Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Iceland boss calls on government to set 'mandatory plastic reduction targets' for businesses

Iceland boss has urged government to set "more aggressive, mandatory plastic reduction targets for businesses as food giant announced the launch of a series of new packaging trials that will see the supermarket heavily reducing plastic usage across nine products.

“While we are very proud of the progress we have made so far, our journey to becoming plastic free would be much easier if Government set more aggressive, mandatory plastic reduction targets as a framework for business to operate within," Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland, said.


"Once again, we would also call upon our fellow retailers to make more ambitious commitments to reducing their plastic footprint so we can find solutions that reduce the need to rely on plastic packaging together," he said.

The nine products will see either plastic-free or heavily reduced packaging replace the current packaging, resulting in a reduction of plastic of 36.6 tonnes.

Frozen vegetables and herbs including garlic, coriander, ginger and chilli will now be packaged in cartons. Iceland’s Soured Cream & Chive Dip and Sweet Chilli Houmous are now packaged in paperboard pots and the supermarket’s frozen 25pk Chicken Dippers and Chicken Popsters are packaged in first to market innovative paper laminate bags.

Iceland’s frozen Easy Peel Wild Red Shrimp will be completely free from plastic with a coated paper bag replacing the old packaging, a truly groundbreaking innovation for frozen food.

The new packaging will be trialled in 115 Iceland stores across Cheshire, North Wales and the West Midlands.

More for you

BAT misses revenue forecasts

British American Tobacco Global Headquarters in London

BAT misses revenue forecasts; takes £6bn charge over Canada lawsuit

British American Tobacco reported a £6.2 billion hit from a long-running lawsuit in Canada on Thursday, and warned of "significant" headwinds in Bangladesh and Australia in 2025 after annual revenue missed forecast.

Health risks associated with tobacco and smoking alternatives have been under regulatory scrutiny for several years, and cigarette makers are facing several challenges globally from policy shifts to anti-tobacco activism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nestle annual profit drops
Nestle logos are pictured in the supermarket of Nestle headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, February 13, 2020
REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo

Nestle annual profit drops; sales exceed forecasts

Nestle posted on Thursday a drop in annual net profit for 2024 but the Swiss food giant's sales were better than expected by analysts.

The group, which makes Nespresso capsules, KitKat chocolate and Purina dog food, said sales fell 1.8 per cent to 91.3 billion Swiss francs (£80.3bn).

Keep ReadingShow less
Unilever office
Photo: iStock

Unilever announces demerger plans for ice cream business

Unilever said on Thursday its ice cream business will be separated by way of demerger, through listing of the business in Amsterdam, London and New York.

"This decision follows a full review by the Board of separation options," the company said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Historic store's closure 'signals death knell for high street', warns retail body
Photo: iStock

Historic store's closure 'signals death knell for high street', warns retail body

The closure of one of Britain's oldest department stores due to recent tax rises signals a "devastating new chapter" for Britain's high streets, the country's leading retail body has warned.

Beales, a 143-year-old retail institution that opened its doors in Bournemouth in 1881, has announced the closure of its final remaining store in Poole's Dolphin Centre by the end of May, blaming increased tax burdens introduced in last October's Budget for making the business unviable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Distributor fined after failing to ensure essential safety checks on potentially toxic food items.

Distributor fined after failing to ensure essential safety checks on potentially toxic food items.

iStock image

Spice supplier fined for failing to ensure safety checks

A food importer and distributor has been fined after failing to ensure essential safety checks on potentially toxic foods it brought into the country.

Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard that Southall-based Al Noor Ltd failed to notify port authorities in Suffolk about a shipment of spice mixes from Pakistan it received in May 2022. In the absence of a proper declaration, it did not undergo the necessary checks.

Keep ReadingShow less