Hormel Foods-owned brand Spam has introduced a spicy variation to its traditional Spam Fritter with the debut of Spam Southern Fried Fritters. Covered in a Southern Fried seasoning with a crispy, golden batter, Spam Southern Fried Fritters can be baked directly from the freezer in 15-20 minutes. Jelsey Barnes, commercial sales manager at Hormel Foods Corporation, commented: “This is a paring of two American classics that will offer UK Spam fans a unique twist on their favourite fritter. The Southern Fried seasoning complements Spam perfectly and makes a quick and easy meal, served with accompaniments such as potato wedges and a corn-on-the-cob.” Spam Southern Fried Fritters will be available in a pack of four frozen units for around £2.50 at Iceland stores across the UK.

Global investment firm PAG Private Equity has agreed to acquire a majority stake in ice cream provider Food Union Europe. The equity acquisition was carried out by obtaining shares from the founder and other private stakeholders involved in the transaction. Following the completion of the transaction and regulatory approval, which is expected in Q1 2024, PAG will assume full operational control over dairy and ice cream production as well as direct-to-consumer distribution enterprises across Europe. These operations include various brands in Latvia (Rīgas piena kombināts, Valmieras piens and Premia FFL), Estonia (Premia TKH), Lithuania (Premia KPC), Denmark (Premier Is, Hjem Is and Frast), Norway (Isbjorn Is and Den Norske Isbilen) and Romania (Alpin57Lux). Arturs Cirjevskis, CEO of Food Union Group in Europe, along with previous general managers of the group companies, will continue within their roles in managing Food Union Europe. The company will remain operating under its current corporate name and business structure. Cirjevskis said: "Food Union today is a strong, resilient and well-positioned player in regions where further growth is anticipated. This is attributed to historically developed and robust product brands and the company's focus on product innovation. With ongoing and upcoming investments in manufacturing technologies, automation, and operational excellence in general, we anticipate further strengthening in domestic markets and exports in the coming years." Terms of the transaction, which is pending final regulatory approval, were not disclosed.

Ireland-based yogurt brand Nomadic Dairy has launched ‘Good To Go’, a three-strong range of pouched snacks. The pouches – which are ambient stable and have a shelf life of four months – combine smooth oats and yogurt with fruit, tapping into the growing convenient snacking market. All-natural and free from added sugars, the pouches come in three flavours: mango and passionfruit, raspberry and blueberry, and banana and honey. Bethan Miles, Nomadic’s marketing manager, said: “Aside from being firmly aimed at busy people who need handy and easy-to-consume snacks, Good To Go pouches are the first in the market to be targeted at adults that contain smooth oats. This helps make them a great source of both protein and fibre. Portable, filling and nourishing, they’re perfect for people who have to keep moving, or are on the go, all-day long.” Miles said consumers can expect more, similarly focused new products from Nomadic later this year. The pouches are available to purchase in Spar stores across the UK for an RRP of £1.99, with further rollout due to follow.

Global packaging business TricorBraun has acquired Germany-based glass packaging provider Glassland for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is set to grow the German footprint of TricorBraun's glass packaging business, Vetroelite, while broadening the company's presence within Europe. Glassland serves spirits and other customers in Germany and Switzerland with an expansive catalogue of high-end glass bottle and closure designs. All Glassland team members will remain with TricorBraun and will continue to work at its location in Bonn, Germany. After a transition period, Glassland will fully integrate with Vetroelite. Declan McCarthy, president of TricorBraun Europe, said: "The Glassland team is equally passionate about customer service as they are about design, and as a result, they've built a longstanding business with an impressive reputation. We welcome Glassland to TricorBraun and look forward to supporting the team's continued growth." He continued: "TricorBraun has a successful acquisition track record because we partner with strong companies while providing opportunities for team member and business growth. This strategic acquisition provides additional growth avenues for Glassland, Vetroelite, our team members and supplier partners, while providing expanded services and local options for customers." Johannes Huth, founder and CEO of Glassland, added: "Joining TricorBraun and Vetroelite is an exciting step in Glassland's history. Working together provides access to global resources and expertise while preserving our dedication to the highest level of customer service. We look forward to future growth in the beer, spirits, and wine sectors in Switzerland, and as well as serving other packaging segments – in addition to glass – with TricorBraun's support." Proventis Partners acted as financial advisor to TricorBraun.

