Harvest Snaps has introduced a new bag-in-bag offering with a new product featured in the line-up. Crunchy Loops Sour Cream & Onion makes its debut in the line-up. The new ring-shaped, red lentil snack features buttery, creamy sour cream paired with onion. The snack bags are said to be ideally sized for lunchboxes, backpacks or handbags, and include six bags and three flavours. It includes Crunchy Loops Sour Cream & Onion, Harvest Snaps Lightly Salted and Harvest Snaps Tomato Basil Packed with plant protein and a good source of fibre, the products are made from the whole legume milled in-house to provide maximum nutrition. The snacks are always baked and contain no artificial flavours or preservatives. They are also certified gluten-free, vegetarian-friendly, and free of common allergens such as wheat, soy, nuts, peanuts and eggs. Said Maiko Shimano, senior marketing manager at Calbee America, said: "Whether you're packing your child's lunch or looking for a plant-based pick-me-up for the workday, Harvest Snaps' new mixed snack pack provides busy families with super-satisfying, better-for-you snack alternatives that are individually packaged so they can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere." Harvest Snaps' Mixed Snack Pack is available for US retailers to sell for an SRP of $6.99.

At the upcoming PPMA Show, held on 26 - 28 September, Endoline Automation will launch a solution for customers looking to make their packaging lines more efficient. Endoline will launch its 248 Fully Automatic Case Erector, which has been fitted with an SMC Air Management System (AMS) to monitor the system’s air consumption and reduce customer energy costs significantly. According to Endoline, compressed air typically accounts for up to 40% of a manufacturing facility’s total energy bill and leak rates can be high if not monitored effectively. The system features an OPCUA open dashboard facility to monitor the output of compressed air from the systems. Andrew Yates, managing director of Endoline Automation, commented: “Our fully automatic case erectors are powered by servo drives which permits greater flexibility and control by allowing almost instant acceleration and deceleration of cases through the erecting process. Servo drives only use power when needed, saving energy. However, we are very aware of the pressures on our customers to drive down energy costs further and the use of compressed air can push these costs up if not monitored correctly.” He added: “We are delighted to now offer a solution which will not only reduce energy costs for clients but make our systems even more efficient”.

SmartSoda has entered into the ready-to-drink category with the launch of Brilliant Life Drink. SmartSoda's Brilliant Life Drink line, which features vitamin-infused alkaline water, is available in three functional offerings: Brilliant Sparkling Water, Optimize Plus Immunity and Quantum Energy and Focus. Brilliant Sparkling Water includes three flavours: Wild Passionberry, Limone Dream and Bright Citrus Sunshine. Meanwhile, the Optimize Plus Immunity series – designed to support daily immune function with zinc, turmeric, ginger, magnesium and elderberry – offers three flavours: Yuzu-Currant Noir, Posh Gran-Limone and Pomelo Breeze. Quantum – infused with l-theanine to provide natural energy and paired with ginseng, guayusa and guarana to enhance focus – boasts flavours like Peachberry Lust, Lush Berry and Blackcurrant Affair. SmartSoda's CEO, Lior Shafir, said: “Today marks an exciting milestone in our journey to redefine the wellness beverage category with the launch of our Brilliant Life Drink. Now you can enjoy SmartSoda both in the office and on the go”. SmartSoda's VP of business development, Alex Garson, added: “Over the past two years, we made it our mission to perfect a sparkling, functional beverage that was crafted with clean ingredients, didn’t sacrifice taste and delivered on health benefits. We analysed the market to develop a beverage that stays true to SmartSoda standards and meets consumers' demands for a better functional beverage option." SmartSoda Brilliant Life Drink is available on Amazon this autumn and other foodservice distribution channels.

Mediterranean food brand Cypressa is launching a range of olive snack pouches in the UK. Available in three flavours – plain, chilli and garlic & herb – Cypressa’s pitted Greek olive snack pouches. Harry Constantinou, commercial controller at Cypressa, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer Cypressa’s popular olive varieties in a smaller format for busy commuters and those looking for quick and healthy snacks to keep them fuelled throughout the day". He added: “These new olive pouches are perfect for eating on the go, including in lunch boxes, or having as a standby snack in your desk or bag for delicious flavours of the Mediterranean, anywhere, any time – they’re the perfect healthy snack". Cypressa’s Greek Olive pouches will be available in Asda and WHSmith stores nationwide for an RRP of £1.25-£1.50.

