UK-based start-up The Curators has acquired fellow British start-up Cheesies, with a “significant investment” from minority equity investor, Yeo Valley Associates. Founded in 2018, The Curators’ mission was to shake up the savoury snacking category with high-protein products. The Cheesies range aligns with The Curators’ portfolio, offering high-protein, low-carb and keto-friendly snacks with a number of independent retail customers. The Curators’ co-founder, Max Rees, said: “Bringing Cheesies into our portfolio gives us even more opportunity to drive our vision of supercharging savoury snacking… There are a number of synergies between the two businesses, and we look forward to building on the strong online momentum they have achieved whilst using our experience to accelerate growth plans for the range in retail.” The acquisition was backed by Yeo Valley’s venture fund, Yeo Valley Associates, to accelerate the company’s growth plans. Yeo Valley’s CEO, Tom Wright, commented: “When we first met we were impressed by the distribution they had achieved for a young business along with their vision to build a leading functional snacking brand. We are excited for them to lead Cheesies into its next stage of growth and support them to capitalise on the synergies across both brands.’ Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

General Mills-owned Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand has expanded its snack category with the launch of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles. The new snack features cone-shaped Bugles with a dusting of Cinnamon Toast Crunch’s Cinnadust for a combination of salty and sweet flavours. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles are available exclusively at convenience stores for $2.99 per 85g bag.

US infant nutrition company, Namuh, has partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks to develop functional oligosaccharides that are "structurally identical" to those found in human breast milk. According to Ginkgo, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are "essential fibre-like nutrients unique to human milk that provide an important energy source to beneficial gut bacteria in infants". Namuh aims to create complete infant formula products, comparable to breast milk "down to the molecular level". Using Ginkgo's expertise in yeast strain engineering and fermentation process development, Namuh will be able to produce a wide variety of HMOs through yeast fermentation, which could help make infant formula more nutritionally robust and similar to human milk. Chaeyoung Shin, founder and CEO of Namuh, said: "Consumer demand for high-quality, safe infant nutrition products is growing, and Namuh is thrilled to partner with Ginkgo to accelerate our market entry into this rapidly evolving category. We believe engineering biology is the perfect way to produce crucial nutrients for babies, and together with Ginkgo, we are excited to play a key role in improving how future generations are fed."

With the theme ‘Planet Positive for a Healthier Future,’ the programme will include sessions on sustainability, health, market trends, innovation and deposit return schemes ahead of the Scottish scheme launch in August. Speakers will join panels to discuss the opportunities and challenges for the natural source waters industry as it seeks to promote public health policies and ensure a sustainable future in which net zero is a firm goal. Dimbleby said: “It is positive to see the natural source waters category bringing the industry together to tackle two critical issues: the health of the nation and the environment. Clearly, more needs to be done to encourage consumers to choose and enjoy healthy food and drink products, and there is an urgent need for continued collaboration across the supply chain to protect the natural environment and tackle climate change.” Dimbleby will be giving the keynote address and chairing the sustainability and health panels. Other speakers confirmed include four directors from Danone Waters, Highland Spring Group, Nestlé Waters UK and Shepley Spring, all members of the Natural Source Waters Association. “We are looking forward to delivering a high-quality and engaging conference. Coinciding appropriately with World Water Day, it is an opportunity for everyone connected with the industry to debate and discuss key initiatives, challenges and opportunities in water drinks,” commented organiser Francesca Hall, events director of Zenith Global, which has specialised in consulting services to water drinks companies for more than 30 years. “This is an important time for the supply chain to come together. The event will provide excellent insights on trends, the fast-moving policy environment and opportunities for market collaboration. As key supporters of the event, our members, who produce the majority of natural source waters sold in the UK, will be sharing their views and expertise, and we look forward to seeing other industry leaders and retail customers there, too,” added Kinvara Carey, general manager of the Natural Source Waters Association. Full programme and booking details are available at www.zenithglobal.com/events, and early discounts are available until 10 February.

