Food manufacturing – a year in tweets
Millions of users on the social networking site reacted to the news as it happened and shaped the online debate over the course of the year.
Read the top Tweets, selected by FoodManufacture.co.uk to relive key events from the year including the general election, the sugar tax debate and the migrant crisis.
Meanwhile, many of the key themes highlighted in last year’s tweets will continue to shape the food and drink manufacturing industry in 2016.
Key issues that emerged in 2015 and will develop this year include the EU referendum, national living wage and the government’s childhood obesity strategy.
At the start of the year, leading food and drink industry executives gathered for Food Manufacture’s Business Leaders’ Forum (BLF) in London.
The discussions touched on the obesity debate, the skills gap and the changing retail landscape – all key themes for 2015.
Meanwhile, this year’s BFL will take place in London on January 20 2016.
Chief Executive Jon Poole at the @FoodManufacture Business Leaders’ Forum – in quotes http://t.co/y8PJ5JEAYP
— IFST (@ifstnews) January 28, 2015
In February, former Tesco executive David Potts took the top job at Morrisons and introduced key changes to put the retailer back on the road to recovery.
His appointment was welcomed by Twitter user and retail entrepreneur Mike Greene, who went on to buy the supermarket’s M Local stores in September.
In March, sacked BBC Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson was offered a job on the shop floor at the discount store Aldi.
When Clarkson did not have his Top Gear contract renewed, the discount store offered employment via a tongue-in-cheek message on Twitter.
In May, the Conservatives defied the polls and won the general election outright to the surprise of the food and drink manufacturing industry.
To mark the victory, David Cameron’s Twitter account posted a photograph of the re-elected prime minister and his wife.
Here's to a brighter future for everyone. pic.twitter.com/EeN0YFAvBm
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) May 8, 2015
In June, Sainsbury chief executive Mike Coupe escaped a jail term in Egypt after he was acquitted of attempted embezzlement by an Egyptian court.
The acquittal followed a legal dispute brought against Sainsbury and its ceo by Amr El-Nasharty, with whom Sainsbury entered into a joint-venture in 1999.
The migrant crisis dominated social media with #RefugeesWelcome becoming a top trending hashtag for people from the Middle East seeking refuge in Europe.
Food delivery trucks were caught in the middle of travel chaos in Calais after migrants repeatedly tried to storm the Eurotunnel’s freight terminal in August.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver declared war on sugar this year and his sugary drinks tax petition hit 100,000 signatures in September.
Food and drink manufacturing bodies, including the Food and Drink Federation, have slammed the proposed tax, claiming it would be ineffective.
On at 9pm #SugarRush on @Channel4 I’m going into my biggest battle ever! this time I’m taking on sugar. #SugarRushhttps://t.co/HSaPwjb0V6
— Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver) September 3, 2015The Labour leadership campaign took to Twitter where the popular hashtag #JezWeCan became popular among Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters.
After his surprise election, Corbyn sparked controversy by appointing vegan MP Kerry McCarthy as shadow environment secretary.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign. Regardless of result on Saturday it's been an inspiring summer https://t.co/Bvp1BLVAOJ
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) September 10, 2015In September, Food Crime Unit head Andy Morley spoke at Food Manufacture’s Food Safety Conference – Safer food and drink: from the harvest to the home.
Morley posted on Twitter to welcome innovative thinking on how to identify food risks during the conference in Manchester.
An interesting morning at the #foodsafetyconf in Manchester. Pleased to see some really innovative thinking on identifying food risk.
— Head of Food Crime (@NFCULondon) September 29, 2015
In October, Tesco boss Dave Lewis said sorry to the retail giant’s suppliers for “the bad choices of the past” made in the pursuit of unsustainable profit.
Twitter user and analyst Julian Wild welcomed the move but said Lewis had made the apology using “management gobbledygook”.
Tesco boss apologises to suppliers for past mistakes http://t.co/7FiuYrLszX via @FoodManufacture
— Julian Wild (@wild_julian) October 7, 2015
In November, leading food and drink manufacturing industry figures took part in celebrations at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards in London.
Relive the excitement of the gala celebration through Twitter coverage featuring the best comments, photos and videos.
Relive the glitzy Food Manufacture Excellence Awards tweet-by-tweet https://t.co/7PzkRQvrtb#FoodManAwardspic.twitter.com/fG3A89q0dC
— FoodManufacture (@FoodManufacture) November 5, 2015The Paris terror attacks were mourned on Twitter and #PrayforParis was one of the top trending hashtags of the year.
Nearly 40 exhibitors pulled out of Food ingredients Europe, a trade show held in Paris in December, due to security concerns in the wake of the attacks.
Business has increasingly spoken out in favour of EU membership as the promised in-out referendum remains on the horizon.
Organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have highlighted the benefits of staying part of the EU.
Most of our members want to be in a reformed EU, and the CBI is clear on what those reforms are, says @cbicarolynhttps://t.co/v4tSDGtrLq
— The CBI (@CBItweets) November 16, 2015
A United Biscuits factory, alongside thousands of other businesses and private homes, was hit by Storm Desmond, which delivered record rainfall to north west England and Scotland.
