In a bid to make double-seat technology more accessible to UK manufacturers, Alfa Laval has launched two entry-level additions to its Unique Mixproof range of valves. Double seat valves have two independent plugs and seals to separate the flow of liquids and prevent cross-contamination; the space between the seals forms a leakage chamber at atmospheric pressure during every working condition. The new valves, Unique Mixproof Process and Unique Mixproof CIP, enhance product safety by ensuring media is separated at all times, while also enabling risk-free handling at high pressures due to its fully balanced design. The new additions enable process lines to reap the same sustainability and efficiency benefits as existing products in Alfa Laval’s valve range, but at a “more cost-effective entry point”. Alfa Laval says that when combined with its ThinkTop valve control unit, consumption of water and CIP media can be reduced by as much as 90%, facilitating lower total cost of ownership and reduced environmental impact. Leonardo Morabito, business unit manager HFH for UK & Ireland at Alfa Laval, said: “Double-seat technology is something that we believe that every manufacturer should be able to benefit from. Integrating these valves into your process line not only guarantees the safety of your product but can also provide a boost to on-site efficiency through reduced usage of water and cleaning media. This is a win-win for both manufacturers and the environment.” The Unique Mixproof Process is a compact version of previous models and is available in various sizes, it is configurable to suit the needs of different process lines. The Unique Mixproof CIP, is specially designed for cleaning-in-place (CIP) applications. Both products were designed with simplicity of service in mind, to maximise uptime and minimise the routine maintenance, featuring a maintenance-free actuator and proven seal technology to extend service intervals. Once a replacement is necessary, seals can be changed in minutes using standard servicing tools. Morabito added: “With the introduction of the Process and CIP to the Unique Mixproof range, there is now an option for every business – big or small – regardless of their position within the industry. Investing in double-seat technology has the potential to have a positive knock-on effect for the efficiency of the wider process line, so we’re happy to be bringing our new entry-level options to market so that every business can benefit.”

G Fuel has secured a “significant growth equity” through an eight-figure cash investment from Kingswood Capital Management and First Bev. Alongside the investment, G Fuel has appointed Bryan Crowley as the company's new CEO, who is also the co-founder of Flying Embers Hard Kombucha. Crowley also served as the CEO of Casa Azul Spirits from 2021 to 2023, and held several leadership positions at Mars from 2003 to 2010. As Crowley assumes the position, G Fuel's founder, Clifford Morgan, and president and COO, Jack LoParco, will remain integral members of the company's leadership team. Morgan said: “Bryan, Kingswood and First Bev all understand the incredible wealth of opportunity that exists with this brand. The confidence, capital, and leadership they’ve injected into G Fuel will help catalyze our next wave of growth.” Bob Nakasone, managing director at First Bev, said: “We look forward to partnering with Bryan and G Fuel's leadership team to help expand this business. There’s still so much untapped potential, both for the category and the brand itself.”

The Navarra-based company continues its expansion across Spain as it acquires its 10th facility with the purchase of the Lahera factory in La Rioja. The factory located in Alesón – near Nájera – in La Rioja was previously owned by Patatas Lahera, but closed in 2021. The purchase of this new factory aligns with Grupo Apex's growth strategy, with which it continues to expand its industrial establishments across Spain, incorporating new capacities in the company’s production of crisps and savoury snacks. The new Alesón factory is set to start operating in December – with a continuous production line, two industrial fryers and two packaging machines, and Grupo Apex has plans to increase lines in 2024 through further investments. Apex has reported this new factory is expected to benefit the local community by generating more than 50 jobs.

