Arla Protein UK has launched a range of smooth pudding pots that contain 20 grams of protein and are low in fat with zero added sugar. The lactose-free, low-calorie pudding pots have added vitamin D and magnesium and are available in three flavour varieties: chocolate, salted caramel and hazelnut latte. Ellie Van der Werff, brand manager at Arla Protein UK, said: “Our research suggests a strong desire from the UK market for protein puddings – with this range tapping into the permissible indulgence territory. It also allows the brand to move into a new evening occasion, thus introducing the Arla Protein UK brand to a wider audience.” The new puddings are available in Sainsbury’s stores and will be added to other major retailers in the coming weeks.

International Delight has partnered with Warner Bros to launch a limited-edition hazelnut mocha creamer inspired by the American television sitcom Friends. The creamer – called Friends Manhattan Hazelnut Mocha – takes inspiration from the Manhattan Mocca coffee listed on the chalkboard menu at the hit TV show's coffee shop, Central Perk. The flavour features hints of hazelnut and mocha. "On a mission to deliver collaborations our consumers will love, the choice to create a creamer flavour inspired by Friends couldn't have been any clearer," said Kallie Goodwin, vice president of marketing for International Delight. "As Americans are looking to recreate their favourite coffeehouse experiences at home more and more..." The Friends-themed creamer will also be available in a zero-sugar variety. Friends Manhattan Hazelnut Mocha creamers are available at retailers nationwide for an SRP of $3.99 per 32oz bottle.

Lotus Bakeries' corporate venture fund, FF2032, has acquired a minority stake in Boston-based better-for-you food manufacturer, IQBAR. FF2032 became a lead investor in IQBAR's recent Series B funding round, aiming to support the brand's growth and development. Founded in 2017, IQBAR has created a line of plant-based nutrition bars, each containing 12g of protein and six “brain” nutrients that support cognitive performance, such as omega-3 oils, vitamin E and choline. The bars are vegan, keto- and paleo-friendly, and are free from gluten, dairy, sugar alcohol and soy. The bars come in seven flavours, including chocolate sea salt, lemon blueberry, almond and matcha chai. IQBAR also sells a range of zero-sugar hydration mixes. Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, said: “The best partnerships are those where all participants think long-term and prioritise doing business the right way. This is one of those special partnerships. We look forward to leveraging Lotus’ deep operational experience to accelerate IQBAR’s growth.” Jan Boone, CEO of Lotus Bakeries, added: “So far, IQBAR has already shown good traction with consumers and we have strong belief the brand will continue to perform strong. We believe in the team and we especially admire Will’s hyper-focus on business fundamentals, meticulous execution and solid capital efficiency.”

Lotus Bakeries' corporate venture fund, FF2032, has acquired a minority stake in Boston-based better-for-you food manufacturer, IQBAR. FF2032 became a lead investor in IQBAR's recent Series B funding round, aiming to support the brand's growth and development. Founded in 2017, IQBAR has created a line of plant-based nutrition bars, each containing 12g of protein and six “brain” nutrients that support cognitive performance, such as omega-3 oils, vitamin E and choline. The bars are vegan, keto- and paleo-friendly, and are free from gluten, dairy, sugar alcohol and soy. The bars come in seven flavours, including chocolate sea salt, lemon blueberry, almond and matcha chai. IQBAR also sells a range of zero-sugar hydration mixes. Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, said: “The best partnerships are those where all participants think long-term and prioritise doing business the right way. This is one of those special partnerships. We look forward to leveraging Lotus’ deep operational experience to accelerate IQBAR’s growth.” Jan Boone, CEO of Lotus Bakeries, added: “So far, IQBAR has already shown good traction with consumers and we have strong belief the brand will continue to perform strong. We believe in the team and we especially admire Will’s hyper-focus on business fundamentals, meticulous execution and solid capital efficiency.”

