Kerry has launched two new sustainable plant-based processing aids for enhancing beer quality, said to improve process efficiency and deliver cost savings. The products, Biofine Eco and FermCap Eco are part of Kerry’s new ‘Eco Range’ of plant-based and sustainable brewing solutions. These solutions provide a collection of tools designed to help brewers create consumer-friendly beers while reducing their impact on the environment. Biofine Eco is an aid that is said to improve beer clarification by delivering “almost instant” flocculation of yeast. It is said to work well with and without a centrifuge and has been developed as a chemical and allergen-free alternative to traditional clarification aids. Biofine Eco delivers more compact yeast sedimentation, removes haze during the brewing process and is more economical to use. It has been found to reduce turbidity, improve beer recovery and enhance product quality. FermCap Eco is a plant-based foam-control product that optimises process efficiency by increasing fermenter capacity, improving hop utilisation and reducing over-foaming and beer waste. It is compatible with crossflow membrane filtration and extends filter run length and membrane life significantly while delivering up to a 15% increase in fermenter capacity versus untreated beer. The products were created to deliver significant benefits, providing clean, environmentally friendly and cost-saving solutions for brewers globally. Deborah Waters, product director of brewing ingredients, Kerry, said: "We are proud to introduce Biofine Eco and FermCap Eco which have been specifically designed as environmentally friendly solutions to replace traditional fining and antifoam options with plant-based alternatives. These innovative ingredients are better for the planet and the production process by enhancing the beer quality, increasing production efficiencies, reducing carbon footprint and increasing throughput. "They are also compatible with both membrane and crossflow filtration, proven to reduce membrane fouling and being plant-based processing aids, are appealing to the vegan consumer. The Eco Brewing Range is a result of Kerry’s commitment to clean and environmentally friendly brewing solutions."

UK-based dairy farming company Wyke Farms’ has announced that its Ivy’s Reserve, Salted Farmhouse Butter is now available with carbon-neutral credentials. The “UK’s first” carbon-neutral butter joins the Ivy range, alongside Ivy's Reserve Vintage Cheddar that launched last year as the “world’s first” carbon-neutral cheddar. Rich Clothier, MD and third generation family member at Wyke Farms, said: “The world butter market is worth nearly $20 billion and is predicted to grow by 50% by 2027. Increasingly, people across the world are looking for premium dairy products with provenance and history – butter is no exception and Ivy’s Reserve salted farmhouse butter is a best-in-class product in terms of quality and sustainability, and it articulates our unique set of values that fit with this trend.” Ivy’s Reserve salted farmhouse butter will be produced in Wyke Farms’ new butter dairy facility, which opened in March this year. The state-of-the-art facility – the result of a £10 million investment – is powered by home-produced renewable electricity and gas and is energy- and water-efficient. Wyke Farms partnered with the Carbon Trust to undertake a “cradle-to-grave” footprint analysis and have certified the footprint of Ivy’s Reserve salted farmhouse butter as carbon-neutral in accordance with PAS 2060. This is an internationally recognised specification for carbon-neutrality and builds on the existing PAS 2050 environmental standard. It sets out requirements for the quantification, reduction, and offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions for organisations, products and events.

The European Commission (EC) has launched a call for the next executive director to head up the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The role of the executive director includes acting as the legal representative and public face of the authority and is accountable to the EFSA management board. The executive director leads and manages the agency and is responsible overall for its operations. EFSA’s current executive director, Bernhard Url, was appointed in June 2014, and will end his second five-year term on 31 May 2024. His mandate for a second term in office was extended in June 2019 for a further five years. Url joined the agency two years prior to his appointment as head of the risk assessment and scientific assistance department. The appointment will last for a period of five years and is renewable once for an additional period of five years. Eligible candidates are invited to apply by Monday 26 June, at 12pm noon Brussels time. The executive director will be appointed by EFSA’s management board on the basis of a shortlist provided by the EC following the selection process. Last month, the EFSA identified dietary exposure to Bisphenol A as a health concern for consumers of all ages.

