Campbell Soup Company and Enel North America have entered into a 12-year virtual renewable power purchase agreement (PPA), expected to commence in July 2023. The agreement supports Campbell’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction efforts through the purchase of electricity and associated renewable energy credits from a 115-megawatt share of Enel’s Seven Cowboy wind farm project. Enel began construction of the 300-megawatt Seven Cowboy wind farm project in Kiowa and Washita, Oklahoma, in March this year. Campbell’s VP of corporate responsibility and sustainability, Stewart Lindsay, said: “Improving the sustainability of the agriculture and food value chain is important to Campbell. Reducing emissions is a key part of this work, and the agreement with Enel North America provides a significant step forward in meeting our science-based emissions targets.” The renewable energy credits retained through the PPA will reduce the soup giant’s Scope 2 emissions, enabling the company to progress towards achieving its 2030 GHG reduction targets. Using expected production from Campbell’s involvement in the wind farm project, the move is estimated to save around 191,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Paolo Romanacci, head of Enel’s renewable energy business, Enel Green Power, commented: “We are proud to support Campbell’s goal to create a more sustainable food system. This agreement demonstrates how food and beverage companies like Campbell can leverage clean energy solutions to achieve their emissions reduction goals, while also supporting the addition of new renewable energy to the electric grid.” The Seven Cowboy wind farm project, located southwest of Oklahoma City, will house 107 turbines that are expected to annually generate over 1.3 terawatt hours of energy.

Global food company Danish Crown is set to invest more than £100 million in a new processing facility in Rochdale, Manchester. The 30,500-square-metre facility will use automated production equipment and processing technology to slice and pack bacon and gammon. Danish Crown says the site will be 100% powered by renewable energy and built to environmental standards, supporting its "wider ambition" to deliver climate-neutral meat production by 2050. Heat recovery from the plant’s utility systems will replace conventional heating sources. The company plans to reduce food waste through “the use of bacon offcuts in other products such as sausages, while a circular packaging system for deliveries of pork to the site will minimise packaging waste”. Jais Valeur, CEO at Danish Crown, said: “Danish Crown has a long heritage in the UK, bringing British consumers high-quality bacon and pork products for over 135 years. This investment forms the next step in our commitment to the UK market, bringing our customers a reliable, transparent supply of high-quality bacon to help meet demand, produced to high sustainability and welfare standards." He continued: “The future of meat will be based on high-quality products that are as sustainable as possible. We know this is an ambition shared by many of our customers in the UK, and with this new factory, we look forward to working more closely with them towards a more sustainable future for food production.” Danish Crown says the investment will create around 300 specialised jobs in the local area.

Nespresso has launched paper-based home compostable coffee capsules after three years of research and development with sustainable packaging solution provider Huhtamaki. The capsules feature several aspects that use proprietary technology, including a biopolymer lining which protects the coffee against oxidisation. Julia Lauricella, head of Nestlé System Technology Centre, said: “We combined a high-precision paper pulp forming process with a biodegradable layer for protection against oxidation to preserve our coffee in transport, storage and during the high-pressure extraction in our machines”. Nespresso’s coffee masters also created four new blends, sourced through the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Programme, specifically crafted to work with the new paper-based capsules. The paper-based capsules are certified for composting by international certification body, TÜV Austria. Huhtamaki CEO, Charles Héaulmé, said: "We are delighted to partner with Nespresso on the home compostable paper-based capsule. Part of this breakthrough innovation is the result of combining paper pulp from wood fibre, a natural renewable material, compressing it to a coffee capsule using our high precision technology, creating another sustainable alternative for Nespresso lovers.” The innovation widens the sustainable choices already offered to Nespresso consumers, joining its recyclable aluminium capsules that are made using 80% recycled aluminium. The new range will pilot in France and Switzerland on the Nespresso Original system and will be launched in several other European countries within the year.

Masons of Yorkshire has expanded its portfolio of premium spirits with the launch of a festive chocolate-flavoured vodka. Masons of Yorkshire Chocolate Vodka contains an ABV of 40% and features roasted cocoa nibs with a chocolate flavour that is said to be "unmatched in any other chocolate spirit". Masons of Yorkshire's co-founder, Cathy Mason, said: “This Christmas is all going to be about enjoying luxury at home, and we created Chocolate Vodka to be the ultimate indulgence: it’s so good, it can be enjoyed neat, over ice or even with a dash of caramel syrup for the ultimate toast and celebration". "To have branched out into the world of Great British Vodka has been a joy for us as more and more discover the versatility of this delicious spirit, we look forward to experimenting with different flavours in 2023.” Masons of Yorkshire Chocolate Vodka is available via the brand's website for £29.80 per 70cl bottle.