Premier Foods has announced the proposed closure of its Knighton Foods manufacturing facility in the UK, affecting approximately 300 employees. The Knighton factory manufactures powdered desserts and drinks and was established as a joint venture between Premier and Specialty Powders in 2014. Premier said that Knighton primarily produces non-branded beverages and is therefore no longer “aligned to the group’s branded growth model strategy,” while also being “marginally unprofitable at trading profit”. In its Q3 results, Premier stated: “Following a comprehensive review of the site, the company is entering into colleague consultation on its proposed closure”. Under the proposals, effective from mid-2023, non-branded revenue contracts of around £27 million will be “carefully managed for exit”. Premier said in its trading statement: “It is recognised that this will be an unsettling time for those circa 300 colleagues who are potentially affected by these proposals, and they will be fully supported and consulted with throughout the process”. Some branded products currently manufactured at the Knighton facility will be transferred to other group sites, with no changes expected to take place until the middle of the year.

Ferrero has introduced its product line-up featuring new treats in time for the Valentine's Day and Easter holidays. Its Valentine's Day range features: Butterfinger Valentine's Minis, Butterfinger Mini Heart Shaped Box, Crunch Valentine's Minis, Crunch Minis Heart Shaped Box, 100 Grand Heart Shaped Box and the Assorted Chocolate Minis from Butterfinger, Crunch, 100 Grand. Meanwhile, its Easter offering features Ferrero Rocher Easter Milk Hollow Egg, Ferrero Rocher Golden Eggs (available in Milk, Dark and White Chocolate), Kinder Bueno Mini Share Pack, Butterfinger Minis Basket Filler Pack, Butterfinger Minis Bag and Crunch Minis Bag. Jim Klein, chief customer officer at Ferrero US, said: "For the past several years, people have continued turning to chocolate and candy at special moments and we look forward to helping families and friends alike come together and create more memories with our expansive portfolio of products." He added: "We're happy to kick off the new season at Ferrero by revealing earlier than ever the new surprises... to enjoy this season and beyond."

Coca-Cola-owned beverage brand, Simply, has expanded its portfolio with its first mixer offering, a dual-proposition cocktail/mocktail product line. The line of fruity, natural-flavoured juice beverages is available in Strawberry Guava Mojito, Lime Margarita and Peach Sour varieties. Coca-Cola North America’s creative director, nutrition, Alex Ames, said: “With Simply Mixology, we wanted to find a way to simplify and elevate the at-home drinking experience with great-tasting, natural solutions that are not only amazing mixers, but also stand on their own as ready-to-drink mocktails”. The new range launches into select US retailers on 23 January.

Nestlé has appointed Richard Watson to be its new chief executive for UK and Ireland, as current CEO Stefano Agostini moves to a new role within the company. Watson has been with the company for 27 years and is the current managing director for Nestlé Confectionery in the UK and Ireland. Agostini joined Nestlé in 1989 and became UK and Ireland’s CEO in 2017. Agostini said: "It has been a pleasure and a privilege to lead this great business in the UK and Ireland. I am proud of the many things that we have achieved as a team, the way we have risen to challenges and moved our business forward.” Watson commented: “I would like to thank Stefano for his leadership in the last six years and wish him well in his new role. I am really looking forward to getting started and leading this brilliant team into its exciting next phase." Agostini will become the Head of Confectionery for Nestlé’s Zone Europe, the reshuffle will take effect on 1 March 2023.

Halo Top has launched a limited-edition raspberry white chip light ice cream ahead of Valentine's Day. The new flavour features a creamy combo of raspberry light ice cream with crunchy white chips. The ice cream pint contains 340 calories, which is "less than a box of mystery-filled chocolates," said Halo Top. Halo Top’s raspberry white chip light ice cream is available on shelves nationwide for $4.99 per pint.

