Lamb Weston has announced it will purchase the remaining 50% stake in its European joint venture with Meijer Frozen Foods for €700 million. Lamb-Weston/Meijer manufactures nearly 2 billion pounds of frozen potato products annually at facilities in the Netherlands, UK and Austria. The business generated approximately €954 million in net sales in fiscal 2022, which included €114 million from a joint venture partnership in Russia that Lamb-Weston/Meijer exited earlier this year. Lamb Weston president and CEO, Tom Werner, said: “Lamb-Weston/Meijer was built over the last 28 years, and we’re grateful to Meijer Frozen Foods for their longstanding partnership. The joint venture has served as a strong platform to drive growth in Europe and the Middle East, as well as to support our global customer base across our key international markets. “This transaction firmly aligns with Lamb Weston’s long-term capital allocation and acquisition framework, and we believe it will strengthen our manufacturing footprint by leveraging a truly global supply chain to better serve our customers and position us to take advantage of growth opportunities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.” The transaction is expected to close in the second half of fiscal 2023, subject to regulatory approvals. Upon completion, the former joint venture’s around 1,500 employees will become employees of Lamb Weston. The purchase price consists of €525 million in cash and €175 million of Lamb Weston’s common stock. “We remain confident in the long-term outlook for Lamb Weston and the global frozen potato category,” said Kees Meijer, CEO of Meijer Frozen Foods. “By holding an investment in common stock of Lamb Weston after the transaction closes, we sustain our strong belief in a bright future for the business.”

Scotland-based Nairn’s has launched a new flavour of gluten-free breakfast oats, in a maple syrup variety. Made with wholegrain oats and real maple syrup for a subtle sweetness, the indulgent twist on a breakfast classic is in line with Nairn’s commitment to creating simple, natural and tasty food. The Coeliac UK-approved oats will be launched into Morrison’s stores this November for an RRP of £2.50, with further rollout into more retailers over the coming months.

Nestlé has invested €2.3 million in an efficient thermal energy system at the company’s chocolate factory in La Penilla de Cayón, Spain. The system features a heat pump that will use residual energy from the factory's cold production plant to heat the water necessary for the manufacturing processes as well as air conditioning. Nestlé says that the system will result in “annual energy savings of almost 5%,” while CO2 emissions will be reduced by almost 2,000 tons per year. In addition, the new system, along with a previously completed centralisation of the hot water circuits, will save the Cantabrian factory around 15,000 m3 of water. “With the installation of this new thermal energy production system, Nestlé continues to work for the environment while innovating,” said Eugenia Otón, director of the Cantabrian factory. “Through this new improvement, the factory also presents a model of high energy efficiency that places us as pioneers in the use of this technique in the region.” The new thermal energy system is one in a number of environmental improvements that the plant has implemented in recent months, such as the installation of groups of cooling towers that allow for the constant reuse of water. In addition, all the electricity purchased by the production site comes from renewable sources and the factory is said to provide zero waste to landfill.

Change Foods has unveiled plans to open an animal-free dairy manufacturing plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company has signed an agreement with Kezad Group to design the commercial facility, which will be located in Abu Dhabi. Producing animal-free milk protein, the planned facility will be the first of its kind in the region, according to Change Foods. The project has the support of the UAE government under the NextGen FDI initiative. Produced using precision fermentation, the company’s casein is identical to that made by cows and can be used to create cheese with the same texture, taste and melting characteristics as conventional offerings. “We are honoured to be a part of the UAE’s NextGen FDI initiative and grateful for the strategic partnership with Kezad Group,” said David Bucca, founder and CEO of Change Foods. “NextGen FDI is prioritising successful scaling of new sustainable food technologies like ours that offer significant environmental and economic development benefits. The strategic alignment behind our company’s vision to help transition the world to more sustainable food systems by scaling new food production technology was clear from the start.” Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Trade, added: “We are excited to welcome Change Foods to the UAE and further catalyse the nation’s food-tech ecosystem, which will help reduce our reliance on imports, enhance local production and inspire further innovation”. Change Foods has also disclosed that it is in the final stages of closing a bridge funding round.

