Preferred Packaging, a US division of flexible packaging company C-P Flexible Packaging, has teamed up with Northwest Frozen to launch a line of extended shelf-life refrigerated, prepared meals. The new meals include a frozen croissant-shaped gnocchi pasta product, called Crocchi. The pasta is cryo-frozen and packaged in high-barrier, modified atmosphere containers. According to the business, the packaging "delivers hermetically sealed meals with a specific, low-oxygen atmosphere inside the package to help keep the food fresh". Both companies have jointly developed the new lidding film that could be sealed on high-speed machines with efficacy to crystalised polyester trays and through contaminants like sauces. The line uses C-P Flexible’s proprietary lidding film, which is part of the Affirm family of multi-layer packaging materials. Preferred Packaging said that customers can peel back the lidding material off the tray, removing the need for a knife or scissors. The Affirm lidding films can also be used for fresh, all-natural foods that are packaged and then processed with high-pressure pasteurisation. The meals are frozen before being distributed to retail stores. Chadd Floria, VP of sales at Preferred Packaging, said: “We feel honoured to work with such an entrepreneurial company as Northwest Frozen to deliver safe and high-quality food packaging for consumers in North America. From the very beginning of the project, they worked diligently on creating a system to assure the best performance and consistency." Kevin Peterson, director of operations at Northwest Frozen, added: “The team at Preferred Packaging helped us launch our new line of products within a very tight timeframe. They not only supplied us packaging film that worked best, but they also provided expertise in modified atmosphere packaging and shared valuable experiences.”

North American manufacturer of fresh F&B packaging, Pactiv Evergreen, has teamed with AmSty, to offer consumers innovative foam polystyrene packaging products. AmSty is a North American polystyrene manufacturer that specialises in circular recycling. The products on offer will be made with AmSty’s post-consumer recycled material derived from its recycling technologies. Based on a mass-balance approach, certain Pactiv Evergreen packaging will use AmSty’s ISCC PLUS-certified recycled polystyrene. According to the company, “ISCC PLUS is an internationally recognised certification process for circular content, which audits the supply chain from end-to-end”. Tim Barnette, VP of polymers and sustainability for AmSty, said: “We are excited to collaborate with Pactiv Evergreen in this groundbreaking effort. With our post-consumer polystyrene recycling process now certified by ISCC, we can introduce and scale up polystyrene circularity in a meaningful way. He continued: “As brands look toward more sustainable food merchandising and packaging options, polystyrene foam makes sense. Its lightweight and performance qualities make it a desirable material. Now, with the addition of circular content through advanced recycling, it makes even more sense.” Pactiv Evergreen will begin offering customers the ability to purchase the ISCC PLUS-certified polystyrene packaging in the first half of 2023.

Harpak-Ulma, a packaging solutions provider, has launched its Tight-Bag machine for poultry products. Tight-Bag technology, now available in North America, combines vertical bagging with a patented air extraction process to automate vacuum bagging for many food products. The Tight-Bag machine produces leakproof bags without perforations and includes HMI-adjustable air volume – a process that can facilitate up to 15% more bags per case for some products. Harpak-Ulma’s Tight-Bag solution for poultry products, branded as Tight-Chicken, combines automated product loading and vertical bagging to overcome manual-intensive processes commonly associated with fresh poultry bagging. The process includes forming film around the vertical tube, which delivers the product and produces specialised cross-sealing jaws combined with venturi air evacuation to seal each bag to the desired degree of air content. The machine can accommodate a variety of packaging films, including the breathable film used in some fresh, crust-chilled poultry applications. Hugh Crouch, Harpak-Ulma flow wrap manager, commented: “This is a night and day innovation for producers. Until now, packaging fresh poultry required two separate systems – one to open the premade bag to insert the product and one to extract air and seal the bag… Tight-Chicken executes the forming, sealing, and air extraction continuously, like an assembly line. The result is a more attractive and hygienically safe package and about four times the productivity factor over manual systems.”

