Dutch cultivated meat company Meatable is partnering with contract manufacturer Esco Aster to become Singapore’s first cultivated pork producer. The partnership will enable Meatable to cultivate pork for dumplings, sausages and other products in what the company claims is a first for Singapore. The collaboration aims to have the pork ready for retail by 2025. Meatable’s mission is to provide meat that does not harm the planet, animals or humans. The company has created pork with the same structure, texture and flavour as traditional meat and matches its nutritional profile. Hans Huistra, COO of Meatable, said: "Over the past four years, we’ve been constantly innovating and developing our technology to get it to the stage where we can perfectly recreate some of the meat products we all know and love. Esco Aster will enable us in developing, upscaling and realising our first consumer products, together we will make a positive impact on the Singaporean meat industry." Esco Aster was founded in Singapore in 2017 and according to the company is the first and only production facility worldwide to be given regulatory approval to produce cultivated meat products in the country. In 2020 Singapore approved cultivated meat production with the Esco Aster facility, becoming the first country to do so. The approval came as part of Singapore’s 30 by 30 strategy, in which the country aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030. The country currently imports 90% of its food. The partnership is poised to tackle this issue and help the country achieve its sustainability goals. Xiangliang Lin, CEO at Esco Aster, said: “With our scientific expertise, operational know-how and enabling technologies, we believe that we can help companies reach their milestones and advance to the next step of cultivated meat production with market approval at scale.” Meatable’s opti-ox technology only needs one single cell sample, retrieved harmlessly from an animal, to replicate the natural growth of muscle and fat to create real meat. This technology can be used for other types of meat such as beef or fish and allows Meatable to bypass the use of fetal bovine serum.

Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX Sports), the parent company of energy drink Bang Energy, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida, US. VPX Sports plans to regain its market share in Bang Energy, which was lost when Pepsi became the US distributor of the brand's beverages. The company intends to use Chapter 11 to "recapitalise and emerge" from bankruptcy to continue its growth in the beverage sector. A VPX statement said: "The filing will help the company recover from recent challenges, including multiple lawsuits that impacted the company’s short-term outlook and the cost impact of reconstituting the company’s national distribution network that resulted in a summer revenue gap". As part of the filing, VPX is allowed to continue business operations with enhanced product delivery and service to retailers through Bang Energy's new distribution network consisting of over 269 distributors. An additional $100 million loan has been provided to the company from VPX's "esteemed syndicate lenders," in order to ensure operations continue uninterrupted. VPX has also noted that it has the intention to create a new state-of-the-art "decentralised direct store distribution (DSD)" network for its Bang Energy brand, which will allow Bang Energy to get back to its "pre-Pepsi meteoric annual success". Bang Energy’s DSD network will launch nationwide as it officially completes its exit from the Pepsi relationship this month. The move is said to have "no impact product availability". You may also like to read: PepsiCo remains Bang Energy’s exclusive US distribution partner, rules arbitrator PepsiCo fired as Bang Energy’s exclusive distribution partner PepsiCo signs US distribution deal with Bang Energy maker

Indian authorities have demanded that Pernod Ricard pay $244 million for reportedly undervaluing concentrate imports for over a decade, according to Reuters. The demand is the latest setback for Pernod in India, where it has long been lobbying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his tax officials to settle disputes related to the valuation of liquor imports. The notice from India's customs authority, dated 27 June, relates to liquor concentrates imported from a Pernod subsidiary, UK-based Chivas Brothers. Indian authorities inspected import bills for 2009-10 to 2020-21, and found Pernod Ricard India had undervalued liquor concentrates in its declarations, said the notice, which resulted in lower import duty payments. Officials said the company owed an additional duty of 20.1 billion rupees ($244 million), plus interest, for imports up to 2020. "There are ample reasons to doubt the truth or accuracy of the value declared in relation to the imported goods," said the notice to Pernod. "It appears that the import price has been decided in such a manner as to maximise profits accruable to holding companies ... The aspect of undervaluation has been taken care of by way of payment of hefty amounts as dividends to the ultimate holding company." In a statement, Pernod Ricard India said was working on “asserting and demonstrating its position to the Indian authorities" and that it had "always endeavoured to act with full transparency and in compliance with customs and regulatory requirements”. Pernod has appealed in court – the hearing starts today.

