Tune into the latest edition of FoodBev’s weekly podcast, where we take an in-depth look at some of the biggest stories from the food and beverage industry over the last week.
This week’s podcast features trend-driven acquisitions for major firms, some sustainability-focused processing updates, new product releases, and an artificial tongue designed to foil potential whisky counterfeiters.
One of last week’s top stories was the announcement that Kraft-Heinz’s operating income in the first half of the year was half the size that it was in the same period last year.
Diageo also agreed to acquire a significant majority shareholding in distilled non-alcoholic spirits brand Seedlip, as a result of the increased consumer preference for low and no alcoholic beverages.
Moving on to plant-based meat, Brazilian beef production giant Marfrig has reached an agreement with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) for the production and sale of plant-based protein products in Brazil, while Burger King announced that it is releasing a plant-based Impossible Whopper burger across the US.
In the packaging sector, meanwhile, Exal Corporation has agreed to sell its filling business, Exal Packaging, to the Queruclor Group, an Argentinian manufacturer and supplier of personal and home care products.
There were a number of sustainability-related moves last week, including another move by Diageo, as the brewer announced plans to spend £180 million on renewable energy at its African facilities.
In the UK, meanwhile, Vending machine supplier Selecta has launched a new coffee cup recycling scheme in collaboration with resource management specialist Veolia.
We also saw a particularly interesting research-based story last week, as engineers from the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde built an ‘artificial ‘tongue’ that has been developed to taste subtle differences between drams of whisky, claiming that the ‘tongue’ could help to tackle the counterfeit alcohol trade.
All that and more in this week’s podcast.
Presented and edited by: Martin White and Bryony Andrews
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024