Ani Biome is an age tech start-up offering a personalised approach to metabolic health and longevity through gut health. Arkeon turns CO2 into functional, carbon-negative protein ingredients for food. Bactolife is an industrial biotech company in the field of gut microbiome health in the food and feed industry. Biolumen is the only GRAS (generally recognised as safe) approved natural material able to decrease sugar, carbohydrate and fat adsorption while feeding the microbiota and increasing healthy short chain fatty acids. Cellva painlessly collects animal tissue, using the cells with the highest nutritional performance as a source for application in nutrient solutions for cell culture. Clean Crop Technologies’ novel cold plasma technology uses electricity to remove contaminants and boost seed and food performance, increasing yields, improving food safety and reducing food waste. Clear Meat is India’s first ISO certified cell based meat initiative organisation. Edge has developed cell factories capable of self-supplying and reliably producing the most expensive inputs in cultivated meat production – the growth factors. Ergo Bioscience is a biotech-based startup focused on the production of complex animal proteins by Plant Cell Precision Fermentation. Filtricine is a clinical stage biotechnology company that develops food to treat cancer and metabolic diseases. Forte Protein uses molecular farming and its proprietary replicating technology platform to produce non-GMO animal proteins for alternative meat, dairy and seafood products. Hyfé Foods enables regional production of low cost, alternative protein that is shielded from supply chain disruptions and resilient to climate change. ImpacFat develops omega-3 rich cell-based fish fat as a novel ingredient to supplement plant-based products and improve the taste, texture, aroma and nutrition. Index uses baker’s yeast to create agricultural supply chains that are measurable, verifiable and sustainable. Kyomei is a molecular farming company engineering optimal crop species to express valuable protein ingredients and molecules at low cost. LiVA extends fresh produce shelf-life by more than 100% during logistics, using a pre-biotic blend to reduce microbial spoilage naturally and safely, while preserving great flavour. Liven Proteins creates sustainable, animal-free and functional ingredients, manufactured through upcycling and precision fermentation. Lypid is creating a line of fats made from vegan oils that can be tuned to precise textures and melting points. MAOLAC combines proteomics and bioinformatics to create precision proteins inspired by breast milk that enable impact nutrition. Mewery is the first European cell-based food tech start-up developing cultivated pork on a microalgae base. Michroma creates fungal biofactories to produce natural ingredients using cutting-edge synbio and precision fermentation technology. Micro Meat’s cell encapsulation technology improves product yields, decreases production costs and creates product consistency for cultivated meat producers. Mimio Health is a nutritechnology company creating cutting-edge biomimetic supplements designed from human biology to recreate our bodies’ innate regenerative systems. Miruku is applying its molecular farming process to program climate resilient crops to be mini factories for producing proteins and other molecules traditionally made by animals. MOA Foodtech combines biotechnology and artificial intelligence to transform waste and by-products of the agri-food industry into a "next generation protein". The Mushroom Meat Co transforms gourmet mushrooms and upcycled plant proteins into mushroom-based meats and whole-food ingredients. NoPalm Ingredients produces oils and fats by fermenting agri-food sidestreams to provide an alternative to the use of palm and other tropical oils in food, cosmetics and detergents. nth Bio by Perfect Day offers enterprise biology services to allow its partners to grow their projects from beginning to end. Rainfed uses its unique proprietary technology platform to create nutritionally dense ingredients and clean label solutions for alternative proteins. Innovation partner cohorts Meet leading accelerators and incubators from around the world on booths in the start-up arena, as they introduce their start-up cohorts with fresh solutions and case studies: Fresh Start, a food-tech incubator investing in early-stage Israeli food-tech companies introduces its cohort to San Francisco: Blue Tree enables the production of natural beverages with reduced sugar content. Eggmented Reality uses its bioinformatics and precision-fermentation technology platform to identify and produce improved protein functionality over industry alternatives. Sea 2 Cell is developing a ground-breaking GF technology and proprietary cell lines for the commercial scale manufacturing of its cultivated fish products. Natural Products Canada (NPC) helps Canadian early-stage companies and researchers bring their sustainable solutions to life.Accompanying NPC to the