Upfield-owned dairy-free cheese brand Violife is expanding into a new category by adding a range of plant-based dips to its US portfolio. The line consists of variants such as French Onion, Spinach & Artichoke and Ranch. Each dip is made with coconut oil and simple ingredients such as real onions, real spinach and artichokes and herbs, while being free from dairy, nuts, soy, gluten and preservatives. Debra Yoo, senior brand manager at Violife, commented: "Consumers love the taste and convenience of dips and we are excited to bring Violife's delicious plant-based take on these classic flavours to life. We know that these new dips will appeal to consumers across the country, whether they are vegan, dairy-free or curious about plant-based foods." The range will have an MSRP of $5.29 per pot and will be available at US Whole Foods locations from 24 June.

FoodBev Media is joined by Ingredia's Sandrine Tran. here, she discusses the company's nutritional protein range – Prodiet – for clinical nutrition.

Coconut water brand, Vita Coco, has launched Choc-o-lot with added fibre benefits to "aid digestion and keep bowels healthy". Vita Coco's Choc-o-lot with fibre is packed with vitamin C and potassium, as well as being vegan-friendly and low in sugar. The new reformulated beverage is made with soluble corn fibre. Nutritionist Emma Moross said: “Choc-o-lot is a perfect drink for when we don’t fancy a green juice as it’s got that chocolatey flavour so many of us love but is still low in sugar. This refreshing drink also contains vitamin C, potassium and now has the benefits of fibre included too, making it a great all-rounder for a chocolatey refreshment”. Choc-o-lot with fibre is available in Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Co-op and Boots stores for an RRP of £1.80 per 330ml.

Pladis has expanded its Jacob’s Mini Cheddars portfolio in the UK with a duo of limited-edition flavours inspired by street-food. The new variants include Classic Cheese Pizza and Bangin’ Cheese Burger and are made with real cheese. Leighton Wall, marketing director of savoury at pladis UK&I, said: "We’re targeting big growth ambitions for this household favourite brand. By launching limited-edition cheesy street food-inspired NPD, we’re aiming to accelerate this and unlock new sales opportunities for our retail customers, particularly around the lunchtime treat occasion – whether shoppers are elevating an at-home lunch or grabbing an individual packet to enjoy a moment of cheeky, cheesy pleasure on the move." Jacob’s Mini Cheddars Classic Cheese Pizza and Bangin’ Cheese Burger are now available in six-packs for an RRP of £1.50 in Morrisons and Tesco and are available in other multiple grocers, as well as inconvenience and wholesale.

Ferrero has been granted “conditional authorisation” to reopen its production lines in Arlon, Belgium, following an outbreak of salmonella at the site earlier this year. The Arlon factory had been closed since April, after Belgian health authorities ordered the company to cease operations due to a number of reported salmonella cases suspected to be linked to its Kinder branded chocolate. Ferrero said in a statement that the reopening of the plant follows "extensive cleaning and food safety controls" and that it will initiate "the progressive restarting of the production lines over the next few weeks". "More than 1,000 Ferrero employees and independent specialists have been working at the plant continuously," said Ferrero. "More than 1,800 quality tests have been completed, 10,000 parts dismantled and cleaned and significant investments made. This includes the replacement of multiple pieces of equipment as well as the installation of 300 metres of new pipeline. We’ve also updated the product safety protocols, trainings and sampling in the plant." Ferrero CEO, Lapo Civiletti, stated: “We are very pleased to have received the green light from the Belgian food safety authority. We would like to thank AFSCA for their invaluable guidance and support. We are truly sorry for what happened and would like to apologise once again to all those impacted. We have never experienced a situation like this in our 75-year history. We have taken learnings from this unfortunate event and will do everything to ensure it does not happen again.” The AFSCA has granted the conditional authorisation "for a period of three months," during which, raw materials and product batches will be analysed by the body.

Mondelēz International has signed an agreement to acquire US energy bar maker, Clif Bar & Company, for $2.9 billion. The snacks giant says the acquisition will help build on its commitment to "lead the future of snacking" in key geographies worldwide. Once the transaction is completed, Mondelēz will continue to operate the Clif Bar business from its headquarters in Emeryville, California. The snack giant will also continue to manufacture Clif Bars' products, which include Clif Bar, Luna and Clif Kid, at its facilities in Idaho and Indiana. Mondelēz's CEO, Dirk Van de Put, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Clif Bar's iconic brands and passionate employees into the Mondelēz family. This transaction further advances our ambition to lead the future of snacking by winning in chocolate, biscuits and baked snacks as we continue to scale our high-growth snack bar business." He continued: "As a leader and innovator in well-being and sustainable snacking in the US, Clif Bar embodies our purpose to ‘empower people to snack right’, and we look forward to advancing this important work with Clif’s committed colleagues in the years ahead." The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in Q3 2022. Earlier this year, Mondelēz acquired Grupo Bimbo’s confectionery business, Ricolino, for approximately $1.3 billion.

