Fisher & Paykel has announced the introduction of its new cooling appliance, the Integrated Triple Zone Refrigerator. The Integrated Triple Zone Refrigerator expands on Fisher & Paykel's existing refrigeration technology by incorporating three distinct cooling zones, providing optimal temperature control and flexibility. The technology is available in both refrigerator and freezer models, as well as stainless steel and integrated panel designs. The machine utilises three evaporators to independently control three separate storage areas, ensuring "exceptional temperature control," said the company. Users are able to customise each zone according to the specific ingredients, providing an ideal storage environment with optimal temperature and humidity settings. With the ability to select from three refrigeration modes, including chill, fridge and pantry, users have control over their food preservation. Additionally, the Triple Zone Freezer modes offer extra flexibility and storage options, including freezer, soft freeze and chill. The refrigerator’s variable temperature zones are said to help reduce food waste by extending the overall shelf life. Fisher & Paykel said: "Chill mode can extend the shelf life of red meat nearly three times longer than regular refrigerator settings while pantry mode provides a cool, dark place for foods that perish quickly at room temperature but are too sensitive for standard refrigeration temperatures, such as nuts and avocados". Users can control preset temperature modes with the brand’s high-resolution LCD touchscreen or through the SmartHQ Application, which will recommend ideal temperature settings. With a choice of up to nine different configurations, the triple zone cooling technology helps reduce energy consumption by creating tailored environments for the food care system rather than keeping all food types in the coolest setting. Jennifer Bradley, VP of product management at Fisher & Paykel USA, said: "At Fisher & Paykel, we've been mastering the art of temperature for decades. With the launch of our Triple Zone cooling technology, the brand continues to set industry standards across innovative food care and preservation to reduce waste, save resources and ensure perfect results. This exciting introduction is poised to have a significant impact on how people care for a variety of foods, tailoring cooling solutions to their precise needs and preferences.”

Cargill has partnered with the Netherlands-based towage and maritime company Kotug to deploy the “world’s first” fully electric pusher boat and barges. Kotug International’s zero-emission E-Pusher and E-Barges will be used by Cargill to transport cocoa beans from the Port of Amsterdam to its cocoa factory in Zaandam, the Netherlands. Cargill stated that pushers and barges are essential and efficient methods of delivering goods by water from Dutch ports. With the deployment, Cargill has claimed that it is the first company globally to put fully electrified pusher and barges for inland shipping, into operation – which it says eliminates emissions and noise pollution. The vessels are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge propulsion systems, eliminating emissions including CO2, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Cargill expects the fully electric pusher boats and barges to reduce CO2 emissions by 190,000 kg per year, which is said to be the equivalent of 15,000 one-way trips by truck from the Port of Amsterdam to Cargill’s cocoa factory in Zaandam. Emiel van Dijk, Cargill’s MD of cocoa and chocolate, Europe and West Africa, said: “Electrifying the transportation of our cocoa beans is just one example of how we are implementing new, innovative sustainable practices to reduce our impact on the planet and protect people. The Kotug E-pusher Type M is the first-of-its-kind and Cargill is excited to be a partner in launching it in the Netherlands.” Kotug International’s president and CEO, Ard-Jan Kooren, added: “This ground-breaking achievement aligns with our mission to provide sustainable solutions to the maritime industry. By introducing the world's first zero emission vessel of this set-up we aim to inspire other shipping companies, governments, and stakeholders to embrace clean energy solutions and make significant strides towards achieving the global climate goals for the next generation.” The boats will run on green energy from the wind farm that Cargill and Swedish power company Vattenfall operate in partnership with Windpark Hanze. Windpark Hanze is a 90-megawatt onshore repowered wind power project, consisting of 15 wind turbines, located in Flevoland, the Netherlands.

