Energy drink brand, Sneak Energy, has expanded its product range by introducing a new line of caffeinated ice pops, Freezies. Described as "caffeinated, energy-boosting ice pops," Freezies is available in two flavours: Raspberry lemonade and electric mango. Eleanore Chetcuti, brand director at Sneak Energy, said: “At Sneak Energy, our aim is to create unique and engaging products, and our latest Freezies creation is no different. Our new caffeinated ice pop products are the delicious embodiment of innovation and taste, carefully crafted to deliver an explosion of Sneak flavours with a kick of energy." The ice pops are a limited-time release under the brand's new ‘Labs’ banner. It will be available for purchase exclusively on the UK website, with a price of £12 for a box of 12, or two boxes for £20.

A new eight-year trade initiative in Australian horticulture has been given the green light, with a “host of partners” signing onto the programme. The unveiling of the AUD 130 million (approx. $84.34 million) Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA) is described as the “largest and most ambitious trade initiative in Australian horticulture”. The programme will be delivered through the federal horticulture Research and Development Corporation and Hort Innovation, led by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. It will see key Australian export stakeholders and officials joining forces to help protect and grow Australia’s horticultural exports. Through the programme, FASTA will boost biosecurity initiatives to solidify pest-management – insect pests are a major challenge for the country’s horticultural producers as they impact production and domestic and international trade. Australia’s trading partners require evidence that the country’s horticulture exports are insect pest-free. FASTA’s research programme will focus on delivering robust datasets to underpin market access negotiations. This will see state and territory governments working together to standardise their approach to collecting phytosanitary data. The data will demonstrate that Australia’s produce is pest-free and will be used to open new export markets for Australian produce, while improving access to existing ones. The programme will also prioritise increasing understanding about key pests. The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory says that a “multi-discipline, multi-organisational research team of over 70 scientists from across Australia will test new technologies for tracking pests, trapping pests and reducing pest pressure”. Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, said: “This initiative will reduce the impact of endemic pests on sustainable horticulture crop production, improve Australia’s preparedness for future exotic pest incursions and facilitate a national, industry-driven and coordinated approach to research activity supporting horticultural market access and improvements." In 2022, Australia’s top three export commodities were almonds (30% share), table grapes (18%) and citrus (18%). Fruit accounted for AUD 1.2 billion (approx. $779.44 million) of export value, followed by nuts and vegetables. The country’s top export destination in 2022 was China (28.4%) followed by Japan and Vietnam. Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities, Mark Furner, added: “The Australian horticulture sector is known for delivering high-quality and safe produce. Through the delivery of state-of-the-art research and development, FASTA will bolster the nation’s pest management capacity to safeguard the Australian horticulture industry now, and into the future.”

Clean Food Group has announced that it has recently raised an additional £2.3 million in funding to accelerate commercialisation of its sustainable oils and fats technology. The UK-based biotech company announced a recent collaboration with Alianza Team, as reported by FoodBev last week, which included an investment from the Latin American lipid-based technology specialist. Further investment to support Clean Food Group’s technology scale-up has now been announced, with additional industrial investors including ingredients company Döhler Group and cellular agriculture specialist Agronomics. Agronomics previously invested £900,500 in Clean Food Group in June 2022. Its latest investment of £700,000 as part of the funding round was made using cash from the company's own resources. Jim Mellon, executive director of Agronomics and co-chairman of Clean Food Group also participated in the funding round with a £50,000 investment on the same terms. In total, Agronomics will now hold 30.31% of the equity capital on a fully diluted basis. AIM-traded Seed Innovations Limited, of which Mellon has a 6.95% holding, also invested in the round. Capital raised from this funding will enable Clean Food Group to accelerate the scale-up of its technology platform while advancing critical regulatory and commercial pathways. The additional £2.3 million makes up part of a total of £10 million in funding raised so far. The company expects to complete a Series A funding round in 2024, which will support the build out of a commercial scale manufacturing facility. Clean Food Group has signed a services agreement with Döhler, designed to rapidly scale its fermentation process to a commercial level and enable the manufacture of product batches required for regulatory approval for cosmetics and food applications. A successful fermentation run at 1,000 litres was recently completed, with the manufacture of product batches for regulatory approvals to be completed later this year. Co-founder and CEO, Alex Neves, said: “We are delighted with the rapid progress the business has made in the past year. The successful conclusion of this current funding round validates the important strides our business is taking in solving critical sustainability and supply chain challenges facing our food and cosmetic manufacturer customers.” Clean Food Group and Agronomics' Jim Mellon added: "Agronomics' portfolio speaks to the breadth of disruption emerging from biomanufacturing on conventional agriculture and beyond. This fundraise marks an important milestone for Clean Food Group in the mission to drive transformative changes across the food industry by providing an alternative to palm oil in food and cosmetic production."