At Booth 2501 (South Hall), Coesia, specialists in innovative industrial and packaging solutions, is presenting machinery and products that automate the various production phases, thus increasing the reliability of systems and the efficiency of processes. Coesia focuses on automation and at the 2022 edition of Pack Expo, the group is showcasing solutions aimed at automating manual operations within production plants: from the unloading and handling of raw materials to primary packaging, and from secondary packaging to end of line. With a stand measuring around 1,200 square metres, Coesia will inspire customers and visitors with a rich and tailored selection, as well as new developments and upgrades, from 12 group companies that are strategically aligned with the focus of the fair: Acma, Atlantic Zeiser, Citus Kalix, FlexLink, G.D, GF, Hapa, MGS, Norden, R.A Jones, Tritron and Volpak. The exhibition space is divided into three areas dedicated to food & beverage, pharma & personal care and cross-industry automation, which have always been overseen by the group and fully demonstrate the company’s ability to respond to the needs of different commodity and production contexts with innovation and flexibility. “Our customers are adapting to meet the demands of transformative consumer trends such as sustainability, sku proliferation and ecommerce, while dealing with significant, long-term labour challenges,” said Alessandro Parimbelli, Coesia chief executive officer. “Developing and adopting new technology into our portfolio of equipment and services is addressing the need for manufacturers to have dynamic, flexible and highly efficient solutions that are more intuitive to operate. That is exactly what Pack Expo attendees will experience throughout the Coesia stand.” Hand in hand with automation, Coesia also continues to invest in digital tools and services, as well as in dedicated ecommerce services. At the stand, an area for software solutions, Coesia Digital, an area dedicated to customer service and the Coesia Shelf of Sustainable Solutions are further confirmation of the constant drive for innovation and sustainable progress that the group promotes. Coesia is a group of 21 companies specialising in highly innovative industrial and packaging solutions, and is based in Bologna, Italy. Coesia companies are leaders in the fields of advanced automatic machines, packaging materials, industrial process solutions and precision gears. Coesia’s customers operate in a wide range of industries, such as aerospace, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, electronics, healthcare, automotive, tobacco, and consumer and luxury goods. Coesia press office: coesia.com. Intono Comunicazione (for Pack Expo): intono.it. #Coesia #PackExpo #US

Spanish start-up Ekonoke has closed a €4.2 million investment round led by the agricultural innovation “powerhouse” of Corporación Hijos de Rivera, Cosecha de Galicia. The investment is part of Cosecha de Galicia’s commitment to innovation and sustainable regeneration. The round also included Leanox Impact Ventures, a German impact investment fund, and Alazady España, the family office of Spanish businessman José María Castellano. An alumni of one of Eatable Adventures’ acceleration programmes, Ekonoke has developed a unique method to hydroponically grow hops indoors, that it says brings climate resilience and sustainability to a crop that is threatened by global warming. A key ingredient in beer making, hops contribute bitterness and aromas to brews. Production is currently concentrated in a few regions – primarily the US and Germany – and the growing process usually requires specific climatic conditions, including an abundance of water and light as well as moderate temperatures. According to Ekoneke, the increase in extreme weather events as a result of climate change is leading to reductions in productivity per hectare of up to 30%. Ekoneke is combining the knowledge of its agronomists, chemists and biotechnologists with the traditional cultivation experience of the Cosecha de Galicia team. The company's growing method does not involve pesticides, herbicides or fungicides and uses only renewable energy, with a water footprint 20 times smaller than traditional methods. Ekonoke has plans to build a 1,000-square-metre pilot plant in Galicia, before scaling up commercially with a 10,000-square-metre facility in 2024.

Mosa Meat is scaling up its cultured beef production to industrial levels after co-founder Mark Post debuted the first cultivated hamburger in 2013. A new industrial production development centre is being developed near to Mosa Meat’s existing pilot facility in Maastricht, the Netherlands. After demonstrating its process at pilot scale, Mosa Meat says that it is ready for the next phase of its expansion, featuring industrial-size production lines that enable larger quantities of beef. “We’ve expanded our space by 30,000-square-feet in our next phase, which brings Mosa Meat’s total footprint to over 77,000-square-feet,” said Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat. “This makes us the largest cultivated meat campus in the world and provides a solid foundation for our European and global commercialisation plans.” Mosa Meat’s mission is to help to fundamentally reshape the global food system, and it is focusing on offering an alternative to traditional beef as the protein with the biggest carbon footprint.

Cappello’s has launched a low-carb, high-nutrition, high-fibre pizza, Low Carb Lifestyle Uncured Pepperoni Pizza. The low-carb pizza delivers on traditional pizza taste and texture and has been specially created to be keto-friendly. The brand claims to be the first consumer packaged goods team to utilise turnips in a frozen meal, the vegetable provides each slice with fibre, iron, vitamin E and antioxidants. “Carb-conscious consumers are everywhere,” said Ben Frohlichstein, co-founder and CEO of Cappello’s. “Our team of creators flipped the script on how we look at low-carb pizza and have created a truly special offering that’s nutrient-dense and mind-blowingly delicious.” The pizzas are available for $12.99 in Whole Foods Market stores across the US and regionally at King Scoopers. They can also be purchased on the brand’s website for $13.