BelliWelli is releasing a new flavour, Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate, which joins its portfolio of better-for-you snacks. The new flavour joins the existing SKUs of Chocolate Chip, Strawberry Shortcake, Cinnamon Swirl and Birthday Cake. BelliWelli is a wellness brand that caters to consumers with gut issues such as IBS through its range of gluten- and dairy-free products, packed with probiotics. The Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate bar features a combination of soft peanut butter packed with quinoa crisps, peanut chunks and chocolate chips and is packed with fibre. The gluten-free bars will be launching in Sprouts stores in the US on 12 June for $2.99 and then d2c channels including Amazon shortly afterwards. The launch comes months after the wellness brand raised $15.4 million in a Series A funding round.

Vina, a prebiotic soda brand based in Los Angeles, has announced a national rollout at Sprouts Farmers Markets with two new caffeinated flavours. The two exclusive new flavours are Dr Spice, described as a “playful take on spiced cola” and Peach Pop, a fruity peach soda. Both flavours are part of a new caffeinated collection, which features 40mg of ‘Clean Caffeine’, sourced from yerba mate extract and green coffee beans. Vina said that this promises the “gentle focused buzz” of caffeine without the steep crash associated with more traditional sources. The roll-out will cover all 393 Sprouts locations nationwide, spanning 23 states. Two additional flavours are available at the retailer, Pomegranate and Cherry Pop. All four will retail in stores for $2.49 with a special introductory promo of 2 for $4 running through the end of June 2023. The brand aims to craft smarter and healthier alternatives to traditional soft drinks, “recalibrating” the soda category to include tasty options that allow for smart swaps in diet and lifestyle with a particular focus on the brain-gut connection.

MidOcean Partners has announced that it has acquired QualiTech, a manufacturer of food ingredients and specialty nutrition products. Based in New York, MidOcean Partners is an alternative asset manager specialising in mid-market private equity and alternative credit investments. The transaction, which transfers ownership of QualiTech to MidOcean from the Ploen family, aims to pave the way for new investment to expand capabilities and capacity and drive “new levels of growth”. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Chaska, Minnesota, QualiTech produces a variety of savoury blends for food products, vitamins and minerals. QualiTech CEO Mike Hodgens described the acquisition as a major milestone for QualiTech as the company continues to strategically scale its products and services. He commented: “The only thing more remarkable than the significant growth and success that QualiTech has experienced over the past several years is the opportunity that lies before us”. “We are confident that MidOcean’s significant industry knowledge in the food value chain, deep operational expertise, and track record of successfully growing food and ingredients businesses will help QualiTech accelerate our growth and build on the strong foundation we have established over the last 57 years.” QualiTech’s business operates across several key focus areas within MidOcean’s food value chain initiative. MidOcean’s investment in the company follows others it has made in the food and ingredient product industries, including Florida Food Products and Casper’s Ice Cream. MidOcean said it plans to leverage its food industry expertise to support QualiTech’s continued growth through both organic investments in R&D and product innovation, and strategic transactions. Steven Loeffler, principal at MidOcean said: “QualiTech’s multiple distinct business lines afford MidOcean an exciting opportunity where we can help the company continue to build upon its rich heritage and scale its exceptional product offerings. QualiTech’s excellence in food ingredients, animal nutrition and plant nutrition, are highly synergistic with MidOcean’s expertise in the food ecosystem.”

US farmers will soon be able to grow a new type of corn genetically modified by Bayer AG to be shorter than typical crops, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said. APHIS reviewed a corn plant modified by Bayer through genetic engineering, stating that the plant “may be safely grown and bred” in the US, in a notice on Wednesday. Bayer modified the corn gene to reduce gibberellic acid – a plant growth hormone – to produce shorter plants and reduce the likelihood of stalk lodging (breakage of the corn stalk). Severe weather and stress during grain fill and stalk rot pathogens are common causes of the breakage. Bayer says it still needs approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and importing countries before it can launch the corn in the US. In a statement to FoodBev, Bayer said: "We are pleased that USDA has completed its review of our MON 94804 biotech short stature corn trait and we look forward to advancing through the process of obtaining pending approvals with other US agencies and relevant import countries. We anticipate our biotech short stature corn trait will be in the market mid-to-late this decade."

