Just Born Quality Confections has announced that David Shaffer and his son-in-law, Gardner Jett, Jr., have been elected as co-chief executive officers, effective immediately. The decision ensures that the company will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year under family ownership and leadership. Former CEO Ross Born announced his retirement plans from the family business last October, after 44 years at the company. Born's cousin Shaffer and Jett will work together with David Yale, president and COO, at the helm of the company. David’s daughter, Samantha Jett, will assume the role of vice president of corporate responsibility, working to develop initiatives that will "keep family values at the heart of the business for generations to come".

Listen to this exclusive podcast interview with Know Ice and Procubitos Europe. Procubitos Europe produces gourmet beverage package ice production and distribution in Europe, and Know Ice designs and installs large-scale ice production automated facilities worldwide. FoodBev Media is joined by Ivan Villalba, director Americas and globalisation at Know Ice. Ivan Villaba has a Masters in International Business from the University of Miami Herbert Business School and a Marketing Bachelor's in Science from York College of Pennsylvania. For more information, please contact: English: https://www.knowice.eu/en/contacto.php Spanish: https://www.knowice.eu/es/contacto.php Podcast sign language video available upon request*

AM Labels has added two new materials to its portfolio; sugar cane paper labels and grass paper labels, meeting consumer demand for environmentally friendly labelling solutions. The new sugar cane paper labels are composed of 95% sugar cane fibres, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional wood-pulp papers. The remaining 5% is made of a mixture of hemp and linen. The sugar cane fibres within the material are a by-product of the production of sugar and would traditionally be disposed of. The material is an uncoated matt paper which provides wet strength and fungicidal treatments. It is suitable for applications that require the complete packaging to be biodegradable, such as fruit and vegetable labelling, while its thick and textured appearance enables it to be used for wine, beverage and food labelling. The company’s grass paper labels are composed of 30% sun-dried grass fibre (hay) and 70% sustainably sourced pulp. The adhesive has been formulated to include a high content of renewable, non-fossil derived materials, making it biodegradable and compostable. The allergen-free, vegan-friendly material benefits from a natural finish and is suitable for artisan food and drink labelling, in addition to cosmetics and organic products. “Our new range of sustainable labelling materials is a key development and one that will support our customers in making their operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” said Brendon Bass, sales and marketing manager at AM Labels.

Premier Foods-owned Mr Kipling has expanded its portfolio with the launch of two new signature bite-size brownie treats and its first premium brownie. Tapping into the increasing demand for snacks and nibbles, the brand’s Gooey Brownie Bites are available in double chocolate or salted caramel flavours. Made with a rich brownie base and topped with chocolate or salted caramel sauce, the bites are then finished with a coating of thick milk chocolate. Also added to the Signature Collection line-up is Mr Kipling’s Seriously Chocolatey Brownies, rich chocolate brownies covered with chocolate creme and coated in milk and dark chocolate. “We are excited to be expanding this popular range with brownies - and our first ever Signature Collection bite-sized treat - that will meet growing demand for evening indulgence and increase penetration with younger consumers,” said Mathew Bird, brand director for sweet treats at Premier Foods

Dairy co-operative Fonterra has decided not to sell a stake in its Australian business, a decision that could reduce the NZD 1 billion in returns slated for shareholders. Fonterra CEO, Miles Hurrell, said: "Even though we have decided not to sell a stake in our Australian business, we are still committed to targeting a significant capital return to our shareholders and unitholders. The amount of any capital return will ultimately be determined on a number of factors, including the successful completion of the divestment programme as well as our ongoing debt and earnings levels." The co-op has outlined its strategy to focus on New Zealand milk. In the company's FY22 results, Hurrell said Australia plays an important role in Fonterra's consumer strategy "with a number of common and complementary brands and products and as a destination for our New Zealand milk solids".

