DSM and Firmenich have entered into a merger agreement to become a leading supplier of nutrition, beauty and wellbeing products. The new company, called DSM-Firmenich, will bring together DSM's Food & Beverage and Firmenich's Taste & Beyond businesses. DSM-Firmenich will help to further accelerate innovation and generate new growth opportunities for customers. The Dutch-Swiss business will be active in four areas, including food and beverage; perfumery and beauty; health, nutrition and care; and animal nutrition and health. The combined companies anticipate organic sales growth of 5% to 7% per year and pretax synergies of around €350 million in adjusted EBITDA per year by 2026. This includes a €500 million annual revenue profit particularly from combining DSM’s Food & Beverage and Firmenich’s Taste & Beyond businesses. In total, DSM shareholders will own 65.5% of DSM-Firmenich, while Firmenich's shareholders will own the rest of the shares and will receive €3.5 billion in cash, which is subject to potential adjustments. DSM's co-CEOs, Geraldine Matchett and Dimitri de Vreeze, commented: "We are honoured to propose the combination of DSM and Firmenich, and the opportunity to bring together 28,000 passionate people with a common commitment to enable our customers to realise their ambitions as we better the health and wellbeing of people and the planet". They continued: "Together DSM-Firmenich will enjoy complementary capabilities, including one of the largest creation communities in the industry, enabling us to unlock new opportunities for customers as well as position us to deliver enhanced long-term growth and shareholder value, sustainably. By coming together, we will establish a company where anyone, anywhere in the world, wishing to make a positive impact should aspire to work." Firmenich's CEO, Gilbert Ghostine, added: "This is the natural next step in Firmenich's evolution. We are excited to build on Firmenich's tradition of entrepreneurial excellence and create a global leader that will be able to bring breakthrough innovation and technologies to our customers, addressing the most pressing needs of consumers. DSM shares our purpose-led values and, like us, creates value for its customers through its science-based approach and pioneering technologies, making a real difference to people and planet." DSM-Firmenich will have a dual headquarters in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland and in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The merger, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to be finalised in the first half of 2023.

Nestlé has released a new permanent milkshake flavour to add to its Nesquik portfolio – Choco Caramel – which combines its two popular flavours. Nesquik is designed to be drunk by adding two teaspoons to a glass of semi-skimmed milk. The new flavour contains no artificial colours, flavourings, sweeteners or preservatives. Kelly Light, Nesquik senior brand manager, commented: "We’re really excited to introduce a new permanent flavour to the iconic Nesquik brand, which has been a family favourite in the UK and around the world for many years. Choco-caramel is the perfect addition to the Nesquik milkshake range and we are confident consumers will absolutely love the taste of it." Nesquik Choco-Caramel milkshake mix will join the existing range of chocolate, strawberry and banana flavours. The release will be available in Tesco stores from this week.

Müller Milk & Ingredients (MMI) has promoted chief operating officer Rob Hutchison and commercial director Liam McNamara to the roles of joint CEOs. Hutchinson and McNamara will replace current CEO Jon Jenkins, who joined the business in 2020. Hutchison first joined Müller in 2010, where he undertook operations, logistics, milk supply and commercial roles. Meanwhile, McNamara joined the business last year. He had previously worked at Mars from 1998 to 2014, where he held several leadership positions. A statement from Müller said: "The move signals MMI’s intention to leverage industry-leading strengths in driving value for customers through strong partnerships underpinned by excellent supply chain, operational and service delivery performance, and reliability".