The Vollrath Company has introduced the SerVue, a touchless, refrigerated, self-serve salad bar. SerVue uses sensors to automatically dispense the desired amount of food from canisters, which replaces the open-air design of a traditional salad bar. The SerVue is equipped with intelligent sensors located at the bottom of each canister, which are capable of detecting the presence of a bowl or plate and then dispensing the appropriate ingredients automatically. According to the company, "this functionality can be dialled in to provide the precise amount of each ingredient, allowing more oversight of controlled portions and food costs". SerVue features double glass doors that house eight transparent ingredient canisters. With its refrigeration system, the unit maintains a better temperature than a typical drop-in or serving line, ensuring the freshness of the stored products. Ingredients are self-contained and protected within SerVue's respective canisters, safeguarding them against germs and other contaminants. Brian Hedlund, senior vice president of foodservice for Vollrath, commented: "SerVue features an elevated refrigeration area that provides a beautiful visual showcase of ingredients. It gives customers a completely new, exciting and safe way to serve themselves at a salad bar and makes checking and refilling ingredients a breeze for the operator."

Kellogg’s UK has added a new limited-edition ‘Strawberry Sundae’ flavour to its American Style Rice Krispies Squares range. The new bars are available now in Asda, starting at a RRP of £1.65 for a pack of four, with other UK stores to follow in the coming weeks. The bars combine a classic, well-loved flavour in strawberry with a "mouth-watering sundae twist", inspired by retro American diners. Sam Harper, Kellogg’s UK&I snacks activation brand lead, said: “Our American Style range of Rice Krispies Squares has continued to go down a treat with shoppers, so we cannot wait to add a tasty new flavour. The addition of our limited-edition Strawberry Sundae flavour is something we know Squares fans will love.” This latest flavour joins the American Style portfolio, which includes the Mint Choc Shake flavour that launched last year.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a new project to promote sustainable cocoa and coffee production in Indonesia. Collaborating on the project with USAID are The Hershey Company, Rikolto, the Indonesian government and PT Olam Indonesia – part of Olam Food Ingredients (OFI). Climate change poses a threat to the future of coffee and chocolate in Indonesia, where many smallholders who grow these crops struggle to access the proper support to adapt to the conditions. The Landscape Approach to Sustainable and Climate Change Resilient Cocoa and Coffee Agroforestry (LASCARCOCO) project is a joint investment from the partners of $8.2m. It aims to assist 6,500 cocoa and coffee farmers in increasing their yields by 25% while conserving 14,000 hectares of the watershed and riparian buffers by 2025. It is one of six existing projects and $50 million of investment that USAID, OFI and other partners are jointly implementing to help farmers be responsible stewards of their environment. LASCARCOCO will work towards improving sustainable livelihoods through training on Good Agricultural Practices and “climate-smart” agroforestry, where cocoa and coffee are grown alongside other income-generating crops. It also aims to promote climate-friendly landscape management, build an evidence-based blueprint for scaling up agroforestry techniques and create transparent, traceable supply chains. Farmers will be registered on OFI’s app to provide “complete visibility” of the environmental and social credentials of cocoa and coffee from the project. Ravi Pokhriyal, president and regional head of Asia at OFI said: “Smallholders are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Without the right resources and inputs, they can't grow enough to earn a living, and the world could face a shortage of the coffee and chocolate we all love.” Pokhriyal said that the partnership demonstrates how the private and public sectors can unite to address the challenges. He added: “For nearly two decades, we’ve collaborated with our customers and partners to deliver positive impact across the value chain in Indonesia, from supporting over 80,000 cocoa and coffee farmers in our programmes to co-creating on-trend products consumers in APAC will love from our processing facility in Indonesia and Singapore Customer Solutions Centre”.

