Premier Foods-owned Ambrosia has expanded its range of ambient desserts with the launch of Sticky Toffee Flavour Rice Pudding. The new flavour variety is a source of calcium and contains 100% natural flavours with no preservatives. Dan Jalalpour, brand director at Premier Foods, said: “We are excited to be launching a new flavour in our rice pudding range and opening the sector up to a younger audience – increasing sale opportunities for retailers". Ambrosia’s sticky toffee-flavoured rice pudding is available in UK retailers Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, for an RRP of £1.49 per 400g can.

Hain Celestial has named Wendy Davidson as its next president and chief executive officer, effective 1 January 2023. As part of the planned transition, Mark Schiller will continue his responsibilities as president and CEO until 31 December. He will then take on the role of non-executive director on the Hain board and will serve as “an ongoing resource” to Davidson, who will also become a member of the board of directors. Dawn Zier, chair of the board, said: “On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Mark for his unwavering commitment and leadership during his four-year tenure as CEO. Mark has played an instrumental role in simplifying the company and instilling greater operational discipline throughout the organisation and we are foundationally stronger as a result.” Zier continued: “We are excited to welcome Wendy as our new CEO. Her global CPG experience and successful track record in driving growth, reducing complexity and developing talent are key to accelerating the transformative work that the leadership team has undertaken to launch our ‘Hain 3.0’ strategy. “She is the right choice to lead Hain Celestial through its next phase of growth, and under her guidance, we look forward to the company delivering strong operating results and generating long-term shareholder value.” Davidson most recently served as president of the Americas for Glanbia Performance Nutrition. Prior to that, she was president, away from home for Kellogg Company and held various executive roles at McCormick and Tyson Foods. She commented: "I am delighted and honoured by the opportunity to lead Hain Celestial at this exciting time in the company’s history. Hain’s global portfolio of organic and natural brands is authentic and beloved by consumers. The leadership team has set a strong foundation for the company's ‘3.0’ strategy, and I look forward to working together to execute on the company’s growth agenda and build upon this strategy.”

Cargill has announced the acquisition of Owensboro Grain Company, a soybean processing facility and refinery located in Kentucky. The purchase of the Owensboro-based company will support Cargill's efforts to “modernise and increase capacity across its North American oilseeds network to support growing demand for oilseeds driven by food, feed and renewable fuel markets”. Founded in 1906, Owensboro Grain Company serves a variety of markets, producing lecithin and blends of refined vegetable oil for the food industry, alongside a range of other soy products. Leonardo Aguiar, president of Cargill's North American agricultural supply chain, said: "We are pleased to welcome Owensboro Grain Company into our Cargill family. Our two companies have tremendous operational histories, similar heritages as grain merchants and values, including an unwavering commitment to prioritising people – making this a tremendous fit. “Additionally, this is a significant milestone in Cargill's journey to create a connected and modernised grain experience for our customers." Helen Cornell, president and CEO of Owensboro Grain Company, commented: "We are excited for this new chapter in the life of Owensboro Grain Company and believe an acquisition by Cargill will ensure the long-term success of the company. Cargill has the ability to capitalise on growing opportunities in the industry, such as renewable energy.” Cornell added: “The acquisition will ensure that Owensboro Grain Company, its employees, farmers, customers and the community are best positioned for the future. We are excited to transfer ownership to another multi-generational family-held enterprise with global access to markets and capabilities to ensure the future growth of our business. Cargill has the global resources necessary to support Owensboro Grain Company's growth goals and operations." The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in early 2023.

Brakes has released a new range of frozen soups under its Sysco Classic brand which can be cooked from frozen. Featuring in the range are four varieties including Spiced Winter Vegetable Soup, a blend of carrots, parsnips, onions and potatoes with hints of maple syrup, coconut, thyme and cinnamon; Parsnip Soup, parsnips, potatoes and onions with hints of maple syrup; Butternut and Sage Soup, combining butternut squash, carrot, potatoes and sage; and Italian Style White Bean Soup, with haricot beans, onions and kale, with hints of garlic, rosemary, paprika and fennel. Stuart Smith, merchandising director at Sysco UK, said: “We wanted to introduce a range of frozen soups that not only capture some amazing flavours but are also simple to use as a time-saving, tasty option in busy kitchens. “The potential applications are almost endless, for example, as an easy-to-deliver soup of the day that can be rotated, an in-room flexible dining option or simply a cook to order resident meal. And because they are vegan, it provides an easy option for a variety of menu choices.” The soups are suitable for vegans and are available in individual 275g pouches, from £1.42 per portion.