Swiss technology group Bühler has unveiled its new food innovation hub in Uzwil, Switzerland, opening up four new Application & Training Centers (ATCs). The company’s existing ATCs, such as its Extrusion Application Center, will complement the new facilities, which aim to connect the entire value chain and enable a circular economy approach to food production. Brand-new ATCs opening their doors to customers are a Flavor Creation Center, Food Creation Center, Protein Application Center and Energy Recovery Center. Bühler currently has ATCs in 23 locations around the world, some of which cover multiple industrial applications. The hubs offer dedicated training for customers and provides them with a collaborative platform to test new product ideas and experiment with product innovations. The new Protein Appliation Center aims to enable and accelerate the development of processes for plant-based food production, including meat substitutes, plant-based drinks and ingredients. It is equipped with the latest wet isolation and fractionation techniques for separation of protein, starches and fibres. The facility is operated in collaboration with technology partner Endeco, and will connect the Grain Innovation Center, Extrusion Application Center, Pasta Application Center, Food Creation Center, Flavor Creation Center, and Energy Recovery Center. At the Flavor Creation Center, Bühler’s expertise in processing, roasting and grinding cocoa beans, nuts and coffee is combined in one place. The centre has been processing coffee since 2013 and cocoa and nuts since 2022, and has now been upgraded and renovated. It offers product innovation, training, process optimisation and raw material analyses. It operates in line with Bühler’s Chocolate Application Center, Food Creation Center, and Energy Recovery Center. The new Food Creation Center will support customers through the entire innovation and industrialisation process, in the development of food products such as chocolate, snack bars, wafers, biscuits, crackers and baked goods. Together, the ATCs in Uzwil produce around 550 tons of biomass annually. To make optimum use of the waste and by-products generated, Bühler and its strategic partner Vyncke have built the Energy Recovery Center, which serves as a heating facility for Bühler’s headquarters. The Energy Recovery Center also works as a demonstration and testing platform for customers who want to reduce their carbon footprint, waste production and energy costs by using side streams. Milling Solutions has also started construction on a new Grain Innovation Center (GIC) in Uzwil, where Bühler and its customers and partners will develop, test and scale sustainable and efficient solutions for grain and feed processing to improve food and feed solutions. It is set for operation by the end of 2024. A new Grain Processing Innovation Center (GPIC) in Kano, Nigeria, is also under construction and expected to open at the beginning of 2024, focusing on development of products, recipes and processes using local grains such as sorghum, millets, maize, soybeans and tigernuts. Johannes Wick, CEO of Grains & Food at Bühler Group, said: “In this world where requirements are changing so fast, customers need flexibility and creativity to adapt their products addressing key issues such as sustainability, the use of local raw materials, healthy diets, and affordability”. He added: “With the completion of the new Application & Training Centers we are able to cover the entire scope of production, from different raw materials to multiple types of finished products.”

Alpla has expanded its presence in North Africa as it has acquired a majority stake in Moroccan company Atlantic Packaging. Alpla has announced that it has founded a new JV company, Alpla Morocco, with Atlantic Packaging’s previous sole owner Diana Holding. Through the acquisition and new JV, Alpla says it is contributing its expertise and experience to the production of PET preforms for the regional markets in Africa’s Maghreb region and for Western Africa. In addition to preforms, Alpla Morocco also produces plastic pallets by injection moulding and packaging films by extrusion at its plant in the Moroccan city of Tangier. The initiative aims to establish the groundwork for growth and sustainable packaging solutions in the Northwestern African Region. Christian Fessler, MD of Middle East and North Africa at Alpla, said: “Together with our strategic partner Diana Holding, we want to exploit the enormous potential of the regional markets, open up new segments and contribute our expertise as a global system provider for preforms, bottles and closures". Rita Zniber, CEO of Diana Holding, added: “Our joint vision is to be one of the leading suppliers of high-quality plastic packaging in Morocco and for Western Africa and to offer innovative solutions. We created Atlantic Packaging with the vision of expanding its capacity through a strategic partnership.” The Tangier plant – which is around 12,000 square metres – is to be expanded in stages over the coming years with more than 20,000 square metres of space available for future expansion. In the first stage, Alpla Morocco has tripled its production capacity from the current 100 million preforms to around 300 million units per year and is investing in two new PET preform production lines. Javier Delgado, Alpla's regional managing director for Africa, Middle East and Turkey, commented: “Through the location in Morocco, we can supply our global customers in northern Africa with the usual quality and flexibility, gain new business partners and expand our portfolio to include new areas. At the same time, we are creating new jobs by expanding our production volume.” He continued: "By manufacturing bottles, preforms and closures, as we already do in South Africa and Angola, we provide customers with successful products and sustainable solutions from a single source, giving them a market advantage". Financial terms of the acquisition and JV were not disclosed.

Private equity firm SK Capital Partners has acquired J&K Ingredients from Core Industrial Partners for an undisclosed sum. Headquartered in Paterson, New Jersey, J&K Ingredients is a provider of food and beverage ingredients solutions focusing on natural, organic and clean-label products. The company was purchased by Core in 2020. According to the business, J&K Ingredients sets itself apart through its extensive custom formulation and new product development capabilities. The company offers a comprehensive range of speciality ingredients, including egg and milk replacements, emulsions, flavours and bread bases to the bakery market. Mario Toukan, managing director of SK Capital, said: “Clean label food preservation technologies are an increasingly important pillar of sustainability by reducing food waste and the associated environmental footprint, and J&K has already established itself as a critical, value-added clean label partner to its bakery customers. We feel privileged to play a part in bringing clean-label preservative solutions to the broader food and beverage industry with SOR-Mate, as well as in building out a more comprehensive suite of natural and clean-label solutions as we embark on J&K’s next phase of growth.” Dan Lory, principal at SK Capital, added: “SK Capital has significant experience investing in ingredients businesses, and we believe J&K represents a tremendous opportunity to create a leading clean-label ingredients platform. We are thrilled to be partnering with the J&K team to build upon the company’s stellar reputation and technical achievements to date.”