Hundreds of workers at the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) soft drink plant in Wakefield, UK, are set to strike for 14 days in June over unfair wages, Britain’s Unite union said. According to the union, the strike will commence between 8-22 June as a result of CCEP not paying workers "a fair wage which matches inflation”. It follows CCEP’s announcement of generated revenues of over £15 billion combined with an operating profit of £1.85 billion. The CCEP wage deal across different grades amounts to an average 6% increase. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is making profits in the billions, but it's delivering a pay cut to the very workers who are making them”. Graham added that CCEP's profits are up 37% and that “offering workers a real terms pay cut when business is booming is nothing short of corporate greed". The general secretary concluded: "The workforce is rightly furious at the company’s profiteering. The workers at Wakefield have Unite’s total support.” In a statement, CCEP said that it believed the pay rises it is offering are competitive within the market. The CCEP statement said: "In the current economic climate, we believe the pay rises that we are offering are very competitive within the market place. We also provide substantial additional benefits and bonuses to our colleagues, altogether this is an average total package of £46,900 for a colleague at Wakefield. We have also made a £1,000 payment to all frontline colleagues in the past twelve months to support the current cost of living challenges." The statement continued: “While Unite has chosen to proceed with industrial action, we remain fully committed to maintaining talks with our colleagues at our Wakefield site and their representatives to secure a constructive outcome. We have robust contingency measures in place and are confident that there will be no disruption to our trade customers.” The CCEP Wakefield plant can produce 360,000 cans per hour and 132,000 bottles per hour. You may also like to read: CCEP opens sustainable facility in Australia CCEP to construct new €8m facility in Portugal CCEP Ventures announces funding to upcycle CO2

ProAmpac has introduced a new PE-based recyclable film, the ProActive Recyclable R-2200D Easy-Peel Open packaging. R-2200D offers consumers a "hassle-free" snacking experience due to its easy-peel and easy-to-open sealant technology. According to the company, the PE-based recyclable film is "designed to replace laminated, non-recyclable structures used in snack packaging". ProAmpac's chief commercial officer, Adam Grose, said: "R-2200D represents the latest addition to our ProActive Sustainability product family. This comprehensive range of packaging solutions empowers our customers to achieve their sustainable packaging goals." He added: "R-2200D, developed by ProAmpac's material science team, seamlessly integrates with existing high-speed filling lines without impacting packing efficiencies". The solution is available in three oxygen and moisture barrier levels to ensure "an ideal product fit" for each application. Available in gloss, registered matte or with the brand's Signature Surfaces. Amir Saffar, director of global sustainability innovation for ProAmpac, highlighted: "R-2200D, like all ProAmpac R-2000 recyclable films, is engineered to deliver superior heat resistance on the outside and excellent peelable seal characteristics in the inside, making it perfect for high-speed filling operations. Additionally, R-2200D has very good clarity for optimal product visibility and is available in high puncture resistance to increase packaging durability."

James White Drinks has launched a range of organic fruit and vegetable juices, designed specifically for children. Made with organic juices and 50% water, the juices are available in two flavours: mango, apple and carrot, and grape, apricot, apple and cucumber. Lawrence Mallinson, owner of James White Drinks, said: “We think we have come up with the perfect combination of fruit and vegetable juices that kids will really enjoy – even those kids that are not normally enthusiastic about vegetables. And we think their parents will like them also." He added: "Containing no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and gluten-free...the juices are certified organic by the Soil Association”. The juices will be available to buy in Sainsbury's from next month.

US-based energy drink brand G.O.A.T. Fuel has raised $5 million in a seed funding round led by Stage 1 Fund and Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners. The round, which has brought the total amount raised to $12 million since launching in 2020, included participation from past investors such as American businessmen Eddie DeBartolo Jr and Marc Lore, and the brand's co-founder, Jerry Rice. The funds will be used to accelerate growth, amplify marketing efforts, unveil new flavours and build consumer awareness in the sports energy drink market. G.O.A.T. Fuel beverages feature a blend of cordyceps mushrooms, natural caffeine, green tea, BCAAs and 10 essential vitamins. The energy drinks are available at several retail locations across the US, including Publix, Target, Walmart and HEB. Jaqui Rice Gold, CEO and co-founder of G.O.A.T. Fuel, said: "We're grateful to have secured our first-ever institutional round of funding in a space that is becoming increasingly more competitive and despite growing market challenges. Our success in this round is another indication that conviction is building around our brand, and demand is accelerating."

During Vitafoods 2023, FoodBev caught up with Alan Johnstone, head of sales and business development at Volac International, to find out more about the company's Volactive Pro20 Ready-to-Mix and Volactive UltraWhey Xtra Pure ingredients. Volactive UltraWhey Xtra Pure is a premium quality whey protein isolate containing on average 94% protein. Meanwhile, Volactive Pro2O Ready-to-Mix is a low pH and intact whey protein isolate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQA76fmnnW4 Vitafoods Europe 2023 took place from 9-11 May in Geneva, Switzerland this year, offering three days of in-person exhibitions from international nutraceutical suppliers and experts from across the globe. The event was a vibrant hub of discussion, with buzzing aisles, live demonstrations and fruitful collaborations, which FoodBev had the opportunity to engage with, albeit wishing for more time to explore further.

