Tyson Foods has announced it will combine its Prepared Foods business unit with the company’s Growth organisation. According to Tyson, the joined organisations will continue to focus on "brand building, operational excellence and route-to-market expansion". Simultaneously, they will prioritise enhancing speed and agility through collaborative efforts. Melanie Boulden, who currently holds the position of chief growth officer at Tyson Foods, is now taking on the additional role of group president of Prepared Foods. Tyson said that this approach will directly align with the company's vision and strategy, which focuses on creating value, continued growth and enhancing the customer and consumer experience. Boulden will now be in charge of Tyson Foods' extensive range of products, serving its retail, foodservice and ecommerce portfolio, which includes brands such as Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm and Ball Park. Boulden said: “Creating a more unified team across Prepared Foods and Growth empowers us to anticipate and respond to business challenges and opportunities with greater impact. As we continue to build for the future, we remain committed to fostering the customer and consumer-centric approach that will drive us forward and help us deliver results against our strategy.” Donnie King, president and CEO of Tyson Foods, added: "I am fully confident we have the right enterprise leadership team in place to drive growth across our entire business. The categories we operate in present unique challenges, and as the industry leader, we believe our strategy and structure position us to win in today's marketplace."

Functional beverage brand, Illicit Elixirs, has launched a range of non-alcoholic, fizzy, RTD beverages designed to support dopamine production. The brand’s mission is to bring “happy hedonism” to consumers through its beverage range, which is claimed to support production of the “happy hormone”, dopamine, through its curated functional ingredient mix. Four flavours are available in the range: Let’s Party Peaches, Watermelon Lime Thirst Trap, Late Night Fruity Call and Vegas Debauch-A-Berry. Each flavour is made with real fruit juices, carbonated water and ‘DopaJoy’, the company’s functional ingredient mix including vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants such as niacin (B3), saffron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, ginseng, decaffeinated green tea extract, taurine and l-theanine. The company’s co-founder, John Valiton, said: “There are a lot of products on the market boasting various health benefits, energy boosters, etc., but when it really comes down to it, people are looking to drink something that tastes good and makes them feel fulfilled in a meaningful way”. “These two fundamental attributes are at the core of Illicit Elixirs and are why we developed a beverage that combines carefully curated ingredients to taste great, with no harsh side effects, no aftertaste and no empty promises.” Illicit Elixirs 12-packs are currently available online and with ecommerce partners including Walmart, coming soon to Amazon. Additional US distribution announcements, including the release of four-packs and individual 12 oz cans, are expected to follow throughout the year.

New European laws set to be introduced in 2026 aim to prevent companies from making unsubstantiated environmental claims, such as ‘carbon neutral’. The EU Parliament and Council announced last week that they had reached a provisional agreement on the new rules, which aim to empower consumers to make more sustainable purchasing choices and prevent misleading ‘greenwashing’ claims from businesses. Under the new legislation, businesses will not be allowed to use generic environmental claims, such as ‘environmentally friendly,’ ‘climate neutral’ or ‘biodegradable’ without providing proof of relevant “recognised excellent environmental performance”. This will include claims based on emissions offsetting schemes that a product has a ‘neutral,’ ‘reduced’ or ‘positive’ effect on the environment. Carbon offsetting – whereby businesses aim to remove CO2 from the atmosphere through participating in practices such as reforestation projects – has increasingly been used by companies within the food and beverage industry and beyond in efforts to compensate for their emissions. However, the practice has come under more scrutiny in recent years. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has described offsetting schemes as “controversial,” pointing out that these schemes offer “no guarantee for locking in carbon for the future” and can often be the cheaper option for companies, deterring them from taking more ambitious (and costly) measures to reduce emissions within their own operations. BEUC deputy director general, Ursula Pachl, commented: “Consumers end up lost in a jungle of green claims with no clue about which ones are trustworthy. Thankfully, the new rules are putting some order in the green claims’ chaos.” Pachl described the proposed ban on carbon-neutral claims as “great news”, adding that there is “no such thing” as a carbon-neutral food product, such as cheese, or packaging such as plastic bottles. “Carbon neutral claims are greenwashing, plain and simple,” she said. “It's a smoke screen giving the impression companies are taking serious action on their climate impact.” A number of businesses within the food and beverage industry have announced that their products achieved ‘carbon neutral’ status this year. UK-based dairy company Wyke Farms announced that it had launched “the world’s first carbon neutral butter” into its Ivy’s Reserve range in May, produced in its new £10 million renewable energy-powered facility. The company worked in partnership with the Carbon Trust to undertake a ‘cradle-to-grave’ footprint analysis in order to certify the product as carbon neutral, in accordance with the PAS 2060 carbon neutrality specification. A spokesperson for the Carbon Trust told FoodBev that it supports changes being made to ensure that green claims are based on “accurate methodologies that consumers can trust”. “At the beginning of September, we announced updates to our product carbon labelling services which follow rigorous standards, in line with international best practice, and we support changes in regulation to ensure all climate claims receive a similar level of scrutiny,” the Carbon Trust's spokesperson commented. “We believe many businesses are ready to provide this, and consumers are increasingly expecting it.” When approached by FoodBev for comment, Wyke Farms said that its brand messaging on pack would evolve in line with legal requirements, and that it was in the process of reviewing the Carbon Trust's updates to its carbon labelling standards. The company spokeserson commented: "Wyke Farms are committed to producing dairy products in a net positive way which for us includes a full carbon management plan. As one of the largest independent generators of green electric and gas in the UK we are well positioned to become the first carbon neutral dairy company in the UK using our own self-generated offsets and insets". They added: "In time, all dairy products will need to be carbon neutral and the effort that we put in just becomes part of the job and accepted as the norm. As the standard changes, we expect our self-generated offsets and insets to be allowed into the calculation, negating the need to buy overseas credits, which allows more investment into farm environmental projects here in the UK." Elsewhere, confectionery giant Mars announced that it had achieved carbon neutral certification on all of its Mars bars sold in the UK, Ireland and Canada this year, certified by SCS Global. The company said this had been achieved through a combination of offsetting and actual emissions reduction. FoodBev has reached out to Mars for comment on the proposed new rules. In order to become law, the EU Parliament and Council will need to give the official green light to the provisional deal, with a vote by MEPs expected to take place in November. Member states will then have 24 months to incorporate the new rules into their law.