Bimbo Bakeries USA-owned brand Entenmann's has introduced new limited-edition cinnamon buns muffins under its Little Bites brand. According to the company, the muffins, which are "baked moist and soft" with the flavour of cinnamon buns, are made with real cinnamon and no high fructose corn syrup or trans-fat. Little Bites' cinnamon buns muffins come in four to a pouch, making them convenient for on-the-go or as a quick breakfast option. Moira Flood, marketing director for Little Bites Snacks, said: "At Little Bites, we're in the business of making little, everyday moments feel really big by being a part of our fans' sweetest memories. That is why we're excited to bring the delicious Little Bites cinnamon buns muffins to snack lovers everywhere." Little Bites cinnamon buns muffins are currently available at most US retailers until March 2024.

Nestlé Germany has announced its plans to refocus its "field service activities" in response to a more challenging environment and heightened demands for competitiveness and growth. A spokesperson for Nestlé told FoodBev that about 80 employees will be affected by the restructuring. The changes involve the Maggi and Purina Petcare brands, which will be consolidated into a common field service organisation in the future. Meanwhile, all activities for coffee, confectionery and dairy in Germany will be outsourced to an external partner who will also manage the plant-based Garden Gourmet brand and the condiment brand Thomy. The external partner has not yet been named. A spokesperson from Nestlé said: “The decision to work more closely with external partners is based on positive experiences from the past: categories such as Nestlé Nutrition or the cereals division have already been successfully managed by external agencies for years. The good quality of care in the retail sector will be ensured in the future.” The spokesperson continued: “The aim is to find good and socially acceptable solutions for all and to make use of the possibility of part-time work for older workers. The plans are to be implemented by the end of 2024/beginning of 2025, subject to all agreements.” The news comes after the company announced its decision to reduce over 70 jobs in Solon, Ohio, in early November. Additionally, Nestlé revealed last month the closure of a baby formula plant in Ireland, putting over 540 jobs at risk. In both instances, Nestlé attributed the actions to shifts in market and consumer trends.

Labatt Breweries of Canada, a subsidiary of AB InBev, is investing CAD $10.5 million (approx. $7.65 million) in its St John's, Newfoundland, brewery. The funding will be used to install a new packaging system that introduces sustainable paperboard packaging, replacing the current plastic rings used for bundling multi-packs of beer. Bottles will be offered in six, 12 and 24 packs, while cans will be available in eight, 12, and 24 packs. Plastic rings may still be present in the market for the next few weeks until the existing stock is depleted. Wade Keller, director of corporate affairs of Labatt's Atlantic Breweries, said: "This investment in Newfoundland and Labrador is a testament of Labatt's commitment to a sustainable future, our brewery, our employees and our community. As we continue our journey towards the elimination of single-use plastic in our operations, this investment in paperboard packaging in our operations is proof of that." The switch to paperboard packaging will eliminate 24,000 kilograms of plastic from landfills annually. Charles Bown, CEO of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board, said: "Labatt has taken a major step forward in its sustainability journey. The brewery's latest investment demonstrates a strong commitment to reducing its ecological footprint, increasing the recyclability of its products, and making a positive impact on the local community and environment." The investment is expected to reduce Labatt's consumption of single-use and recyclable plastics by a total of 242,000 kilograms by 2024. The news comes just days after Labatt announced plans to expand its production capability at its London, Ontario, plant by investing CAD 26.6 million (approx. $19.4 million) into the brewery.

