According to Doha News, Qatari food company Baladna has signed an agreement with the Algerian government to build a farm in Algeria, designed to produce powdered milk. The farm, which will span 100,000 hectares, aims to produce 200,000 tonnes of powdered milk annually. Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune revealed that the country is nearing an agreement with an "Arab partner" to commence local production of milk powder, a step towards achieving 'self-sufficiency'. This represents a significant stride in Algeria, reducing dependency on imports and fostering domestic economic growth. Tebboune disclosed that the farm will be situated in Adrar, southwestern Algeria. Last year, Baladna further increased its ownership in Egypt’s Juhayna Food Industries by acquiring another division of shares. The move followed the firm's first investment in May 2022, where it raised its stake in Juhayna Food Industries to 10.1%, in a deal worth QAR 2.5 million (approx. $686,39).

Kraft Natural Cheese has introduced a new ‘restaurant-style’ cheese shreds line, Kraft Signature Shreds, available in three varieties. The range includes cheddar, mozzarella and Mexican cheese variants, providing consumers with a thick-cut, natural shredded cheese claimed to offer an ‘unrivalled’ melt and ‘rich, satisfying’ flavour. Kraft Signature Blends is the company’s first new product innovation to launch since its acquisition in 2021 by Lactalis Heritage Dairy, a subsidiary of Lactalis USA. They combine Kraft’s cheeses with a whole milk mozzarella specifically developed by Lactalis for use in restaurants. The shreds are packaged in 8 oz bags, featuring a QR code to help families gather meal inspiration through a curated online recipe experience. They are now available at retailers across the US including Kroger, Mariano’s, Publix and Food Lion, with additional distribution planned for this summer. Ken Padgett, director of marketing for Kraft Natural Cheese, commented: “Now, more than ever, families seek ways to enhance homemade meals, improve the quality of their at-home cooking, and recreate the restaurant experience at home without sacrificing time or resources”. “Kraft Natural Cheese prides itself on helping families create joyful occasions out of everyday meals, and the launch of Kraft Signature Shreds will undoubtedly propel this passion even further.”

The British Crisp Co has launched the ‘world’s first’ fully recyclable paper crisp packet in partnership with paper-based flexible packaging manufacturer EvoPak. The new crisp packaging development was led by The British Crisp Co’s founder Tom Lock and is the result of three years of R&D. The packaging is a combination of paper and HydropolTM – an eco-friendly material developed by Aquapak Polymers. The packets feature a thin layer of vacuum deposited aluminium to keep the crisps fresh, without impacting the recyclability of the packaging. The crisp packaging is OPRL accredited, meaning the bags can display the green’“Recycle’ logo, accompanied with the words – ‘I’m Paper, Recycle Me’. Founder Lock said: “At The British Crisp Co...we’re passionate about sustainability. That’s why we are delighted to be the world’s first crisp brand to bring to market a fully recyclable paper pack. In addition, we make our crisps on a UK farm that not only grows its own potatoes but is powered by renewable energy! So we like to say that our crisps don’t just taste good, they do good too.” Daniel McAlister, operations director at Evopak, commented: “We have developed a unique packaging material which has the potential to revolutionise packaging as we know it, thanks to the unique properties of Hydropol. The paper can be used in a range of applications from snacks and confectionery, to...dry foods and cereals.” Mark Lapping, CEO at Aquapak, added: “Today’s launch marks a significant milestone for Aquapak and our Hydropol technology, which can be commercialised at scale. Producers now have a viable, environmentally safe and recyclable alternative that enables full fibre recovery in standard paper recycling and does not form microplastics in the process.” The new packaging will launch in the coming months across the UK and will include three of The British Crisp Co’s most popular flavours – Sea Salt, Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion.