The World Packaging Organisation's (WPO) ‘Packaging Design for Recycling Guide’ has been translated into Japanese, marking the 11th translation of the guide. Perviously, the guide has been translated into English, German, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Thai, Latvian, Czech, Hungarian and Georgian. Created by WPO, Circular Analytics, FH Campus University of Applied Sciences and ECR Community, the guide serves as an initial resource for best practice examples. It employs state-of-the-art technology that can be adapted and customised to align with the recovery and recyclability capabilities and infrastructure at both regional and local levels. The formal launch of the Japanese version was undertaken during a WPO board meeting held in South Africa, with the presence of the former president, Pierre Pienaar, current president, Luciana Pellegrino, representative from Japan Packaging Institute (JPI), Hiroko Akieda, and vice president of sustainability and the Save Food packaging consortium, Nerida Kelton. Luciana Pellegrino said: “The ‘Packaging Design for Recycling Guide’ is a very important tool for the global packaging community to ensure that our industry is taking steady steps, based on scientific foundations, to achieve a circular economy model. It contributes to addressing the challenges that face the world in terms of climate change, environment and preservation of natural resources." She continued: “We highly recommend the industry to explore this Guide in a way of driving efforts based on a common voice of the packaging industry in terms of recycling and circular economy”. Yoichi Sonoyama, managing director JPI, said: “We wanted to play our role in ensuring that our industry has access to the latest resources, training and guides. By delivering better packaging design to everyone, we will be able to provide better packaging around the world. This design guide will help to aid this objective.” Nerida Kelton added: “These translations are no small feat and require experts in technical packaging terminology to be able to accurately formulate the translation... we are looking forward to launching even more guides in 2024. The goal is to ensure that every country in the world has access to the guide so that we can design our waste at the start and ensure that packaging is recycle-ready.”

Research led by scientists at Columbia University has discovered that a litre of bottled water contains, on average, around 240,000 detectable plastic fragments – 10-100 times more than previously estimated – posing health risks by infiltrating organs and the bloodstream. Nanoplastics, characterised by their extremely small size, possess the ability to bypass the intestines and lungs, allowing them to enter the bloodstream and subsequently reach organs such as the heart and brain. This minuscule scale enables them to infiltrate individual cells and cross through the placenta, impacting the bodies of unborn babies. Study co-author Beizhan Yan said: “Previously, this was just a dark area, uncharted. Toxicity studies were just guessing what’s in there. This opens a window where we can look into a world that was not exposed to us before.” The study used a technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy – co-invented by study co-author Wei Min, a Columbia biophysicist. This method involves using two simultaneous lasers to make specific molecules resonate. The researchers targeted seven common plastics and developed a data-driven algorithm to interpret the findings. Scientists tested three undisclosed popular US bottled water brands for plastic particles as small as 100 nanometers. Each litre contained between 110,000 to 370,000 plastic fragments, with 90% being nanoplastics and the remainder microplastics. Microplastics are fragments ranging from five millimetres down to one micrometre, equivalent to one-millionth of a metre – a human hair is approximately 70 micrometres across. Experts not only identified the seven specific types of plastics but also documented their shapes, potentially offering valuable insights for biomedical research. Among the identified plastics, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was prevalent, which is commonly used in water bottles. The study suggested that PET may enter the water when bottles are squeezed or exposed to heat, with cap handling contributing to particle release. It added that polyamide, a type of nylon, surpassed PET in prevalence. This was attributed to plastic filters used in the water purification process before bottling. The researchers also discovered other common plastics like polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polymethyl methacrylate, which find applications in various industrial processes. The study highlighted that researchers found that the seven plastic types they searched for accounted for only 10% of the nanoparticles in their samples. The remaining 90% remained unidentified, leaving the possibility of tens of millions of unknown nanoplastics per litre. Min said: “There is a huge world of nanoplastics to be studied...it’s not size that matters. It’s the numbers, because the smaller things are, the more easily they can get inside us.”

