Speaking recently at the British Frozen Food Federation's (BFFF) annual luncheon, president Nick Shaw praised the ingenuity of the frozen food industry for weathering the economic storm and dealing with tougher legislation from Brussels.
Shaw cited growth of frozen as an indicator of the industry's health. But warned of increasing legislative burden that threatens the sector. "Compound growth in this sector of 2.9% during some of the most difficult trading conditions that most of us have ever known is something to be applauded."
Turning to the legislative landscape, Shaw urged government departments to keep up the fight for sensible and practical solutions for the UK food industry while protecting consumers' interests. He was encouraged that the coalition government is keen to reduce the amount of regulation that industry is burdened with but unfortunately much legislation is generated from Brussels.
He commented that in recent years, the UK has often been a single voice out of 27 when debating regulations, most recently in the information bill over the inclusion of "date of freezing" for certain product sectors.
Shaw acknowledged that there was evident consumer confusion around "use by", "sell by" and "best before" dates and asked whether there was anything to be gained by including a "first freezing" date. He declared that the frozen food industry stood "ready, willing and able to help government in this complex area".
The BFFF, the leading trade association for the frozen food sector, promotes and protects the interests of the frozen food industry.