The Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has denied reports that the new Black Sea export corridor had been suspended. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Kubrakov said: “The information regarding the cancellation or unscheduled stoppage of the temporary #Ukrainian_corridor for the movement of civilian vessels from and to the ports of the Big Odesa (region) is false. All available routes established by the Ukrainian Navy are valid and being used by civilian vessels.” 🇺🇦Ports of Big Odesa continue to process ships that passed through the temporary #Ukrainian_corridor. The information regarding the cancellation or unscheduled stoppage of the temporary #Ukrainian_corridor for the movement of civilian vessels from and to the ports of the Big… pic.twitter.com/DvFsOK27ww — Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) October 26, 2023 Kyiv-based consultancy Barva Invest and British security firm Ambrey stated on Thursday that Ukraine had suspended use of the corridor due to a possible threat from Russian warplanes and sea mines. Reuters reported that the consultancy said on the Telegram messaging app: “We would like to inform you of a temporary suspension of vessel traffic to and from (the ports). The current ban is in force on Oct. 26, but it is possible that it will be extended." Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had ordered Russian warplanes armed with missiles to patrol the Black Sea. British maritime security company Ambrey said in a report that the Ukrainian Seaport Authority issued a communication late on Wednesday, that said: “There would be no vessel movement along the corridor for entry and exit on 26th of October, 2023.” The suspension was prompted by Russian Air Force operations in the region, it said. Ukraine has been using the corridor since August, to revive its seaborne exports without Russian approval. Moscow quit the UN-brokered deal in July that had allowed some food exports to flow despite the war. The export deal collapsed in July after Russia complained its demand that sanctions on its grain and fertiliser exports to be lifted had not been met. The news comes just days after Ukraine announced it had exported 700,000 tons of grain via the corridor since August.

Our Prova team will be present at FI Europe 2023 in Frankfurt from November 28-30, the international event that is not to be missed! Meet our experts and discover our tailormade flavouring solutions at booth 3.1A130. We are a French-owned, family business founded in 1946, specialising in manufacturing extracts and brown flavours. Passionate about taste – the heart of our business – we benefit from over 75 years of expertise and today we are among the world’s major players in the extraction of vanilla and cocoa. Our business has evolved and grown to include a variety of other natural flavours, such as coffee extracts and flavours, caramel, nuts and others. Our ambition is to become the natural choice of brown flavours in the hearts and minds of our customers. Discover our new innovations on the booth: The Ice Cream Bar Discover a whole range of extracts for ice crea, where naturalness rhymes with indulgence! Our teams of experts have dedicated their know-how to the creation of natural and indulgent extracts that you can enjoy in a variety of ice creams and toppings. Immerse yourself in a creative space offering a range of flavours. Protec Tailor-made functional solutions designed to meet tomorrow’s challenges! Sugar reduction, masking off-notes, improvement of mouthfeel sensation, etc. New trends are disrupting the agri-food industry and leading to new taste challenges. Meet our flavourists and sensory analysis experts and discover Protec our range of tailormade functional solutions. Le Comptoir Gourmand Creativity and innovation will be on the menu! Join us at our counter for delectable tastings, from macarons inspired by the Olympic games to surprising desserts and pastry-inspired beverages! Our experts look forward to seeing you at booth 3.1 A130.

Oterra, a supplier of natural colours for food and beverages, has launched a new range of clean label caramel replacement colour solutions. The new ‘Simply Brown’ range is crafted from apples and forms part of Oterra’s FruitMax colouring portfolio. Oterra said that the launch responds to a need for clean label alternatives to using caramel as a food colouring staple, in line with evolving consumer preferences and increasing demand for natural foods made without additives. The Simply Brown range includes two products for human consumption, a powder and liquid, as well as two pet products. It utilises a ‘gentle’ cooking process that results in rich, stable and natural brown shades without unwanted caramelisation. Food and beverage manufacturers utilising the solutions can meet clean label requirements by being able to list the colours on packaging as ‘apple concentrate’ in the EU, or ‘fruit juice (colour)' in the US. In contrast to certain caramel replacements, such as malt, Simply Brown is also gluten-free and devoid of 4-MEI and sulfites. The range is suited to bakery, cereal, snack and savoury applications due to its stability in high pH and high-temperature environments. Oterra said it is also perfect for dairy applications, such as delivering a classic chocolate milkshake appearance without interfering with other proteins and minerals in the mixture.

