UK supermarket Iceland has partnered with Myprotein to launch the “world’s first” frozen protein meal vending machine. The new machine has been installed at a gym in Wigan, UK, with the companies planning roll out into all Fitness First gyms nationwide if the pilot is deemed successful. The machine will sell a range of ten frozen Myprotein meals, each containing 20-30 grams of protein, which the company says is necessary for muscle building and recovery. In a statement, the companies said: “Gym goers simply need to pick the meal of their choice and pop it in the microwave once home to help refuel, build muscle and recover – with ultimate convenience. From just £5.00 – £5.50 per meal, they’re super affordable too.” The meals available include katsu chicken, beef lasagne, Singapore noodles and jerk chicken, and all are contained in reusable packaging. The frozen meal vending machine was manufactured by Mother, a full-service automatic retail company that provides smart vending solutions. CEO and founder of Mother, Phil Davison, commented: “The Myprotein smart vending machine is a perfect fit for gym environments and we’re thrilled to see it launching in Fitness First where we’re sure its members will love the solution. The interactive user interface, cashless and mobile payments, product filtering, nutritional information, product animations and special offers all contribute to what customers are demanding nowadays – a modern day digital retail experience.”

Oppo Brothers has launched four ice cream products that contain up to 60% fewer calories and sugar than traditional ice creams. The new offerings include: Oppo Brothers Caramelised Biscuit Swirl ice cream pint, which contains 95 calories per 100ml, and is a caramel ice cream featuring a sweet, caramel swirl with a blend of caramelised biscuit pieces; Oppo Brothers Chocolate Hazelnut snacking balls, which has 25 calories per bite, are made with vanilla ice cream, Belgian milk chocolate and hazelnut pieces. Oppo Brothers Vanilla Almond Caramel Swirl ice cream sticks, which contain 130 calories per stick, are made with vanilla ice cream and a swirl of caramel, Belgian milk chocolate and roasted almond pieces; and Oppo Brothers Salted Caramel Biscuit Crunch ice cream sticks, which have 125 calories per portion, are made with salted caramel ice cream, and dipped in a Belgian milk chocolate coating, studded with caramelised biscuit pieces. The products are available at UK and Ireland retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Musgraves and more.

Processing equipment and solution provider Hillenbrand has announced plans to acquire Schenck Process Food and Performance Materials (FPM) for around $730 million. FPM, a portfolio company of private investment firm Blackstone, develops, manufactures, markets and sells a full range of solutions, products and systems for the food, chemicals and performance industries. FPM specialises in the design, manufacturing and service of feeding, filtration, baking and material handling technologies and systems that are complementary to the equipment and solutions currently offered in Hillenbrand’s ‘Advanced Process Solutions’ segment. Upon closing, FPM will become part of the ‘Advanced Process Solutions’ segment. Headquartered in Missouri, US, FPM has more than 1,300 global employees and has consumers in over 150 countries. Approximately 85% of the company’s revenues are generated in North America. Kim Ryan, president and CEO of Hillenbrand, said: "By combining the applications and systems processing expertise of our ‘Advanced Process Solutions’ segment with FPM, we will be positioned to offer greater value to our customers and drive scale benefits across manufacturing, engineering, and procurement”. Hillenbrand expects to use cash on hand and cash available under its revolving credit facility to fund the acquisition. The transaction is expected to close during Hillenbrand's fiscal fourth quarter of 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

With Caffè Culture 2023 now only four months away, show organiser Living Media Events is delighted to announce some of the exciting new features and brands confirmed for the show, which continues to be the UK’s leading trade exhibition for the speciality coffee and café bar sector. Packed with hundreds of cutting-edge equipment suppliers and specialist artisan products, Caffè Culture is shaping up to be the place where the trade comes for inspiration and advice to help grow their businesses. The event will be taking place at London’s iconic Business Design Centre on 3-4 October and will see over 3,500 coffee shop owners and buyers from multiple high street chains come together to source the latest innovative kit, but also be stimulated by the show’s unparalleled line-up of industry experts and leaders in its compelling feature programme. Building on the success of last year’s event, a host of new features and partners have come on board to elevate the show’s offering. United Baristas founder Tim Ridley will bring together a range of industry leaders to deliver Total Coffee, an original new talks programme exploring four key themes across the supply chain from crop to cup – tasting and enjoying coffee, building viable coffee businesses, making a positive contribution and empowering people. The Roasters Forum will also see some changes. Due to its growing popularity, the programme curated by the team at Sucafina Specialty has been extended to two days and will cover a whole raft of topics aimed at roasters with all levels of expertise. Making up the largest contingent of speciality roasters at any UK trade show, the ever-popular Roasters Zone and Brew Bar will offer coffee connoisseurs an unmatched opportunity to appreciate the subtly and skill of 24 of the UK’s finest speciality roasters using Rocket Expresso’s contemporary compact Boxer espresso machines and Marco’s fully automated SP9 pour-over brewer and Mix hot tap. For those businesses looking to improve the quality of their bakery and food offerings, kitchen equipment partner Unox will be serving delicious and nutritious food using the speed and precision of their brand-new Speed. Pro range in their live kitchen, whilst another new fully immersive multi-sensory experience is Victoria Arduino’s beautifully designed coffee shop concept, whose team of experts will be on-hand to guide visitors through their revolutionary technology using taste, sound and sight. The show will also see the launch of FoodBev’s World Coffee Innovation Awards, which will shine a light on the technological advancements and excellence within the sector and the people driving the coffee industry forward. While for competition lovers, the show will be hosting three new championships. The Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) UK Brewers Cup final and the European Speciality Tea Association’s (ESTA) inaugural Tea Cupping and Matcha Tea Latte Art competitions, raising the intensity and decibel levels at the show! More features, partners and premium brands will be announced in the coming weeks, adding to the compelling and must-attend nature of the event. To ensure you secure your complimentary trade pass and to be kept abreast of all show news, register your details at www.caffecultureshow.com.