Oppo Brothers has launched a new cookie dough flavour of its low-calorie ice cream, with 60% fewer calories than the market’s leading cookie dough ice cream. The creamy tubs contain large chunks of cookie dough, no artificial colours or flavours, and are made with ingredients from natural sources, fresh milk and cream, at just 99 calories per 100ml. The new ice cream is available in UK supermarkets.

Nestlé has posted organic sales growth of 8.5% for the first nine months, driven by price hikes aimed at offsetting cost inflation. The packaged food giant recorded sales of CHF 69.13 billion ($69 billion approx.) and raised its full-year guidance, saying it now expects organic growth of “around 8%,” up from its previous forecast of a 7-8% increase. Volumes remained resilient this year, while higher pricing accounted for the majority of the organic sales increase. “We delivered strong organic growth as we continued to adjust prices responsibly to reflect inflation,” said Nestlé CEO, Mark Schneider. “The challenging economic environment is a concern for many people and is impacting their purchasing power. That's why we aim to keep products affordable and accessible while considering the interests of all our stakeholders.” He added: “Our real internal growth remained resilient despite a high base of comparison and continued supply chain constraints, with limited demand elasticity.” In the first nine months, Nestlé reported high-single-digit sales growth for its coffee business, and the company has also announced plans today to acquire the Seattle's Best Coffee brand from Starbucks, further expanding its position in the category in North America. Seattle's Best Coffee offers whole bean and ground packaged coffee, as well as K-Cup pods, available across the foodservice and grocery channels. Under the Global Coffee Alliance, Nestlé distributes Starbucks consumer products and foodservice beverages across more than 80 markets. Nestlé says that the deal for Seattle's Best will strengthen the alliance “by allowing both companies to focus on their core strengths”. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2022, subject to board and regulatory approvals. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Los Angeles-based private investment firm, Pacific Avenue Capital Partners, has acquired SunOpta’s sunflower and roasted snack division for $16 million, subject to certain post-closing adjustments. Based in Minnesota, the business is an integrated provider of farm-to-product sunflower seeds, chickpeas and other roasted snacks. It has become Sunrich Products under Pacific Avenue's ownership. The deal encompasses three processing facilities, hybrid seed development activities and a programme with independent sunflower growers. “This divestiture of a non-core business represents further progress against our strategic imperative of portfolio transformation, focusing on high-growth, high-return opportunities that are differentiated and leverage the competitive strengths of our unique model,” said Joe Ennen, CEO of SunOpta. The business's general manager, Kent Johnson, will be appointed as CEO and joined by the rest of the previous leadership team and employee base. "We are excited about the Sunrich investment and the company's ability to capitalise on the growing demand for quality farm-to-product healthy foods," said Chris Sznewajs, founder and managing partner of Pacific Avenue. "We are excited to partner with the Sunrich leadership team and look forward to investing to grow the business and ensuring we meet the needs of our customers." Johnson added: “We look forward to further innovating our portfolio of healthy products made from sunflower and other healthy crops”. SunOpta expects to record an estimated after-tax loss on the sale of the sunflower business of approximately $16 million, which will be included in its Q3 results.

New USDA-certified organic extra virgin olive oil brand, Single & Fat, launched today in the US. The new oil is made with high quality olives sourced from farms across Italy and annually harvested in October using the most effective and sustainable practices. “When we thought about ‘olive oil’ our brains went to either this serious old school heritage territory or this new-wave luxurious minimalism — both of which felt a bit iterative and overall, not the kind of fun we enjoy having in the kitchen or in our day-to-day life,” said Single & Fat co-founder, Cristina Samper Pearl. “Single & Fat is a 100% certified organic single batch fatty oil that meets all the standards and expectations of modern consumers, yet invites the foodies who maybe don’t know how or have time to cook into a world of dousing and indulging.” The oil is well-rounded and designed to pair with anything, offering light notes of artichoke and branches with a subtle almond flavour. Co-founder, Matt Cruz, said: “At the end of the day, we just wanted to make something that was fun and unexpected — a brand that sparked conversation and a product that was genuinely good. Single & Fat is for people who want to treat themselves. We’re for the clean plate club and the leftovers you look forward to eating later in the evening after you get home from being out.” The extra virgin olive oil is available to buy on the company’s website for $28.