Ingredion Kenya is part of a public-private partnership that aims to provide 2.4 million malnourished school-age children with a nutritious, RTD ‘super porridge’ by 2025. The partnership is funded by Kenya's Ministry of Education via the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK). It aims to combat hunger and malnutrition experienced by school children in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya and to improve school attendance and educational performance. By addressing malnutrition, the initiative aims to bring “a brighter future for these children” and serve as a beacon of hope for tackling malnutrition in Kenya and beyond. The partnership, which Ingredion says is “the first of its kind for Africa,” brings together expertise from DSM, Ingredion and Tetra Pak, as well as the Kenyan government and other partners. The porridge is made from locally sourced crops including maize, soybeans, sorghum and sweet potato. The initiative is committed to supporting the regional economy, with 12,000 small-scale farmers contracted to supply the raw materials. The RTD porridge is sweetened using sweetener produced from the stevia plant, fortified with 15 micronutrients and processed and packed in a Tetra Brik Aseptic 250ml pack with a straw. Kennedy Ouma, director, Africa and Middle East at Ingredion, says: “This is a very emotionally fulfilling project to be involved in, as we are bringing our purpose to life by making life better for underprivileged children by improving their nutrition and getting them back to school. Current launch covers 50,000 children this year, rising to 100,000 in 2024 and then upscaled to 2.4 million by 2025 as the funding increases.” He continued: “This is a collaborative project, with all partners working together to secure a successful outcome from the onset. The core objective was formulating an affordable and nutritious product, based on climate-resilient crops with a minimum 6 months’ shelf life for ease of distribution and storage, as the arid regions of Kenya lack clean water and cold storage due to lack of electricity. Ingredion’s role was to provide the stabilising, texturizing and sweetening solutions expertise which was done through numerous trials by our teams in Nairobi, Kenya, Johannesburg, South Africa,and Luebeck, Germany, in idea labs and pilot plant facilities.” As part of the programme, the companies plan on implementing training on food safety, product storage and hygiene. The used cardboard packaging will be recycled and converted into boards and used to make chairs and desks that will be donated to the schools covered in the programme. According to Ingredion, every year, around three million children drop out of school due to drought in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. Through the programme, data on school attendance, educational performance and the health and physical development of the children will be collected as part of the impact assessment. The project involves the following partners: Kenya Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, NACONEK, DSM, Ingredion, Jetlak Foods, Qatar Foundation, Tetra Pak, Unibrain Industries and UNICEF.