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it is taking additional steps to ensure more infant formula is being provided to combat the ongoing shortage. The FDA has enabled flexibility when it comes to imports of infant formula into the US. Last week, both Danone's Nutricia business and Bubs Australia agreed to supply products to the country. Bubs Australia has made a commitment to the Biden Administration to provide at least 1.25 million tins, equivalent to around 27.5 billion bottles, through its range of infant formulas. Kristy Carr, founder and CEO of Bubs Australia, commented: "As an Australian infant nutrition specialist, we welcome the opportunity to support American families in this time of need and provide an immediate source of safe, reliable and clean range of infant formula". The FDA also confirmed on Thursday it has expanded its collaboration with Danone's Nutricia business to boost supplies of specialised medical baby formula. Around 500,000 additional cans of specialised medical formula, manufactured by Danone’s Nutricia business, will be imported into the US which will amount to more than five million full-size, eight-ounce bottles. Robert M Califf, food and drugs commissioner at FDA, said in a statement: "We have made tremendous progress, including notable steps in just the past week, which will allow us to immediately begin bringing speciality and infant formula products into the US as quickly as possible". "We continue to work closely with our US government partners and domestic and international manufacturers to identify additional formula product that will be available to parents and caregivers in the weeks and months ahead. It is our goal to ensure that hospitals, speciality pharmacies and retail store shelves will begin seeing adequate supplies again in the coming weeks," he added. The shortage started in February when Abbott Laboratories initiated a recall of formula products following reports of serious bacterial infections in four infants.

US food tech company Joywell Foods has raised $25 million in a Series B funding round to bring sweet proteins to market. The round was led by venture capital firm Piva Capital, with participation from B37 Ventures and Global Brain Corporation as well as existing investors Khosla Ventures, Evolv Ventures, SOSV's IndieBio and Alumni Ventures. Joywell Foods uses a proprietary microbial fermentation process to produce sweet proteins that are almost identical to those found in exotic fruits and berries. The business says that although these sweet proteins mimic the taste of sugar – and are 2,000-5,500 times sweeter than sugar – they don’t impact blood sugar levels or gut microbiomes. The ingredient company has created a line of plant-based flavoured beverages which contain the sweet proteins, while also including no sugar and a low-calorie count. The company will use the funds to accelerate R&D and scale-up for commercialisation across its sweet protein platform. Piva Capital’s partner and co-founder, Adzmel Adznan, said: "Traditional sugar is not only the chief culprit in our battle with obesity and diabetes, but it also requires millions of acres of land impacting precious ecosystems. Joywell Foods' sweet proteins are a genuine breakthrough in addressing both of these critical issues."

British distiller Burleighs Gin has introduced the first flavoured gin to its core portfolio with the addition of a new Raspberry Edition Gin. Produced by steeping Burleighs’ gin recipe in raspberries and peaches, the pink-coloured drink is "a fresh and fruity yet delicate gin". The spirit can be drunk on its own, with a tonic or as a base for cocktails. Charlie Hendon, head distiller at Burleighs Gin, said: "With barbeques and warm alfresco evenings just around the corner for consumers at home and in the on trade, what better time to launch our most refreshing and fruity gin yet". He continued: "The combination of the raspberries and peaches with the signature Burleighs recipe, creates a long and smooth gin, where the flavours bounce off each other and are distinctive, yet the drink is fresh and light – a quality we know is important for gin lovers in the summer". The latest launch is available now through the distillery’s website for an RRP of £32.50 for 70cl.

Organic food ingredients company, Global Processing, has entered into an agreement to acquire a soy processing facility in Hope, Minnesota. Based in Steele Country, the site is located near five shipping container yards that will provide service to east, west and south coast US ports. The new facility will enable the company to supply service and product offerings to soy customers globally. Rob Prather, chief ambassador at Global Processing, said: "With the challenging worldwide container access issues in 2021, our company prioritised and escalated this acquisition as a direct response to the needs of our customers". He continued: "The operation provides capacity support for existing speciality products underserved by market demand. In addition to the current product lines, it will supply new products, proteins and ingredients that help buyers operate more efficiently. This leads to less reliance on logistics thus helping contribute to a reduced global footprint." The new speciality soy facility – which is currently 90% operational – is on track for trial operation by this year's harvest. Full-scale operation at the facility is expected to start in December 2022.