BakeAway, a UK-based manufacturer of pastry and dough, is set to launch OaYeah!, a new ready-made, dairy-free pancake brand, launching in Sainsbury’s on 15 February. OaYeah! pancakes are made from an oat-based milk alternative. Available in “Original” and “Fluffy” American style, the OaYeah! pancakes offer a naturally sweet and creamy flavour. The Original OaYeah! pancakes provide a traditional taste and texture, available in a pack of six. Meanwhile, the Fluffy pancakes are thick American-style pancakes which come in a pack of four. The range is said to contain less saturated fat and sugar than cow’s milk-based ready-made pancakes, selling at an RRP of £2.40 per pack. OaYeah! will be rolled out to other major retailers later in the spring. Jennie Bosson, BakeAway’s marketing manager, said: “We’re delighted to launch OaYeah! in the UK just in time for Pancake Day… We know that Gen Z consumers are passionate about trying dairy-free and healthy alternatives, OaYeah! provides an entry point into the pancake category for these consumers. “By using our oat based dairy alternative, Oat-no-M!lk, we have created a delicious pancake which is HFSS compliant and contains up to 45% less saturated fat and sugar than traditional pancakes.”

Squeaky Bean, known for its ready-to-eat vegan meat alternatives, has launched its Heat & Eat range, with seasoned chicken and tandoori chicken-style pieces. Featuring in the range is the Squeaky Bean Seasoned Chicken Style Pieces and Squeaky Bean Tandoori Chicken Style Pieces. Squeaky Bean Seasoned Chicken Style Pieces are seasoned with salt and pepper and can be used as a base for a range of sauces and spices. Meanwhile, the Squeaky Bean Tandoori Chicken Style Pieces combines a blend of aromatic spices which can be used as a base for curry dishes. Made with wheat and pea protein, the Chicken Style Pieces are 100% vegan, high in protein and low in saturated fat. Rebecca Youseman, brand manager at Squeaky Bean, said: “At Squeaky Bean we’ve perfected tasty textures that hit the spot in those fridge to face moments with our ready-to-eat range. However, when our fans said they wanted to cook with Squeaky, not just snack on it, we knew we had to listen! “The result is a range of great tasting ready-to-cook chicken style pieces that don’t compromise on that famous Squeaky flavour. With our Seasoned Chicken Style Pieces offering a lightly seasoned option and our Tandoori Chicken Style Pieces delivering a spicy kick, the Heat & Eat range will help bring more plant-based excitement to the kitchen, while holding that fantastic texture our products are known for.” Both options are currently available in Sainsbury’s for an RRP of £3.25 per 175g.

Premier Foods-owned plant-based snacking brand, Plantastic, has launched a new indulgent millionaire flapjack. Hong Sim, brand director for plant-based food at Premier Foods, said: “At Plantastic, our brand mission is to popularise plant-based diets by making every experience taste and feel fantastic for everyone. The indulgent Millionaire Flapjack caters for those looking for a plant-based treat that delivers on taste, convenience and quality and by doing so, attracts new consumers into the category." The new flapjacks come in a multipack format and will be available in Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores from early January 2023.

Precision fermentation platform developer, Liberation Labs, has announced the closure of a $20 million seed round of funding. Led by Agronomics and Siddhi Capital, the funds will be used for the purchase and development of a site on which it will build a 600,000 litre production facility to meet demand for novel proteins from both traditional and food-tech companies. Liberation Labs aims to commercialise precision fermentation with a network of international manufacturing sites, designed to facilitate the next wave of biotechnology advancements to produce alt-proteins at scale. Mark Warner, co-founder and CEO of Liberation Labs, said: “Liberation Labs aims to dramatically increase availability of precision fermentation capacity to meet the rising demand for alternative proteins… Our business model enables us to not only meet the demand from today’s traditional food companies but unlock innovation among the dozens of emerging food-tech companies.” The closure of the seed round will see the company’s focus turn to finalising the site selection process, placing orders for long-lead equipment and building out the operations team. Co-founder and co-managing partner of Siddhi Capital, Steven Finn, said: “We’re confident in the experience and talent of the senior executive team at Liberation Labs to deliver on a novel approach to precision fermentation. We believe they can make a significant contribution to making the global food system more sustainable and scalable.” Liberation Labs anticipates beginning operations and commercial production at its first facility by the end of 2024.

