A fun run with a tasty twist is coming to Cannon Hill Park for the first time to help raise vital funds for a local hospice.

Taking place on Saturday 28 April, ‘The Chocolate 5k’ – which is organised by Birmingham St Mary’s – is a run like no other, as participants race round the scenic park whilst indulging in chocolate treats.

Sweet-toothed Brummies can choose to run, jog or walk around the route, as they pick up branded goodies from a number of chocolate stations.

On finishing the course, runners will be rewarded with even more tasty treats, as they will be able to enjoy a gooey chocolate pot, as well as take home a commemorative medal.

Last year, The Chocolate 5k raised £25,000 for the hospice, which provides crucial care and support to local people living with life-limiting illness. The Selly Park-based charity is hoping to raise even more funds at the run this year, so that it can continue to provide its care at the hospice, in people’s homes and in the community.

Lucy Watkins, head of fundraising at Birmingham St Mary’s, said: “Whether you’re a running enthusiast or just have a sweet-tooth, The Chocolate 5k is a great way for you to enjoy tasty treats completely guilt-free. Every penny raised will go towards the hospice, so your generous support will ensure that we can continue to provide our free, vital services to families living across Birmingham and Sandwell.”

In addition to delicious goodies, participants can also enjoy face painting, raffles, and games at the park, as well as meet one of the world’s most famous chocolate makers – Willy Wonka.

The Chocolate 5k has recently been shortlisted for a national running award, making it into The Running Award’s top three ‘Best Charity Fun Runs in the UK’.

2018 has got off to a flying start for Devon's food and drink scene and building on the success of recent years it is fair to say that Devon's fabulous food and drink is no longer a secret. The county continues to grow in recognition as the place to turn to for the very best produce, thanks in no small part to Food Drink Devon and its members, who are continually helping to build this reputation and share the delights of Devon with a wider audience.

Barbara King, chair of the board of directors for Food Drink Devon, says: “We are delighted to see that Devon's food fame continues to grow year on year. This is reflected in our increased membership, an upsurge in entries to our awards and a much greater interest from outside the county than ever before, both nationally and internationally. We work really hard to fly the flag for Devon but our work is made easier by the growing number of outstanding hospitality businesses, excellent retailers and quality producers that call this county home.”

Food Drink Devon is a not-for-profit organisation with over 250 members and works tirelessly to increase the county's profile. The 2018 edition of its annual guide, which showcases its members and their businesses, will shortly be available across the county as well as in Exeter airport, Paddington train station and on the desks of key influencers nationwide. Meanwhile, its cherished awards are in their eighth year and it is anticipated that they will attract even more entrants than 2017's record-breaking numbers, with the closing deadline of 20th April fast approaching. Last year the judges tasted over 200 of the finest products and visited nearly 100 establishments across Devon to select the pick of the crop for a shortlist of just 60. This year, the awards' ceremony will be taking place on Monday 8th October, at Highbullen Hotel, Umberleigh, North Devon, hosted for the fourth year running by BBC Radio 2's fabulous food and drink expert, Nigel Barden.

In recent years Food Drink Devon has increased its focus on championing Devon beyond the county and has put its members centre stage at a number of major events in London and built relationships with key journalists and influencers to ensure that Devon's food fame is spread far and wide and that the keen interest that the county has experienced in recent years continues. Charlie Deuchar, owner of Bayards Cove Inn, says: “We have recently joined Food Drink Devon as a member and we have been overwhelmed by the support and exposure that they have given to our business. Just last week they took our brand to London and introduced it to over 30 national and international journalists! We are busy following up on some fantastic leads. Food Drink Devon has already exceeded our expectations. Nobody else is doing as much as them to put Devon firmly on the food map.”

Food Drink Devon represents a membership of like-minded businesses, dedicated to providing good quality local food and drink. It supports it membership through regular workshops and updates as well as promotional opportunities and events. Food Drink Devon is committed to continuously achieving its mission – to become a nationally recognised brand for outstanding sustainable food and drink.

Waitrose has today committed to removing all takeaway disposable coffee cups from its shops by autumn 2018, saving more than 52 million cups a year.

Members of the supermarket's loyalty scheme, myWaitrose, will continue to have the option to enjoy a free tea or coffee from their shop's self serve machine as a thank you for shopping with them. In the coming weeks though they will be asked to bring their own reusable cup to use rather than being offered a disposable coffee cup when they go through the checkout.

Waitrose will initially remove disposable cups in nine branches* from 30 April to understand how to manage the changeover as smoothly as possible for customers before rolling it out across all stores in a phased programme by the autumn. Customers will be informed before the change comes into effect in their local shop.

Removing the cups further underlines the supermarket's commitment to reducing its impact on the environment and its use of plastics and packaging. It recently pledged to not sell any own label food in black plastic beyond 2019 - an earlier date than any other supermarket. It has also committed to make all own-label packaging widely recyclable (using the widely recycled logo), reusable, or home compostable by 2025.