Danone has launched a new global energy excellence programme, called Re-Fuel Danone, to drive energy efficiency across its sites worldwide. The programme will see the company transform the global energy footprint of its facilities and make its operations more agile, energy- and cost-efficient, resilient and sustainable. Re-Fuel Danone will use digital innovation and engineering expertise to drive energy efficiency and accelerate the company's decarbonisation journey. It will also expand its partnerships with local renewable energy providers to boost energy resilience and work with communities where it operates. The programme aims to improve Danone's energy efficiency by 30% by 2025 and increase its use of renewable energies such as biogas, biomass, solar and hydrogen. In addition, it will meet 100% of electricity requirements – up from 68.5% today – from renewable sources and half of all energy will come from renewable sources by 2030. By 2030, Danone says it aims to reduce the company’s Scope One and Two emissions by a minimum of 42%. Vikram Agarwal, chief operations officer at Danone, said: “Energy is a massive contributor to how we make our category-leading products, but it also has an environmental impact. That’s why we are transforming the energy footprint of our sites globally through this energy excellence programme." He continued: "We will do this under three pillars – energy efficiency, investing in more energy efficient process technology and upweighting renewable energy sources. It will make us more sustainable, more agile, more cost-efficient and more resilient, it also adds to how we deliver for our customers and consumers and helps us reconnect performance and purpose, so marks further progress on our strategy to Renew Danone.” Danone said that to improve energy and cost efficiency, a number of measures, including scaling up its real-time management tools, will be initiated. The business will also "conduct further energy assessments for its sites and evaluate newer and more energy efficient manufacturing processes to replace existing installations".

Glass manufacturer Vetropack Group is investing over CHF 400 million (approximately $417.6 million) in a new facility located near Milan in Italy. The company has determined that the previous Vetropack Italia site, in Trezzano sul Naviglio, will not meet its quality and sustainability goals in the long term. Production is expected to start at the new Boffalora sopra Ticino facility in 2023, and Vetropack says that it expects an increase in production capacity of around 70% compared with the last site. Christoph Burgermeister, project manager at Vetropack, said: "Thanks to modern equipment and processes, we can produce more flexibly and better meet the increasing demand for high-quality packaging, even in smaller volumes – so-called semi-specials". "We are looking forward to the start of a new era for our customers and are confident that Boffalora will have a positive impact on the entire Vetropack Group." The company says that water used for production and exhaust heat from the blast furnaces will be reused as much as possible thanks to recirculation systems, and emissions will be reduced with the help of the latest filter systems.

Asahi has revealed that it has put forward a proposal for its Dark Star brewery in Sussex to cease trading as of 31 December due to economic challenges. The company plans to move the brand's operations to the Meantime brewery in Greenwich, where the beers will continue to be brewed to the same recipe. In a statement, Asahi said: “This is not a step we have taken lightly, however, there are significant challenges in the current economic and operating environment that make this the right course of action for the business and the brand. The Dark Star site operates significantly below capacity, which is unfortunately not sustainable.” Asahi said that the company continues to “believe strongly” in Dark Star and remains committed to its success. The statement added: “Our absolute priority right now is to support all colleagues who may be impacted by this proposal, and we are currently in the process of consultation with them”. “It would therefore be inappropriate to provide any further detail at this time, but we will share more on our plans for the brand and its future brewing arrangements in due course.”

UK flour producer Matthews Cotswold Flour has launched a new range of bread mixes. The range includes six varieties: Ancient Cotswold Crunch, Heritage Bibury Barley, Cotswold Malted Rye, Sicilian Italian Pizza Mix, Cotswold Rye & Spelt and Traditional Stoneground Artisan White. Bertie Matthews, managing director of Matthews Cotswold Flour, said: “During lockdown, thousands of Brits became home bakers for the first time. Many enjoyed the process of creating their own loaves, from the relaxation of kneading to the fabulous aromas pervading the house, the delicious and nutritious bakes and the satisfaction of enjoying the end product created by their own hands." He continued: "However, with lockdown a distant memory, we are all spending less time at home, and not everyone has enough hours in the day to bake their own bread from scratch. Our customers told us that they were looking for a shortcut in the process without compromising on the end result, and that is why we developed our new range of bread mixes.” The new bread mixes are available online and from select retailers for an RRP of £9.48 for 6 x 500g bags.

