Packaging company Constantia Flexibles has signed an agreement to acquire FFP Packaging Solutions for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1967, FFP Packaging Solutions provides sustainable flexible packaging for food brands and UK retailers. The Northampton-based company has over 100 employees. With the deal, Constantia Flexibles acquires its first consumer packaging plant in the UK. Pim Vervaat, CEO of Constantia Flexibles, said: “The acquisition aligns well with our 'Vision 2025' growth strategy of investing in competitive businesses with potential for future growth. FFP Packaging Solutions joining the Constantia Flexibles group will expand our overall market position." "Its significant experience and credibility allow for strong relationships across the UK food industry. We will be working with the existing management team to continue driving the revolution of sustainable flexible packaging in the UK and beyond. Sustainable packaging solutions are no longer a trend. They are a must-have. FFP Packaging Solutions figures already show it. And together, we are committed to a circular economy, driving the transformation with more sustainable packaging.” Meanwhile, FFP's managing director and CEO, David Cooper, will remain with the business "to ensure a successful integration and continue to build on FFP’s success long into the future,” added Robin Chudley, chairman of FFP.

Investindustrial has acquired ingredient supplier Parker Food Group (PFG) from The Riverside Company. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, PFG is a manufacturer of speciality ingredients for business-to-business and business-to-consumer customers, as well as foodservice providers. The company’s product offering includes baked inclusions, toppings, pralines and cookie components. PFG - which employs approximately 370 people - operates three factories in the US, located in Missouri, New York state and Fort Worth. The company collaborates with customers to develop products tailored to their requirements. The business will join Investindustrial’s broader portfolio of food ingredient companies, which also includes CSM Ingredients, Hi-Food and Italcanditi. Andrea Bonomi, chairman of Investindustrial’s industrial advisory board, commented: “Our extensive experience in the food ingredients sector and our track record of growing our portfolio companies, makes us the perfect steward for a new, exciting and more global chapter in PFG’s development”. “We are building an ingredient-tech platform with the vision to create unique and innovative solutions for the food industry. PFG will become part of and contribute to our family of existing ingredients investments with CSM Ingredients, Hi-Food and Italcanditi.” Greg Hodder, CEO of PFG, said: “With strong experience in the sector, Investindustrial is our partner of choice and with its help as a responsible investor and sector specialist, we look forward to accelerating PFG’s growth and entering into new markets”. Investindustrial has also just announced its acquisition of a significant portion of TreeHouse Foods’ meal preparation business for $950 million.

V&V Supremo Foods, a producer of Mexican cheese, crema and chorizo, has announced the acquisition of Mill Creek Cheese. In operation since 1891, Mill Creek Cheese is a facility located in Iowa County, Wisconsin. The acquisition will allow V&V Supremo to meet growing demand by increasing the production of its products. "This acquisition is a very important step in our growth strategy," said Gilberto Villaseñor II, chief visionary officer of V&V Supremo. "It will help us meet the growing demand for our products and expand our presence in key markets." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Milk alternative brand Malk Organics has announced the official launch of a chocolate oat variant. Like the rest of Malk's range, the new offering contains "simple, clean ingredients," such as organic gluten-free oats, organic cocoa, vanilla extract and Himalayan pink salt. It is also said to be free from gums, fillers and oils. The chocolate oat milk joins unsweetened almond, vanilla almond, original oat and vanilla oat variants as part of the brand's portfolio. With an SRP of $5.99, the new offering is rolling out in Whole Foods Market stores in the Southwest, Rocky Mountain and Northeast regions of the US. It will also be available from Erewhon, Gelson's and Mom's Natural.

Investindustrial has agreed to acquire a significant portion of TreeHouse Foods' meal preparation business for $950 million. The business is a US supplier of private-label food products, including pasta, red sauces, salsa, salad dressings, mayonnaise, condiments, syrup, pie-fillings and preserves. It operates 14 manufacturing facilities in the US, Canada and Italy, as well as 19 distribution centres, and is expected to generate approximately $1.6 billion in revenue in 2022. Investindustrial says that the combined revenues and global reach of the business and its existing portfolio company, La Doria, “will create one of the largest suppliers of private-label food products in the world”. Andrea Bonomi, chairman of the industrial advisory board of Investindustrial, said: “We are delighted to add the divisions of TreeHouse Foods’ meal preparation business to our portfolio of leading private-label food companies. We understand that success in the food business requires us to provide our customers with the best service as well as high-quality products at great value. With this acquisition, we will build on our reputation as an industry leader in customer excellence while continuing to improve service levels, product development and operational efficiencies.” Steve Oakland, CEO and president of TreeHouse Foods, added: “Investindustrial is the right partner for our industry-leading meal preparation business. Their conviction in the opportunity that lies ahead for meal preparation is a testament to the strength of that business, its robust private-label categories and the teams that support it. We look forward to seeing the business thrive well into the future.” The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Little Moons has added a new flavour to its mochi ice cream portfolio, Golden Blond Chocolate, as it aims to meet the rising demand for blond chocolate. Golden Blond Chocolate combines caramelised white chocolate pieces into a smooth golden white chocolate gelato, wrapped in the brand’s signature soft dough. Howard Wong, co-founder of Little Moons, said: “As a trailblazer within the ice cream category, we're delighted to be leading the charge with our new Golden Blond Chocolate mochi bites, as we continue our mission to bring new and exciting flavours to our customers...We’re committed to driving change within the category, creating snackable moments that can be enjoyed throughout the day and which give fans a little lift.” Little Moons' Golden Blond Chocolate mochi bites are available exclusively at Tesco for an RRP of £4.50.

