THE FUTURE is looking bright for Ambrosia after the announcement this week that it is being sold to one of the UK's leading food manufacturers.

The factory at Lifton, which employs approximately 200 people, will be at the core of the

Premier Foods business, which aims to focus on desserts in the future.

Unilever Bestfoods UK announced in July that it was seeking offers for the brand following an Ambrosia business review.

It said that in order to safeguard the interests and well being of employees at Lifton it intended to sell Ambrosia to an owner who was committed to its growth.

Factory manager Steve Pretty said Unilever had decided to reduce its number of brands, which extended to 1,600, to focus on a core range of products.

Premier Foods brands include Loyd Grossman, Crosse and Blackwell, Sarsons Vinegar, Sun-Pat peanut butter, Hartley's and Typhoo.

The business will continue to be run as usual during the sale process which is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Mr Pretty confirmed that the sale secured existing jobs and he was very optimistic about the future.

'The sale to Premier Foods has been received very positively in the factory, and although it is early days we hope investment will enable growth of the business and more jobs in the future,' he said.