Bora Health has announced its merger with Sunway Biotech to produce an ingredient – Ankascin 568-R – used for the formulation of dietary supplements and fortified foods. Bora Health, part of Bora Group, offers experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare and nutraceutical products across the entire pharmaceutical supply chain, encompassing research and development, as well as sales and distribution. Founded in 2007, Sunway Biotech is a Taiwanese research and development centre for health food and ingredients. According to the companies, the collaboration has led to Bora Pharmaceuticals, the parent company of Bora Health, becoming the largest shareholder in Sunway Biotech. Sunway Biotech will provide Bora Group access to a full suite of fermentation and extraction facilities equipped with research and development and analytical capabilities. Through the partnership, Bora's contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) business can utilise Sunway's yeast manufacturing technology at its Taipei, Taiwan, facility to produce Ankascin 568-R, an ingredient used in the creation of dietary supplements and fortified foods for its global customers. Ankascin 568-R is extracted from the fermentation of a patented functional red yeast strain known as Monascus purpureus NTU 568. It is said to be the only FDA-approved red yeast ingredient available in the US market that excludes the "controversial" statin drug monacolin K (Lovastatin). Ankascin 568-R supports blood glucose regulation, cardiovascular well-being, memory, cognitive health and promoting healthy ageing. Bobby Sheng, CEO of Bora Group, said: “The global nutraceuticals market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.4% by 2030. This growth is fuelled by consumers increasingly turning to nutraceuticals for their proven health benefits.” He continued: “We’re thrilled to now have the controlling interest in Sunway Biotech, giving us access to technology that manufactures Ankascin 568-R and Vigiis101-LAB. As we continue to grow our service range as a CDMO, we are excited to be entering the supplements market. With Sunway’s fermentation know-how, not only will we have a unique patented ingredient in Ankascin 568-R, we will also be able to create products for the growing prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic market.” “Simon Chang will act as vice chairman of Sunway, and CEO John Pan will continue to lead operations for Sunway Biotech.”

Informa Markets has announced that global nutraceutical event Vitafoods will take place in Barcelona, Spain, from 2025. After 26 years in Geneva, Switzerland, the decision to move has been made after visitor and exhibitor feedback, as well as growth plans for the Vitafoods brand. Vitafoods Europe 2025 will be held on 20-22 May 2025 at Fira Barcelona, with more details to be announced next year. Natasha Berrow, EVP of Food at Informa Markets, said: “From humble beginnings in 1997 with just 100 exhibitors and a 2,500-square-metre show floor, Vitafoods Europe now welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year to connect, learn and be inspired. The move is the result of the amazing growth we’ve had over the decades, and our new home will allow the event – and the companies that visit or exhibit – to continue to grow in line with the fast-paced nutraceutical market.” The move will enable the event to grow in line with market potential, welcoming more visitors and exhibitors and creating more business opportunities for companies that attend. In a statement, Informa Markets said that Spain is a key test market for new nutraceutical product launches and one of the top five countries in the European nutraceuticals market. Additionally, Barcelona’s accessibility was a "crucial selection factor" due to the number of direct flights, accommodation options and streamlined logistics within the EU. “Barcelona has approximately 40,000 available hotel rooms and nearly 3,000 flights departing from its airport weekly, connecting to almost 200 airports worldwide, including those in North America, South America, Asia and Africa,” the statement said. Berrow added: “Our goal, as always, is to serve the needs of the nutraceutical community, both now and for years to come. So, as the industry evolves, so too does Vitafoods Europe...Barcelona is not only a key European market for nutraceuticals, but it also has the right mix of vibrant architecture, culture and atmosphere to match the vivacious spirit of our community. And thanks to the robust infrastructure offered by both the city and the venue, Fira Barcelona, this is just the next step in a long and exciting future for Vitafoods Europe.” “We would, of course, like to thank the Geneva Palexpo team for a wonderful 26 years. We’re excited to bring our best-ever Vitafoods Europe yet to Geneva in 2024 before welcoming in the next chapter with our much-loved community in Barcelona in May 2025.”

Kavli Group-owned brand Primula has introduced a new addition to its squeezy, spreadable cheese range: Signature blend mature cheddar cheese. The latest offering is known for its "intense and creamy" taste profile due to the use of British mature cheddar cheese, and is said to be "the brand's cheesiest recipe yet". Primula's signature blend mature cheddar cheese is high in protein and calcium, as well as gluten-free. The new flavour is also suitable for vegetarians. Gareth Watson, brand communications manager at Primula, commented: “Designed for everyday use, our new flavour adds a touch of luxury to the customer’s daily meals and snacks, capable of elevating breakfast, lunch and dinner meals with a delicious cheese spread”. Signature blend mature cheddar cheese is available at Sainsbury's stores for £1.85.