Nestlé-Froneri has selected Resugar Synergy, a product from food tech company Resugar, as the key ingredient behind their new low-calorie ice cream bars. By replacing regular sugar with Resugar, Nestlé-Froneri stated they were able to reduce sugar content by 70%. "We are proud and happy about this successful collaboration between Nestlé-Froneri Ice Creams and Resugar,” said Ariel Elhadef, chief technologist at Nestlé-Froneri. “Many consumers today are looking for products that will provide them with an experience without compromise in taste and texture, yet with a low caloric value. The addition of Resugar to the 99 calorie series allowed us to launch a very tasty product with a sugar content of less than 10%. This is a winning combination of less than 100 calories per unit and excellent taste.” “Our game-changing solution means manufacturers can keep delicious products on the market without any reformulation, and consumers can keep enjoying their favourite products without negative health effects,” commented Niv Ben-Ami, Resugar co-founder.

Mondi plans to invest around €5 million in a new R&D facility in Germany, aimed at developing solutions that will help customers achieve their sustainability goals. Construction has begun and when completed, the facility – which will be located at the company's Steinfeld site – is expected to include pilot lines for plastic- and paper-based solutions, as well as an analytical laboratory and a floor dedicated to a customer experience centre. Elisabeth Schwaiger, head of R&D and IP flexible packaging at Mondi, said: "This R&D centre demonstrates our hands-on approach to developing sustainable packaging solutions at Mondi. We look forward to working with our customers, combining their knowledge with ours to meet their sustainable packaging goals. "The investment helps to contribute to our own 'Mondi Action Plan 2030' sustainability goals, specifically our target to make 100% of our products reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025." The R&D centre is expected to open its doors by the end of 2023 and will complement Mondi’s other research centres, such as its recycling and food safety laboratories in Austria.

Arla and Eurowind Energy have entered into a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) that will help ensure Arla reaches its target of 100% green electricity in Denmark by 2025. With the PPA, effective on or before 1 January 2025, Arla commits to buying the electricity from an unsubsidised wind farm called Nørre Økse Sø, located in Denmark’s Jammerbugt Municipality. There is already a wind farm on the site, and a re-powering project will see existing turbines replaced by 11 newly built, up-to-date turbines. Expected to become operational in November 2024, the new wind turbines will be able to deliver 137 GW/h of electricity a year, which Arla says is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 34,000 Danish households. “We are fully committed to reducing our climate footprint so that consumers can continue to enjoy our dairy products,” said Hanne Søndergaard, executive vice president of agriculture, sustainability and communications at Arla. “We have therefore doubled our ambitions across our production and now have a target to reduce our CO2 emissions by 63% before 2030. Reaching our target of 100% green electricity in Denmark is a good step on the way.” Since 2015, Arla has reduced its CO2 emissions from production by 25%. “With its ambitious climate strategy, Arla is leading the way and we are happy to be able to supply green electricity so that Arla can pursue its goals and contribute to the green transition. The agreement also means that we can build another subsidy-free green energy plant,” said Jens Rasmussen, CEO of Eurowind Energy.

Microbial protein company MicroHarvest has secured €8.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Astanor Ventures and Happiness Capital. The funding will support the commercialisation of MicroHarvest’s single-cell protein production process. The Hamburg-based start-up’s proprietary technology enables the production of protein using bacteria at a speed and efficiency that is said to 'greatly exceed' existing approaches. MicroHarvest will use the funding to grow its R&D team, construct a pilot plant in Lisbon and accelerate towards commercial-scale production. After a successful acceptance trial this year, an at-scale production trial will yield product for further application trials, with the aim to enter the market in 2023. Possible applications of the company's protein are numerous, ranging from animal feed to human food. Alongside Astanor and Happiness Capital, Faber and existing investor FoodLabs also joined the round. “MicroHarvest’s approach is by far the easiest and most scalable way to produce sustainable protein that we have come across, with applications along the whole protein value chain. We’re impressed with what the MicroHarvest team has achieved in such a short time,” said Christian Guba, investor at FoodLabs.