Tor Harris, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing at Waitrose, says:

“We realise this is a major change, but we believe removing all takeaway disposable cups is the right thing to do for our business and are confident the majority of customers will support the environmental benefits. It underlines our commitment to plastic and packaging reduction and our aim is to deliver this as quickly as possible.”

As part of today's announcement, myWaitrose members will no longer be able to claim their free hot drink in its 180 in-store cafes; this is to avoid customers without a reusable cup (and therefore unable to use the self serve machines) putting increased pressure on its hospitality areas. Instead, myWaitrose members who purchase a tea or coffee in a cafe will be offered a choice of food options to enjoy for free or with a generous discount.

These will vary each month, but for the first month myWaitrose members will be able to choose from either soup, bircher muesli, almond croissant or a loaf cake slice to have for free with their beverage.​

Additionally, Waitrose has invested in training 800 Food Service Partners as baristas, to give an even better hospitality service in its cafes. The coffees available in the cafe will also be made using a 100% Arabica coffee bean, which is both Fairtrade and organic, for even better quality.

These changes to its cafe service will also first be made from 30 April in eight of the same shops* where disposable cups will be initially removed before taking effect in all branches with hospitality areas from 23 May. V

Pineapples have suddenly become Britain's fastest growing fruit with demand at an all-time high.

Even sales of the 'marmite' of all pizzas, the Hawaiian, are soaring as shoppers make pineapples Britain's fastest-growing fruit.

In the last year demand for whole pineapples at Tesco has soared by nearly 15 per cent with more shoppers buying the fruit because of its versatility as an ingredient in main dishes, desserts and juices.

And it's not just the whole fruit itself that has become really popular – demand for it is rising across many other areas of the food and drink spectrum too.

Tesco has been responding by introducing new pineapple varieties, including prepared snacking slices for added convenience.

In the last year, Tesco has continued to help customers enjoy the fruit by offering a wide choice of pineapple products, seeing sales of:

• Pineapple juice up by more than 20 per cent.
• Hawaiian pizzas, traditionally the most divisive of pizzas – up by more than 15 per cent.
• Snacking pineapple fingers up by 30 per cent.
• Tinned pineapple chunks up by five per cent.

“Pineapples have become the fruit taste of the moment and could soon rival the avocado as a once niche fruit suddenly gaining mainstream popularity.

“In the last few years we have seen demand jump because of the fruit's rising popularity as a versatile and healthy food – it's even made its way onto the BBQ in the summer months now.

“We've been focused on making it easy for our customers to enjoy this fruit, and have introduced a range of prepared snacking pineapple cut into finger sized shapes which are popular as a healthy lunchbox treat for schoolkids.

“Last year we even sold pineapples at Halloween as a rival to the pumpkin for kids to carve into a scary face.”

Another reason for the popularity of the fruit has been growing interest in healthy foods with pineapples containing good amounts of vitamin C. 80g of tinned or fresh pineapple is one of your five a day.

In the last two years pineapple production in Costa Rica, the leading supplier of the fruit to Europe and the USA has increased by nearly 10 per cent.

The retailer's commitment to reduce the impact plastic has on the environment will see all its cafes replacing plastic straws with paper versions from the end of April 2018. This means 600,000 straws a year will be converted to a home compostable material which is Forest Stewardship Council certified.

The supermarket has already announced that it will not sell packs of single-use plastic straws from September 2018. All Waitrose cafes offer non-plastic crockery and all drinks stirrers are made out of wood.

This builds on the industry leading steps Waitrose has already taken to reduce the risk of plastic reaching marine life. In September 2016 the retailer stopped selling items containing microbeads and exclusively sells paper stem cotton buds.

Waitrose has committed to making all its own-label packaging widely recyclable (using the widely recycled logo), reusable, or home compostable by 2025. Since 2009 it has reduced its overall packaging by nearly 50% and 80% of its packaging is widely recyclable.

Tor Harris, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing at Waitrose, said:

''Phasing out single-use plastic straws in our cafes and on shelves shows how seriously we are taking their impact on the environment.

''Plastic straws may seem insignificant but their impact on wildlife can be devastating. We hope this step will make a positive contribution to our environment.''

Sourdough is now so popular with British shoppers that it has become the UK's fastest growing bread variety – with demand for the hard-crusted, rustic styled bread soaring by nearly 40 per cent in the last year at Tesco.

Tesco now sells around 100,000 sourdough loaves a week and has just launched its first ever sourdough baguette in order to offer customers more choice at lunchtime.

In the last five years, Tesco has almost quadrupled its sourdough range to bring customers new varieties and meet demand.

Among the reasons for the strong growth are the rising popularity of speciality loaves and trendy brunch treats like avocado on sourdough.

Tesco bakery buyer Alice McConnell explains:

“Interest in this wonderfully tangy and chewy bread has grown spectacularly in the last few years and for those that still have not tried it there is nothing quite like hot, toasted sourdough and butter.

“As customer demand has grown, we now have 10 sourdough bread products on offer, including a baguette, roll, pitta bread and gluten free varieties.

“Instead of seeing bread as just something to toast or make a sandwich with, more people are beginning to appreciate it as a food to savour, and one that can have many different flavours and complex tastes.”