summit are: Cell Ag Tech grows cells to make seafood, instead of catching and growing whole fish. Crush Dynamics is focused on transformation of grape derivatives and other agricultural side streams using patent-pending targeted fermentation into high performance food ingredients. Genuine Taste supplies alternative meat companies with customisable fat. Konscious Foods develops dishes with no GMOs, clean label and short ingredient lists. New School Foods creates whole-cut seafood, made from plants. Opalia is developing technology to make milk with mammary cells. Proveg Incubator is an incubator for plant-based, fermentation, and cultured-food startups. Meet its cohort in San Francisco: Bosque Foods rapidly grows mycelium in a matter of days using food-safe and edible strains, through its unique biomass fermentation process. Cultimate creates a game-changing alternative fat ingredient that brings the authentic meaty taste and texture to plant-based meat products. Cultivated Biosciences is developing an ingredient from GMO-free yeast, which offers the creaminess needed for plant-based dairy to appeal to flexitarian consumers. Fotortec is a biotech company dedicated to sustainable protein production. Plug and Play connects entrepreneurs, corporations, and investors worldwide on its global innovation platform. Meet the following start-ups from its cohort: New Wave Foods is a developer of plant-based seafood products. Oobli is the first end-to-end technology platform and consumer products company to leverage through precision fermentation to unlock the power of sweet plant proteins in foods. Aanika Biosciences leverages the power of biology to develop tools that enhance traceability and safety within the food system. Journey Foods is an AI-powered portfolio management software for food and beverage companies. On the main stage Look out for these pioneering start-ups and scale-ups joining the main stage discussions and presentations! SuperMeat grows high quality meat directly from animal cells. Perfect Day uses precision fermentation to create animal-free milk protein. Onego Bio produces egg white without chickens, using precision fermentation. Umiami is a tech company developing a unique and proprietary technology to texturize plant proteins. New Culture combines traditional cheesemaking methods with modern fermentation technology to make animal-free dairy products that stretch, melt, and taste like the real deal. Arborea is unlocking the potential of photosynthesis, its technology facilitating the growth of microscopic plants to produce nutritional ingredients and proteins. Sundial Foods’ proprietary technology turns eight clean ingredients into whole cuts of plant-based meat complete with skin, meat and bone. The Every Company engineers, manufactures and formulates animal-free, animal proteins as ingredients for the global food and beverage industry. Nulixir develops, manufactures, and licenses encapsulated functional ingredients with its patented Nutrition Precision Technology to other F&B businesses. Helaina is the first company to bring the immunity properties of breast milk to food for all stages of life – bridging the gap between food and medicine. Sun Genomics aims to change the way probiotics are chosen, by making the best custom formulated probiotics. Mush Foods is growing the next generation of great-tasting, sustainable protein using mushroom mycelium as an ingredient for food companies and the foodservice industry. Upside Foods cultivates meat from animal cells. It is the first company in the world to receive US FDA approval for cultivated meat. AI Palette’s platform collects millions of data points from various sources such as social media, searches and user-generated content to provide deep insights into consumer needs. Epogee strives to improve the health of society by dramatically reducing calories in food and no tradeoffs with taste or texture. Comet is an award-winning food ingredients company with the IP and expertise needed to perfect nature’s best fibre, arabinoxylan, an FDA-recognised fibre with superior tolerance in the gut and clinically proven health benefits. ProFuse Technology develops supplements for cultivated meat media that reduces the cultivated meat cost by 40%, by increasing the produced meat mass and shortening the production time. Finless Foods creates delicious, healthy, and accessible cell-cultured and plant-based seafood alternatives, offering options for all palates and dietary preferences. Wildtype is pioneering cellular agriculture to grow delicious cuts of seafood, starting with sushi-grade salmon. Cana Technology is building the world’s first molecular beverage printer to bring the beverage aisle to your countertop. Showcasing the future of food-tech Listen in to the hottest innovators in the future food-tech space as they pitch their solutions to judges from ICL Planet and Rabobank – followed by Q&A to delve deeper into their products, strategies and visions for the future: Optimized Foods harnesses its proprietary mycelium scaffold