Finnish biotech company Onego Bio has successfully raised €27 million in its Series A financing round, with a further €9.5 million in non-dilutive funding. The Series A round was led by NordicNinja VC, a Japanese-Nordic venture capital firm that backs companies in climate and deep-tech. Agronomics participated in the round with a €1.55 million investment alongside existing investors Maki VC and Holdix, and new investors EIT Food and Tesi. Agronomics now holds an equity stake of 16.36% in Onego Bio on a fully diluted basis. The additional €9.5 million in non-dilutive funding came from Business Finland, a government organisation that offers grant funding for Finnish companies that address significant global needs and challenges. Onego Bio harnesses precision fermentation to manufacture Bioalbumen, a bioidentical ovalbumin (the most important protein in egg white), without the use of animals. Bioalbumen contains all essential amino acids, has the highest possible protein digestibility score PDCAAS of 1.0 and delivers 90g of protein per 100g. Tomosaku Sohara, managing partner at Nordic Ninja, commented: “Onego Bio is taking all the right steps to commercialise in record time. It is a next-generation precision fermentation company, with a clear path to industrialisation, go-to-market and profitability...With technology that is designed to scale...In less than two years, Onego is already working with major global food companies and is staged to disrupt the $330 billion egg market and create system level change, accelerating the green transition.” In 2022, Onego Bio secured a license from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to commercialise its proprietary strains of the ‘highly productive’ protein expression system Trichoderma reesei to produce egg proteins. Onego Bio will use the funding to continue scaling and optimising its production processes and productivity, finance its work with its contract manufacturing partners and prepare for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filing for regulatory approval in the US. Onego currently collaborates with over 25 ‘well-known’ CPG companies, integrating Bioalbumen into their innovation pipeline for a range of products, including baked goods, confectionery, snacks, sauces, pasta and meat alternatives. Onego says that it is on track to receive self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for Bioalbumen this year, with a no-objections letter expected from the FDA in 2025. As a US-Finnish company, Onego plans to first launch in North America, where the regulatory landscape allows a faster market entry, followed by expansion in Europe, South America and Asia. Jim Mellon, executive chairman of Agronomics, said: “A long-term sustainable solution for chicken eggs is needed. We have been highly impressed with Onego's capabilities and vision from the very beginning. By repurposing a well-established technology from the enzyme industry for food protein production, they are well-positioned to scale to the massive volumes needed to future-proof the supply of the world's most versatile and popular food protein."

UK tea manufacturer D’Amazonia has expanded its portfolio with the launch of a collagen hot tea beverage, tapping into numerous health benefits. D’Amazonia’s Beauty Tea is made with a blend of ingredients, including Chinese green tea, collagen peptides, hibiscus, turmeric, moringa leaf, Chinese white tea, rosehip, apple pieces and blackberry leaves. According to D’Amazonia, collagen supplements have emerged as a prominent trend in the UK wellness scene, gaining a reputation as the "holy grail" of combatting joint stiffness and promoting skin health. Constituting 80% of human skin, collagen plays a crucial role in maintaining suppleness and tightness, serving as a natural defence against premature wrinkles and preserving skin elasticity. D’Amazonia's founder, Marcela Tupinamba, said: "As ever, our functional teas are deliberately tasked with offering so much more than great taste and refreshment". "Our beauty tea specifically responds to the reality that as we age, our body not only finds it progressively synthesises collagen but also repels inevitable free radicals (Sun’s UV rays, manmade pollution, the tribulations of passive smoking, etc.), which accelerate the speed at which our inbuilt collagen levels deplete." Starting 24 May 2024, Beauty Tea will be readily available for purchase, with each package comprising 20 tea bags made from 100% biodegradable materials.

Akola Group is investing €9.5 million in a seed factory in Latvia, to be operated by its subsidiary SIA Dotnuva Seeds. With an anticipated annual capacity of approximately 30,000 tons, the site will primarily produce cereal and leguminous plant seeds. The future factory will encompass 4,550 square metres, housing a production unit, warehouse and a two-story administrative building with a laboratory, office workstations and technical facilities. Jonas Bakšys, a member of the management board of Akola and CEO of SIA Dotnuva Seeds, said: "The future factory will allow faster access to Latvian and Estonian farmers, shortening the logistics chain". "We are working with as many as 30 breeders from different European countries, researching and introducing new varieties suitable for the climate of each country. Farmers will benefit greatly from the increased diversity of supply. We have foreseen the possibility of using promising new Swedish seed preparation technologies in production." Bakšys added: "The demand for certified seeds is growing as farmers understand the returns these seeds generate. Today, we can sell more seeds than we produce. Five years ago, we produced around 20,000 tons of seed within the year - even a little less than we sold in the last six months. We plan to produce around 20,000 tons of cereal and legume seeds in Latvia annually when the factory starts up. If the market continues to grow, we will increase the factory's capacity to 30,000 tons of seeds." The facility is expected to be operational by mid-2025.