Britvic is expanding its J2O soft drinks portfolio with the launch of ready-to-drink mocktails. Available in three flavours – strawberry & orange blossom mojito, white peach & mango daiquiri and blackberry & blueberry martini – the drinks are set to help the brand "expand its appeal" amidst the growing significance of non-alcoholic alternatives. According to Britvic, the new range is designed for individuals "seeking more elevated experiences and interesting flavours" that align with the mocktail experience they enjoy outside their homes. Ben Parker, retail commercial director at Britvic, commented: “As a well-known and trusted brand, we are always looking at ways to stay innovative, and the launch of our J2O Mocktails will help us to offer shoppers even more choice, as well as entice consumers to trade up". He continued: "We know that many people are looking for ways to make their ‘big night in’ or special occasions at home stand out, to even measure up to an evening out. At the same time, the non-alcoholic drinks market is gaining relevance as people consider their alcohol intake, and J2O Mocktails will allow retailers to take advantage of the opportunity this presents." "With taste the number one driver of soft drinks, the products have been designed to offer delicious flavours based on some of the most popular cocktails, only without the alcohol.” J2O Mocktails is available in the grocery channel for £1.29 per 250ml cans. In addition, it will roll out further into the convenience channel from next month.

Lactalis Canada, a subsidiary of Lactalis Group, is entering into a long-term lease for a new distribution centre located in Oshawa, Ontario. Set to open in Q4 2024, the 379,000-square-foot facility will be developed, built and leased by Montreal-based builder Broccolini, with construction beginning immediately. Lactalis Canada is known for brands Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. The facility will consolidate multiple shipping locations used to service the cheese and tablespreads category – including the Belleville, Ontario, distribution centre – into a central, modern facility to enable the company’s long-term growth and increase its capacity and efficiency while enhancing service to its customers. Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Lactalis Canada, said: “Lactalis Canada’s new facility in Oshawa will become the largest distribution centre, from a capacity standpoint, for Lactalis Group globally. This bold step exemplifies Lactalis Canada’s growth ambitions in Canada as a dairy leader and, more importantly, reinforces our continued commitment and investment in the country and communities in which we operate.” Eric Seguin, SVP of Supply Chain at Lactalis Canada, commented: “The Greater Toronto Area is the optimal hub for this part of our supply chain network across Canada. The Oshawa distribution centre is poised to meet the current needs and future demands of our business and customers, while its sustainable design will transform our network effectiveness and contribute to Lactalis Canada’s ESG agenda in reducing its carbon footprint.” Once complete, the new facility will have the capacity to store up to 60,000 pallets in both cooler and freezer environments and will be ‘zero-carbon ready’ with the potential to be Zero Carbon Building certified. The company says that energy will be sourced “fully on the Ontario power grid with no additional reliance on non-renewable energy sources”. As part of its sustainability credentials, the centre will use energy-efficient lighting controls, equipment and high insulation to reduce the power load imposed on the refrigeration system. Furthermore, heat generated from the refrigeration system will be fully reclaimed and used to heat the facility’s offices and to melt snow for safety reasons. The centre will be built with a white roof to reduce heat and will be installed with solar panels to provide renewable power to “partially or completely offset reliance on the power grid under certain conditions”. Additionally, the new facility will create around 80 jobs in Oshawa and the surrounding region. You may also like to read: Lactalis to purchase dessert manufacturer Marie Morin Canada Brazil regulator advised to block sale of DPA to Lactalis Lactalis fined AUD 950,000 for dairy code of conduct breach

Global snacking company Pladis is expanding the portfolio of its Jacob’s brand with two new flavoured cracker products. A new Jacob’s Cheddars cheese and pickle flavour combines the creaminess of cheddar cheese with sweet, tangy pickle, aiming to ‘reimagine an iconic British flavour duo’ and inject more growth into the Cheddars range. Jacob’s is also launching Rosemary Mediterranean crackers, joining the existing ‘Pinch of Salt’ variant. The new flavour will come in five packs of four crackers and is aimed at driving sales among younger shoppers seeking on-trend flavours. Asli Akman, marketing director at Pladis UK and Ireland, said that with 28% of sales coming from new savoury biscuit shoppers, there is a clear opportunity to recruit new fans, adding that Jacob’s Cheddars’ innovation brings new shoppers to an aready growing category subsegment. “Meanwhile, our goal with Jacob’s Mediterranean Rosemary is to reinvigorate the current Mediterranean portfolio to bring in the most popular flavour combinations, to maximise shopper appeal,” Akman said. “HFSS compliant, Jacob’s Mediterranean Rosemary is also individually wrapped, allowing for greater portion control and offering just 42kcals per cracker.” Jacob’s Mediterranean Rosemary has hit ASDA shelves this month, available in 190g boxes (RRP £1.99) before rolling out further from October. The cheese and pickle Cheddars will launch in ASDA and Morrisons, among others, from October in 150g packs (RRP £1.25). Both products will be available to wholesalers and convenience retailers.