Bubbies Ice Cream has announced the launch of three limited-edition holiday-inspired mochi ice cream flavours: Red Velvet, Peppermint Candy and Gingerbread. These bite-sized ice creams are wrapped in a sweet mochi dough. Gingerbread Mochi Ice Cream: Premium gingerbread ice cream, featuring the taste of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and molasses, inside mochi dough. Red Velvet Mochi Ice Cream: Bubbies describes this as “a fan-favourite flavour”, it contains red velvet ice cream wrapped in mochi dough. Peppermint Candy Mochi Ice Cream: Peppermint candy ice cream inside mochi dough. Katie Cline, vice-president of marketing for Bubbies Ice Cream said: “Our holiday flavours encapsulate the classic tastes of the season, and we hope everyone gets to savour the magic of this special time of year with Bubbies... Whether it’s a cosy night in or a holiday gathering, these seasonal flavours are the perfect way to add a touch of sweetness to any moment.” Bubbies’ limited-edition holiday flavours can be found online and in major US retailers.

Dairy cooperative Arla has announced a series of new UK commercial partnerships that aim to accelerate sustainability work on dairy farms. The new agreements cover a total milk pool from Arla’s UK farmer owners of more than 1 billion litres, all supplied from farms that are part of Arla’s climate check data programme and Sustainability Incentive Model. These initiatives enable farmers to identify the most efficient ways to reduce emissions on-farm through data insights and financial incentives to fund the required investments. Arla has signed agreements with supermarket giants Aldi, Asda and Morrisons as well as coffee chain Starbucks, aiming to create deeper farmer and customer collaboration through projects to deliver progress toward shared climate targets. The company has combined its on-farm sustainability measures in a newly developed Customer Sustainability Programme (CSP), aimed at creating value for retail and foodservice customers looking to lower their scope 3 emissions. Customers who have signed up to the CSP will invest extra money in the cooperative’s efforts to reduce emissions on-farm, and in doing so will gain access to on-farm R&D projects and pilots, more accurate on-farm data with CO2 footprint per kg/milk and customised data reports, and claimable CO2e reductions. These components are also expected to enable partnerships to work towards Product Carbon Footprint capabilities from 2024 and beyond. In addition to the added investments from customers through the CSP, Arla has earmarked up to €500 million each year to reward and motivate farmers, of which €300 million is now activated. Projects with the participating customers and their aligned Arla farmers will look to reduce on-farm emissions through new research and testing new innovations for potential scaling within areas such as feed additives, herd genetics, biodiversity and fertiliser use. Peter Giørtz-Carlsen, COO and executive VP of Arla Foods Europe, said: “In our strategy we focus extensively on driving down our on-farm scope 3 emissions as they make up the vast majority of our emissions”. He added: “We believe we have found an impactful route and levers to drive down scope 3 emissions, and we are strongly committed to this effort as it benefits the planet and brings value to our customers. But we do it for dairy too – dairy provides significant nutritional benefits to human diet, which must not be jeopardised due to its impact on climate and the environment.”

Researchers at Clarkson University in New York, US, have received a $42,000 grant from The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute as part of an inaugural student and faculty research programme: food spoilage mitigation through packaging. The team of student researchers has developed a packaging product that is not only sustainable, but that can detect the freshness of the food in storage. With its inherent multifunctional capabilities, the packaging product is set to not only monitor and uphold food quality and freshness but also extend the shelf life, significantly curbing food waste. The 'smart' food packaging features a renewable and biodegradable material made using a 3D printer and is said to be as strong as plastic. It is intended to notify shoppers when food is at its best by changing colours based on the freshness of the food. The team has successfully conducted comprehensive assessments of the packaging's antimicrobial and sensory attributes, affirming its efficacy. The 3D printing technique employed by the team will also enable the efficient large-scale production of this groundbreaking solution. Silvana Andreescu, professor of chemical and biomolecular science at Clarkson University, told a US news outlet: “This happens because there are chemical markers that are released as meat and fish degrade. And this marker, we are incorporating indicators. We are printing indicators within the packaging that will tell you when it’s okay or not okay to consume particular foods.” Oluwatosin Popoola, a Clarkson graduate student and leader of the student research team, said: “If we can generate a biodegradable material that can eventually replace plastic materials, this will possibly reduce or even prevent the pollutions that plastic material is generating right now”.