General Mills has reported a 4% increase in net sales to $4.7 billion and 29% rise in operating profit in its first-quarter fiscal 2023 results. Net sales for the company’s North America retail unit increased by 10% to $3 billion. US snacks were one driver, with sales up 14%. Meanwhile, net sales rose 10% in US meals and baking solutions, 9% in US morning foods and 4% in Canada. General Mills' North America foodservice segment witnessed a 21% increase in net sales to $496 million. Meanwhile, the company's international segment saw a 30% decline, driven by currency exchange headwinds as well as lower pound volume, which in turn reflected the impact of yogurt and dough divestitures and an ice cream recall. General Mills CEO, Jeff Harmening, said: “We continue to deliver strong performance in a highly volatile operating environment. Given the strength of our first-quarter results and confidence in our ability to adapt to continued volatility ahead, we are increasing our full-year outlook for net sales, operating profit and EPS growth.”

In a move that aims to contribute to a sustainable transformation of the global food system, leading vertical farming companies have committed to a Vertical Farming Identity Statement and Industry Manifesto. The Vertical Farming Manifesto and Identity Statement were signed on 20 September at the Vertical Farming World Congress in Brussels by the following companies: 80 Acres, AeroFarms, Bowery, Crop One, CubicFarms, Elevate Farms, Fifth Season, Fischer Farms, Freight Farms, Infarm, Infinite Acres, Jones Food Company, Kalera, La Grangette, Ljusgårda, N.thing, Plenty, Stacked Farm, Urban Crop Solutions, Urban Harvest, Vertical Future, YesHealth Group and ZipGrow. The documents describe the urgent need to transform current food systems and explain how vertical farming can contribute significantly to designing food systems that are resilient and future-proof. “For the continued existence of humanity and protection of the earth, the expansion, development and collaboration of the vertical farming industry is critical. We are proud and excited to be working together with our industry peers on the VF Identity Statement and Industry Manifesto,” said Craig Ratajczyk, CEO of Crop One. Through technological innovation, indoor vertical farming aims to protect food production from disruption caused by external factors like climate or public health crises. By localising production and controlling the growing environment, vertical farming provides pesticide-free produce, uses significantly less land and water than conventional agriculture, and requires fewer transportation miles. Towards the industry’s goal of driving the transformation of food systems, the companies will look to set high standards by aligning with globally accepted impact frameworks, for example, the Science Based Targets initiative, B Corp, or the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. “Tech-driven agriculture solutions have so much potential to positively affect the global food system. We're excited to unify with our peers to elevate the standards and do the most good for the most people together,” added Austin Webb, CEO and co-founder of Fifth Season.

Rubix Foods, a provider of flavour and functional ingredients for restaurants and manufacturers, has announced the opening of its new innovation centre. The 50,000-square-foot facility will aim to streamline the innovation process for the company's customers and includes a show kitchen for in-person and virtual demonstrations, an R&D lab and test kitchen, two pilot plants and a sensory panel. Andy Block, CEO at Rubix Foods, said: "Here we have all the talent, technology and tools to deliver food innovation from research to rollout, all under one roof at unparalleled speed – a fully commercialised formula ready in days rather than months". Rubix operates as a full-service partner, covering culinary, scientific, marketing and logistics challenges. "We're here for collaboration, not credit. The centre was built as much for our customers as it was for us. We tell them, 'this is (y)our innovation centre' and we encourage them to visit us to take full advantage of the tools and talent available to them here," Block added. Food and beverage private equity firm Arbor Investments announced an investment in and partnership with the company in April 2019. In October 2020, Arbor and Rubix broke ground on the new facility and the following year rebranded the company from Darifair Foods to Rubix Foods. "From the onset of our investment, we recognised that the company was an epicentre of truly innovative food technology but lacked a world-class facility to foster in-person problem solving with customers. Based on the overwhelming positive response and new projects initiated from recent customer visits, the investment in the new innovation centre is already paying dividends for Rubix and its customers," added Alan Weed, partner at Arbor investments.