As we settle into a post-Covid way of life, facility tours are likely up and running again for many food and beverage manufacturers. Rick Farrell, president of Plant Tours, shares some words of wisdom on how to plan a successful tour for visitors and employees. Agricultural or food-processing facilities are likely to run several tours a year for visitors or new employees. Visitors could be investors who want to know how a farm or food facility works, or people interested in a company's farming and manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, employees need the tour because they have to know how things operate and their responsibilities. Below, are some tips that can be used to plan for an impactful tour. An effective tour guide system Conducting a tour at such sites can be difficult because it is usually noisy from the ongoing processes, making it hard for people to hear. Tour guide systems can be one-way or two-way, depending on whom you take through the facility. It is mainly one-way when dealing with visitors, but if it is employees or new hires, a two-way system allows for interactions. This can be achieved by implementing an effective tour guide system. This communication system consists of a headset transmitter, receiver and handheld or built-in microphone. When planning a tour of these facilities, one question many people ask is "how does a tour guide system work?" Simply speak into the microphone and the audio goes through the transmitter. The receiver is part of the system that receives the voice from the transmitter, allowing the audience to hear through their headsets or earphones. Some transmitters come with belt clips for ease of use and portability. Since these are portable systems, a facility will need to have a charging case or station to ensure it has the charge to operate in the event of an unplanned tour. A suitcase-style storage unit makes it easier to transport the equipment while charging it. Understand the tour’s objective It's crucial to know what people being hosted want to learn, want to talk about and want to see. For example, investors of a start-up might be interested in the technological or manufacturing aspects of how a new product is created. While a brand looking for a new ingredient supplier may be interested in sampling certain products or exploring how these ingredients are cultivated/created. Have an itinerary Once the tour's objective is established, create an itinerary around it so that the company and visitors are on the same page. This ensures that everyone is in the facility on time and the tour is more organised. It also helps to know what parts of the facility to stop at and in what order. Practice the things on the itinerary before the tour, and distribute it among employees to make the tour more coordinated. Inform your employees in advance While the tour's goal is for visitors to see what the plant operations look like in a day, warning employees of the tour in advance goes a long way in ensuring it runs smoothly. First, it gives them time to plan their activities so that they do not interrupt the tour. If they need to postpone any activity, they will make preparations and take the right measures to ensure it does not mess up any other production activities. It also makes the tour more successful, for example, by being quieter or avoiding a particular place at a specific time. Employees will also ensure that all equipment and machinery are running as they should to prevent any mishaps or accidents. Facility managers can look to make improvements like a paint job or cleaning up to make the facility more aesthetically pleasing and safe. Finally, if employees are needed to speak to the visitors, letting them know in advance makes sure they prepare something relevant to say and also prepares them psychologically. Have information booklets While tours provide a lot of information about a processing plant, it is impossible to go over everything. Therefore, information booklets are essential to help visitors know more about certain functions that were addressed or those that weren't discussed. The information booklet also contains more information about the facility, such as details on the products produced and financial statistics. Have a section for interaction After stopping at every destination and explaining the process, ensure an open forum is set up for visitors to ask questions or interact. This makes the tour feel more natural for them and fulfilling. When planning a food processing facility tour, the goal is to ensure each visitor leaves informed and educated. Ensuring an effective sound communication system is in place will make the tour organised. And last, but certainly not least, it's fundamental to ensure the safety and comfort of facility visitors at all times.

