Ecotone has extended Kallø’s Veggie Cakes range with the launch of its new Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar jumbo pack. Adele Ward, Kallø marketing and category director at Ecotone said: “At Kallø, we’re focused on creating products that are better by nature – making healthy eating simple without compromising on taste. Our Veggie Cakes have been hugely successful, tapping into the growing consumer trends towards plant-based products and functional ingredients. “Our latest SKU, in one of the year’s most sought-after flavour combinations, is perfect for consumers who want to switch up their snacking with a product packed with plant-based goodness.” The vegan and gluten-free snack is made from lentil and peas and is available in 122g packs containing 13 jumbo-sized cakes, available in UK retailers for an RRP of £2.50.

Fonterra has announced plans to sell its Chilean Soprole business to Peruvian firm Gloria Foods in a number of transactions totalling around CLP 591.07 billion (approx. $641.4 million). According to Fonterra’s CEO, Miles Hurrell, the divestment process formally began in April 2022, following the launch of Fonterra’s strategy to 2030, a “key pillar” of which is to focus on New Zealand milk. In a statement, Hurrell said: “Soprole is a very good business but does not rely on New Zealand milk or expertise. We are now at the end of the divestment process and have agreed to sell Soprole to Gloria Foods.” In addition to Peru, Gloria operates in Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay, and has a longstanding relationship with Fonterra in South America. The divestment is subject to regulatory approvals and the commencement of a public tender offer in Chile for the outstanding shares in Soprole not already owned by Fonterra. It is expected to take six months to fulfil the conditions.

Soft Robotics has raised $26 million in a Series C funding round to expand the deployment of its mGripAI robotic picking solutions. According to Soft Robotics, the new technology is an “easy-to-integrate automation package that combines ultra-fast 3D vision and artificial intelligence technologies with patented and proven, IP69K-rated, soft grasping to give industrial robots the hand-eye coordination of humans”. Its combination of robotic hands, eyes and brains allows the use of high-speed industrial arms to do bulk-picking processes throughout the protein, produce, dairy, baked goods and prepared foods operations. The funding round was led by Tyson Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, and saw new investors Marel and Johnsonville brought into the Soft Robotics' business. Jeff Beck, chief executive officer of Soft Robotics, said: "We're delighted that some of the world's leaders in the food production and automation markets have decided to join existing investors in supporting SRI's continuing growth journey. technologies are increasingly crucial to enabling and scaling efficient and safe production of several food categories. This round of growth capital strengthens SRI's ability to rapidly develop, deploy and support those technologies." Mark Chiappetta, chief operating officer of Soft Robotics, commented: "For decades, food producers have been unable to adopt industrial robot arms to automate their most labour-intensive, bulk production processes. mGripAI, with its revolutionary perception and AI, unlocks the use of industrial robots in nearly all stages of food production increasing throughput, improving food quality, reducing facility footprint, and breaking the critical dependency on labour". Rahul Ray, senior director of Tyson Ventures, added:: "At Tyson, we are continually exploring new areas in automation that can enhance safety and increase the productivity of our team members. Soft Robotics' revolutionary robotic technology, computer vision and AI platform have the potential to transform the food industry and will play a key role in any company's automation journey."