Kraft Heinz has launched Sosu from Amoy, a new range of meal kits and cooking ingredients made with pan-Asian regional cuisine. Sosu from Amoy offers an assortment of pan-Asian recipes, in the form of meal kits and standalone cooking ingredients which can be made in 15 minutes. Each meal kit includes a recipe and specialised ingredients. It is also suitable for vegetarian and vegan. Kraft Heinz created the new product with design firm Designit. Caio Fontenele, New Ventures director at Kraft Heinz said: “With Sosu from Amoy, we have packaged affordability and practicality, without losing aspects of curiosity and high-quality food. This meal kit and cooking range will allow consumers to eat well and explore new cuisines, without taking too much time out of their already busy days – that is the beauty of Sosu.” James Buchanan, executive director at Designit London said: “Since partnering with Kraft Heinz we’ve been able to help the New Ventures division bring three new, innovative products to market. Each one is designed to meet a real need in people's lives while also addressing some of the cultural tensions that exist in food right now. The new range will launch in selected UK retailers, starting with its Japanese and Korean lines.

German beverage producers Karlsberg Getränke Verbund and Warsteiner are joining forces to establish an independent purchasing company. Under the plans, the two companies will pool their resources and create a service company for the procurement and purchase of goods in the beverage market. With the new project, the beverage companies "seek to achieve improved purchasing and supply conditions while at the same time optimising the consistent provision of goods to their customers". The purchasing company will negotiate framework agreements with suppliers on behalf of its members, who will then be able to purchase the goods independently. Helmut Hörz, chief executive and finance officer at Warsteiner, said: “The current political and economic situation has made it amply clear that, if we wish to be able to provide beverages to our customers, it is absolutely essential that we ensure the reliable supply of our production facilities. The purchasing company will help to further optimise the interplay between beverage manufacturers, bottlers, suppliers and consumers.” Markus Meyer, CEO Germany of Karlsberg, added: “Be it the malt shortage or bottlenecks impacting packaging materials, our entire industry is facing the same challenges. With the planned purchasing company, we are working together to offer a solution that is beneficial to everyone — members, suppliers and customers alike.” The project is awaiting approval by antitrust authorities.

CSM Ingredients is partnering with Urika, a venture and innovation partner representing multinational agri-food companies in the Israeli ecosystem, to establish a new open innovation hub in Tel Aviv. The company says that the partnership will enable it to generate value by identifying growth opportunities, collaborating with technology start-ups and scientific labs, and ‘developing future growth engines’. The hub aims to cooperate with the Israeli ecosystem to discover new food ingredient technologies and improve upon existing ones. Aldo Uva, CSM Ingredients' CEO, commented: “At CSM Ingredients, we work tirelessly to identify new and existing opportunities based on emerging and growing trends through open innovation. As such, we are thrilled to be partnering with Urika and launching an open innovation hub in Israel.” Uva added: “Through a collaboration with such a strategic partner, our company will continue on its net positive journey to push boundaries through disruptive solutions for both the traditional and new food segments”. Ilanit Kabessa, managing partner at Urika, stated: “We are proud to work with CSM Ingredients and join the company’s visionary journey to the future of food technologies. As a major player in the ecosystem, CSM is leading the industry to a better future, and Urika is honoured to be a strategic partner.”

Smoothie and frozen fruit brand, Pack’d, has launched a curbside-recyclable flexible paper film packaging for some of its products. The move to paper film is in response to customer feedback in favour of plastic-free packaging but concerned about the practicality of storing bulky cardboard cartons. The flexible paper bags are “scrunchable” for busy freezers and eco-friendly as they’re fully recyclable with normal card and paper recycling. Alex Stewart, CEO and co-founder of Pack’d, said: “We’re proud that this will be one of the first frozen packs in curbside recyclable paper anywhere in the world. For us curbside recyclability is everything, otherwise we’re just passing the buck to our customers and giving them an extra task…We’re on course to be completely plastic free in 2023 and so far we’ve managed to remove 13.6 tonnes of plastic per year from our supply chain.” Pack’d’s organic vegetable range packaged in the new paper bags is available to buy from Ocado or on the brand’s website.