What do the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ have in common? Well, according to consumers, they’re not entirely sure. With a third of people choosing to actively reduce their meat and dairy consumption and seeking protein substitutes driven by health and environmental concerns, the food industry is beginning to think carefully about the potential of the plant-based sector. Given the huge scope of possibilities for the industry, how best to label plant-based food products has become a source of major debate. Labelling plant-based products While the correct terminology is key to successfully targeting flexitarians, there still seems to be some uncertainty around the definition of ‘plant-based’ amongst consumers. The term ‘vegan’ is well-understood by flexitarians in English-speaking countries, as shown by a survey carried out by ProVeg International, which found that 72% of UK respondents and 64% of US respondents understand that a vegan product “definitely does not contain animal meat, eggs, or dairy”. By comparison, only 51% of UK flexitarians and 54% of US flexitarians believe the same applies to products labelled as ‘plant-based’. The fact that there is no formal legal definition in the UK or the US regarding vegan or plant-based products is perhaps an underlying cause of consumer confusion since the two terms tend to be used interchangeably. So, if ‘vegan’ is better understood than ‘plant-based’, why not use this language across all products? Well, research by the Good Food Institute found that variations of the term ‘plant-based’ increased mainstream consumer purchasing intent by around 20%, compared to the term ‘vegan’. In order to dig deeper into this topic, ProVeg International recently conducted further research, which looked at how eight different labelling variations affected consumers’ perceptions and the likelihood of choosing a plant-based product. The research explored how terms such as ‘vegan’, ‘vegetarian’, ‘veggie’, ‘plant-based’, ‘100% plant-based’, ‘meatless’, ‘meat-free’ and ‘animal-free’ influence a consumer’s decision to choose a plant-based-chicken nugget over its conventional counterpart. Although the research showed there was no significant difference between different names in terms of the proportion of people choosing the plant-based option, the terms ‘vegan’, ‘meatless’ and ‘meat-free’ were perceived by consumers as slightly worse in terms of factors such as health, taste and sustainability, while ‘plant-based’ and ‘100% plant-based’ were perceived as slightly better. Stephanie Jaczniakowska-McGirr, director of corporate engagement at ProVeg International, suggests that products get V-label certification. “It’s the most reliable way to give consumers who are seeking 100% animal-free products the confidence that they might lack, based on terminology alone. Opting for ‘100% plant-based’ on the front of pack, with a V-label certification on the back, is the best way to appeal to flexitarian consumers while still using language that is well understood by the general population.” Consumer confusion around ‘meaty’ language There has been much debate and proposed legislative changes in recent years around the use of ‘meaty’ language on plant-based products. For example, the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has called for all references to ‘meaty’ terms to be removed from product packaging, while, in France, the French Decree prohibits manufacturers of plant-based products from using “sector-specific terminology traditionally associated with meat and fish”. Fortunately, both proposed changes have been suspended in recent weeks, but ProVeg International, along with the plant-based sector as a whole, is pushing for long-term solutions. Consumer confusion is often referenced as a reason for such changes. But are consumers really confused by terms such as ‘plant-based nugget’? In a study conducted by ProVeg International, the answer is a resounding ‘no’! Just 3.6% of survey respondents who chose the plant-based nuggets over the meat-based nuggets claimed to have done so by mistake, which strongly suggests that labelling such products as ‘nuggets’ did not generally confuse consumers. “Our research clearly shows that our respondents understand the choices they make and are not confused by terms in relation to plant-based products. Consumers buy plant-based products precisely because they know that these products offer similar taste experiences and functionalities to their animal-based counterparts,” said Jaczniakowska-McGirr. Next Steps ProVeg will continue working with stakeholders in order to ensure that plant-based products are not removed from supermarket shelves and to urge authorities to focus on developing appropriate regulations that do not penalise the plant-based sector. If you’d like access to all of our resources for harnessing the power of plant-based, including the full report on how best to label plant-based products, head over to the New Food Hub now. #ProVegInternational