Swedish functional beverage Nocco, owned by Vitamin Well, has launched a limited-edition flavour in the UK, called Mango Del Sol. The new flavour, which is sugar-free and vegan, contains 180mg of caffeine and 3000mg of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Amy Tickner, Nocco's head of marketing, said: “This bold new flavour takes our Del Sol family of drinks to the next level. We’re already seeing three times faster growth than the category, showing our consumers are seeking not just functionality but superior taste too.” Nocco's Mango Del Sol is available in selected gyms and stores nationwide, including WHSmith and Amazon for an RRP of £2.49.

Kraft Heinz has launched a new range of flavoured houmous made from haricot beans as it looks to expand its haricot bean product portfolio. Heinz Beanz Houmouz will be available in two variants – Original and Roasted Butternut Squash – with a Chipotle Chilli flavour expected to arrive in summer. The Beanz Houmouz Original consists of haricot beans with roasted tomatoes, sesame tahini and extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with lemon juice, garlic, cumin and topped with tomato. The Beanz Houmouz Roasted Butternut Squashflavour includes haricot beans with roasted butternut squash, sesame tahini and extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with lemon juice, garlic and rosemary and with added sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds on top. The houmous contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Lucila Ardalla, new ventures director for Beanz Liberation at Kraft Heinz, said: "We’re un-bean-lievably excited to be continuing our plant-powered story by launching our very first Beanz Houmouz range, made using our iconic beans. The result? A deliciously creamy and smooth texture unlike most traditional chickpea-based houmous you’ve tasted before!" The two initial flavours are available to buy for an RRP of £2.00 on Ocado now, with more supermarket listings to come later this year.

Smurfit Kappa has announced that it will invest more than €35 million to construct its first corrugated packaging plant in Morocco. Construction has begun on the facility which will cover an area of 25,000 square metres and will make packaging for sectors including food and beverage within fast-moving consumer goods, as well as agriculture and pharma. Saverio Mayer, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Europe, commented: "We are very proud to announce the construction of this advanced new facility, the first of its kind owned by the company in Morocco. It will be located in an area with significant growth potential and create 300 direct and indirect jobs in the region." He added: "Our customers will also benefit from our fully integrated and circular business model which will ensure a reliable supply of quality, value-adding and sustainable products". Located in Rabat, the new plant will enable Smurfit Kappa to supply in-demand, sustainable packaging solutions quickly and efficiently to both local and global customers. The new facility is expected to be operational in early 2023.

Sow Good, a US producer of freeze-dried fruit and vegetable products, has raised $3.7 million to expand its production capabilities. The company makes freeze-dried snacks, smoothies and soups that are shelf-stable, plant-based, and free from gluten and preservatives. Sow Good plans to build two new freeze driers to meet anticipated demand from increased retail, direct-to-consumer and joint venture opportunities. Executive chairman Ira Goldfarb said: "We are incredibly excited about the freeze-dried trend and how that will impact Sow Good's future". CEO, Claudia Goldfarb, added: "These important developments are compounded with the return of in-person meetings, from in-store product samplings, buyer meetings, to trade shows". The two additional freeze driers are expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2023.

Pasta producer Barilla has expanded its one-ingredient legume pasta range with new chickpea penne, in a move to expand its better-for-you portfolio. The chickpea penne pasta is made entirely from chickpeas and contains 19 grams of plant protein per 3.5 oz serving. The release is also certified gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO project verified. Jean-Pierre Comte, President of Barilla Americas, said: "As a leader in pasta, we understand just how much penne is adored around the globe so we're excited to give all pasta aficionados the opportunity to enjoy penne in a variety of ways. We look forward to seeing what recipes our fans create using our delicious chickpea penne." The launch will join Barilla's chickpea and red lentil pasta line which includes: chickpea spaghetti and rotini and red lentil penne, spaghetti and rotini. The chickpea penne will RRP for $3.49 and will be available in select major retailers nationwide across the US, including Kroger, Meijer, Hyvee and Publix. Retailer availability will expand throughout the summer.