Smurfit Kappa has signed an agreement to acquire Spanish bag-in-box packaging facility, Pusa Pack. Located near Castellón in the Valencia region, the Pusa Pack facility manufactures large-capacity flexible bags ranging from 200 to 1500 litres. The bags are used for the storage and transport of bulk food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other liquid and semi-liquid products. Since 2002, Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box has supplied big-capacity bags and corrugated cardboard containers from its sales office in Liquiwell, Germany. The deal will see Pusa Pack become integrated into Smurfit Kappa’s bag-in-box operations in Spain. Thierry Minaud, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box, said: “Heavy-duty packaging is evolving towards more environmentally friendly solutions. We increasingly see the trend of companies moving away from plastic or stainless steel intermediate bulk containers (IBC) in favour of much more sustainable corrugated solutions, which have a considerably lower carbon footprint.” He continued: “It makes perfect sense – if we compare a Smurfit Kappa IBC made of fully recyclable, biodegradable and renewable corrugated with a rigid plastic container, we see an 87% reduction in plastic weight, significant supply chain optimisation, elimination of cleaning requirements and shelf life extension for the product when aseptic filling technology is applied”. Pascual Martinez, general manager of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box Ibi, added: “This acquisition will strengthen Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box portfolio and create strong supply chain and market synergies between the two companies. This acquisition will also be of great benefit for customers, especially those who have demand for bag-in-box solutions in different formats, for example, retail and industrial use.” Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Dairy company Vinamilk has announced it will expand its production capacity over the next few years with two projects in Vietnam. These include the construction of the "largest dairy plant in Hung Yen province" and a dairy complex in Moc Chau in the northwest. The Hung Yen dairy plant will connect existing Vinamilk dairy farms, warehouses and distribution systems. With a total capacity of 400 million litres per year, it will supply a variety of dairy products to Northern Vietnam and for export to ASEAN markets, as well as China, Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, the $130 million Moc Chau dairy complex will be a closed agricultural ecosystem consisting of high-tech dairy farms and processing factories. When finished, the two projects will increase Vinamilk's production capacity by 20%. The company's international business director, Vo Trung Hieu, commented: "Vinamilk products are exported to over 57 countries and territories globally. With our production capacity ramped up, we are better positioned to serve the various needs of the global market. "Our commitment to our customers remains strong, with the research and development of new product formulas aligned with market needs."

Berry has developed a more sustainable solution for the packaging of Norwegian ice cream producer Diplom-Is’ Royal brand by replacing the company’s previous carbon black colour containers with new, non-carbon black versions. The non-carbon black plastic packaging is detectable by the Near Infra-Red (NIR) scanners used for waste sorting processes, making the containers identifiable for recycling purposes to recycle the ice cream containers. Anne-Lene Molland, communications manager at Diplom-Is explained: “We are always on the lookout for more sustainable and affordable packaging solutions for our products so when we got the opportunity to switch our premium ice cream brand Royal to non-carbon black containers, the choice was easy. “We are very satisfied with the result. The new black enables proper sorting of Royal ice cream containers at local recycling and sorting facilities, which can save significant amounts of virgin plastic material. We have been very thorough in our approach by successfully testing the non-carbon black containers at two local recycling plants in Norway, as well as at a sorting plant in Germany.”

Bel Group has entered into a strategic partnership with precision fermentation start-up Standing Ovation to develop animal-free casein protein for cheese. Founded in 2020, Standing Ovation uses precision fermentation technology to produce casein proteins. The proteins are identical to those naturally present in milk, matching the nutritional qualities, functionality and traditional taste of cheese. The collaboration will see Standing Ovation incorporate casein protein into Bel's alternative cheese offerings. Bel’s brands include Babybel, The Laughing Cow and Boursin, all of which offer plant-based alternatives. Anne Pitkowski, Bel Group’s research and application director, said: "Caseins are essential to the quality of cheeses – they are nutritious and provide firmness, texture, and the capacity to melt. Standing Ovation's technology combined with our knowledge of the links between structure and function will enable all these features – and more – to be developed. This partnership opens many possibilities for imagining tomorrow's cheese recipes and products, combining nutritional quality, accessibility, and responsibility." Both teams will work together to apply Standing Ovation's technology to select Bel products at Bel’s research and development centre in Vendôme, France, and at Standing Ovation’s facility in Paris. Frédéric Pâques and Romain Chayot, respectively president and scientific director, co-founders of Standing Ovation, commented: “We have developed a unique process to produce non-animal caseins. Our ambition today is to see the first products arrive on the market quickly, with a very wide distribution. We are proud to partner with Bel Group to accelerate the deployment of these alternative proteins.” Bel acquired an equity stake in Standing Ovation back in September.

Pernod Ricard has invested $22 million in its first-ever ready-to-drink (RTD) canning line, located at its Fort Smith plant in Arkansas. The investment will provide the facility with canning capabilities, support growth for the company and bestow more job positions in the area. Pierre Joncourt, senior vice president at Pernod Ricard North America, said: “This investment is an incredible step in strengthening our manufacturing footprint in Fort Smith. The high-speed canning line will be instrumental in increasing our production capabilities and swiftly bringing our premium, bar-quality RTDs to market.” The plant currently produces several Pernod Ricard spirits, including Kahlua Coffee Liqueur and Seagram’s Gin. Pernod says the new canning line and RTD offerings will enable the company to make popular brands more accessible to consumers. Jennifer Anglin, senior operations director for the Fort Smith plant, commented: “Volume has only continued to increase for our Fort Smith facility and the spirits industry overall. This latest canning line expansion will not only allow us to produce various spirits across our brand portfolio, but more importantly, it will create numerous jobs to keep up with demand.”