Today marks the launch of One Good Thing (OGT), a sustainability start-up that says it has produced the “world’s first” range of wrapperless protein and snack bars. In a bid to reduce plastic waste for on-the-go snackers, the new bars are made from raw cold-pressed, low-carbon ingredients and coated with a completely edible, natural film. The film is made from a mix of beeswax and other natural ingredients and dries hard enough to hold and protect the contents but is thin and soft enough to chew easily. The edible coating acts as a replacement to traditional plastic or paper wrappers. The bars are durable, waterproof and do not disintegrate when wet. The only packaging is the cardboard boxes that the bars are delivered in, which is made of 70% recycled material and is 100% recyclable at home. The snack bars are available in seven flavours including mango and passionfruit, strawberries and cream, rhubarb and custard and cherry Bakewell. There are also seven varieties of protein bar, including combinations apple and cinnamon, sticky ginger, berry burst and butterscotch. Mike Bedford, co-founder of OGT, said: “The idea for OGT came to me when I was out cycling and saw the sheer volume of snack wrappers. So, I challenged myself to think about how I could resolve the problem for people snacking on the go. Developing the product was the easy bit for me, but building a consumer brand is another thing. That’s why I’ve focused on building a brilliant team that can help launch OGT as a completely new and innovative snacking concept.” Kieran Stanbridge, CEO of OGT, added: “We like to think of our bars as just like eating an apple. When you're ready to eat one, you can just give it a quick rinse and take a bite. It’s that simple. Our innovation doesn’t just limit plastic waste – it removes it entirely.” He continued: “We know that consumers are actively trying to make positive changes to their shopping habits to live more sustainably. But trying to tackle the world’s sustainability problems is a tall order for any business. One Good Thing was created, to make it easy to do just one good thing to help reduce our impact on the planet.”

Data published today in a report by UK supermarket giant Tesco has shown progress towards its healthy diets strategy, developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation. Changes include the removal of HFSS multibuy promotion and the rollout of signposting for healthier products and product reformulation. Tesco says these positive moves have yielded clear results by helping customers make healthier choices, while still accessing great value. The comments come a year on from the introduction of legislative changes for HFSS products (those that are high in fat, sugar and salt), with new data from Tesco showing an increase in healthy purchases by customers across several categories. Tesco chief commercial officer, Ashwin Prasad, said: “The UK has record levels of obesity which is having a huge impact on the NHS and our wider economy, as well as jeopardising the long-term health and prospects of the next generation. At Tesco we have seen what’s possible when we create the conditions and incentives to help people to fill their baskets with products that are healthier and more sustainable, but still affordable. I’m encouraged by the progress so far and look forward to even greater collaboration with our suppliers and partners as we work towards our 2025 goal." The report outlines the steps Tesco is taking to ensure shoppers can choose healthy sustainable and affordable food. The supermarket has reported that over half a million customers’ shopping baskets at Tesco have become healthier since 2021, while 3.3 million people have purchased at least 10% more healthy products in 2022 compared to 2021. It also states that a wide-ranging reformulation programme has removed 71 billion calories from its own-brand products, with Tesco challenging its suppliers to follow suit and set clear reformulation targets. The company’s Better Baskets zones in store – which place products that are higher in fibre, lower in sugar and calories, or produced in a way that’s better for the planet together – have driven a 12% increase in year-on-year sales volumes for Better Baskets products. In the past year, Tesco has reported sales volumes of low- and no-sugar drinks to have grown 11%, sales of healthy snacking crisps have grown by more than half, and sales volumes of new and reformulated healthier biscuits have risen 8%. The company has also announced that over 500,000 more shoppers’ baskets are now made up of at least 65% healthy products. Elaine Hindal, CEO of the British Nutrition Federation, commented: "The pace and scale of the changes required to our food environment call for close collaboration and shared responsibility and it is only by working together that we can balance the needs of a contemporary food system, with better access to a healthy and sustainable diet for all. I am proud to be partnering with Tesco, as this represents exactly the collaboration and shared sense of responsibility I believe we need to deliver meaningful change with genuine impact to the UK food environment.”

SVB Foods has acquired Vita Specialty Foods, a manufacturer and distributor of food products including salad dressings and marinades. US-based Vita Specialty Foods offers a portfolio of products through licensing agreements, private labelling and its own brands, including the Virginia Brand Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette. The strategic acquisition was described by SVB as a significant milestone, reinforcing its commitment to enhancing its product portfolio and expanding its presence in the food industry. SVB Foods is a contract packaging food manufacturer specialising in savoury condiments. Vita Specialty Foods includes its wholly owned subsidiaries of Virginia Honey Company and The Halifax Group (Oak Hill Farms). SVB said the acquisition will facilitate a ‘seamless integration that ensures the continuity for existing product lines’. Virginia Brand and Oak Hill Farms will continue to operate offering their existing product lines of dressings, dips and marinades. Additionally, the acquisition enables SVB Foods to expand its private labelling and licensing programmes. Terry Hess, CEO of SVB Foods, said: "We are truly excited about the acquisition of Vita Specialty Foods. This opportunity allows SVB Foods to respond more effectively to market trends and consumer preferences." He added: "Our mission is to provide quality products at a fair price and to do the right thing for our customers, our employees, and our communities". SBV Foods has provided contract packaging services to Vita Specialty Foods since 2012. Headquartered in West Virginia, US, its 70,000-square-foot manufacturing facility features multiple production lines and various capabilities for packaging sauces in rigid or flexible packaging.

Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) has announced the launch of two limited-edition ice cream flavours to coincide with the holidays. The two limited-edition flavours to join Tillamook's premium ice cream portfolio are Peppermint Bark and Holiday Sugar Cookie. Peppermint Bark is made with peppermint ice cream, candy cane bits and chunks of white chocolate. Holiday Sugar Cookie includes chunks of sugar cookie dough in a cookie dough ice cream. These seasonal flavours follow on from Tillamook’s limited-edition summer flavours, which Tillamook reported as being “supremely successful… with record-breaking sales in August”. Ian Moppert, ice cream scientist TCCA said: "At Tillamook, we relish the opportunity to be a part of holiday celebrations. These festive new flavours are a taste of traditional holiday treats with a Tillamook twist and, as always, they're made with the highest quality ingredients." Peppermint Bark and Holiday Sugar Cookie ice creams are available online and at major US retailers.

Ever.Ag announced that it acquired AI and data science firm Austin Data Labs earlier this year to better unify a "fragmented agricultural supply chain". According to Ever.Ag the acquisition amplifies its focus on end-to-end visibility in a sector where siloed operations have hindered comprehensive data management and analysis. Austin Data Labs' AI and data science capabilities are set to provide a strong data foundation to drive innovative solutions across a diverse portfolio in crops, dairy, livestock and F&B, the company reported. It continued by stating that integrating Austin Data Labs not only enhances Ever.Ag's suite of advanced technologies, but underpins the company's commitment to pioneering efficient, transparent farm-to-table solutions. Scott Sexton, CEO at Ever.Ag, said: "By acquiring Austin Data Labs, we've taken a revolutionary step towards redefining the agricultural data landscape globally. At Ever.Ag, we've built a robust data infrastructure, and by integrating Austin Data Labs' unmatched AI and data science expertise, we're poised to unlock unprecedented value across the entire food supply chain. This union signifies our relentless commitment to customer success, sustainability and catalysing impact across every link of the chain, from seeds to table." Simon Drake CEO and Co-Founder, Austin Data Labs said: "Joining Ever.Ag marked an important moment for Austin Data Labs and the wider agriculture supply chain. Our sophisticated AI and data science is supercharging Ever.Ag's data infrastructure, enabling a world where analytics and insights drive every decision. Together, we're actively shaping the future of ag-tech and food systems, ensuring they are sustainable, efficient and remarkably innovative." The incorporation of Austin Data Labs will enhance Ever.Ag's focus on optimising data analytics and intelligence across the entirety of the agriculture sector, safeguarding Ever.Ag's commitment to ethical practices and market fairness. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hotel Chocolat has launched two new chocolate bars and will donate 100% of the bar sales to support sustainable cacao farming practices. The two ‘Better Way’ bars offer consumers a 50% milk option and 70% dark option, both made using cacao beans from Saint Lucia and Ghana, where the brand works with farmers to develop what it calls ‘gentle farming’ practices. According to the chocolatier, funds from sales will support three key initiatives: supplying shade tree seedlings to farmers in Ghana that are part of gentle farming to improve productivity and increase biodiversity, providing hands-on pruning help and education to increase yield, and sharing knowledge on the benefits of using organic fertiliser to retail soil moisture and nutrients. Retailing at £2.95, both variants contain Ghanian chocolate praline combined with biscuits and cherries and are enrobed in chocolate made using cacao from Saint Lucia. Lysa Hardy, MD of retail at Hotel Chocolat, said: “Increasing pressure on farming methods due to low payments for cacao has led to deforestation, poor soil quality, loss of biodiversity and a cycle of hardship for farming families”. She added: “We started our journey of understanding what it takes to grow truly sustainable cacao almost 20 years ago when we bought our cacao farm in Saint Lucia. We’ve spent this time educating ourselves and working with farmers in both Saint Lucia and Ghana, and experts such as Green Tropics, to develop gentle farming practices which have a better impact on nature.”