and cell biology to create cell-cultured caviar. Ummino’s patented technology unlocks natural compounds to optimise taste and nutrition and transform commodity ingredients into high value functional foods delivering gut health. Cauldron Production uses hyper-fermentation to unlock an alternative manufacturing capability for food, feed and fibre. Step up to the plate: Whole cuts and alt-seafood Brands showcase their innovative technologies, cooking their whole cut and alt-seafood products live on stage. While you watch the experts cook, hear directly from the innovators about how these delicious products are formulated, how best to cook them, and more about their taste and nutritional profiles: Demolish Foods is creating whole-cut plant meats. Novameat is developing no-compromise plant-based whole-cuts that are delicious, nutritious and mimic the texture of animal meat. Current Foods uses biotechnology to create next generation plant-based seafood. Innovation challenge final Watch as the three finalists for the Kraft Heinz Innovation Challenge present their solutions to ‘Unleash the Power of Tomatoes from Seed to Shelf’, before the Kraft Heinz judges choose their winner: Kuvu Bio Solutions is a biological herbicide technology platform. Green Spot Technologies has developed a fermentation platform that allows the production of the first range of fermented and upcycled flours. ANiNA creates unique ready-to-cook vegan meal pods: 100% natural, rich in vegetables & nutrients, easy to cook, and made from fresh, delicious and nutritious ugly produce which is molded to create the beautiful, edible pod. Breakouts and taste labs Throughout the two days, in addition to plenary sessions, you can have your say in small group breakout discussions or try novel foods and meet the founders in the Taste Lab: Aqua Cultured Foods is on a mission to offer nutrient-rich foods in the form of fungi-based seafood alternatives, creating the first “whole cut” fermentation-derived seafood alternative. The Supplant Company turns renewable resources and sidestreams into ingredient replacements, and is building an ingredient platform. Trendi is a robotics company that helps the farm and food industry rescue misfit and unused food to be upcycled it into shelf-stable ingredients. Start-ups Comet, Mush Foods and Umiami mentioned earlier in the article will also run Taste Labs. Join all these featured start-ups and many more among the delegate audience at Future Food-Tech San Francisco on 16-17 March, to spotlight the new technologies and partnerships that are strengthening sustainable and nutritious food systems. See the full program at http://www.futurefoodtechsf.com/agenda and register now at www.futurefoodtechsf.com/register. About Future Food-Tech After returning to in-person events last year with a bang, Future Food-Tech is back in the epicentre of innovation, San Francisco, on 16-17 March, 2023. The summit has become a global hub, connecting 1500 international food brands, ingredient providers, investors, start-ups and technology leaders, whilst digging into the crucial issues facing the food industry today. Over the two-day summit, food-tech pioneers and visionaries will discuss innovative approaches to scaling alt-proteins, new formulations for healthier, nutrient packed foods, and commercial opportunities at the intersection of food and medicine. For editorial enquiries please contact Isabella Deith, Marketing Executive, Future Food-Tech Series: T: +44 (0)1273 789989 isabella.deith@rethinkevents.com

Elo Life Systems has secured $24.5 million in a Series A financing round led by AccelR8, Novo Holdings and DCVC Bio. The funding will enable Elo to accelerate the development of its plant-based sweeteners, which are inspired by monk fruit, but which it expects will be more affordable and reliably available than current monk fruit sweeteners. Elo’s sweetener is derived from watermelon, and the company has also developed a fungal-resistant cavendish banana that aims to save the popular variety from extinction. Todd Rands, CEO of Elo, said: “With strong investor support united behind Elo’s commitment to improve human health and the environment, we’re unlocking nature’s abilities to make consumers’ favourite foods more delicious, healthy and planet friendly”. Elo’s sweetener is intended for use in F&B products and is said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar without the calories or undesirable aftertaste associated with other sweeteners. The company manufactures its products using existing agricultural systems and eliminates waste by ensuring all harvested material is used. Rands continued: “Elo’s first product – a new plant-based sweetener inspired by natural monk fruit – will eliminate excess calories in thousands of everyday food and beverage products that consumers love”. The company plans to open a Series B financing round later this year to “further scale and commercialise its sweetener products, and expand its R&D pipeline with additional healthy and sustainable ingredients”.

