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Catering firms and sandwich shop owners across the UK will soon be able to take a bigger slice of the estimated £4 billion sandwich market using a new cloud-based e-commerce platform developed by a team of scientists and engineers.

Huhtamaki unveiled the new ‘Sorello’ smooth double wall paper cups, the latest addition to the company's insulated paper cups range, made in the UK.

The coffee shop chain held its first store opening in Johannesburg.

According to a story by the Telegraph, the fast food giant said it is "disappointed" by Labour's decision to block the burger chain's bid to run a stand at the gathering in Liverpool.

The brand stated that its Bakery Outlet format, which sells products unsold the day before at a discounted price, will not be a priority in its business model. Instead, Greggs said that they are looking to focus on increasing the amount of unsold food donated to charity.

Starbucks launched its Partner Cup Design Contest for partners (employees) in the U.S. and Canada, which concluded with three winning designs printed on reusable cups in North America stores in 2015.

The brand announced that it would include calorie listings on menu boards across all US restaurant locations in April, more than a year before the FDA enforces national menu-calorie labeling requirements. The new menu panels will be on display in all U.S. sandwich shops beginning April 11, 2016.

Brioche Pasquier, one of the world’s largest producers of fine French patisserie and bakery products, has started production at its new site in Milton Keynes.

Data released by LDC and British Independent Retailers Association (bira) showed that independents opened the fewest number of shops in Britain’s top 500 town centres since LDC records began in 2009. Independent shops saw an increase of just +117 shops (+0.11%) in 2015 versus a peak of growth of 4.01% (+3,949 shops) in 2010.

New research by Guest Experience Management experts, HospitalityGEM, has today revealed a gap in the market for ‘Active Dining’. The trend follows recent openings in New York where Spin & Gin and Dates with Weights have successfully blended exercise work outs with dining. The trend is now set to take off in the UK with 95% of diners stating they would eat out more often if restaurants had exercise facilities available on site. In a recent survey of mystery diners 64% revealed they would choose to eat and exercise simultaneously, whereas 44% stated they would prefer to use the exercise equipment between courses to burn off fat from the previous course. The most popular time of day for Active Dining is lunchtime (61%) and early afternoon (29%). Post-main course was identified as the prime time for exercising, with 72% stating this was when they felt most lethargic and would look to exercise. Hands-free exercise machines, such as treadmills, proved to be the most popular (74%) and the more labour intensive, such as rowing machines were least popular (13%). Popular foods whilst exercising were smaller lighter bites, with the trend for street food (47%) and premium tacos (39%) coming out on top. Some diners would be interested in taking this trend further, stating: “I tried it once in Florida, and found it was easier to be spoon-fed by the staff than to feed myself”. This would allow diners to use more equipment such as a cross-trainer whilst dining. When asked why diners would opt for this form of eating out, one diner commented: “I never visit the gym because I get too hungry, but this would solve the problem and make exercise more social”. Steven Pike, Managing Director of HospitalityGEM commented: “I have seen some amazing trends enter the UK eating out market in recent years which have come and gone, but this is one that I predict sticking around for a long time. The average person in the UK is constantly juggling work, keeping fit, as well as fitting in a social life, meaning it is often hard to keep up – so why not blend all three activities into one. I recently spent some time in New York and it is easy to see why this concept has taken off.”  

The brand announced that it is launching brand new pizza-inspired loaves products available for purchase at supermarkets nationwide.

The association issued the following response to the controversy surrounding paper cup recyclability.

According to a story by the Telegraph, the government said that it has "no plans" to tax coffee cups after Rory Stewart, the environment minister, suggested they could be subject to a similar tax to plastic bags.

London Bio Packaging together with Bunzl Catering Supplies launched a new range of disposable Graze Pots under its ‘Revive’ range of recycled and recyclable food packaging.

According to a story by the Telegraph, a new study suggests that the burger is now being served in 75 per cent of French restaurants.

According to a story by China Daily, the fried chicken chain became the first Western fast food giant to open a branch in the Tibet autonomous region.