Ebro Foods-owned rice brand Tilda has announced the launch of its new Tasty Sides range, marking its first-ever move beyond rice in the UK. Available in microwavable pouches, Tilda Tasty Sides contains 1 of 5 your day, are a source of protein and are high in fibre. The brand says it is tapping into the increasingly popular quick and easy meal market. The range comprises of four flavours, each inspired by a range of global cuisines. Mexican Fajita is a combination of beans, sweetcorn and red pepper a smoky tomato sauce. Thai Green Curry combines mung beans, red pepper and carrots in a green curry sauce. Indian Black Dhal blends black lentils, spinach and carrots, in a smooth sauce. Finally, Chinese Black Bean is made up of black beans, red pepper and onion in a sauce. Anna Beheshti, head of marketing at Tilda, said: “Tasty Sides is a game-changer that meets consumer demand for taste, health, convenience and versatility – at a competitive price point. Suitable for everyone, in particular students and busy professionals, for both lunch and dinner occasions, these appealing worldwide flavours can easily be paired with a Tilda Ready-to-Heat rice pouch to create delicious meals in minutes.” Earlier this month, Tilda announced the launch of its new Cajun Jambalaya-flavoured rice, a blend of long-grain rice, onions, celery, bell peppers and cajun spices. Tilda’s Tasty Sides will be available in Tesco, Ocado and Amazon Fresh stores from October, for an RRP of £1.99, with further rollout later in the year.

Fonterra has announced its results for the financial year ending 31 July 2023, with a reported profit after tax of NZD 1.6 billion (approx. $952 million). The New Zealand dairy cooperative saw FY reported earnings of 95 cents per share, up from 36 cents per share in the year-ago period. Its reported profit after tax was up 170% on the previous year. Fonterra’s final 2022/23 season Farmgate Milk Price of NZD 8.22 (approx. $4.89) per kgMS was impacted by “reduced demand from key importing regions," the company’s CEO, Miles Hurrell, said in a statement announcing the results. “As the financial year progressed, we saw Global Dairy Trade prices drop, with the average whole milk powder price down 16% compared to last season,” Hurrell said. “We recognise the impact the reduced Farmgate Milk Price has on farmers’ businesses and have utilised our strong balance sheet to introduce a new Advance Rate Schedule guideline to assist on-farm cash flow.” “However, we’re pleased to be announcing a strong full-year dividend of 50 cents per share - comprising an interim dividend of 10 cents per share and a final dividend of 40 cents per share.” Hurrell added that the co-op returned tax free 50 cents per share to shareholders and unit holders in August, following the divestment of Soprole, giving a final cash pay-out to farmers of NZD 9.22 (approx. $5.49) per share backed kgMS. The company completed the divestment of Sorpole and China Farms across the financial year as part of a strategic focus on New Zealand milk. It has also been focusing on emissions reduction goals, introducing a new target of a 50% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, from a 2018 baseline. Fonterra reported a Return on Capital for the last 12 months of 12.4%, up from 6.8% in the comparable period. According to Hurrell, key drivers enabling the business to deliver this result included favourable margins in its ingredients channel, in particular the cheese and protein portfolios. He also noted that the company saw improved performance in its foodservice channel, due to increased product pricing and higher demand as Greater China’s lockdown restrictions began to ease from the start of the calendar year. “On the supply side, full-year milk collections ended the season at 1,480 million kgMS. This is in spite of significant challenges that many farmers faced across New Zealand including rising input costs and adverse weather events in the North Island early in calendar year 2023,” Hurrell said. Looking ahead, Fonterra has projected a 2023/24 Farmgate Milk price range of NZD 6.00 (approx. $3.57)- NZD 7.50 (approx. $4.46) per kgMS. Its forecast earnings rage for continuing operations is 45-60 cents per share. “We are watching market dynamics closely and there are indications demand for New Zealand milk powders will start to return from early 2024,” Hurrell concluded. “Demand for other products, including foodservice and our value-added ingredients, continues to be robust.” “We acknowledge that across the year, farmers will continue to feel the pressure from high input costs and a reduced Farmgate Milk Price. We'll continue to do all that we can to support farmers through this challenging period.”