Singaporean robotics firm Ross Digital has secured SGD $4.2 million (approx. $3 million) in a Series A funding round led by food conglomerate Fraser and Neave. The funding round included participation from existing investors Frasers Property and zVentures, the corporate venture arm of Razer. Ross will use the capital to accelerate the development of new products and to expand into Thailand and Malaysia. The company is also partnering with Fraser and Neave to distribute its range of robotic, automation, digital and AI solutions in Southeast Asia. Ross, which is a robotics and automation business focused on food and beverage, has already deployed 15 robotic arms in the region, including to Martell Cognac, Timber+, Coffee & Toast and RazerCafe. The company is aiming to install another 40 into the market by the end of the year. "It is very exciting for us to be able to partner with a food and beverage industry leader like Fraser and Neave who would be able to help build the future of the food and beverage industry within the region," said Gavin Pathross, Ross founder and CEO. "Through this investment and strategic partnership, we believe that we will be able to leverage off each other's strengths to deliver phenomenal new market offerings for the more discerning Gen Z consumers." Ross has now raised SGD $21.2 million (approx. $15.2 million) since its inception in 2017.

Agropur is investing CAD $34 million (approx. $27 million) in its ice cream and frozen novelties plant in Truro, Nova Scotia. The Canadian dairy cooperative will use the investment to redefine the space within the facility through the installation of a new extrusion line for innovation in the premium novelties segment. The facility will become one of Agropur’s Centres of Excellence for extrusion-type frozen products. It will create high-quality jobs for the local community, while supporting economic growth in the Atlantic region and the development of several business opportunities. Jeannie van Dyk, VP of Agropur’s board and director for the Atlantic region, said: "It is with great pride and excitement that we announce a major investment in the Truro plant, the largest plant capital investment made in Canada for the last five years. This confirms the importance of the Atlantic region for Agropur and our commitment to remain a major player in the region and to pursue the opportunities it presents." Greg Morrow, minister of agriculture for Nova Scotia, added: "This investment demonstrates a significant commitment to Atlantic Canada’s agriculture sector. It also supports well-paying stable jobs right here in rural Nova Scotia while creating new employment opportunities". According to CBC, Robert Bowman, manager of the Truro Agropur plant, said the expansion should be completed sometime in 2023.

NZMP, Fonterra's ingredients and solutions brand, has launched a grade A functional whey protein concentrate (fWPC) – Pro-Optima. The release has been launched in collaboration with Tillamook County Creamery Association and Three Mile Canyon Farms in a joint venture named Columbia River Technologies. NZMP's Pro-Optima is the "first" grade A whey protein that enables protein enhancement in cultured products, especially yogurt applications such as spoonable yogurt, drinking yogurt, mousses and nutritional yogurt bars. The whey protein has been designed to unlock a range of textures in cultured dairy products while delivering multi-functional health benefits. Megan Patterson, Americas marketing communication manager at Fonterra, said: "Our Pro-Optima grade A fWPC is a first to market functional whey protein concentrate made with US milk to fuel cultured product innovation. Pro-Optima enables new product formats and adds more nutritional value to existing formats to meet the needs of increasingly health-conscious consumers".

Saputo Dairy USA is launching a new range of plant-based, vegan-certified and dairy-free cheeses to add to its Vitalite portfolio. Available in six varieties, the line consists of Plant-Based Mozzarella Style Slices; Plant-Based Mozzarella Style Shreds; Plant-Based Cheddar Style Slices; Plant-Based Cheddar Style Shreds; Plant-Based Grated Parmesan Style; and a Plant-Based Creamy Original Spread. Vitalite's products are made using no genetically modified ingredients and are vegan- and kosher-certified, gluten-free and, except for the Creamy Original Spread, soy-free. Nikki Trzeciak, Saputo executive chef and senior manager of culinary and sensory, said: "People following a plant-based or flexitarian diet have limited options in the grocery store and many of those options lack appeal. The idea for Vitalite came out of trying to solve that. We want home cooks to feel liberated in the kitchen and inspired to create traditional foods they have an emotional connection to without compromise." The range will be rolled out across US retailers nationwide this year.

Edible Oils, a joint venture between Princes and ADM, has invested $24 million in its Erith, UK, site with the addition of a newly renovated bottling facility. The investment saw the installation of new bottling lines for cooking oils, as well as an upgraded oil tank farm with transfer capability into the factory. The company has also expanded its dry goods warehouse and built both new finished products and a staff car park. Mark Church, managing director of Edible Oils, said: “We’re delighted to have completed this investment programme, which is a major milestone for the business and reflects several years of hard work by our teams and partners, throughout the height of the pandemic. The investment has significantly boosted our production capabilities and capacity, and we have been able to lightweight certain bottles, which will eliminate around 90 tonnes of plastic every year.” The project has increased overall production capacity at the site by approximately 50%, as well as enabling Edible Oils to produce five-litre bottles on site for the first time.

Food and beverage brand platform, Systm Foods, has acquired Chameleon Organic Coffee from Nestlé USA. Founded in 2010, Chameleon produces organic and ethically-sourced cold brew coffee. Its current portfolio consists of multi-serve concentrates and single-serve ready-to-drink products. The acquisition also includes plant-powered functional beverage brand, Rebbl. Systm Foods is a collaboration between Systm Brands and PowerPlant Partners, which aims to create a premium "impact-focused" food and beverage brand platform. Mark Rampolla, founding partner of PowerPlant Partners, said: "We're thrilled to announce the acquisition of Chameleon as a core brand, along with Rebbl, for Systm Foods. In addition to an incredible product line, the brand has experienced significant growth over the past few years and its social goals align perfectly with our beliefs as investors." He continued: "We can't wait to provide the team all the support they need to energise and accelerate the brand's vision and growth". The acquisition supports Systm Foods' company aim to add more high-quality, plant-based and innovative products to its portfolio. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.