Ingredient companies CP Kelco and Chr Hansen have partnered to produce plant-based yogurt alternatives – “vegurts”. The result of this collaboration included prototypes of drinkable and edible “vegurts” with oat, soy, pea, coconut or almond bases. Christian Gilleladen, principal application scientist at Chr Hansen, said: “The technological challenge to produce both spoonable and drinkable ambient vegurts with great nutrition, taste and texture is significant.” He continued: “Selecting the right culture to provide fermentation performance, texture and flavour for each recipe, and having these complement the stabilisation and flavour systems is critical to making great products. By working together, we have been able to unlock the synergies between ingredients and process to produce a variety of desired thicknesses and mouthfeel.” Anne Sinha, marketing director at CP Kelco, commented: “This collaboration represents a new way of helping our respective customers accelerate their product development and access technical application support globally.” She continued: “With access to teams who know each other and work together well, and who are closely connected to other global ingredient producers, customers can benefit from an integrated team of world-leading experts with insights across their entire development chain.” A range of vegurt prototypes are available to food producers for tasting. The recipes can also be adapted to meet specific requirements for sugar, protein, fat, texture and flavour.

Actiph has expanded its healthy beverage portfolio with the launch of a new brand, Acti+. Acti+ is a nootropic clean energy drink that delivers improved focus and performance to consumers. The natural and sugar-free brand helps improve cognitive performance, reduce fatigue and support immune health. Acti+ is currently available in two flavours: strawberry and dragon fruit, and blood orange. Each 250ml can is said to contain 100% of consumers' recommended daily allowance of vitamins B5, B6, B9, B12, C and zinc, as well as only three calories. Actiph CEO Nicholas Ross said: “As an organisation, we’re constantly striving to meet the needs of consumers who are increasingly moving away from sugar-laden, artificial drinks and are instead seeking healthier, functional alternatives". "Our ethos of enabling people to lead healthier lives through our range of functional beverages has naturally led us to the energy category, where most options available to consumers are not conducive to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. We wanted to offer a clean, natural alternative for those who regularly reach for energy drinks whilst also providing a more accessible route into energy products for consumers who have historically avoided them due to their unhealthy nature and negative connotations." The range is available at Tesco stores for a retail price of £5.00 per 4 x 250ml multipack.

New spirits group Magellan & Cheers has acquired Spanish vermouth brand Perucchi, marking its first acquisition. Magellan & Cheers was founded and is led by the former CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine, Jean-Noël Reynaud. The group aims to create an alliance of high-quality artisan brands. Perucchi is a 150-year-old brand from Badalona. Best known for its vermouth, made from wines, mistelles, herbs, plants and roots, Perucchi also markets a number of other products, including a range of liqueurs. Magellan & Cheers plans to increase Perucchi's distribution, with the aim of reaching countries such as the US and Italy, as well as ‘achieve a presence’ across high-end supermarkets, specialist wholesalers and e-commerce platforms. Reynaud said that he foresees quadrupling Perucchi’s sales over the next five years. “Perucchi is one of the real gems of the spirits market,” said Reynaud. “It is a brand that can boast of its history and which has managed to grow without forgetting its artisan, sustainable and local values. Indeed, the same ageing tanks and vats installed when the company was founded are still used today to age the vermouth. It is now time to encourage the brand and enable it to reach a much wider market without changing its DNA.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Suntory Group has announced a new project that aims to produce barley with 50% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within five years. Under the initiative, which is set to start production in 2023, Suntory will procure UK-grown barley that is produced using regenerative agriculture practices. Regenerative agriculture is a sustainable farming method that reduces dependency on chemical fertilisers and pesticides through the use of cover crops and no-till faming. Brian Golden, senior general manager at Suntory Monozukuri Initiative, Suntory Holdings, said: “Thriving agricultural systems are crucial to our business and we place regenerative agriculture as one of the core solutions in transitioning to sustainable agricultural practices. We will further our collaboration with various supply chain partners to procure more sustainably and to decarbonise our value chain.” The project will see Suntory collaborate with UK-based malt supplier Muntons, sustainable agriculture and supply chain consultancy, Future Food Solutions, and local barley farmers in the East Anglia region. Barley is one of the main ingredients in Suntory’s products and the company estimates that agricultural raw ingredients contribute around 20% of the GHG emissions across its entire value chain. In a statement, Suntory commented: “The project will start by baselining all crop-related emissions, which will inform an innovative nature-based programme of interventions that seek to reduce GHG emissions, enhance soil health and protect water, while maintaining crop performance and grain quality”. Adrian Dyter, head of procurement and technical at Muntons, said: “As the first maltster to develop a carbon calculator to help identify the carbon intensive areas of the supply chain from grain to glass, we are excited to be working with Suntory, Future Food Solutions and the farming group in East Anglia led by Dewing Grain on this pioneering project”.