Muscle Food has offered customers “quality” meat, high-protein meals, supplements, and more for 13 years (founded in 2013).

The brand has built its reputation on offering “macro-friendly” meal options, calorie-controlled bundles, and nutritional transparency, aiming to support customers’ health and fitness goals.

Its website explains: “Muscle Food brings together high-protein meats, curated hampers, supplements, snacks and functional drinks to support every goal.

“From lean, macro-friendly cuts to calorie-packed bulking options, our range is built to fuel performance, recovery and everyday healthy living.

“We focus on quality, clear nutrition and products that help you stay consistent, and we are always expanding to support your journey!

“Every order is carefully packed for freshness and delivered straight to you, making it easy to stay stocked with the food that powers your progress.

“With dependable delivery and consistent quality, MuscleFood fits seamlessly into your routine so you can focus on your goals.”

Muscle Food falls into administration

After 13 years, Muscle Food has now confirmed it has fallen into administration.

Stuart Kelly and Claire Harsley from Mackay Goodwin Limited were appointed joint administrators on July 21, according to The Gazette.

Despite its financial trouble, the company’s website remains online, along with a notice stating the joint administrators are now managing the business and its assets.

Muscle Food said: “The affairs, business and property are managed by the Joint Administrators, who act as agents of Muscle Foods Limited (In Administration) and without personal liability.”

Customers “very distressed” as Muscle Food at risk of closing

Muscle Food has built up a loyal customer base over the past 13 years, maintaining a 3.7-star rating on Trustpilot.

One long-time customer said: “Brilliant service, from delivery to the quality of the meats bought. My family and I have been using Muscle Food since their start-up.

“I first started buying for my family, and now my daughters have grown and have children of their own and now use Muscle Food too.

“I was VERY distressed to hear that they had gone into administration.

“Keep going Guys. There are thousands of us who appreciate you.”

Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026

It has been a tough year for the UK high street, with several other retailers entering administration or liquidation and others announcing widespread store closures.

Major high street brands LK Bennett, Claire’s, and Quiz have been forced to close all their remaining stores after falling into administration.

UK fashion retailer Leading Labels is also set to close its remaining 15 stores after falling into liquidation.

Whitbread recently confirmed it will be closing all its UK restaurants in September:

• Brewers Fayre (89 locations) – September 7
• Beefeater (106) – September 10
• Bar + Block – September 3
• Table Table – September 3
• Cookhouse + Pub – September 3

TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation will also both be closing around 150 stores across the UK.

Other retailers have been forced to close stores this year, including:

Several UK travel companies have also ceased trading or entered administration in 2026:

Meanwhile, four UK airlines have fallen into administration or liquidation:

UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out after being acquired by InPost.

It’s also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.

It hasn’t all been bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.

Plus-size clothing brand Evans also returned to the UK high street recently after closing all its stores and concessions in December 2020.

Bodycare has also returned to the UK high street in 2026 after closing all its stores last year, having fallen into administration.

Do you use Muscle Food? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Ecommpay has been shortlisted in seven categories at the Payments Awards, including two individual Women in PayTech honours.

Its Head of Regulatory Compliance, Alpa Jotangia, and Chief Marketing Officer, Miranda McLean, are finalists for the Women in PayTech award. Ecommpay is also in contention for Best Online Payments Solution, Best Merchant Acquirer or Processor, Cross-Border Payments Solution of the Year, AI-Driven Fraud Prevention Platform of the Year, and Best Use of AI and Data in Payments.

The shortlist spans both corporate and individual categories in an awards programme that recognises businesses and executives across the payments sector.

Ecommpay operates a full-stack payments platform for merchants, with cross-border commerce at the centre of its offer. Merchants can access global and local acquiring, payment processing, and orchestration through a single API, alongside more than 100 payment methods.

Fraud prevention was one of the areas highlighted by the shortlist. Ecommpay cited its in-house Graph Analysis system as part of its response to payment fraud, a growing issue in digital commerce.

The individual nominations reflect different parts of the business. Jotangia was recognised for her work in regulatory compliance and for building a compliance culture within organisations.