Bottlegreen, a UK-based premium cordial and Edwards 1902, a vodka made from potatoes, have teamed up to create an elderflower vodka liqueur. Available in 50cl bottles for an RRP of £26, the 20% ABV liqueur blends smooth, potato vodka with cordial containing hand-picked elderflowers to produce the “first” all-British co-branded elderflower liqueur. The liqueur is crafted and hand bottled at the Elsham Wold Distillery in Lincolnshire, England, UK. Edwards vodka is made from King Edward potatoes grown locally at the distillery by co-founder Richard Arungel. Meanwhile, Bottlegreen cordial uses hand-picked elderflowers and Cotswold spring water drawn from an on-site spring. Sarah Lawson, head of marketing – softs at SHS Drinks, said: “Bottlegreen cordial is well established as a quality ingredient for cocktails, so we were thrilled when Edwards approached us about this exciting joint initiative. We have 34 years of expertise in adult-inspired soft drinks and, while this is the first time we’ve put the brand name to an alcohol product, all Bottlegreen drinks are crafted using specialist, flavour-enhancing processes traditionally employed by winemakers, so the alcohol category isn’t totally alien to us.” Emma Hamilton, co-founder of Edwards vodka, commented: “To partner with Bottlegreen is a great opportunity. The new release results from a very clear meeting of minds. Both companies have a shared objective and, as importantly, a shared approach: Edwards 1902 places quality at the very heart of everything it does, and the same can be said of Bottlegreen, and both brands strive to help make great-tasting, first-rate cocktails, be that by skilled bartenders or by consumers in their own homes.”

Green packaging manufacturer Cascades has announced that it is to close the second paper machine at its tissue plant in St. Helens, Oregon, US, resulting in a complete shutdown of the facility. Operations are expected to end by the beginning of October 2023. The decision follows the company's repositioning of its tissue papers production platform to improve business performance, which included the closure of one of the two paper machines at the St. Helens plant. President and chief operating officer of Cascades Tissue Group, Jean-David Tardif, said: "Over the past few months, market conditions on the West Coast and a significant decline in demand in this region for brown recycled products specifically manufactured at the facility have compromised the long-term financial viability of the plant. Consequently, we made the decision to end the plant's operations." Cascades said the announcement “further simplifies” the company's operational platform by concentrating most of its tissue product operating activities at better locations that offer opportunities for future development. The annual capacity of the machine is said to be around 50,000 short tons of brown 100% recycled tissue paper. The company said that the closure will have no impact on any of its other operations. Cascades stated it will work closely with the 75 employees affected and will attempt to relocate those who wish to its other business units in the US. Those who cannot or do not want to be reassigned to other facilities will be supported in their job search.

Mondelēz International has announced its Christmas line-up, including products from Cadbury. This year, Cadbury’s Mini Snowballs range will be joined by a 296g bag format, suitable for sharing, which will be available in UK stores for an RRP of £4.50 Cadbury Dairy Milk Advent Calendar 340g has new additions, with ten Cadbury Dairy Milk Chunks, five Cadbury Dairy Milk Robins, four Hazelnut Jingly Bells, four Caramel Chunks and one 100g Winter Wonderland Bar, which will retail at £10. A new Cadbury Buttons Selection Box will also be rolling out this year, which includes four different flavoured treat bags: Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons, Cadbury Dairy Milk Orange Buttons, Cadbury Dairy Milk Salted Caramel Nibbles and Caramilk Buttons. The selection box will retail at £6.50. In addition, Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Orange Crisp 360g will join the line-up, featuring festive orange flavouring and will be available for an RRP of £3.50.