Enjoy reading the second part of our thoughts and predictions for the food and beverage industry over the coming year. Antonia Garrett Peel, editor The animal-free dairy space continues to heat up. Meanwhile, plant-based milk’s position in the mainstream is more firmly established than ever. Targeting a white space at the intersection of these developments, Strive Nutrition recently unveiled a range of hybrid drinks, combining almond and oat with Perfect Day’s animal-free whey ingredient. With ethical concerns being one key driver in the adoption of dairy alternatives, the combining of plant proteins and precision fermentation-produced ingredients could enable manufacturers to optimise taste and texture, without animal input. And why stop at dairy? Motif FoodWorks has developed Hemami – molecularly identical to bovine myoglobin – which aims to add authentic flavour and aroma to meat alternatives. While hybrid products might not whet the appetite of strict adherents to a plant-based diet, they could prove popular with flexitarians looking to cut down on meat and dairy. As innovation accelerates in the precision fermentation category, 2023 is likely to see new brands test the waters with plant protein/animal-free ingredient combinations. Jesús Luna-Lopez, sales director Health and wellness, the environment and cost-effectiveness will be at the centre of product development. Factors such as climate change, Covid-19, crippling energy prices, inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have skyrocketed production costs and, as a result, strategies to develop affordable but healthier products have accelerated. However, consumers still want to reward themselves. Manufacturers that can marry health and indulgence will be poised for success. For instance, the no- and low-alcohol segment will keep diversifying its offering, combining ingredients and flavours that meet the need for both health and enjoyment. Botanicals, low-carb solutions and natural colours will be a top priority when it comes to formulations here. In addition, the energy drinks category will continue to dispel the stereotype of high-sugar, artificial beverages, with links to a number of health issues. To be successful, beverage producers must provide clean, natural energy drinks that offer functions such as immune support, improved cognition, beauty enhancement and detoxification benefits. Dan Bunt, marketing manager Words matter when marketing products, with key descriptors often influenced by regulatory changes, consumer demands and evolving trends. Clean label ingredients that consumers know and recognise will drive brand success and grow trust and loyalty. An ingredient list that’s packed with chemical- or technical-sounding terms, might as well be written in a foreign language. Why write ‘ascorbic acid’ when you could simply put ‘vitamin C’? But brands must also be wary not to go too far the other way and ‘greenwash’ consumers. This involves making unsubstantiated claims to lure consumers into believing that a company’s products are sustainable or have a greater positive impact on the environment than they do. This was certainly the mistake of Coca-Cola-owned juice brand Innocent this year, which had an advert banned by the UK Advertising Standards Authority watchdog for ‘greenwashing’ and providing ‘misleading’ environmental claims. 2023 will bring clearer guidance on the appropriate use of words on product packaging. Jonathan McGowan, awards marketing executive 2023 will see much development in the fats and oils sector, with variants such as sunflower and vegetable oil taking a hit in popularity. While this is partly due to the Russia-Ukraine war – both countries are key producers of sunflower oil – health and wellness concerns are also driving consumers away from processed oils and into the arms of natural and cold-pressed variants such as avocado, coconut, peanut and extra virgin olive oil. Consumers will be prepared to spend more on products that tick the boxes for health, quality and integrity. What’s more, those sourced with sustainability in mind will take an edge on the market. Phoebe Fraser, editorial assistant Personalised nutrition is now a booming category as consumers look to customise multiple aspects of their lives – from the media they watch and listen to, to their entertainment and retail services, and their beauty routines. Tailored experiences have become more defined and diverse. Why should the food we consume be any different? Some companies offer extensive health testing to provide a more targeted response. Thorne HealthTech, for example, offers both quick quiz fixes and more in-depth biological testing. At-home test kits and multi-omic AI platforms provide patients with science-based personalised health insights to optimise an individual’s health. Metagenomic sequencing and AI analyses facilitate the creation of in-depth and tailored personal nutrition plans. Watch this space. Louis Porcelli, social media and campaigns executive Technology is ever-present in our lives and it seems like we can never go without it. We’ve embraced cutting-edge tech for our entertainment and communication needs, and have increasingly turned to automation in an attempt to simplify our lives. Automation is a method of controlling a process by automatic means, freeing up more time for ourselves. We’re seeing this infiltrate the foodservice sector at an increasing rate, and it will continue to grow in 2023. Businesses are receiving funds to help meet the consumer demand for their automated services. Stellar Pizza, whose “mission is to spread joy in the world, one pizza at a time, with robots,” secured $16.5 million in a Series A funding round, led by rapper Jay-Z’s venture capital firm, Marcy Venture Partners. The US start-up is led by former SpaceX engineers, whose mobile restaurant has the capacity to make 420 pizzas, with a single pizza taking less than five minutes to prepare. RoboBurger, the world’s first burger robot in a box, has opened a $10 million Seed 2 round of funding in partnership with private equity firm, Promethean Investments. The robot can grill, toast, add condiments and assemble a fresh burger in around four minutes. The new funding round will help them roll out RoboBurger units across the US, after its first pop-up location in Jersey City. Allied Market Research states that the Food Robotics market was valued at $2.05m in 2020, and is estimated to reach $5,79m by 2031. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the encouragement for no human contact will surely accelerate the automation age in foodservice.