Vertical farming company AeroFarms has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware, US, as it seeks legal protection to restructure its finances and operations. The US Courts government website states that a case filed under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code is "frequently referred to as a "reorganisation" bankruptcy. Usually, the debtor remains “in possession,” has the powers and duties of a trustee, may continue to operate its business, and may, with court approval, borrow new money. A plan of reorganisation is proposed, creditors whose rights are affected may vote on the plan, and the plan may be confirmed by the court if it gets the required votes and satisfies certain legal requirements." Following "careful consideration" by its board, the company has also filed several "first-day" motions with the bankruptcy court, requesting customary relief in order to transition into Chapter 11, ensuring minimal disruption to the company's core business operations. The company listed $50 million to $100 million of liabilities in a petition filed in Delaware. To support its operations during the bankruptcy process, AeroFarms has entered into an agreement with a group of its existing investors, who will provide $10 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing. The fund, combined with cash generated from ongoing operations, is expected to offer the necessary liquidity for AeroFarms to navigate the challenges posed by the bankruptcy proceedings. In a statement, AeroFarms explained that before initiating Chapter 11, the company evaluated various strategic alternatives with the goal of maximising value for all stakeholders. The company now intends to collaborate closely with its DIP lender investor group to speed up its emergence from Chapter 11. Furthermore, AeroFarms will explore additional financing options to enhance the company's value and recovery for its creditors. In addition, AeroFarms has announced a change in its leadership structure, with David Rosenberg, the business' co-founder and CEO, deciding to step down from his position and assume a special advisory role for the board. AeroFarms' CFO, Guy Blanchard, will take on additional responsibilities as the company's president. Meanwhile, AeroFarms says its farm in Danville, Virginia, will continue to scale according to plan. The company states that its microgreens have established a dominant market position at retail outlets, and the investor group supporting AeroFarms remains committed to ensuring the company operates seamlessly throughout the Chapter 11 filing, serving its growing customer base and key selling partners, which includes plans for retail expansions throughout 2023. Guy Blanchard, president and CFO of AeroFarms, commented: “We are fortunate to have existing investors who continue to believe in AeroFarms and are confident that we can hit our targeted profitable operations for our Danville farm. There is incredible consumer and customer interest for our market-leading microgreens, and we are excited to continue be able to build our business to meet that demand.”

The Green Coffee Company, a Legacy Group portfolio company based in Colombia, has announced that it has closed its $25m Series C equity funding round. The company’s financing to-date has been funded by more than 450 individual investors primarily from the US, who have invested over $60 million in the business. According to a statement released by the company yesterday (8 June 2023), proceeds from the funding round will expand its Colombian farming operations. It will also accelerate its US-based coffee roasting operations and enable the company to launch lines of liquours and spirits distilled from coffee cherries and other coffee ‘waste’. The Green Coffee Company (GCC) said it is currently seeking $65m of institutional debt capital to supplement the equity raise, to execute its expansion plans. Cole Shephard, founder of GCC and partner at Legacy Group said: “The $25 million Series C equity raise is a testament to the credibility we have in the market”. He added: “In a market like Colombia, the impact we can have with this capital is market-defining and will be globally disruptive to how we drink coffee”. Since its founding in 2017, GCC now has total landholdings more than 9,000 acres and more than 11,500,000 coffee trees under ownership. With an aim to become the world’s largest producer of arabica coffee in the next two years, GCC is considering a potential 2026 US IPO exit.

AquiSense Technologies has released what it believes to be the world's smallest UV-C LED water disinfection system, the PearlAqua Micro A. PearlAqua Micro A incorporates AquiSense's patented reactor technology and high-volume manufacturing capabilities, all within a "very small" footprint for dispensing applications. The device relies on UV-C LED technology as its core component, which alongside innovative reactor design features, achieves a pathogen reduction rate of over 99.99% at a flow rate of 1/2 gallons per minute, making it ideal for water servers and dispensers. PearlAqua Micro A features an integrated LED driver, a visible "blue glow" option, low power consumption and unlimited on/off cycling. Oliver Lawal, AquiSense's president and CEO, said: "The industry has expressed a need for a smaller unit, treating dispensing flow rates, but at high UV Dose levels. The challenge was also to simplify the product design to reduce assembly time and cost for very high-volume OEM customers.”