Filed under: Juice , British Isles , Business , Food Oddities , Newspapers Over 2,000 gallons of Sunny D concentrate leaked from a UK factory into a nearby waterway Wednesday, killing dozens of fish, according to the Daily Mail . The juice, which was deemed substandard, had been sent to an underground tank where it was to await proper disposal. The tank was cracked, apparently, and sent approximately six tons of juice into a tributary of the River Parrett (right) in Bridgwater, Somerset. The spill was deemed a category one incident, the most serious rating issued by the government's Environment Agency . A category one incident can entail "persistent and extensive effects on [water] quality," "major damage to the ecosystem," and "serious impact upon man," according to the EA. [Photo: SWNS] Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: British Isles , Beef , Newspapers , Meat An undercover investigation revealed that some butchers in the UK were selling non-certified organic beef under an organic label. Some of the butchers were from small towns and knew their meat suppliers closely. They were willing to attest to the quality of the beef that they sold, even if they have not been willing or able to purchase organic certification for their shop. Others, however, simply claimed to use the term as "shorthand."

Filed under: British Isles , Candy , Newspapers , New Products , Europe Nestle's popular candy-coated chocolates, Smarties , are getting a makeover. Actually, it's more of a make-under. They are being stripped of artificial colors starting next month. The blue candy will be most directly affected, as there is no naturally edible dye to produce the same or a similar shade. This means that Smarties' blue candies will be white until a suitable color replacement can be found.

Filed under: British Isles , Lush Life , Food Gadgets , New Products Gorenje is already one of the leading European appliance manufacturers, but they are aiming to become the most innovative, as well. The company is releasing two lines of Swarovski crystal-encrusted refrigerator/freezers . The first is known as "the Eye-Catcher" and features 7,000 hand-embedded crystals in a high-gloss, black background. Only 10 of this model will be produced. For the slightly less outrageously inclined, the alternative to the Eye-Catcher is Gorenje's commercial line crystal fridge, which only has 3,500 crystals in a black and silver refrigerator/freezer.

Filed under: British Isles , Vegetables , Fruit , Stores & Shopping , New Products The tiger tomato has just made its formal debut at Marks & Spencer stores in Britain. The tomatoes are small, about the size of cherry tomatoes, but have dark red flesh accented with green stripes. Apparently, there is a growing demand for "novelty produce" to the point where farmers in the Isle of Wight are frantically working to develop new types of tomatoes. One of the next to hit the shelves will be the "strawmato," said to be very sweet and designed to pair with melted chocolate. I can't honestly say that I like the idea of a tomato dipped in melted chocolate, no matter how sweet it is. I do, however, understand the desire for new and more unusual forms of produce. Isn't that why heirloom tomatoes and other less conventional fruits and veggies are popular? In fact, these tiger tomatoes sound like dwarf versions of the red zebra tomatoes , but perhaps more brightly colored.

Filed under: British Isles , Restaurants , Magazines , Food Oddities Known for his cutting edge experiments, er, cooking at one of the world's top restaurants, The Fat Duck , chef Heston Blumenthal is not a man to shy away from a challenge. When he bought a pub, the Hinds Head , he thought he would have to leave his chemistry set in the car and cook more traditional pub fare . While some of the dishes are quite ordinary, what the diners didn't realize is that Blumenthal has a more unusual definition of "tradition" than most.

Filed under: British Isles , Business , Trends , Stores & Shopping , Condiments , Europe Sales of long pasta like spaghetti and linguini are down at Tesco, the UK's top grocery chain. The decline in popularity comes from young diners opting for shorter pasta because they can't eat the long strands without getting sauce all over themselves, Tesco says. Not surprisingly, demand for short pasta like penne and has gone up. "Unfortunately some younger British diners appear to lack the same culinary skills that their parents have which is why we've had to tailor our new range accordingly," a Tesco spokesperson told Food Business Review . Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Beer , British Isles , Restaurants , Business The theft of beer kegs from pubs and breweries is on the rise in the UK, according to a recent story in The Publican . Apparently beer isn't what the thieves are after, however. High prices of aluminum and steel are to blame, with kegs being worth around £50 (approximately $90). One brewery actually reported a theft of 100 kegs in 13 minutes one night. Some thieves are even posing as beer distributors collecting empties. Local police are urging pub owners to keep their kegs in more secure locations for now. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: British Isles , Restaurants , Beef , New Products , Europe , Super Size Me Despite the fact that McDonalds has been receiving an extra-large serving of criticism recently, it hasn’t discouraged the company from doing what it does best: making burgers. While some customers turn away, others still look for size and value in their fast food and the new Bigger Big Mac , due to be released soon in the UK, will give them both. The burger is a full 40% larger than the regular Big Mac and, base on that, can be expected to pack at least 700 calories. It is a limited edition burger that is being targeted at football fans, so the release coincides with the 2006 World Cup. Spain and Germany are also likely to see the release of this bigger Mac.

Filed under: Wine , British Isles , Restaurants , New Products , Europe , Italy  What do jeans and wine have in common? Not much for most of us.