Mondelēz International has teamed up with Amcor to invest in Australian recycling technology company Licella. The initiative will help promote a circular economy for plastic packaging in Australia. The investment will support Licella in advancing the construction of one of Australia's first advanced recycling facilities. By utilising Licella's catalytic hydrothermal reactor (Cat-HTR) technology, Licella will recycle end-of-life plastic back into a crude oil substitute to produce fresh food-grade plastic packaging. Anticipated to initially process approximately 20,000 tons per year of end-of-life plastic, the new Australian facility, named Advanced Recycling Victoria (ARV), has plans for future expansion to reach a capacity of 120,000 tons per year. Mondelēz aims to use recycled materials from this facility through its partnership with Amcor, to meet a significant portion of its soft plastic packaging requirements in Australia. This move is said to reduce the company's need for virgin plastic in Australia. Christine Montenegro McGrath, senior VP and chief global impact and sustainability officer at Mondelēz, said: “While plastic plays an important part in the security, quality, protection and preservation of food products, there is a gap in sustainable local recycling solutions". She continued: “Our packaging strategy is focused on using better packaging and helping to build better systems. This investment brings together multiple stakeholders in the supply chain to scale the infrastructure and technology needed to help create a more sustainable future for plastics and is part of our longer-term focus on working toward our goal of net-zero packaging waste by supporting circular economies.” Len Humphreys, Licella's CEO, commented: “This is the leading technology of its kind globally, and it was developed here in Australia. This investment will help advance our Australian facility at a time when demand for sustainable plastic solutions, that also help provide food-grade recycled content, is growing exponentially." Mike Cash, president of Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific, added: “Amcor will be able to meet increasing customer demand for recycled content in the region with this investment, as well as take another step closer to achieving our target of 30% recycled content across Amcor’s portfolio by 2030”.

JBT’s Proseal, a manufacturer of tray-sealing machinery, has launched the CP4, a new addition to its CP range of case-packing machines. According to the company, the CP4 aims to provide food manufacturers with "an unparalleled level of efficiency, flexibility and profitability in their packaging processes". Distinguishing itself from the existing CP2 and CP3 models in the CP series, Proseal's CP4 is said to stand out due to its enhanced capacity for packing trays at an even higher production rate. Capable of handling a diverse range of tray formats and sealing methods, spanning from fresh produce and protein to snacks and ready meals, the CP4 has the ability to process up to 240 packs per minute (depending on the product). Equipped with Proseal's latest control system, the machine enables "intuitive operation" and "real-time performance monitoring," allowing food producers to quickly tackle potential issues, thereby reducing downtime and enhancing productivity. The CP4 also features quick-release conveyors to facilitate belt maintenance. JBT said that a standout attribute is its quick-release tooling system, which significantly reduces product changeover times, often accomplished in under a minute. "The launch of the CP4 case packer is a monumental development not just for Proseal, but for the food packing industry as a whole," said Jon Garner, Proseal's president. "The CP4's advanced features, compact design and flexibility make it a game-changing solution for food producers seeking to optimise their packaging operations." JBT explained that Proseal's case packing range is equipped with Proseal's ProMotion intelligent tray spacing system. This feature manages the flow of trays, allowing uninterrupted feeding into the machine at speeds of up to 240 packs per minute. The CP4 can handle a wide variety of pack formats, including trays and pots constructed from materials like A-PET, C-PET and board. In addition, the technology also uses Proseal’s spare parts, which are applicable to both their tray sealing and case packing lines, "promoting ease of use and minimal required storage for a wide range of parts in the production area, helping to ensure the machines are running at required production speeds with minimal downtime or interruptions," said JBT.