Spam has added a new Cheesy Fritter to its Fritter collection. The new frozen Spam Cheesy Fritter can be oven-cooked straight from the freezer in just 20-25 minutes. Jelsey Barnes, commercial sales manager at Hormel Foods, commented: “Following the successful launch of frozen Spam Fritters back in 2020, this new combination brings a whole new twist to our popular fritter. Spam and cheese complement each other perfectly and have always been a favourite pairing among Spam fans. There’s no need to make Spam Fritters from scratch anymore, just conveniently heat them in the oven and enjoy them at home for breakfast, lunch or dinner.” Made from prime shoulder pork and leg ham, the Spam chopped pork and ham and melted cheese come wrapped in a light, crispy golden batter, making the perfect meal or snack accompaniment at any time of day. Available now from Iceland in the UK, the pack of two frozen Spam Cheesy Fritters retails for around £2.25 for a 250g pack.

British chocolate brand Love Cocoa has launched limited-edition cheese and chocolate truffles ahead of Christmas time. The cheesy chocolate balls feature a cream cheese ganache filling with a dash of alcohol, which is then covered in a milk chocolate truffle shell hand-decorated with dark chocolate to deliver a bitter twist. Love Cocoa’s founder, James Cadbury, said: “We wanted to create a more playful product in the run-up to Christmas, but one that was still luxurious in flavour. After years of developing moreish chocolate here at Love Cocoa, we know that one of the greatest flavour pairings is an addictive mix of salty and sweet notes. Generally speaking, the more distinct notes we can pick up with every bite, the more enjoyable the experience is, which is the science behind this new creation.” He continued: “With these Cheese Chocolate Truffles, we were keen to push flavour norms further than the usual ‘sprinkle of sea salt’, and have spent months carefully tweaking the nuances between the distinct cheese note and the rich chocolate shell. We know that Love Cocoa consumers are receptive to trying new products with interesting flavour twists, and we think the new truffles will be a big hit.” Love Cocoa's cheesy chocolate truffles are available on the brand's website for an RSP of £13.50 per 150g tube.

Lucas Bols and De Kuyper Royal Distillers have entered into an agreement to sell their alcoholic beverage business Avandis to Refresco for €25 million. Based in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, Avandis is owned in equal share by Lucas Bols and De Kuyper as part of a joint venture established in 2001. The acquisition of Avandis offers a range of contract manufacturing solutions to brand owners in the alcohol industry, as well as having one of "Europe’s most advanced" bottling facilities for distilled beverages. As part of the deal, Refresco entered into a long-term manufacturing agreement with both Lucas Bols and De Kuyper to invest and expand the Avandis business. Lucas Bols CEO, Huub van Doorne, said: “We are confident that Refresco offers the best environment for Avandis to thrive. The transaction allows us to fully focus on our core activity: creating great cocktail experiences around the globe. We will benefit from Refresco’s size, scale and expertise in manufacturing beverages as our brands will continue to be manufactured by Avandis under the new ownership.” “This transaction is a strategic step forward for us, as we will be able to focus on building and marketing our premium cocktail liqueur brands according to our vision to “Own the Cocktail” while leveraging Refresco’s platform and capabilities," added Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper. Hans Roelofs, CEO of Refresco, commented: “This acquisition is a step change in expanding our offering to customers in the alcohol category and complements our existing hard liquor capabilities in Europe. As part of our Buy&Build strategy, we aim to expand in beverage categories that offer significant growth potential. As alcohol is one of those categories, this acquisition will make for a great fit and perfectly suits our company vision of ‘Our drinks on every table’.” The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Ferrero UK has launched a new product range, Tic Tac Fresh, available in three flavours – cool cherry, strong mint and grapefruit mint. The new products are sugar-free and HFSS compliant and are stored in the brand’s signature pocket format, continuing the on-the-go post-pandemic trend. Ferrero UK’s UK and Ireland sales director, Jason Sutherland, said: “ have recruited more than 380,000 consumers as a result of our flavour innovation. Our new Tic Tac Fresh flavours feature our number one classic, Strong Mint, and also our second most popular flavour, Cool Cherry. We’re also giving consumers the chance to try our latest innovation, Grapefruit Mint, a new and exciting flavour for the UK market.” The new range is available in grocery and convenience stores nationwide.