Berlin Packaging, a supplier of hybrid packaging solutions, has acquired Alpack Limited, a Dublin-based food packaging supplier. The acquisition marks a strategic move to strengthen Berlin's foothold in the Irish market and broaden its offerings in closures and glass packaging for the food industry. Established in 1988 by Tony Lord and currently led by his son, Peter Lord, Alpack has grown to become a prominent supplier of food packaging solutions, encompassing a diverse range of products such as glass bottles, jars, twist-off caps, cardboard boxes and eco-friendly containers. Sasha Erben, responsible for leading Berlin Packaging’s operations in the UK, Ireland and South Africa, said: “This acquisition not only strengthens our business in Ireland but also expands our food packaging offering and provides even more packaging options for our customers”. Peter Lord, managing director of Alpack, added: “We are proud to join Berlin Packaging and to bring our experience in food packaging to the rest of the company. I’m certain this new chapter will benefit our customers in Ireland as well as the UK and provide even more opportunities for our employees." You may also like to read: Berlin Packaging acquires glass and metal packaging supplier Panvetri Berlin Packaging buys United Bottles & Packaging Berlin Packaging expands in Europe with purchase of Juvasa Group

In a nod to the all-American campfire tradition, Ben & Jerry's has introduced a duo of new ice cream flavours to its Sundae line-up: Marshmallow & S’more and Non-Dairy Oat of This Swirled. Traditionally associated with outdoor camping, s'mores consist of a marshmallow toasted over an open fire, sandwiched between two cookies with a piece of chocolate. Ben & Jerry's takes this iconic treat and transforms it into a "couch-friendly" experience. Marshmallow & S’more consists of chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookie dough chunks and gooey marshmallow swirls, topped with whipped ice cream, toasted marshmallow caramel swirls, popping candy and traceably sourced Open Chain chocolate chunks. The 'Oat of This Swirled' sundae features a smooth burnt sugar non-dairy base, loaded with oat cinnamon cookies and marshmallow caramel swirls. Topped with a soft whipped topping and Open Chain chocolate chunks, this new flavour provides a rich and satisfying dessert that is vegan-friendly. According to Ben & Jerry's flavour guru, João Piva: “At Ben & Jerry’s we love to celebrate our American heritage and there’s nothing “s’more” legendary than the all-American s’more. Nailing the perfect s’more is all in the perfectly toasted marshmallow over open flames." He added: "But we think this ooey, gooey, crunchy delight is too delicious to be reserved for the campfire – and let’s face it, we don’t always have access to open flames! So, we decided to bring our fans even more ways to enjoy a s’more by creating two new flavours that are inspired by the campfire but perfect for the couch.” The Oat of This Swirled sundae is a significant milestone for Ben & Jerry's as the first flavour created with their brand-new oat-base recipe, announced last year. This recipe enhances the texture, allowing flavours like chocolate, caramel and rich vanilla to shine as intended. The new flavours will be available in freezers nationwide starting this January, with a recommended retail price (RRP) of £5.50.

World of Zing has introduced a new flavour range and packaging, with recyclable bottles that are lighter, safer and more environmentally friendly than glass. The Frugal Bottle from Frugalpac, is made up of a 94% recyclable paperboard outer and uses up to 77% less plastic than a plastic bottle. The bottles are also five times lighter than a normal glass bottle requiring less protective packaging thus reducing transport costs and carbon footprint, which the brand claims is six times lower than a normal glass bottle. Additionally, empty bottles can be flattened once used, decreasing waste costs. The new World of Zing Frugal Bottle 70cl range has ABVs between 15-18% and is available in 15 flavours, including Kaffir Lime ‘Picante’ Margarita, Blood Orange Negroni, Rhubarb Cosmopolitan, Spiced Pineapple Mai Tai, Espresso Martini and Passionfruit Martini Pritesh Mody, founder of World of Zing, said: "We are thrilled to launch the UK's first range of cocktails available in Frugal Bottles, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for World of Zing. Since launching in 2014, World of Zing has paved its own successful path with category-redefining pre-batch cocktails that can now be found in some of the UK’s leading retailers and hospitality operators. With this new bottle, World of Zing is once again disrupting the industry with a packaging format that provides game-changing operational and environmental benefits, as well as creating positive conversations amongst consumers.” The new range is available to on-trade and retail online and at venues across the UK.