Packaging plays a fundamental role in creating a circular economy because it can be recycled and reused multiple times in a closed-loop system. This greatly contributes to minimising its environmental footprint and reducing packaging waste. With the publication of the revised proposal for the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the European Commission aims to increase the use of reusable packaging solutions in Europe in order to further improve the sustainability of packaging and reduce waste. Returnable assets item (RTI) management is a very important topic for the food and beverage industry, and Antares Vision Group – with its solution for returnable assets management – can guarantee its partners that they will minimise costs and loss of efficiency in production, and guarantee the quality and safety of the assets. Companies might lose up to 30% annually of their returnable assets in the supply chain. By tracking the path that these items take, we can expect to reduce the loss of assets by 30%-50%. Tracking returnable assets to limit losses is the first step to achieving a solid ROI by implementing an asset management solution. Next to that, there are many additional pain points that can be solved by proactively tracking RTI. These benefits include RTI fleet management, allowing you to have the correct number of assets in the fleet and understand their location. Balance returnable assets inventory across locations, limiting the possibility of production issues and eliminating the need for rush shipment of RTI between locations. Proactive inspection and maintenance of returnable assets, ensuring all are available for use and have all the necessary maintenance, inspections and certifications. But what if you looked at the tracking of returnable asset items from a different perspective? We believe that by combining the tracking of the RTIs and tracking the product contained within the returnable assets, you can develop a much richer data set that will significantly improve the return on investment and provide benefits to additional stakeholders within the enterprise. By assigning the product information to the returnable transport items transporting it, you will immediately have a detailed view of both products and transport items within the supply chain. The combined view integrated with data in your ERP system will allow the tracking of products and RTIs at a higher level of granularity across the entire supply chain. Once this granular view of product movement within the supply chain is realised, you can use that data to achieve operational visibility that was previously impossible. Of course, every company is different when it comes to the value that this approach can achieve. Still, every company that we have worked with has been able to identify additional value over just tracking RTIs alone by implementing this combined approach. Let’s set up a time when we can review your RTI tracking needs. Contact us here.

DSM-Firmenich has launched the sale of up to 6.7 million existing ordinary shares through an accelerated bookbuild offering of shares (Share Placement). The news follows the completion of the merger between DSM and Firmenich at the start of the month. The company has also raised total proceeds of €733 million following the sale of its ordinary shares to institutional investors, representing approximately 2.5% of DSM-Firmenich's share capital, at a price of €109.50 per share. The book was multiple times oversubscribed, indicating that investors were eager to buy the company’s shares. According to a statement, DSM-Firmenich intends to use the net proceeds of the Share Placement to "fund the cash consideration payable by the company in relation to the buy-out procedure in accordance with Dutch law that the company commenced in order to acquire the DSM ordinary shares that have not been tendered in the voluntary public exchange offer launched by the company for all the issued and outstanding DSM ordinary shares”. Closing and settlement of the Share Placement is expected to occur on 29 May 2023.

Tropicana has released long-life versions of its classic fruit juice range in orange and apple variants. Consumers will now be able to purchase “best-selling flavours” from Tropicana’s classic juice range to store and enjoy later. The new range consists of the Smooth orange, Original orange and apple flavours. According to the brand, cost-of-living pressures have led to a change in consumer shopping habits, with customers turning to bulk buying and opting for shelf stable options to help with budgeting. Within the new range, a 150ml glass counts as one of the recommended five a day and does not contain added sugar. Caroline Wilding, head of marketing, juices UK at Tropicana Brands Group, said: “It’s important we deliver products designed to meet the needs of both our retailers and their shoppers. The launch of Tropicana into the ambient category will allow shoppers to enjoy the great quality and taste of Tropicana for longer and allow them to stock up on their favourite juice brand. For our retailers, we’re pleased to help grow the category and increase basket spend as shoppers trade up to the brand in the ambient aisle.” The long-life versions of the range are available in 850ml cartons for £2.99 and in in 250ml bottles for £1.60.

UK poultry processor Avara Foods has announced plans to close its Abergavenny, Wales, facility this autumn, putting 400 employees at risk. The company said the closure is the result of rising prices following the Covid-19 pandemic, which "significantly reduced demand for UK-produced turkey in the retail market". Avara stated: "To maintain a competitive customer offer, Avara has started to reengineer its turkey business to operate a more efficient operational footprint focused on fewer, better-invested facilities". The company says that over the last six months it had looked at several options, including different uses for the site, to enable its wider business to compete effectively in the market. Avara added: "Regretfully, this process identified that volumes could be processed more efficiently in other operations and with lower capital investment. This has resulted in the proposal to close the Abergavenny site." "This difficult decision has not been taken lightly and in no way reflects on the hard-working colleagues." Avara will begin a collective consultation process with affected staff, in which the company added that the nature of the consultation "means that no final decisions have been made and there will be no speculation as to how the process will conclude".