The US Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations has awarded up to $75 million to decarbonise operations at two Diageo North America facilites. The funds will support the electrification of its production sites in Shelbyville, Kentucky and Plainfield, Illinois – with the aim of making both facilities carbon neutral by 2026 and 2028, respectively. The deal will see Diageo partner with Rondo Energy to install Rondo’s heat batteries at the production sites, providing low-cost, zero-carbon heat and power and eliminating reliance on natural gas for boilers used in heating processes. These upgrades would reduce carbon emissions by nearly 17,000 metric tons per year, decarbonising the production facilities for spirits, RTD cocktails and Bulleit whiskey. The US Department of Energy believes that the facility upgrades will provide a ‘highly replicable blueprint’ for how manufacturing facilities can integrate thermal batteries with intermittent renewable energy to achieve direct decarbonisation while reliably delivering a consumer-facing product to market. Marsha McIntosh-Hamilton, president of North America supply, Diageo North America, said: “Today’s announcement from the Department of Energy marks a milestone for our North American operations and gives us the opportunity to incorporate innovative technologies into our production footprint to make our business more efficient, resilient and sustainable. Through our partnership with Rondo Energy we’ll build a model that can be replicated across our supply operations in the US." US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, commented: “Spurring on the next generation of decarbonisation technologies in key industries like steel, paper, concrete and glass will keep America the most competitive nation on Earth. Thanks to President Biden’s industrial strategy, the US Department of Energy is making the largest investment in industrial decarbonisation in the history of the US. These investments will slash emissions from these difficult-to-decarbonise sectors and ensure American businesses and American workers remain at the forefront of the global economy." Through the project, Diageo expects to create around 144 construction jobs across the two locations. This is the latest in a string of investments in F&B manufacturing from the US Department of Energy. Last week the department also announced a $170 million investment to decarbonise Kraft Heinz's operations across ten of its US facilities, and a $20.9 million injection into Unilever to reduce its carbon footprint at four of its ice cream plants.

Highland Spring has entered the flavoured still water category with the launch of its new Highland Spring Flavoured Still Water range. The new products offer “a healthier way to hydrate” and combine three fruity flavours with Highland Spring still water. The three varieties are strawberry, apple and blackcurrant, and lemon and lime. Nic Yates, marketing director at Highland Spring, said: “We have identified an exciting and clear-cut opportunity for Highland Spring to drive category growth in flavoured still water by creating a fantastic tasting product whilst offering a healthier way to hydrate versus sugary drinks.” He continued: “These new products are a natural extension to the Highland Spring portfolio and having spoken to over 2,400 flavoured water drinkers, whilst conducting five separate pieces of market research including a Home Use Test, we are absolutely confident they will have high appeal to shoppers and support the continued growth of the category.” The beverage line, which is sugar-free and uses natural flavours, will be available in Tesco stores from April.

Rachel's Organic has added a new limited-edition mixed berries flavour to its Greek yogurt range. Rachel's Organic Mixed Berries features blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants. Christopher Pihoué, marketing manager at Rachel’s Organic, said: “We are delighted to be introducing another limited-edition SKU to the Rachel’s Organic range. We see a real opportunity here to drive excitement within the category and to offer consumers, a fresh and new seasonal flavour – made with great tasting, creamy yogurt...with all organic ingredients." Rachel's Organic Mixed Berries is available in selected Waitrose stores for an RRP of £2.80 per 450g pot.

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UK-based pastry and dough manufacturer BakeAway has partnered with Myprotein on a new range of readymade chilled protein pancakes. Each high-protein pancake pack contains 25g of protein, 95.5 calories and 2.8g of fat, designed to “taste like a treat, while keeping you on track with your nutrition goals”. Available in cocoa and plain variants, the Myprotein pancakes can be pan-heated, microwaved or warmed in the oven, offering a convenient treat or meal for consumers with busy lifestyles. Gareth Gray, head of licensing and partnerships at Myprotein, said: “Our readymade protein pancakes are an absolute game-changer, we know our customers lead busy lives and demand snacks and meals that are time efficient yet nutritious and help them hit their macros. Protein pancakes are a food prep staple and we have made it easier than ever before for people to enjoy them, whether that’s on the way to the gym or at home, without the mess that comes with the territory of making protein pancakes from scratch.” He continued: “This range has been in development with BakeAway for over a year now and forms part of Myprotein’s ongoing licensing strategy that supports accessible protein through the RTD and RTE markets. We can’t wait to hear what people think.” Earlier this month, Myprotein announced it was collaborating with Jimmy’s to launch a new protein-enriched RTD iced coffee, containing 5.6g of milk protein per 100ml. The new protein pancakes are available to purchase now for an RRP of £2.35 in Morrison’s stores across the UK with further retail rollout in the coming months.

US condiments and sauces brand Primal Kitchen is adding a new range of dipping sauces to its portfolio. The range will be available in four flavours: avocado lime, chicken dippin', special sauce and yum yum sauce. All Primal Kitchen's dipping sauces are made using avocado oil, containing 2g or less of sugar per serving, and are free from artificial sweeteners, soy or seed oils. The new flavours will be available at major US retailers, including Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, Fresh Market, Walmart and more, for $9.99 each.