Global foodtech company DouxMatok has announced a rebrand to Incredo – its new name is based on the company’s signature product, Incredo Sugar. Its flagship product, Incredo Sugar, is a clean-label sugar reduction solution that can reduce the amount of sugar in sweet foods by 30-50%, with “no change in taste, mouthfeel, or texture and no additions to the ingredients label,” the company claims. By binding real cane or beet sugar with trace amounts of a natural carrier, Incredo Sugar aids in the delivery of sugar molecules to sweet taste receptors on the tongue, meaning less sugar is required for the same amount of sweetness. Ari Melamud, CEO of Incredo, said: “Now that our flagship product, Incredo Sugar, has become commercially available and is gaining more awareness within the industry, we have decided to simplify our communications by unifying our identity under the name ‘Incredo’ – a single, powerful brand that will be memorable to our customers as we gear up for a period of continuous growth and commercialisation”. The rebrand coincides with Incredo’s announcement that it has raised $30 million in a Series C funding round led by DSM-Firmenich Venturing and Sienna Venture Capital, and joined by Teseo Capital, a private investment vehicle related to Ferrero Group. The funding will be used by Incredo to expand the research, development and commercialisation efforts of its flagship product, integrate it into a variety of applications and accelerate its commercial partnerships. The company hopes for new and increased availability across the US, Europe and Israel in the future. Isabelle Amiel-Azoulai, managing partner at Sienna Venture Capital, commented: “Incredo has developed one of the most promising innovations in the food space we’ve seen – a delicious affordable and clean-label product that can reduce the sugar in foods without additives or changes to taste. Incredo has everything in the right place for Incredo Sugar to appear in products around the world, and our injection of capital will help support this mission-driven company to accelerate its growth.”

Irish dairy company Tirlán has expanded its oat portfolio to include Oat-Standing Gluten Free Liquid Oat Base. The new liquid oat base can help manufacturers meet the demand for gluten-free, natural and functional oat products. According to Tirlán, Oat-Standing Gluten Free Liquid Oat Base is an oat concentrate that solves the “common challenge” of grittiness found in standard plant-based options. The company says it can be easily incorporated into a variety of beverages and dairy-alternative applications. The base uses oats grown on Irish family farms through Tirlán’s ‘strict’ closed-loop supply chain called OatSecure. Yvonne Bellanti, category manager at Tirlán, said: “Our range of Oat-Standing Oat Ingredients is continuously expanding, and we are delighted to extend the range from flakes and flours to include our new Liquid Oat Base. Flavour and texture are key consumer motivators for our customers to consider while developing new products.” She continued: “Our Liquid Oat Base helps our customers to deliver a sweet sensory experience and a smooth mouth feel in the end product”. The base is said to be especially useful in dairy alternative applications such as oat beverages. Glanbia Ireland rebranded as Tirlán in September last year – a new identity the company said reflects the characteristics that define the organisation. Combining the Irish words ‘Tír’ (meaning land) and ‘Lán’ (full), Tirlán stands for ‘land of abundance’.

Willow Biosciences and Kalsec have announced a Master Services Agreement (MSA) to develop an enzyme used in the biocatalytic production of a new ingredient for use in natural beverage applications. Willow develops and produces precision fermented functional ingredients for the food and beverage industry, among others, while Kalsec is a global producer of natural taste and sensory, food protection, colours and advanced hops ingredients for the F&B industry. Willow's 'FutureGrown' technology platform is a fully integrated solution for rapid enzyme and strain engineering, process development and scaled-up manufacturing that uses the latest technologies available for precision fermentation. Kalsec’s projects, which focus on yeast, are said to be an ideal host for the production of numerous ingredients for the food and beverage sector. Chris Savile, Willow's president and CEO, said: "We are pleased to have executed this follow-on engagement with Kalsec, and I'm proud of our R&D team's success in collaborating with Kalsec to rapidly attain our joint development goals. We look forward to further evidencing our technological capabilities through what we believe will be a similarly successful outcome for this next program." The MSA marks the second collaborative development program Willow and Kalsec have participated in following the announcement of an MSA in November last year. Roger Nahas, executive VP of global R&D and CIO at Kalsec, added: "We are excited to expand our partnership with Willow and leverage each party's significant domain expertise toward what we believe will be successful commercial-scale production in 2024. This work also supports Kalsec's purpose of unlocking the potential of people, nature and science to nurture the world."

