News briefs: Warburtons, General Mills and a spooky idea
CEO, and letting the snack out of the can for Halloween.
Warburtons opens its new bakery UK bakery company Warburtons opened its £10m factory in Newport, Wales this week, to cater for an increase in demand for its products. The company moved into its Rogerstone factory in 2006, however demand has increased so steadily that it had to move the Wales production site again. Warburtons originally moved into this factory due to the rising demand for premium breads, a recent growing trend due to higher consumer wealth. In the past few years the company has expanded with various sites in Yorkshire, northern England, and Scotland in order to cater for this trend. "We obviously had plans of how we would grow and where we would be and we are miles ahead of that and we are very, very pleased," David Williams, Warburtons general manager, told the BBC. "We started six years ago in a relatively small way and demand grew such that there was the need to put a bakery local, to make local product." The company will reportedly make 150,000 loaves a year using 45 tonnes of flour. General Mills announces new CEO Kendall Powell was elected as chief executive officer of General Mills this week, taking the place of Steve Sanger. Powell has served as the president of Yoplait division, president of Big G cereals and chief executive officer of the cereal partners worldwide joint venture with Nestle. He has served as president and chief operating officer of General Mills since June 2006. "The board and I have great confidence that Ken will be an outstanding chief executive officer of General Mills," said Sanger. "He has extensive knowledge of our global food categories, our customers and our worldwide operations. This deep-seated understanding of our business, coupled with Ken's commitment to our culture and the development of our people, make him uniquely qualified to lead General Mills in the next phase of our long-term growth." Sanger will serve as the company's chairman until the end of fiscal 2008 in May. And finally… A US firm has come up with a way of tricking nutrition into kids' treats this Halloween, which could boost the appeal of canned fruits and vegetables. The Canned Food Alliance (CFA) has jumped on the bandwagon for parents' desiring healthier snacks for their children following awareness of the rising obesity rates by producing a recipe book of healthier snacks. The products include crispy rice treats with fruits, meatball snacks and a sandwich tray using canned fruits and vegetables, all with Halloween inspired names. "These nutritious and tasty treats feature canned ingredients that are packed with essential nutrients and screaming with flavour," the company said. "These graveyard goodies are not only nutritious but they're also quick to prepare thanks to the convenience of canned food."