McLean’s nomination centres on her marketing career and her work on inclusion, accessibility, and diversity in financial technology. Financial inclusivity sits at the heart of Ecommpay’s wider mission and shapes how it supports merchants seeking to improve accessibility for end customers.

AI focus

Artificial intelligence features prominently in the company’s awards showing. Alongside the AI-Driven Fraud Prevention Platform of the Year category, Ecommpay was shortlisted for Best Use of AI and Data in Payments, reflecting its use of machine learning and data analysis in payment processing.

Ecommpay has invested in artificial intelligence to analyse payment declines and fraud patterns. That work forms part of a broader push to improve checkout performance and payment acceptance rates for merchants.

McLean commented on the recognition in a statement.

“At Ecommpay, we are on a mission to push checkout performance to its absolute limit. As well as committing to increasing accessibility and inclusivity across our platform, adding to our suite of available payment methods and using the latest tech to fight fraud, we have invested in artificial intelligence to analyse payment declines and transform FinTech performance. To have our people, our innovations and our successes recognised with no less than seven Payments Awards shortlistings is incredible,” said Miranda McLean, Chief Marketing Officer, Ecommpay.

Company profile

Founded in 2012 and based in London, Ecommpay serves merchants looking to manage domestic and international payments through a single provider. Its platform includes open banking, recurring billing, and direct debits, which it builds directly into its system rather than relying on third-party products.

The business is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations to provide payment services. It is also a principal member of Mastercard and Visa, according to the company.

The seven shortlistings give Ecommpay visibility across some of the most competitive parts of the payments market, including online payments, merchant acquiring, cross-border transactions, fraud prevention, and the use of artificial intelligence in payment operations.

These categories highlight where payments groups are under pressure to differentiate, particularly as merchants seek fewer providers, broader geographic reach, and stronger fraud controls.

Ecommpay said ultimate financial inclusivity is its company mission, with a focus on helping merchants improve accessibility for customers.

Leonie Dubois, Head of Engagement, Land and Consents at Thames Water, said: “The South East is designated as seriously water stressed and as we enter the fourth heatwave of the summer it’s clear climate change is already having an impact.

“It’s therefore critical that we continue to progress our plans for White Horse Reservoir.

“It would act as drought insurance policy for the region, securing water supplies for 15 million people, including Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water customers.”

The White Horse Reservoir, near Abingdon, will provide water for 15 million people across the south east.

The project has been labelled a “vital piece of national water infrastructure” by Thames Water.

But, in a statement action group ‘Group Against Reservoir Development’ called the reservoir the wrong solution in the wrong place.

The massive reservoir, which will cover an area the size of Gatwick Airport, has always been a topic of debate.

Only Kielder Water in Northumberland, at 200 billion litres, is bigger.

READ MORE: Rain to reverse Oxfordshire drought won’t arrive till October

Map of Abingdon reservoir location. (Image: Google Maps)

Two groups, Countryside charity CPRE Oxfordshire and Safer Waters, even sought a judicial review at the High Court.

However, their judicial review was dismissed.

 Thames Water revealed that costs for the controversial proposed Abingdon Reservoir soared from £2.2 billion to between £5.5 billion and £7.5 billion, a tripling of the original figure

This will be borne by customers of Thames Water, Affinity Water, and Southern Water.

The plan is to tackle an anticipated shortfall of more than a billion litres of water per day in the next 50 years, according to Thames Water.

This projection considers the effects of population growth and climate change.

Thames Water predicts that a severe drought could cost London’s economy alone as much as £500m a day.

Currently, hosepipe bans are already a common occurrence.

The Abingdon Reservoir, also known as the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO), is expected to be the second largest reservoir in the UK, with a capacity of 150 billion litres.

Only Kielder Water in Northumberland, at 200 billion litres, is bigger.

The site is located three miles southwest of Abingdon.

It is close to the River Thames and features the right geology and ground conditions for a reservoir.

Thames Water has had to plan for more than just the reservoir itself.

The project will include a pumping station, a conveyance tunnel to transfer flows to and from the River Thames near Culham, and infrastructure to link the reservoir to the River Thames for emergency drawdown.

An access road into the site, a temporary rail siding for freight train deliveries, and a compensatory floodplain are also part of the plan.

Local streams will be diverted, and the Steventon–Hanney road will be shifted to the south.