English whisky producer The Oxford Artisan Distillery has announced a minority investment from Diageo. Founded in 2016, The Oxford Artisan Distillery "produces whisky using biodiverse populations of 'heritage' grains grown through an approach to grain farming known as restorative continuous grain cropping (R-CGC)". The investment was made through Distill Ventures, an independently operated accelerator backed by Diageo. With the capital, The Oxford Artisan Distillery will be able to upgrade and expand its production sites, as well as develop its brand and consumer experience. The company's CEO, Dave Smith, said: “Over the last few years, we have seen the industry take major steps towards addressing the climate crisis, but we have a responsibility to do more in tackling sustainable farming and grain production. With Diageo and Distill Ventures’ support, we believe we can use whisky to further a revolution in the field.” Frank Lampen, founder and CEO of Distill Ventures, added: "Grain is becoming an important part of how whisky producers are continuing to innovate and develop new styles and flavours, and the heritage grains used by Oxford Artisan Distillery together with their groundbreaking approach to farming in a sustainable way make this one of the most exciting distilleries in the English whisky scene, and we're delighted to be able to support them in their development". Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Good Guys Bakehouse has introduced a new range of savoury biscuit melts. Good Guys Biscuit Melts are available in two flavours: cheddar and peppered. The wafer-based biscuits are baked with real ingredients and are naturally low in fat and calories. Good Guys Cheddar Biscuit Melts contain 65% less fat per 100g than regular cheddar biscuits, while Good Guys Peppered Biscuit Melts contain 50% less fat per 100g than other peppered biscuits. Steve Monk, founder of Good Guys Bakehouse, said: “Our mission with Good Guys is to bring much-needed innovation to grow the savoury biscuits category. This means keeping it simple, with great tasting healthier snacks baked with real ingredients.” He continued: “Whilst many shoppers look to savoury biscuits for a wholesome, healthier choice, we found most of the savoury snack biscuits to be high in fat and calories, with this segment offering little to health-conscious consumers”. “Unlike many brands that spray flavourings and extra oils onto their snacks, we simply bake in real ingredients. This means our biscuits don’t just taste real, they’re low in fat and calories, too, for guilt-free snacking on the sofa.” The Good Guys Biscuit Melts will be available at Sainsbury's and Ocado stores from January 2023.

Xīn and Voltaire’s is set to launch its collection of cocktail sorbets combining premium spirits with fruits, liqueurs and flavourings this month. The new collection features Alphonse with dark rum, coconut liqueur, mango and passionfruit, Florian made with vodka, champagne, elderflower liqueur, white peach and vanilla, Aurelie, a combination of whisky, amaretto and pear and Giselle created with mezcal, champagne, raspberry and lime. Featuring flavours such as dark rum, mango, and passion fruit; champagne, vodka, and white peach; whiskey, amaretto, and pear; and mezcal, champagne, and raspberry, Xīn and Voltaire is perfect for consumers wanting to try an alternative way to consume their alcohol. The brand’s first collection takes cocktails beyond their typical liquid state, delivering what consumers would expect from their alcoholic drinks but with a frozen twist. The cocktail sorbets contain an ABV of 8.3% - a spirit measure in each sorbet. The cocktail sorbets are vegan and packaged with environmentally friendly and recyclable materials.

Doritos has launched new Doritos Dips in Spicy Nacho and Cool Ranch Jalapeno flavours. Doritos Dip Spicy Nacho is a spicy twist on the classic Doritos Nacho Cheese flavour while the Doritos Dip Cool Ranch Jalapeno is inspired by Doritos Cool Ranch with intensified flavour and a hint of spicy jalapeno. Leslie Vesper, vice president of brand marketing at Frito-Lay commented: “Doritos has always embraced the bold and we’ve encouraged our fans to do the same – from creating explosive new flavours to igniting fans to try new things. “As Doritos disrupts the dip aisle with the release of Doritos Dips, our goal is to deliver new and unexpected experiences to consumers. Whether paired with their favourite foods or our other Doritos product offerings, we hope Doritos Dips help fans think outside the box, just like we’re thinking outside the chip bag with this innovation.” Doritos Dips is currently available for purchase in selected retailers in Texas for $4.49.