Latest news

Northern Ireland’s Fivemiletown Creamery has been awarded a contract with Lidl to supply soft cheeses for its Deluxe own label range of premium products.

The award-winning creamery is supplying its handmade brie and oak smoked cheddar to the Deluxe brand for sale in the160-strong network of Lidl stores in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Some of the UK’s biggest food manufacturers are giving University of Ulster students the opportunity to develop new products for them. The innovative project, which is open to students on the Consumer Studies BSc course, at the Coleraine campus, was the brainchild of new Visiting Professor and renowned food development expert, Grainne Allen.

Northern Ireland’s Mash Direct, a specialist in convenience foods processed from potatoes and vegetables, has been voted the UK’s Chilled Foods Manufacturer of the Year in the prestigious Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2011.

Northern Ireland shellfish company Henning Brothers has won its first export business in Europe for frozen crab products. The shellfish processing company has secured business for frozen crabmeat and crab claws from two wholesalers in Amsterdam.

Cloughbane Farm Foods in Pomeroy is being assisted by Invest Northern Ireland to develop an innovative range of gluten and allergen-free products particularly for markets outside Northern Ireland.

Top London chef Simon Nesbitt has set up Pasta Gourmet in Northern Ireland to develop Brazilian-styled pasta for export.

Mr Nesbitt, a former head chef at restaurants such Tiger, Tiger, The Loop and Courts of Chancery Lane, has developed a range of fresh and frozen handmade pasta for export.

Dale Farm’s continued growth helped United Dairy Farmers (UDF), Northern Ireland’s biggest dairy business, achieve a record turnover in 2010/11, an encouraging year for the co-operative year which saw strong value and volume growth, improved profitability and better milk prices for members delivered against a background of high input cost inflation and depressed economic circumstances.

Spirited Drinks, the Northern Ireland manufacturer of Boozeberries, the award winning berry-based Irish liqueurs, has launched Ruby Blue for mixologists worldwide.

Dunbia, the leading Northern Ireland meat processor, has expanded its operations in Britain through buying the trade and assets of Heathfield Foods Ltd in Crewe.

Two new cheese products from Fivemiletown Creamery in Northern Ireland won international acclaim from judges in the International Dairy Federation’s prestigious 2011 Dairy Innovation Awards.