South Korean confectionery manufacturer, Lotte Confectionery, is investing INR 450 crores (approx. $55.3 million) in its Indian ice cream maker subsidiary, Havmor Ice Cream, over the next five years. The capital will be used to build a 60,000-square-metre facility in Pune, Maharashtra, to increase Havmor's production capacity in the country. Havmor has a presence in over 20 states and operates 216 ice cream parlours in India. Meanwhile, Lotte Confectionery produces a variety of confectionery products, including chewing gum, cookies, ice cream and others. Komal Anand, managing director of Havmor, said: “Lotte sees India as a strategic market, and this investment decision demonstrates the confidence that the group has in the growth opportunity India has to offer. Revolutionising the Indian palate with lip-smacking options that satisfy consumer demand has been at the centre of our initiative.” Choi, chief globalisation officer at Lotte Confectionery Korea, added: “India is an important market for Lotte, and we are very excited to announce our first-ever ice cream facility built with Korean expertise in manufacturing, supply chain metrics and processing in India. The new plant will be instrumental in strengthening and growing the brand’s reach in India.” The project will be fully operational in 2024 and is expected to create around 1,000 jobs.

The source of the world With the UAE acting as the central hub of all these changes, Gulfood will be at the heart of the business community, the source of propelling sector conversations from agenda to action, bringing the industry together to convene in the first key F&B industry event of the year, unveiling new products and innovations, and creating an international platform for business opportunities including 125 country pavilions with first-time participants: Armenia, Cambodia and Iraq, and welcoming back returning pavilions from South Africa and Australia. Sustainability at the fore Launching in 2023, Gulfood presents Gulfood Green - a new global sustainability initiative to ignite and continue conversations within the wider F&B community to create a momentous shift towards more resilient and sustainable food production and consumption. The objective is to raise visibility and influence key strategic food industry champions for sustainable food systems transformation in the lead-up to COP 28 and set a precedent for the future. As part of the initiative, Gulfood has also launched its own Gulfood Global Forest, an international tree-planting campaign and nature-based solution to the events’ sustainability commitments, to conserve, restore and grow trees across the globe to help curb climate change. The food industry is known to be a major carbon emitter, and the Gulfood Forest will enable stakeholders of the event, from exhibitors and visitors to speakers, chefs and the wider public, to get involved and plant trees to help restore global forests. Gulfood Green has already started planting in four countries – UAE, Uganda, Ecuador and Indonesia – with fruit-bearing trees planted in a number of locations to enable families and local communities to become self-sufficient. The planted trees will support 2,000 families and sequester 1 million kg of CO2 over the trees’ lifetime. Gulfood Greens’ commitment is to quadruple the number of trees and country expansion by COP 28. The theme of sustainability will be carried through multiple verticals of the event, with topics being discussed at the conference, including working towards zero food waste and making the dairy industry less carbon intensive, to building and securing viable, sustainable food businesses. Speakers include: Paul Newnham, executive director of SDG2 Advocacy Hub; Carlos Frunze Garza, advocate for sustainability and executive chef of Teible; Kylie Woodham, general manager of Magners Farm; and Kamesh Ellajosyula, president and chief innovation and quality officer of Olam Food Ingredients. Gulfood will also put the spotlight, for the very first time, on global chefs spearheading biodiversity in the restaurant industry, with masterclasses and workshops by top chefs creating real change through sustainability and zero waste initiatives including: Rasmus Munk of Alchemist in Copenhagen and Peeter Pihel, sustainable restaurant advocate and head chef of Fotografiska. The Gulfood Green Awards will also take place this year, with submissions open to the industry, in five categories: Green Foodservice Industry Award, Waste Management Award; Green Food Innovation Award; Sustainability Professional of the Year and Sustainability Company of the Year. The Gulfood Green Awards Celebrate excellence in sustainability and encourage green best practices across the food and beverage industry. Impactful conversations to spur change The Gulfood Inspire Conference will champion core themes of sustainability, quality and access. Ministers, global F&B value chain leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society and industry experts will lead a series of keynotes, panel discussions and showcases, addressing timely topics including sustainable