As the world faces geopolitical turbulence and fights recession consequences, the food market needs to adapt to new challenges. As the leading food and beverage company in dairy, beverages, snacks and breakfast products, Agus has prepared a set of new product lines as a response to changing market needs. During Sial Paris 2022, the company will introduce a budget consumer portfolio of Hello Day! Essentials, as well as affordable instant consumer fat-filled milk powder, Majestic, and cost-effective milk powder ingredients, Milky. Essentials What makes Agus the company of the future is its ability to adapt to rapidly changing market situations. Agus’ answer to new challenges is the introduction of the Hello Day! Essentials product portfolio. Its main goal is to provide customers with affordable but quality food products. The Essentials line consists of drinks, pasta, instant products, cheese and cheese analogues, sauces and canned products. Consumer milk powders Royal Milk is one of Agus’ flagship fat-filled milk powders and is a genuine benchmark in Africa and the Middle East. It is an innovative product that has been recently enriched with vitamins – so important nowadays. It is perfectly suitable for drinking, homemade artisan yogurt preparation, as well as all industrial applications. African countries are currently facing high inflation and skyrocketing prices for imported goods. Therefore, commonly used powdered milk is becoming too expensive, and customers are looking for affordable alternatives. To meet their expectations, Agus offers a budget version under the Majestic brand. Majestic is spray-dried fat-filled instant powder with optimised protein content. Its delicious taste and outstanding solubility in both hot and cold water mean consumers can enjoy it during the entire day. Drink it like a glass of milk drink, use it for breakfast or simply add a spoonful to tea or coffee. It can also be successfully used in bakery, confectionery and food concentrates production. Industrial milk powder applications Cheaper but still quality substitutes are also highly desired by industry, across the bakery, confectionery, ice cream and dairy segments. Due to the market situation, these segments are optimising production costs, including in terms of raw materials usage. In view of today’s trend toward cost-effective food production, Milky from Agus meets these industries’ expectations. It is dedicated for industrial use in bakery, confectionery, ice cream and dairy. It is suitable for all applications where skimmed and whole milk powder is used. Milky is available in different variants, with fat content ranging from 1% to 80% and protein content from 10% to 25%. Hello Day! Hello Day! is a response to consumer needs and changing eating habits. Nowadays, consumers are looking for healthy and simple products that help them maintain a balanced diet and support wellbeing, both at the product and brand value level. In line with our slogan ‘Hello Day! Change Your Life!’ we want to support consumers in changing the way they eat, live, look at the world and think about ecology. We also encourage them to change their habits and attitudes. Hello Day! is a heart-winning brand spanning beverages, snacks and breakfast products. What makes its products so desirable on the market? The smoothies, honey nut bars, granola and muesli consist of simple, low-processed ingredients and help consumers change their diet and bad eating habits. Hello Day! Smoothie is an innovative liquid snack in a bottle. It consists of natural, non-concentrated purées, fruit juices and coconut milk, without low-cost fillers. It is produced in aseptic processing technology, creating a shelf-stable beverage that does not need refrigeration, with a long 12-month shelf life. The drink comes in three flavours: passion fruit, pineapple and mango, and is available in a recyclable bottle. Another offering from Agus is Hello Day! Honey Nut Bars, based only on natural ingredients. The bars contain roasted, high-quality nuts and 20% natural blossom honey. There are three flavours: sea salt, cranberry and dark chocolate. All the bars have a pleasant, indulgent, crunchy texture, making them perfect for a quick snack during the day. The product portfolio also includes Hello Day! Granola and Muesli, which are ideal options for a healthy breakfast. This range offers excellent taste, simple ingredients and high fibre content. See you in Paris! “Agus will present all these products at Sial Paris. We invite everyone interested in establishing cooperation with us to visit our booth, 5A K 236. Agus is constantly growing, and we are therefore actively looking for new business partners and opportunities to expand our distribution network. Within the cooperation, we offer not only branded, best-quality products, but also our unique know-how based on our knowledge and flexible approach to business,” said Andrzej Mirowski, Agus communications director. Agus is a food and beverage company, leading in dairy, beverages, snacks, breakfast products and many more categories. We want to bring food and beverages to all people. It is in our DNA to win the hearts of our customers around the world by innovating and creating food and beverage products that meet their everyday needs and desires. Our recognised international and regional brands include Royal Milk, Olimp Milk, Diamond Milk, Imperial, Pride, Majestic, Milmo, Milky and Hello Day! Operating areas are Africa, Central America, the Middle East and Europe. More on AgusGlobal.com. #Agus #Sial