Cadbury has launched its first range of non-HFSS treats with four new products under Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruitier & Nuttier. Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruitier and Nuttier Trail Mix features a mix of fruits, nuts and Cadbury chocolate: raisins, sultanas, cranberries, roasted almonds and hazelnuts, and Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate buttons, dusted with cocoa powder. Meanwhile, Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruitier and Nuttier Bars are made with a blend of fruits, crispies, cocoa and crunchy nuts topped with a layer of Cadbury Dairy Milk. Adam Harris, principal scientist of global wellbeing chocolate and technology lead at Mondelēz International, said: “In my 25 years of developing Cadbury products this is one of the most exciting developments I have had the pleasure to work on, that helps to give our consumers more choice when enjoying a treat, without compromising on taste or texture, and ensuring Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate is at the heart of the products.” He continued: “We’ve had an amazing team of product developers and scientists applying their knowledge and experience to ensure we provide our consumers with the best tasting products. I am really proud of the products and excited that we can bring consumers the awesome Fruitier and Nuttier range.” The products are lower in sugar and saturated fat, whilst being higher in fibre and protein to give consumers a tasty choice for health-conscious snacking moments. Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruitier and Nuttier Bars will be available as a a 4 x 30g multipack, and Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruitier and Nuttier Trail Mix will be rolling out in single-serve 3 x 35g multipack and 2x 100g sharing bag options in UK retailers in March.

NuttZo, the mixed nut and seed butter brand, has unveiled its Chilled Nut & Seed Butter Bars, available in two flavours. The refrigerated bars come in almond and peanut butter varieties, containing around 7 grams of protein, healthy fats, omega-3s and amino acids, with no artificial preservatives. Almond Butter Chocolate contains NuttZo’s ‘power fuel’ blend of cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds. Peanut Butter Chocolate features NuttZo's ‘peanut pro’ blend of peanuts, cashews, almonds, flax seeds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds. The bars are found in the refrigerated section of stores, though they can be stored and eaten unrefrigerated for up to two weeks, making them a convenient and healthy snack. Danielle Dietz-LiVolsi, founder and CEO of NuttZo, said: “At NuttZo, we're always hoping to cater to our customers' needs – one of which is fueling up on the go, and getting protein in their snacks. Our super tasty and versatile Chilled Nut & Seed Butter Bars capture our beloved original flavours and pack them up for the ideal desk snack. It's also the perfect bar to throw in a backpack for a quick hike or workout." The new butter bars are available for an RRP of $2.59 - $2.79 per bar.

KP Snacks is adding a new flavour to its KP Flavour Kravers range in Sour Cream & Chive. Jenny Blanco Barcia, marketing manager at KP Snacks, said: “At KP Nuts, we are committed to bringing innovation to the category, introducing NPD that is grounded in key category insight”. She added: “The new Sour Cream & Chive Flavour Kravers variant supports retailers by directly filling a gap in the market as previously there were no dairy flavours within the Tasty Nuts category. Our new Sour Cream & Chive is a unique and exciting product which will engage shoppers and boost retailer sales.” KP Flavour Kravers in Sour Cream and Chive will roll out into selected UK stores in mid-February.

