UK salads supplier Kanes Foods has ceased trading after entering administration, resulting in more than 600 jobs being lost.

PwC was appointed administrators for the business, based in the English Midlands, on 9 November.

Founded as a specialist in short-shelf-life fresh foods, Evesham-based Kanes Foods manufactured pre-packaged salads, stir-fry mixes and prepared sauces for several major UK supermarket chains.

According to a statement from PwC, Kanes Foods suffered compounding financial and operational disruptions over the preceding two years. In June 2025, an equipment failure at its on-site wastewater treatment plant hit the business and led to £2m in one-off costs alongside a "lasting increase" in baseline expenses, PwC said.

In August this year, drought-related supply issues affected trading during the company’s busy summer season. Ongoing losses, negative cash flow and uncertainty over demand put Kanes Foods’ finances "under increasing strain", the administrators added.

"The directors explored a number of options to secure the future of the company, including refinancing and new funding, but no workable solution was found," PwC said. "A fast-track sale process began in mid-September but a going concern sale could not be concluded within the time available."

Tim Higgins, joint administrator and director at PwC added: “It is deeply regrettable that a long-established business with a strong reputation has been left with no option but to enter administration, and that so many hard-working employees have lost their jobs as a result."