Irish tortilla chip producer, Blanco Niño, has converted its range of corn tortilla chips to fully recyclable packaging. Blanco Niño is said to be the first brand of premium corn tortilla chips in the UK and Ireland to switch to fully recyclable packaging. The company's new packaging, made from a plastic resin called polypropylene 5, will keep the product fresher for a longer period of time. The company states that the product range itself – which includes lightly salted, blue corn and chilli & lime – will remain unchanged. Blanco Niño's founder and CEO, Philip Martin, said: “I’m looking forward to unveiling our new recyclable packaging to our customers. It’s a momentous step for Blanco Niño in reducing our impact on the environment. We saw an opportunity to develop fully recyclable packaging, and I’m very proud to say that we’re one of the first to do so.” Blanco Niño’s director of community, Ruth Jenkins, added: “Consumers are rightly demanding more sustainable products and we as a team are delighted to rise to the challenge. It’s certainly not easy or straightforward, but our research and development process made it possible. I hope we can lead the way and others will follow.” The tortilla chips are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and kosher certified.

Private equity firm Highview Capital has acquired US meatpacker Jobbers Meat Packing Co, which does business as Wilmar, for an undisclosed sum. Highview plans to merge Wilmar with its portfolio company Randall Foods – which it acquired last year – to create a leading protein provider in the US. Founded in 1978, Wilmar is a processor and packager of meat products, including ground beef, and speciality and portion-controlled products, for grocery retailers, foodservice providers and wholesale distributors. Meanwhile, Randall Foods provides processed and value-added case-ready meats to grocery customers. These include a variety of fresh prepared meals and marinated, ready-to-cook offerings. Marty Evanson, founder and CEO of Wilmar, commented: "I founded Wilmar as a local meat provider to fill an unmet need in the market. I’m proud of our team’s hard work and dedication as we’ve grown into one of the region’s leading protein providers and become a primary partner of choice for customers looking for great service and quality in their ground beef." Evanson continued: "Our team is extremely excited about the merger and pleased that Randall Foods has the same business ethics and focus on putting our customers and employees first". Following the closing of the acquisition, Evanson plans to retire. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

All G Foods, an alternative protein start-up, has secured AUD 25 million (approx. $17.7 million) in a Series A raise. The Australian company sells a wide range of meat alternatives – including mince, burgers and nuggets – under its Love Buds brand. In addition, All G is working to advance precision fermentation technology, with a focus on casein micelle formation. The capital will be used to accelerate All G's commercialisation objectives in both the cellular agriculture and plant-based sectors. Agronomics Limited and its affiliate investment vehicle, New Agrarian Company, are leading the Series A round. Jan Pacas, founder and CEO of All G Foods, said: “We could not be happier with Agronomics leading our Series A round due to their wealth of experience in funding the cellular agriculture sector". "When looking for investment, it is critical for us that our investors share our vision for developing technology that can change the way we impact the planet through categories that are simply not sustainable as our populations grow. We are confident with investors like this, we can accelerate our commercialisation objectives and lead food innovation in Asia-Pacific.” The capital is part of a larger expected round.

Canadian seafood company Cooke has acquired Belgian shrimp processor Morubel from independent investment company Bencis Capital Partners. Founded in 1954, Morubel's wild catch range includes shrimps, prawns, crayfish and squid, as well as black tiger prawns, mussels and scallops. Located in Ostend, the company occupies a 14,000-square-metre plant that has a production capacity of 18,000 metric tonnes for frozen seafood, retail and bulk packaging. Morubel distributes its organic and frozen seafood products to retail and foodservice customers in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy and France. The company was acquired by Bencis Capital Partners in 2014. “The Morubel team welcomes the sale to Cooke – we’ve found an ideal alignment to enable our future growth,” said Dirk De Pandelaere, CEO of Morubel. “We see a lot of opportunities to expand our product line to sell additional Cooke products in European countries where Cooke is building its presence.” Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

PepsiCo-owned brand Lay's is returning with its Frito-Lay crisps flavour swap with the introduction of a new Chili Cheese variant to add to its portfolio. Lay's Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese crisps combines Lay's Kettle Cooked potato chips with the chili and cheese Frito flavour. Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of brand marketing, Frito-Lay North America, said: "What makes the Lay's flavour swap lineup so much fun is the combination of flavours our fans know and love to create a new-but-familiar snacking experience". Taffet continued: "This year's newest addition combines our Kettle Cooked variety and the popular Fritos Chili Cheese flavour to make a powerful addition to an already stacked lineup". The new Lay's flavour swap offering, along with the three returning variants, are available in US retailers nationwide beginning now for an RRP of $4.59 (7.75oz, 8oz sizes) and $2.29 (2.5oz, 2.625oz sizes). The flavours are available while stocks last.

Nestlé-owned brand Carnation has expanded its Drizzle sauce line with the launch of a new flavour, Carnation Chocolate Drizzle. The new flavour joins the brand's existing line-up, which includes: original and caramel. Carnation's brand manager, Daniela Campanaro, said: “We are delighted to add a third flavour to our popular Carnation Drizzle range and cannot wait to share the Chocolate Drizzle with makers and bakers across the UK”. Carnation Chocolate Drizzle is available across B&M and Lidl stores for an RRP of £2.69 per 450g bottle.