Jack Holden, general manager of sustainability for global markets at Fonterra, spoke to FoodBev's Phoebe Fraser about the dairy giant’s trials with Asparagopsis – a seaweed grown naturally in Australia and New Zealand – as a supplement feed for dairy cows to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How can Asparagopsis prevent the formation of methane in livestock? As ruminant animals, dairy cows produce methane during digestion, emitted mainly through burping. Asparagopsis seaweed is a naturally occurring product that contains bromoform, which helps inhibits methane production in ruminants such as cattle and sheep. It is present in many seaweed species but is especially abundant in the Asparagopsis species. We also need to know if it is safe to use for consumers, cows and the environment so we are undertaking trials with leading farmers to complement the work being done by many other research organisations. How is methane reduction measured? In New Zealand, our cows roam freely on outdoor pastures. This poses more of a challenge when it comes to measuring their menthane outputs. It is difficult to measure methane accurately on outdoor farms so we mainly rely on calibrated measures in controlled environments. A small number of research labs have rooms where airflow is controlled and the methane reductions can be tracked against the feeding rates for different supplements. We will need a robust methodology that ensures any lab results are adapted to suit the conditions on commercial grass-based farms. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) research has shown that Asparagopsis seaweed has the potential to reduce emissions by over 50% in laboratory trials, and while Fonterra understands the reductions will vary out of the lab, we need to look closely at all the possible methane reduction options to find safe and commercially viable solutions. Where and how is Asparagopsis red seaweed best cultivated? Asparagopsis is a common seaweed native to the waters of Australia and New Zealand. Fonterra’s focus is on Asparagopsis, which is cultivated using land-based and marine-based farming techniques. We don’t support any wild harvesting operations. How can feeding livestock with Asparagopsis impact climate and cattle productivity? Results to date have been promising, in terms of animal health, food safety and operational viability for the farmer. As part of the Tasmanian trial, we have fed Asparagopsis to over 1,000 cows. We then compared milk production with cows who were not fed the seaweed supplement, and we found that production is unchanged. Animal wellbeing is front and centre of our focus and trials to date show no impact on the wellbeing of cows. What is bromoform bleed, how can it affect milk quality/safety, and how can it be overcome? We have been testing to ensure there are no unacceptable residues in the milk. Bromoform residue has not emerged as a significant problem in trials to date, however, we will keep monitoring this in the next stage. Some recent Australian research suggests the levels are well below the food safety thresholds. If the trials are successful, can Asparagopsis be produced at scale? That’s really a question for Sea Forest and the other licenced producers but we hope so. If there is a demand then we expect the investment will follow. It seems there has been a lot of progress in what is a very young production process and we are happy to see this continue. We hope our partnership can accelerate the testing and adoption of successful solutions. Fonterra is also trialling other potential solutions, however, the potentially large methane reductions from Asparagopsis make it a particularly interesting solution that we want to fully understand. Working out how practical it is to use this supplement as part of normal operations is another key focus of the trials. This is critical because if we want farmers to widely adopt it, it needs to be easy to implement and beneficial for farmers. With an eye toward the future, how can we expect the dairy industry to enhance its sustainability credentials? There’s no doubt that globally we are witnessing a real sense of collective responsibility by our industry to solve environmental challenges. In New Zealand, we’re one of the most carbon-efficient producers of dairy in the world, but we need to do more. That’s why Fonterra has an aspiration to be net zero by 2050. Over the next decade, we will invest more than NZD 1 billion in reducing carbon emissions and improving water efficiency and treatment at our manufacturing sites. ​​Elsewhere, we are transitioning out of coal at nine out of 28 sites that continue to use coal by 2037.​​ We also acknowledge that we can’t do it alone. Making improvements in sustainability is a team effort that requires commitment across our supply chain. It starts on-farm but also involves our people and partners here in New Zealand and in our global markets – our partnership with Sea Forest is just one example. We’re leaving no stone unturned in solving the methane challenge, we believe there won’t be one silver bullet and there will be several solutions found through our investment in R&D and partnering with others.​​

IFF has announced plans to sell its Flavor Specialty Ingredients (FSI) business to UK-based private equity firm, Exponent, for $220 million in cash proceeds. FSI manufactures synthetic and natural base aroma chemicals used in the flavour market and reports through IFF’s scent division. The business, which has a range of more than 1,000 aroma chemicals and natural extracts, has four dedicated manufacturing and distribution facilities in the UK, US and China, as well as additional distribution centres in Mexico, Brazil and Hong Kong. IFF CEO, Frank Clyburn, said: “The sale of FSI will improve our capital structure while allowing us to focus on our core businesses to enhance growth and returns. We appreciate the contributions of our FSI colleagues, who have shared our commitment to quality and customer service. We will work closely with Exponent to have a successful transition and look forward to FSI’s bright future.” Mark Taylor, partner at Exponent, said: “We are delighted that we have agreed to acquire the FSI division from IFF. FSI is a global leader in the base aromas market, with a strong customer base and a differentiated portfolio of Natural and Aroma Chemical products. This strong market position is founded on deep technical expertise and a reputation for supplying products of the highest quality. With further investment and support as an independent business, we see a significant opportunity to accelerate FSI’s growth.” In December 2022, IFF announced the sale of its Savory Solutions Group to private equity firm PAI Partners for approximately $900 million. IFF and Exponent expect the transaction to close by the end of Q3 2023, subject to closing conditions. Cash proceeds from the transaction will be used to reduce outstanding debt.