Chocxo, an organic chocolate brand that is naturally low in real sugar, is introducing its Dark Milk Chocolate Toffee, Almond & Sea Salt Snaps at this year’s NCA Sweets & Snacks Expo. Chocxo’s new Dark Milk Chocolate Toffee, Almond & Sea Salt Snaps deliver “better-for-you organic chocolate that is truly indulgent and lower in sugar without any artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols”. The new Chocxo Snaps feature rich dark milk chocolate, made from a combination of 85% cacao dark chocolate blended with creamy milk chocolate. It has rich cocoa and creamy caramel notes mixed in with crunchy toffee bits, diced almonds and a sprinkle of sea salt. One square mini bar has just 80 calories and 3g of sugar and is certified organic, gluten-free and Kosher. Peter Higgins, president of Chocxo and Chewters Chocolates, said: “Consumers are looking to reduce sugar intake and prefer chocolate that is both organic and naturally lower in sugar, without artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. Our new Dark Milk Chocolate Toffee, Almond & Sea Salt Snaps are a truly indulgent better-for-you chocolate innovation that meets these consumer needs.” The new Dark Milk Chocolate Toffee, Almond & Sea Salt Snaps is available online with plans to be made available in Canada retailers in the coming months.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has announced a voluntary recall of 4,096 frozen pints of its French ice cream product, Brown Sugar Chunk. The company stated that the reason behind the recall is because the product contains undeclared walnuts, which pose a potential risk to individuals with allergies or severe sensitivities to the seed, with the potential to lead to serious or life-threatening allergic reactions. The product is presented in a 14oz package featuring a "reddish brown" colour, with black lettering on both the cup and lid. The affected pints are marked with lot number 23P102 – visible on the bottom of the container – and have a 'best by date' of 12 April 2025. The company highlighted: "The recall does not apply to any other lot marking, best by date or varieties of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream products". The decision to recall the products was taken voluntarily by Van Leeuwen following a customer complaint, which led to the discovery that the ice cream from this specific lot contained the nut "but was distributed in packaging that did not declare the presence of walnuts," stated Van Leeuwen. The company is currently investigating the cause behind the labelling error. Consumers who have purchased the affected lot are recommended to return the pints to the place of purchase, where they will be eligible for a full refund.

Functional ingredient manufacturer Beneo has announced the expansion of its portfolio with the launch of Beneo-scL85, a short-chain fructooligosaccharide (scFOS). ScFOS is a fibre derived from beet sugar and produced in Germany. It offers a sweet taste, good solubility and natural credentials that can improve taste and texture, as well as possibilities for bulking, in applications such as bakery, dairy, and cereals. The use of scFOS means manufacturers can replace sugar while adding dietary fibre, this improves the nutritional value of a product, enabling a better score for front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems. Beneo reports that more than 50% of consumers globally state that “low in sugar” claims influence their purchasing decisions. With the addition of scFOS to its portfolio, Beneo’s customers can tap into this trend through new product development and reformulation and manufacturers have more variety and increased potential to offer products with less sugar to meet the high demand. Eric Neven, commercial MD for Beneo’s functional fibres, said: “Short-chain fructooligosaccharide from beet sugar is a valuable addition to BENEO’s portfolio because it increases flexibility and availability for our customers. In combination with the increased production capacity of our chicory root fibre production plant in Chile, Beneo’s short-chain fructooligosaccharide will further secure supply to meet the high demand for solutions to reduce sugar.” You may also like to read: Beneo acquires Dutch plant-based ingredients company MeatlessBeneo to invest €50m in pulse processing plantBeneo to expand chicory root fibre production sites in Chile and Belgium

Fulfil Nutrition has added a triple chocolate protein bar flavour to its portfolio. The bar, which contains a chocolate coating and a nougat centre, has 15g of protein, 1g of sugar and 1g of net carbs per serving. Michael Reese, director of marketing at Fulfil, said: “With the launch of our triple chocolate flavour, we hope to give people another candy-like indulgence they can incorporate into their active lifestyle. Our latest flavour is the most chocolatey one yet...” Fulfil Nutrition's triple chocolate protein bar launched this week at the Sweets & Snacks Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, and will be available at Walmart stores soon. Last year, The Ferrero Group signed an agreement to acquire Fulfil Nutrition for an undisclosed sum.

Purity Soft Drinks has expanded its Juiceburst range with the addition of a Summer Fruits juice drink. Summer Fruits features a blend of strawberry, cherry and apple. According to the company, a bottle of Summer Fruits count as one of your five a day and contains no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners, and no added sugar. Sarah Baldwin, CEO at Purity Soft Drinks, said: “As the summer months approach and consumers are looking for healthy, great value soft drinks, we hope Summer Fruits will become a great go-to product. Our Summer Fruits SKU has a vibrant taste, is naturally healthy and comes at a great price point." JuiceBurst Summer Fruits will be available this month at Tesco, Co-op, Bidfood and Brakes, and more, for £1.69 per 500ml PET bottle.