US vertical farming company Upward Farms has introduced a resealable packaging design for its line of organic microgreens. The resealable packaging is said to provide a more sustainable offering compared to the average greens clamshell model. It is made with post-consumer recycled content and helps reduce 38% of plastic. The new packaging features sealed plastic trays that are stackable and easier to open and close, which allows for an extended shelf life for the microgreens. Jason Green, CEO and co-founder of Upward Farms, said: “Continuously reducing Upward Farms' carbon footprint is a top priority for us, and our new packaging marks a significant milestone in that journey. Upward Farms’ new packaging is made using post-consumer recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET), one of the only truly recyclable plastics.” Eric Greifenberger, Upward Farms vice president of marketing and sales, added: “When designing the new packaging, we envisioned ourselves as the consumer and chose to focus on two things: clearer communication and making Upward Farms easy to identify among other packaged salads and microgreens". "Implementing this resealable technology has allowed us to add value for our consumers by delivering more sustainable, effective packaging. Functionality is extremely important to us and our consumers, and through rigorous testing, we have designed a solution that is easily resealable, holds up to stacking in consumers’ fridges, and locks in freshness.”

Hormel Foods-owned Spam has launched a limited edition figgy pudding variety of its traditional canned pork, featuring a blend of warm spices and seasonal ingredients cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. Steve Venenga, vice president of marketing at Spam, said: "This new flavour brings the spirit of the holidays in one can! It honours the traditional recipe, while making it easy and versatile to enjoy". The puddings are available for a limited time on Amazon, Walmart and the brand's websites for an RRP of $10 per two cans.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its first pre-market consultation with Upside Foods to examine human food made from cultured cells. FDA concluded that it had "no further questions" about the way Upside produces its cell-cultured chicken. FDA stated, however, that before the food can enter the market, the facility that produces Upside's chicken will also need to meet applicable US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA requirements, including facility registration for the cell culture portion. FDA said in a statement that it is committed to working with additional businesses developing cultured meats to help bring products to market. "The FDA is ready to work with additional firms developing cultured animal cell food and production processes to ensure their products are safe and lawful under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act". "We also plan to issue guidance to assist firms that intend to produce human foods from cultured animal cells to prepare for pre-market consultations," said the statement. "The published draft of this guidance will provide a formal opportunity to the public for comment. We are already engaged in discussions with multiple firms about various types of products made from cultured animal cells, including those made from seafood cells, which will be overseen solely by the FDA." "Our goal is to support innovation in food technologies while always maintaining as our priority the production of safe food. Human food made with cultured animal cells must meet the same stringent requirements, including safety requirements, as all other food."

Kitchen appliance brand Cyetus has launched a new espresso machine: Cyetus Cubic - All in One Espresso Machine. Cyetus Cubic Espresso is described as a "versatile, semi-automatic machine" that grinds and extracts coffee, as well as steams milk. The machine provides an LCD display, in which users can choose from a wide range of options, including different shot sizes, duration of grinds and water temperatures. A total of 15 grind settings are available, enabling consumers to select extra fine or coarse grinds. In addition, Cyetus Cubic Espresso features a Hall Pulse Flowmeter that "enables a consistent brew by precisely controlling the water temperature during brewing, while a single-hole steam rod creates a smooth blanket of steamed milk foam, providing a delicate finish to one's latte," said the brand. Ralph Chen, vice president and head of brand at Cyetus, said: "Making your preferred cup of coffee should be easy and fuss-free. The LCD display on the Cyetus Cubic Espresso will further simplify the brewing experience, and we believe this will only benefit coffee lovers who appreciate consistent brews from the comfort of their homes." The Cyetus Cubic Espresso is now available for purchase via the brand's website and on Amazon for $699.