UK food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon is set to open a new 30,000-square-foot facility at Slough Trading Estate in Slough, UK, creating up to 200 new job opportunities. Around Noon manufactures food products such as sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit pots for airlines, coffee chains and caterers. The company says that the new plant will increase its manufacturing capacity in Slough alone by approximately £50 million. According to the company, Around Noon has experienced "strong organic growth" in recent periods, including securing a series of large contracts in the travel, foodservice and coffee sectors. Gareth Chambers, CEO of Around Noon, said: “We have grown our run rate at Around Noon in Slough from £4 million per annum in 2018 to around £30m per annum today. We now manufacture over 400,000 products per week at the existing Slough factory, and we are really pleased to have secured additional premises at Slough Trading Estate to support our ongoing growth.” James Craddock, Thames Valley managing director at Segro – owner of Slough Trading Estate –, said: “This is a wonderful example of how the quality and management of our workspace combined with our flexibility and understanding of our customers’ property needs has enabled us to retain and grow our diverse customer base on the Slough Trading Estate". “Around Noon is a strong, growing business, and we’re very pleased to have been able to accommodate them in this upgraded facility and enable their business growth, particularly at a time when the vacancy rate at Slough Trading Estate remains very low at 2.7%.” Additionally, the new facility is said to be undergoing a "major renovation" in line with the developer’s ‘Responsible Segro’ commitment to champion low-carbon growth.

Glasgow-based independent food brand BeeHype Honey has launched what it claims to be the UK’s first ever salted honey product. The start-up has introduced the product as a healthier alternative to salted caramel, forming part of its mission to reshape the honey industry and popularise honey. It combines two natural ingredients – raw honey and alpine salt. The product is gluten and dairy-free and has 30% fewer calories than traditional salted caramel spreads, BeeHype said. Stela Aleksieva, BeeHype’s co-founder, said: “It's truly remarkable how something as simple as a pinch of salt can change the flavour of honey and elevate its sweetness”. “When we give out samples of our Salted Honey, people are always surprised how we’ve made honey taste as decadent as salted caramel, and they love its velvety, creamy texture.” Salted Honey is available in UK Selfridges stores as well as over 150 independent stores across the country, as well as directly through BeeHype’s website. It joins BeeHype’s existing portfolio of honey products, which also includes the recently launched Ginger Boost ginger honey and the Happy Bee Pollen, designed to boost immunity with natural vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Global agriculture company Cofco International has marked the beginning of construction on the STS11 agriculture terminal at the Port of Santos in Brazil. The new terminal will expand the company’s own port capacity in Brazil from 3 to 14 million tonnes. Operations are scheduled to commence in phases between 2025 and 2026. Cofco International is the overseas agriculture business platform for the Chinese food and agriculture company, Cofco Corporation. The company employs more than 11,000 people in 37 countries and aims to create a “world-class global agri-business”, leading in the global grains, oilseeds and sugar supply chains. With a strategic location on the State of São Paulo coastland, the Port of Santos is the largest in Latin America connecting over 600 ports in 125 countries. Almost 27% of Brazil’s trade balance ($112.3 billion) passes through the port, according to Santos Port Authority. Cofco International held a ceremony on 8 August to mark the beginning of construction, attended by representatives from the Santos Municipal Government, Santos Port Authority and other Chinese companies in Brazil. The company said the expansion reinforces its commitment to the Port of Santos and sustainable development of Brazilian agriculture, enabling the creation of more jobs in Santos and providing more choice and long-term support to Brazilian farmers and local communities across the country.

The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has regarded Bermudian company Bacardi in a list of “international war sponsors” after continuing business operations in Russia. The NACP is a central executive body responsible for developing anti-corruption policies and preventing corruption in Ukraine. It stated that Bacardi has continued business operations in the Russian Federation and is actively seeking employees there. With less competition in the Russian alcohol market, data on the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation showed that Bacardi Russia’s revenue in 2022 increased by 8.5% to RUB 32.6 billion (approx. $12.88 billion), and the net profit to RUB 4.7 billion (approx. $1.85 billion). The spike represents 206.5% more than in 2021. Consequently, the company paid Russia more than $12 million in income tax, according to the statement. Bacardi owns more than 200 trademarks, with brands such as Baron Otard, D’USSÉ, Bombay, Bacardi, Cazadores and Grey Goose. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bacardi announced it would stop exporting to Russia and stop investing in advertising, but this part later disappeared from the company’s official statement, according to the NACP. In a statement on its website, Bacardi says that its “priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing” of its people, “especially those directly affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine”. It says in the statement that it is supporting Ukraine with the resources and services necessary. However, the NACP says that Bacardi continued to supply its products to the Russian Federation for millions of dollars. The Russian division of the Bacardi Rus company is said to have imported goods worth $169 million during the year of the war in Ukraine, resulting in significant taxes paid to the budget of Russia. FoodBev has reached out to Bacardi for comment.