Middleby Corporation has announced the acquisition of Marco Beverage Systems, a beverage dispensing solutions manufacturer, for an undisclosed sum. Marco's products include Pour'd cold coffee on tap, which is a cold coffee solution that improves the speed of service in the out-of-home coffee business. The company has annual revenues of $30 million with facilities in Dublin, Ireland and Ningbo, China. The company's operations – in the latter market, in particular – will expand Middleby’s manufacturing and sales teams and capabilities. “Marco is a leader in innovative beverage dispensing systems. This acquisition is highly complementary to our growing beverage portfolio, and the Marco product line further expands our offerings in coffee brewers, cold brew dispense and a variety of hot, cold and sparkling water dispensers,” said Middleby CEO Tim FitzGerald. “Touchless and in-counter dispense technology is rapidly gaining popularity due to space and labour advantages, along with enhanced aesthetic features. Marco is well-positioned with solutions for these growing trends.” Marco's management team will remain unchanged.

As the end of the year approaches, we wanted to wish you all a wonderful festive period and a Happy New Year. We look forward to keeping you updated with the latest trends and news in the food and beverage industry and we are excited to see what will unfold in the industry during 2023. The FoodBev Media team.

Sandy Hill Investors has made a minority investment in Seviroli Foods and Vertullo Imports, as it expands its portfolio of companies in the food industry. Long Island-based Seviroli produces a range of filled pasta, sauces and Italian desserts, among other products. New York-based Vertullo is a “high-end importer” that sources food products from around the world. "We are excited about our partnership with Sandy Hill and Mill Point as we look to the company's next stage of growth. We believe this partnership will add significant value as we continue to build on our family's legacy," said Seviroli CEO, Joseph Seviroli. Sandy Hill’s stake, together with a majority investment from Mill Point Capital and the continued leadership of Seviroli and Paul Vertullo – who will continue to operate the companies and have a significant ownership stake in the new partnership, is set to help the companies grow. "Across the decades, and generations, these family-owned companies have established a reputation for quality and innovation that gives them enormous potential to grow market share," said Sandy Hill chairman, Matthew J Bruderman. "This exciting partnership involving Mill Point Capital and those whose passion and hard work have built these companies will help create a powerful food brand." As part of the investment, Sandy Hill will have a seat on the board of directors of the new combined company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.