Premier Foods has reported further progress against its Enriching Life Plan, with new investments in renewable energy, lower-carbon manufacturing and healthier food innovation.

The St Albans-based food manufacturer, which owns brands including Batchelors, Bisto, OXO and Mr Kipling, said its latest annual report showed a 14 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions during the year.

It also reported a 16 per cent increase in sales of products meeting high nutritional standards, as it continued to invest across its UK manufacturing estate.

As part of the Planet pillar of its sustainability plan, Premier Foods completed a £2.1m investment in a new solar farm at its Carlton Bakery in South Yorkshire.

The 2.9-hectare site includes 3,500 solar panels and has the potential to supply nearly three quarters of the bakery’s electricity needs during peak production periods.

Premier Foods said the solar farm is expected to cut the site’s carbon emissions by around 468 tonnes a year, while improving energy resilience and reducing annual energy costs.

The project forms part of a wider solar investment programme across the group’s manufacturing sites.

Premier Foods has also completed two major steam boiler upgrades at its Worksop site, which produces brands including Batchelors, Bisto and OXO.

The £3.3m investment has improved energy efficiency at the facility and is expected to cut carbon emissions by around 686 tonnes a year.

The group also introduced heat recovery solutions at its Lifton Creamery and continued wider energy efficiency improvements across its operations.

Premier Foods ESG director Nick Brown said: “Our Enriching Life Plan continues to play a central role in how we grow the business responsibly.

“This year we have made meaningful progress across all three pillars of Product, Planet and People, from reducing carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy infrastructure, to expanding and investing in healthier product ranges and strengthening our support for more sustainable diets, while building the future culture, skills and capability to support business growth and supporting the local communities we operate in.”

Under the Product pillar of the plan, Premier Foods said it had reached its 2030 target ahead of schedule for more than half of its products to meet high nutritional standards and provide an additional registered health or nutrition benefit.

Health-focused launches during the year included OXO Bone Broth, which is made with natural ingredients and is high in protein and collagen.

The group said its acquisition of Merchant Gourmet had also strengthened its position in plant-based and minimally processed foods, adding a wider portfolio of pulses, grains and rice.

Premier Foods is also increasing its health reporting by voluntarily using metrics proposed by the government to track food sales and provide greater transparency for shoppers.

The metrics are based on those proposed by the Food Data Transparency Partnership and developed through a Department for Health and Social Care working group.

Premier Foods launched its Enriching Life Plan in 2021, setting targets across healthier products, carbon reduction, sustainable packaging, culture and skills, and community impact.

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