - luxury sticky toffee pudding and sticky chocolate pudding.

The Coffee Machine Company has added a new espresso machine to its range. The company is the sole importer of Rancilio espresso machines and has now launched the Classe 6 Compact Tall model. The new machine is fully automatic with full 2-group functionality, and has been designed with coffee shops and takeaway outlets in mind.

Meiko UK has added Disaperator food waste disposers to its range of warewashing appliances.

Ishida Europe has introduced a new range of 'Screw Feed' multi-head weighers, which enable the automatic handling of fresh 'sticky' products such as seafood and meat. The design incorporates rotating corkscrews with the familiar circular multi-head layout, replacing traditionally used radial feed troughs.

Ultraviolet (UV) treatment equipment manufacturer Kaiku Process Solutions (KPS) has launched its new Bioguard system to help combat the dangers of cross-contamination.

Terry Sharp Head, Baking & Cereals Processing Department CCFRA

Welsh baker Lewis Pies, based in Swansea, has struck a deal with supermarket chain Carrefour, one of Europe's leading supermarket chains.

Starbucks has reported a net loss of $6.7m (£3.4m) in the three months to the end of June, compared to a $158.3m (£79.9m) third-quarter profit last year, against a background of store closures and plans to cut 1,000 office jobs in the US.

The American Bakers' Asso- ciation has condemned the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) refusal to release land from its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to allow farmers to meet food demands and help curb soaring cereal prices.

Union officials are meeting representatives of Northern Foods this week, after the company announced plans to shut one of its biscuit factories.

Administrators for Scottish coffee chain Beanscene have received more than 50 expressions of interest for the business.

Bookings are now being taken for the Bakers' Fair North, to be held at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium on Sunday 19 October.

The market for cakes and cake bars has increased by 7% in value last year to reach £1.52bn. But while nearly two-thirds of consumers eat them, penetration levels and frequency of use are declining, according to research from Mintel.

Greggs has published a strong set of results for the half-year to June.

Japanese-specialist bakery franchise Beard Papa is planning to link up with major developers to unveil 20 more stores in shopping centres in England by 2010, following success in Asia and the US.

Coffee shop chain Gloria Jean's plans to expand the current nine-shop franchise to 150.

Premier Foods is adding four loaves to Hovis' 400g range to tap into a "key growth sector".

A Labour MP has accused former Lyndale Group chief executive Michael Quinlan and chairman Sandy Birnie of plotting the reorganisation in the Group's affairs that led to Lyndale Foods Ltd going into administration.

It's been a hard-fought contest, but British Baker can now reveal the finalists in four more categories of our Baking Industry Awards 2008.

Greggs and Kerry Foods are to oppose plans to give Cornish pasties Protected Geographic Indication (PGI), preventing producers outside Cornwall from using the label.

Cornish baker Rowe’s is to sponsor another two local sports clubs - Redruth Rugby Club and Penryn RFC. Rowes’s already sponsors local clubs, Cornish Pirates and Penryn Athletic and the two new acquisitions have seen its sponsorship deals double.

Starbucks will be introducing a new collection of coffee in selected stores in the US. Clover Crafted Small Batch Coffees will arrive in 10 Seattle stores, before expanding to its Boston and San Francisco markets in the coming months.

Irish group Kerry Foods has revealed a 7.3% rise in sales to £1.85bn for the first half of 2008. The group has successfully raised prices to take account of increasing commodity costs and appears poised to make further acquisitions.

Swiss bakery Hiestand and Irish group IAWS have completed their merger to become the world's biggest producer of frozen baked goods.

Glendale Foods Group has reported a 40% year-on-year increase in sales and is planning further acquisitions - a year after it was formed out of the merger between Glendale Frozen Foods and sausage manufacturer Supreme Foods.