Constellation Brands has announced the sale of a portion of its mainstream and premium wine portfolio to The Wine Group. Among the labels included in the deal are: Cooper & Thief, Crafters Union, The Dreaming Tree and Monkey Bay. The decision forms part of the company’s portfolio premiumisation efforts and follows the sale of 30 wine brands to E & J Gallo. Constellation says that it is “focused on competing predominantly in premium and fine wine and craft spirits segments, while continuing to invest in the growth of its remaining strategic mainstream wine and spirits assets”. Robert Hanson, EVP and president of Constellation Brands’ wine and spirits division, commented: “A key driver of our success has been our relentless focus on consumer preferences, including long-term consumer-led premiumisation trends, and remaining agile in our approach to stay ahead of evolving marketplace dynamics”. Hanson added: “Over the past three years, we reshaped ourselves into a higher-end wine and spirits division with intentional, strategic mainstream plays and are moving our business towards becoming a leading global premium/fine wine and craft spirits portfolio. This transaction will enable us to focus and shift our portfolio towards the higher end, positioning ourselves to continue delivering industry-leading growth and shareholder value with the right portfolio for our ambitions.” Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Aluminium solutions provider, Novelis, has begun construction of a $2.5 billion low-carbon aluminium recycling and rolling plant in Alabama, US. The new facility in Bay Minette will create up to 1,000 jobs and have an initial capacity of 600 kilotonnes of finished aluminium goods per year, with a focus on the beverage container market. When fully operational, the plant’s new beverage can recycling centre will increase the company’s recycling capacity by 15 billion cans per year. “Today marks an important milestone for our Novelis team as we ramp up construction and grow our team,” said Tom Boney, executive vice president and president of Novelis North America. “We are grateful for the support we have received from the state, Baldwin County, Bay Minette and other partners as we build our home here in Alabama.” During the groundbreaking ceremony, Boney announced Novelis’ plans to invest $150,000 in south Alabaman non-profit organisations over the next six months. The company is also encouraging recycling throughout the community through a partnership with Baldwin County to provide recycling bins and education at all county-owned buildings. “We seek to become an integral part of this community, contributing to the local economy and advancing residents' quality of life every step of the way,” added Boney. Commissioning of the facility is scheduled for mid-2025.

TricorBraun has signed an agreement to acquire German glass packaging distributor, Gläser & Flaschen. Founded in 2003, Gläser & Flaschen supplies glass packaging for food and ingredients as well as mason jars and cooking accessories, serving both the commercial and consumer markets. The company has a distribution and operations centre in Wustermark, Brandenburg. The acquisition, which is expected to close in November, will see TricorBraun expand its European presence. Once completed, Gläser & Flaschen will operate as Gläser & Flaschen, a TricorBraun company. "Gläser & Flaschen has built a strong business known for its quality, innovation and technical expertise," said Declan McCarthy, president of TricorBraun Europe. "We are pleased to partner with the outstanding Gläser & Flaschen team to offer more supply chain options to customers while investing in their continued growth and expansion." Stefanie Burmeister, managing director at Gläser & Flaschen, said: "We have such an intense passion for our business, our talented team, our customers and suppliers, and our strong community in the preserved food world – we knew we needed an exceptional partner as we begin our next phase of growth. TricorBraun's world-class reputation, paired with its focus on team members, service for customers, and emphasis on growth, makes it our ideal home." Terms of the deal were not disclosed.