European bakery products manufacturer Baker & Baker is launching a Cadbury Crunchie doughnut for the UK fresh in-store bakery market. The launch is said to be the first Cadbury Crunchie product to be created for fresh in-store bakery and joins Baker & Baker’s other Cadbury brands in the space, including Dairy Milk and Dairy Milk Caramel. The Cadbury Crunchie doughnut features soft dough with a caramel filling, topped with Cadbury chocolate honeycomb flavoured icing and chocolate-coated golden honeycomb pieces. Initially, the Cadbury Crunchie doughnut will be launched as a two-pack with retailers. Michael Bancroft, licensing director at Baker & Baker, commented: “The launch of our Cadbury Crunchie doughnut has the potential to deliver significant shake-up and impact within in-store bakery. Crunchie is a much-loved and distinctive confectionery brand, and we’ve created a doughnut to deliver that memorable Crunchie taste and honeycomb texture which we believe will generate broad consumer appeal.” The Cadbury Crunchie Doughnut is now available in Co-op stores in the UK and will roll out into Morrison’s in September, with an RRP of £1.75.

Aquamar is introducing a ready-to-eat refrigerated Seafood Tenders line, designed to offer seafood in a more affordable and convenient format. The new line includes four varieties: smoked salmon, cod, crab and smoked haddock. Each product is made with wild-caught seafood, contains no bones and can provide an “easy protein add-on” for any dish, the California-based seafood brand said. Daryl Gormley, CEO of Aquamar, commented: “The launch of Aquamar Seafood Tenders is our latest value-added seafood offering where both retailers and consumers will benefit. At Aquamar, we believe everyone should have access to healthy, high-quality protein, and our focus is on premium, ready-to-eat seafood solutions that are both affordable and convenient to prepare.” Gormley added: “For retailers, easy-to-prepare seafood options are worth an estimated additional $8 billion per year, and this innovative new line means adding significantly to their share-of-wallet”.

Amcor has signed an agreement to acquire India-based flexible packaging company, Phoenix Flexibles, for an undisclosed amount. Phoenix Flexibles operates a single facility located in Gujarat, India. The company's operations generate annual revenue of approximately $20 million from the sale of flexible packaging for food, home care and personal care applications. The acquisition will expand Amcor's capacity in the high-growth Indian market. It will also introduce advanced film technology, facilitating the local production of a broader range of environmentally conscious packaging solutions. Furthermore, it will provide Amcor with the capacity to expand its product portfolio into "attractive high-value segments". Amcor Flexibles' Asia Pacific president, Mike Cash, said: "Amcor continues to see substantial opportunities to grow our flexible packaging business in India. With this acquisition, we are investing to maintain and build upon the significant momentum the business has delivered over several years." He continued: "The scalable nature of the acquired facility, combined with the localisation of new capabilities, further enhances our customer value proposition in this attractive high-growth market". The deal, which is subject to customary closing procedures, is expected to close next month.

UK-based tea company Bird & Blend has launched a cohort of new tea blends, in two new partnerships with confectionery brand Swizzels and stop motion franchise Wallace & Gromit. Bird & Blend worked closely with Swizzels to create four new sweet-inspired teas blending a range of ingredients including herbs, flowers and fruit. The teas are based on Swizzels popular Love Hearts, Refreshers, Parma Violets and Drumstick Lollies sweets. Each tea blend is said to contain the distinctive smell and taste of the sweets. The Love Hearts variety is made with apple pieces, rosehip, hibiscus and elderberries; Parma Violets features black tea, hibiscus and mallow flowers; Refreshers includes apple pieces, rosehip, lemongrass, orange peel and calendula petals; and Drumstick consists of apple pieces, rosehip, hibiscus, Chinese oolong tea, sunflower petals and freeze-dried raspberry. Jeremy Dee, MD at Swizzels, said: “To be able to work with another innovative brand and watch the tea blends come to life has been amazing. There is nothing more quintessentially British than sitting down to enjoy a cup of tea and being able to experience some of our most well-known sweet flavours in tea form is really incredible.” Bird & Blend has launched another new flavour, this time in collaboration with animation studio Aardman which is celebrating 30 years since the launch of Wallace & Gromit. The new blend, named More Tea Gromit?, features a blend of Sri Lankan black tea, yerba mate – a South American herbal tea –, desiccated coconut and freeze-dried cranberry. Bird & Blend co-founder Krisi Smith commented: “As a flavour creator, I took inspiration from the greatest inventor of all time, Wallace. Knowing he and Gromit would require a blend that would ignite new ideas, I opted for a traditional black breakfast tea but with a surprising and delightful twist. I really had fun inventing this blend and as a business, we’re thrilled to be a part of Aardman’s celebratory programme.”