Today, Givaudan announced an agreement with neuroscience company Thimus to “unlock food emotions and offer a new window into the consumer mind”. Thimus is the developer of the TBox platform, which provides an integrated collection of explicit and implicit data for exploring how humans experience food. The collaboration is said to be the “first extensive use of the TBox platform in the world of food,” resulting in Givaudan’s new programme, ‘Food Emotions’ powered by Thimus. As food products are redesigned to meet new expectations, sustainability, health, quality and emotion are crucial considerations. In a statement, Givaudan said: “There’s often a gap between what consumers say and their actual experience and behaviour. Neuroscience may be the key to closing that gap.” In addition to having consumers participate in a focus group or answer a questionnaire, Thimus’ TBox provides participants with a headset to wear during taste tests. The headset records brain signals, which are processed by validated algorithms to measure four key mental states: frontal asymmetry, engagement, cognitive workload and relaxation. The technology uses proprietary software and a cloud-based database for data analysis and retrieval and is able to deliver insights that were “previously unavailable or unreliable”. Fabio Campanile, global head of science and technology for taste and wellbeing at Givaudan, said: “Neuroscience has the unique ability to reveal how consumers truly feel about a product throughout the eating or drinking experience. The collaboration with Thimus marks a significant milestone in consumer understanding. It has the power to revolutionise how we co-create with our customers, increasingly satisfying consumers, and transforming the way the world eats while enabling more nutritious food choices." Thimus’ founder and CEO, Mario Ubiali, added: “We were immediately excited about the prospect of working with Givaudan because we see such a strong alignment in our missions of transforming food systems through a food experience lens. At Thimus, we’re humanising neuroscience and using it to redesign the foods we eat. We’re eager to support Givaudan in gaining an in-depth understanding of the motivations, culture and emotions that underlie these experiences.” Givaudan has already used the Thimus technology in several customer projects with “very successful” results. For example, Givaudan used the technology in recent consumer tests on botanical soft drinks, comparing two prototypes. According to Givaudan, the results revealed that consumers found one concept significantly more satisfying than the other. The implicit data gathered from Thimus was used to pinpoint a negative reaction during the taste phase in the second product. This meant that the team was then able to identify a successful route to optimise the soft drink by improving mouthfeel. Givaudan says that in this instance, the problem and its resolution could not have been uncovered by examining declarative data alone. The technology will be rolled out within Givaudan and will be available for selective customer use in some regions.

ProAmpac has announced the launch of its ProActive PCR Retort pouches containing post-consumer recycled (PCR) material. This new offering is just one of the options from ProAmpac’s ProActive sustainability platform which provides brands with solutions to their ambitions to achieve a circular economy. Charles Golub, food and beverage market manager for ProAmpac, said: "We understand the importance of sustainability to our customers. ProActive PCR Retort pouches use less virgin resin than conventional pouches. By reducing the environmental impact of our packaging, we are empowering our customers to make sustainable choices aligned with their goals. Together, we're forging a path towards a more sustainable approach to packaging," ProActive PCR Retort pouches are specifically designed for products which require an ultra-high barrier and high heat resistance, such as shelf-stable ready-to-eat proteins. The company claims that the technology it uses maintains the pouches’ integrity and quality throughout the process. ProAmpac also states that due to its production techniques, the pouches meet stringent quality standards while exhibiting eye-catching graphics, providing a strong shelf presence. Bob Flaherty, senior director of product development for North America for ProAmpac, commented: “ProActive PCR Retort pouches excel in maintaining filling line efficiencies, mechanical performance and food shelf-life without compromise. Offering superior barrier protection throughout the retort process preserves freshness and these pouches provide excellent tear performance for an enhanced consumer experience. Their resistance to flex cracking ensures optimal product protection.”

Sugar manufacturer Nordzucker is entering a new business segment with an investment of more than €100 million into the production of plant-based proteins. Headquartered in Germany, Nordzucker has announced that it will put a new plant into operation for this new business segment at its site in Groß Munzel, Lower Saxony, by mid-2026. The expansion is expected to create around 60 additional jobs and reflects the “increasingly important role in the future” that plant-based nutrition is set to play, said Nordzucker’s CEO Lars Gorissen. He commented: “We are supplementing our portfolio with a product that fits in well with our core competences and are thus consistently pursuing our growth strategy”. The company will produce and sell pea proteins to be used as a source of protein and texturizer in plant-based food. It will rely particularly on the yellow pea from regional cultivation, which Gorissen said fulfills all the requirements for economical and sustainable production with its ability to be grown in many regions and fit well into the crop rotations of farms. Nordzucker can produce peas all year round due to their shelf life. They will be marketed as a concentrate and dry texturate for further processing in the food and animal feed industry. The company’s chief financial officer, Alexander Bott, said double-digit growth rates are expected per year in the pea protein concentrates and texturates segment, so the company is “setting a fast pace in terms of implementation”. Construction of the new production facilities is scheduled to begin in autumn 2024. The plant will benefit from Nordzucker’s existing infrastructure and transport links, enabling good access to raw materials from many arable farming regions and to sales markets. The supervisory board of Nordzucker has supported the entry into the new business segment and expansion of production capacity at the Groß Munzel site.