Lancashire-based brand Ann Forshaw’s and the associated Alston Dairy have been acquired by the James Hall Group of Companies for an undisclosed sum. James Hall and Co is the primary wholesaler to Spar stores throughout the North of England. The acquisition sees the group grow its food manufacturing business in the Northwest, adding Alston Dairy to its portfolio which already includes Clayton Park Bakery, Fazila Foods, Graham Eyes Butchers and the Great Northern Sandwich Company. Ann Forshaw and Emma Coupe will remain as directors of the company, and all staff will continue in employment at Alston Dairy. The Forshaw family’s Bolton Fold Farm, situated next door, will remain under its ownership. Dominic Hall, joint managing director of James Hall and Co, said: “We are delighted to complete the acquisition of Alston Dairy and the Ann Forshaw’s brand, which has an outstanding reputation for producing premium yogurt products”. “We have sold Ann Forshaw’s products in our Spar stores for many years, and they have played an important role in our dairy categories, becoming firm customer favourites. We continue to strive to source locally as much as we can, and acquiring Alston Dairy will allow us to protect that ambition and keep the brand local.” Forshaw said: “Across several decades, I have poured all of my energy and passion into growing the business, and with the support of a wonderful team, we have developed the brand and product range into what it is today”. She continued: “However, I felt that the time was right for me to sell the business, and I was keen to ensure that Alston Dairy and the Ann Forshaw’s brand was sold on to a company that has shared values and is similarly family-owned, so I am very pleased to complete the deal with James Hall”. Alston Dairy will continue purchasing the milk it uses in its yogurts from Bolton Fold Farm.

Nestlé has recorded full-year organic sales growth of 8.3%, driven by pricing in both developed and emerging markets. The maker of Nescafé coffee and Milkybar raised prices by 8.2% last year in response to cost inflation, which “surged to unprecedented levels”. In 2022, the packaged food giant’s reported sales increased 8.4% to CHF 94.42 billion ($102.4 billion approx.), compared with the prior year’s CHF 87.1 billion ($94.3 billion) figure. Nestlé’s full-year net profit missed analyst expectations, decreasing by 45.2% to CHF 9.3 billion (approx. $10.1 billion). For 2022, Nestlé recorded sales of CHF 26.33 billion (approx. $28.56 billion) in its Zone North America, representing organic growth of 10.3%. The zone saw continued market share gains, led by pet food, portioned coffee and baby food. The business witnessed 7.2% organic sales growth in its Zone Europe to CHF 19.13 billion ($20.7 billion approx.). According to the company, the zone “demonstrated resilience and a commitment to invest for the long term. In Ukraine, Nestlé announced a CHF 40 million (approx. $43.3 million) investment for a new production facility in the Volyn region.” In Europe, foreign exchange negatively impacted sales by 7.6%, reflecting the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro. Sales in Nestlé’s Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa grew 8.2% on an organic basis. Zone Latin America and Zone Greater China saw organic growth of 13.1% and 3.5%, respectively. Nestlé CEO, Mark Schneider, said: "Last year brought many challenges and tough choices for families, communities and businesses. Inflation surged to unprecedented levels, cost-of-living pressures intensified, and the effects of geopolitical tensions were felt around the world…Organic growth was solid, margins continued to be resilient, and our underlying earnings per share development was strong. At the same time, we ensured access to nutritious products and affordable offerings globally.” “During 2022, we also confirmed our longstanding nutrition strategy, with ‘good for you, good for the planet’ at its heart. We took important actions to further strengthen our industry-leading responsible marketing practices and to provide transparency on the nutritional value of our global portfolio. At the same time, we also advanced the implementation of our climate roadmap.” He continued: “Looking to 2023, we expect another year of robust organic growth, with a focus on restoring our gross margin, stepping up marketing investments and increasing free cash flow. Nestlé’s value creation model puts us in a strong position to achieve our 2025 targets and to generate reliable, sustainable shareholder returns."