food production; food security and sovereignty; agri-food and food tech investment; innovations and web three opportunities; nutrition education and access; waste reduction; securing international supply chains; and food services trends, challenges and innovations. Confirmed first-time speakers include: Yazen Al Kodmani, head of operations of Emirates Bio Farm; Alessio D'Antino, co-founder and CEO of Forward Fooding; Neha Sood, UAE market lead for Zomato; Rajiv Warrier, CEO GCC of Choithrams; and Ruben Brunsveld, deputy director, EMEA, roundtable on sustainable palm oil. Gulfood has partnered with market intelligence agency, Mintel, to curate a thought leadership programme for the F&B industry. As the events’ Strategic Knowledge Partner, the agency has undertaken exploratory interviews with leaders across the food and drink industry, covering topics such as sustainability and inflation. Experts and leaders from around the globe have shared challenges and priorities as food and drink professionals with the aim of collectively looking to understand the key challenges the food and drink industry faces and the solutions businesses are adopting to overcome them. The results from the research will be shared in a whitepaper in the weeks leading up to Gulfood 2023 and to be more widely used across the industry to provide guidance and inspiration to businesses at this critical time. ‘Dubai World Cuisine’ Movement Gulfood Plus will be the home of Top Table this year, where the world’s best curators of award-winning dining experiences will showcase their signature dishes. Gulfood 2023 will launch the ‘Dubai World Cuisine’ Movement, which aims to provide a platform for homegrown chefs to collaboratively shape the cultural identity of Dubai and establish it on the world’s culinary map. For 2023, Singapore has been selected for the nation's vibrant and diverse culinary scene, from Michelin-starred restaurants to UNESCO-recognised street food. The programme will see six iconic chefs from Singapore hosted in six restaurants in Dubai in February, with masterclasses and fringe dinners outside of the event, across the city. Two months later, in May, the Dubai chefs will then be hosted in Singapore for six dinners under the umbrella of Dubai World Cuisine by Gulfood. A star-studded lineup of internationally renowned Michelin star chefs participating in the programme includes Melbourne-born Michael Wilson of Marguerite in Singapore, winner of the Michelin Guide Young Chef of the Year, Louis Han of Nae:um; and hailing from Liguria, Italy, Daniele Sperindio of Art in Singapore. Michelin star homegrown talent includes Gregoire Berger of Ossiano, Salam Dakkak of Bait Maryam and Saverio Sbaragli of Al Muntaha – all participating in Gulfood for the very first time. Alongside Top Table, Chef Talks will offer insights and inspiration from global chefs, food editors and influencers in the culinary world. The leaders of tomorrow As the first-of-its-kind launch-pad for empowering promising F&B talent with a career-changing experience, the Gulfood YouthX Challenge grand finale winners, competing at Gulfood 2023, will be rewarded for their contribution to the region’s influence on the global gastronomic scene with a career-changing internship at an international three-Michelin star restaurant. In another event first, YouthX Academy Acceleration has been created to provide a pathway for culinary students to fast-track their careers in the world of professional gastronomy, the YouthX Academy Challenge will see teams of talented young chefs from top international culinary schools compete with each other for the chance to secure a full-time position at one of the most coveted restaurants in the region. Foodverse Also taking place at the new Gulfood Plus – the Food Metaverse on the blockchain will give visitors the chance to discover the incredible opportunities that the food ecosystem is presented with through Web 3.0 and learn about emerging technology trends that will pave the way for future innovations in the F&B industry. Gulfood Innovation Awards The Gulfood Innovation Awards are bestowed to the industry's revolutionary pioneers, honouring excellence in new product development and championing ground-breaking new products launched within the past calendar year. Thousands of entries have already been submitted in ten categories, including best beverage product, best organic product, best-frozen product, best packaging design and best plant-based product. Enabling global connections Gulfood will create a platform for companies in the food industry to present their products, services and solutions to influential buyers from across the globe, facilitating intercontinental business deals and serving as the ultimate focal point for the world of food and beverage sourcing. Over 10,000 meetings have already been scheduled and confirmed via the show’s meetings programme. *Tickets for Gulfood are currently on sale at a special rate of AED 295 for a 5-day pass (instead of the regular full price of AED 495) for a limited period only. Tickets can be purchased at www.gulfood.com.