Emergent Cold Latin America (Emergent Cold LatAm) has inaugurated its facilities in the Dominican Republic, intending to invest up to $40 million in the country. The operation aims to position the cold storage specialist as a hub and strategic ally for importers and exporters throughout the Caribbean. The modern warehouse has the capacity for 8,000 frozen pallets and a large anteroom for value-added operations. In the initial stage, 50 job positions will be generated as the company marks the beginning of its operations in the country. According to Emergent Cold LatAm, construction followed the EDGE Advanced sustainability standards, with a focus on environmentally efficient operations. For example, non-ozone-depleting refrigerants are being used, along with energy and water-saving systems. Emergent Cold LatAm’s warehouse is located within the facilities of DP World Dominicana, which also holds a port terminal considered one of the logistics hubs of Latin America and the Caribbean. Carlos Fernandez, the head of Emergent Cold LatAm in the country, highlighted that the Dominican Republic is a significant exporter and producer of cocoa, bananas and avocados in addition to having a strong food industry. He added: “By starting our operations in the country, Emergent Cold LatAm reaffirms its commitment to logistics services throughout Latin America and contributes to the consolidation of the Dominican Republic as the ideal logistics hub for distribution in the Americas and the Caribbean”. Ramón Badía, commercial director of DP World Dominicana, said that with the opening of the warehouse, clients of Emergent Cold LatAm and of DP World Dominicana will have access to cold chain solutions that will integrate into both supply chains. "DP World Dominicana aims to further enhance the nation's attractiveness by integrating the port, logistics, and manufacturing into a single platform, generating new job opportunities, boosting the Dominican economy, and improving the quality of life of its population,” Badía commented. “Therefore, the partnership with Emergent Cold LatAm perfectly fits the future vision and growth plan of our organisation, not only for the region but for entire country.” The company inaugurated another new facility in Ecuador last month, with several more under construction to complete a total of 11 countries across Latin America.

Post Consumer Brands cereal brand Pebbles has launched a new line of frozen waffles in Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles flavours. The waffles feature a buttermilk batter base filled with either a chocolate flavour or bursts of fruity colour. Joe Christenson, senior brand manager of Pebbles, said: “Pebbles cereal fans are always looking for new ways to experience their favourite cereal. We’ve seen fans get creative by mixing Pebbles cereal into waffles and other breakfast recipes, so we were inspired to launch Pebbles Waffles in collaboration with Bob Evans Farms for a fun, easy way to enjoy the iconic flavour of Pebbles cereal.” Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles are both available at retailers, including Affiliated Amarillo, Brookshire Brothers, Boyers Food Market, and more.

Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons has announced the launch of a concentrated cold brew range in US retailers, available in four flavours. The Cold Brew Concentrate is available in Medium Blend Black, Birthday Cake, Cinnamon Swirl and Mocha Cereal flavours, for consumers to enjoy at home. Each concentrate is packaged in a 32 oz multi-serve bottle, offering eight individual servings when prepared as directed. Mixed with water and ice, it can be enjoyed black or topped with milk or cream as desired. Markus Sturm, head of consumer packaged goods at Tim Hortons, said: “Consumers will love every delicious sip of our Tim Hortons Cold Brew Concentrate. The smooth taste is crafted with 100% Arabica Beans for a flavour experience inspired by the Cold Brew we have in Tim Hortons restaurants.” The range is now rolling out at participating Walmart and regional grocery locations across the US, the first time that a Tim Hortons product has been made available in all 50 states.

Global supplier of sweet and savoury flavours, extracts and essences, Synergy Flavors has announced the opening of its new savoury innovation centre in Wauconda, Illinois, US. Located at the company’s US headquarters, the new 12,500-square-foot facility features a dedicated space for flavour development, laboratories where customers can work alongside Synergy’s technical team, and a state-of-the-art applications lab that can replicate customers’ commercial kitchens and processing conditions. The facility includes a new culinary demonstration kitchen that can host tasting and innovation sessions with customers. A pilot plant for customer sample production, scale-up and flavour intermediates will be housed inside the savoury centre and will feature pilot spray dryers, flavour reactors, vacuum drying and retort capabilities. Mike Brown, vice president of R&D and Innovation at Synergy, said: “We have seen tremendous interest from our customers to tour the facility and work alongside our team in the culinary demonstration kitchen. We look forward to hosting all of our customers in the near future at our state-of-the-art facility for tasting and innovation sessions.” In May 2021, Synergy acquired Innova Flavors to better meet customers’ growing demands for savoury ingredients, natural flavourings and expanded plant-based offerings. Brown continued: “This expansion brings all of our business segments under one roof, strengthening our offerings and positioning us to better serve our customers”. According to Synergy, these infrastructure investments support its focus on target markets, as well as its commitment to ongoing collaboration and innovation with its customers. Synergy's president and CEO, Rod Sowders, added: “The new savoury centre will increase efficiency and allow for greater cross-functional collaboration between the teams. We continue to make significant investments in our future, to continue to be the go-to flavour company for all of our customers’ product line needs.”