Lallemand has announced the closing of its acquisition of Swiss biotechnology business Evolva from Evolva Holding. The transaction, which was originally announced to the Swiss Stock Exchange on 21 November last year, was approved by Evolva Holding shareholders in December. The acquisition was made through Lallemand's subsidiary Danstar Ferment. Evolva, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, focuses on the research, development and commercialisation of natural ingredients derived from yeast for applications across the flavours and fragrances, health ingredients cosmetics and health protection sectors. Lallemand’s focus is on the development, production and marketing of yeasts, bacteria, fungi and enzyme solutions across multiple sectors including food ingredients, human and animal nutrition and the health and biofuel sectors. Lars Asferg, president of Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, said: “Evolva offers us a strong strategic fit with our yeast-based technology platform. Evolva’s proprietary precision fermentation technology and R&D capabilities presents an ideal platform from which to expand our product offering mainly within health ingredients like Veri-te resveratrol and flavour and fragrance aroma components like valencene and natural nootkatone.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Starco Brands, in partnership with US rapper Cardi B, has added a new limited-edition strawberry flavour under its alcoholic whipped cream brand, Whipshots. Strawberry joins the brand’s existing flavours: vanilla, mocha and caramel. The vodka-infused whipped cream has 10% ABV and does not require refrigeration. The flavour was developed for Valentine’s Day and is said to be the brand’s most highly requested flavour since its launch. Last year, Whipshots launched another limited-edition flavour, Pumpkin Spice, as well as a new lime variant. The limited-edition Strawberry Whipshots will be available in major US retailers from 25 January.

US-based alt-dairy start-up Perfect Day has announced that it has raised a pre-Series E financing round of up to $90 million. Led by internal investors, the company says it will use the funding to support its evolving strategic goals. Perfect Day says it has successfully de-risked its technology and is now moving its focus to executing the scaled manufacturing of its whey protein from fermentation, which will give it a “clear path to profitability”. After securing the round of funding, Perfect Day says the company’s founders, Ryan Pandya and Perumal Gandhi, will transition away from their operational management roles to focus on future opportunities. Its current president TM Narayan will assume the role of interim CEO, taking over from Pandya. Narayan will be supported by newly appointed co-chairmans of the board, Aftab Mathur and Patrick Zhang, of Temasek and Horizons Ventures respectively. Pandya, Perfect Day co-founder and former CEO, said: “This has been a journey we could have only dreamed of when we first started this company in April of 2014. Because of the incredible people behind this business, we’ve de-risked world-changing technology, and we’ve brought it to life globally across over a dozen categories. Under TM’s interim leadership, Perfect Day is now in the right position for us to let the next chapter of leadership drive its path forward.” Interim CEO TM Narayan commented: “It is an honour to be a part of leading Perfect Day into its next chapter of impact, and to continue building a kinder, greener tomorrow with this mission-driven team. Pandya and Ghandi achieved well beyond what anyone could have imagined possible when they founded Perfect Day in 2014, and we are now laser-focused on scaling that vision and securing a resilient future for the business and our planet”. Patrick Zhang, Perfect Day co-chairman of the board and investor at Horizons Ventures, added: “It has been an incredible journey with Perfect Day to date, and I’m excited to work even more closely with the company as it grows into its next chapter of impact”. Perfect Day says it plans to announce a “major CPG partner launch” with its whey product in the coming weeks, as well as new molecules which will bring the impact of precision fermentation to more products and markets.