News in brief

News stories that have made the headlines this week...

Caterer.com and Springboard join forces

The hospitality recruitment website Caterer.com has joined forces with Springboard, a charity organisation promoting careers in hospitality, to hold the largest sporting event in the hospitality industry's calendar. They will work together to organise three 5km charity fun runs, to take place in September. Located at racecourses across the UK, the event dubbed 'The Caterer.com 3 Course Challenge', is expected to attract participants from across the hospitality industry, including hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and contract catering companies. So far, Ascot in Berkshire and Perth in Scotland have been confirmed as venues, with a third venue for North West England soon to be confirmed.

A £25 pudding launches at London restaurant

The Luciano Restaurant in St James's, London, is serving an ice cream worth a staggering £25 a scoop, according to reports. Chef Marco Corsica stores eggs with truffles inside a sealed box. The eggs are then used to make the ice-cream, which is served on truffle shavings. Meanwhile the ice cream comes with a poached pear in aged balsamic vinegar, which Corsica describes as "an essential ingredient".

Profits drop at Glanbia food group

Profits at food company Glanbia were down from 53m euros at the same time last year. Revenues fell from 1.1bn euros to almost 945m euros. The Irish company, whose brands include Yoplait and Avonmore, said it had been hit by weakening consumer confidence.

Like-for-like revenue drops 3.2% at Kerry

Kerry, the global ingredients & flavours and consumer foods group, has reported its interim results for the half year ended 30 June. Highlights of the report include like-for-like revenue dropping by 3.2%, trading profit increasing by 4% on a like-for-like basis, and the group's trading margin increasing by 60 basis points to 8%. Chief executive Stan McCarthy commented: "Kerry technologies and brands performed well in the difficult economic environment throughout global markets in the first half of 2009… We expect to maintain the positive margin momentum in the second half of the year and to increase earnings for the full year to the upper end of the range of 160 to 165 per share forecast at the start of the year."

Words: Maria Bracken

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