Suppliers Round-up

Woodwards offers escolar explanation

Woodwards Foodservice has clarified its position regarding an accusation that it has been deceiving caterers which bought escolar from the company believing it to be sea bass.

The Daily Mail reported last week that Woodwards had sold escolar as "sea bass steaks". A Woodwards spokesman defended the company's actions by explaining that, until March this year, when new labelling legislation was introduced recognising escolar as a species, escolar was, in the industry, commonly called "sea bass steaks, butterfish or ice fish".

However, Jonathan Batchelor, director at fish supplier Ramus, said that although some in the industry called escolar sea bass steaks, or even Chilean sea bass, it was a different fish.

Since the new legislation was enacted, the spokesman stressed, Woodwards had reprinted all its lists and packaging to read "escolar steaks", and would no longer be selling escolar labelled as sea bass.

The newspaper article also claimed that escolar, on account of its high oil content, was potentially harmful to as many as 50% of people who ate it.

But a spokesman for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) refused to confirm this statistic, adding: "I find it implausible that anyone would sell it if that was the case."

3663 parent raises revenues

Bidvest, the parent company of 3663 First for Foodservice, has posted revenues of £1.38b for the year ending 30 June.

This is a 7% increase on revenues in the previous year. A post-tax profit of £26.5m represents an increase of 28% on last year.

Bidvest operates in South Africa, Australasia and the UK. Its UK arm, 3663, had a turnover of £1.07b, with profits at £31.8m, a 26% increase over the previous year.

Fred Barnes, chief executive of 3663, said the company had increased its market share to "produce excellent results in a subdued market".

Heatwave deaths hike chicken price

Wholesale chicken prices have risen after suppliers revealed that early deaths due to recent soaring temperatures had led to a reduction in the number of farmed birds.

A spokesman for poultry supplier Padley's said that although 4% of chickens were expected to die before they reached slaughter, "it would be expected this figure would increase during extreme temperatures".

Nigel Martin, of butcher Browns of Rugby, said: "Prices have risen by as much as 10 or 12% because of the heatwave." He added that prices had already been inflated by about 20% due to the flu epidemic that had blighted European flocks.