Mondelēz International has reported 7.3% growth in first-quarter net revenue to $7.76 billion, "driven by higher pricing and strong volume growth". The owner of BelVita and Oreo said that the rise was driven by organic net revenue growth of 8.6% and incremental sales from the company's acquisitions of Chipita, Grenade and Gourmet Food. In North America, the snack giant reported net revenue growth of 8% for Q1. The company's Europe business saw 3.1% growth, generating $2.94 billion in sales, the largest amount out of all Mondelēz's regions. The company's Asia, Middle East and Africa business witnessed a 7% increase in revenue. Meanwhile, in Latin America Mondelēz saw a 23.5% rise in net revenue, compared with a 7.9% decline in the year-ago quarter. The company has updated its full-year outlook and now expects organic net revenue growth of 4+%, reflecting the "strength of its first quarter". Mondelēz chairman and CEO, Dirk Van de Put, said: "We delivered strong top-line results in our first quarter, driven by higher pricing and strong volume growth. Our chocolate and biscuit businesses continue to power our virtuous cycle of attractive revenue growth, strong profitability and robust cash flow. Demand remains strong across both developed and emerging markets, with all our regions posting growth." He continued: "We expect elevated levels of input cost inflation to continue through the remainder of the year, and we will continue to take necessary actions to offset this dynamic – including a broader revenue growth management agenda, ongoing cost discipline and further simplification within our business...We are also excited about our recently announced agreement to acquire Ricolino that will step-change our presence in the priority market of Mexico – adding to our portfolio some of the country's most beloved chocolate and candy brands, while broadening our distribution footprint with more than 2,100 direct store delivery routes reaching 440,000 traditional trade outlets."

Israeli animal-free dairy start-up Remilk plans to build the "world's largest" full-scale precision fermentation facility in Kalundborg, Denmark. The company has developed a yeast-based fermentation process that produces "dairy-identical" milk proteins. The new facility will be located on more than 750,000 square feet of newly acquired land within sustainable industrial ecosystem, The Symbiosis project. Each year at the site, Remilk will produce non-animal dairy protein for use in products like cheese, yogurt and ice cream, in a quantity equivalent to that produced by 50,000 cows. Aviv Wolff, CEO and founder of Remilk, said: "Remilk is committed to reinventing our dairy industry in a kind, sustainable way. Eliminating the need for animals in our food system is the only way to supply our world's growing demand without destroying it in the process." He continued: "We intend to massively scale up our production capabilities to make nutritious, delicious and affordable dairy that will send cows into early retirement". The selection of the location was made possible through a partnership with the city of Kalundborg, Invest in Denmark (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark), the Danish embassy in Israel and the Israeli embassy in Denmark. In January, Remilk announced it had raised $120 million in a Series B funding round.

US fermented food brand, Cleveland Kitchen, has expanded its krauts portfolio with the launch of a new limited-edition kraut, High Thymes. High Thymes is made with seasonal heirloom carrots and fresh thyme. Cleveland Kitchen's co-founder and CEO, Drew Anderson, said: “Our team was inspired to launch this limited-time kraut by leveraging fresh, seasonal ingredients that are accessible to us only during certain times of the year. This kraut is made with seasonal heirloom carrots and fresh thyme from local Cleveland purveyors and greenhouses.” The kraut is available at Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide while supplies last.

Finsbury Food Group has extended its partnership with Diageo-owned brand Gordon's to launch gin-inspired cupcakes in the UK. Gordon's Divine Duo Cupcakes come in a pack with three pink vanilla-flavoured sponges topped with gin-flavoured frosting and finished with dried raspberry pieces and three vanilla sponges topped with gin-flavoured frosting and lemon sugar sprinkles. Finsbury Food Group's brand manager, Emma Hamilton, said: “After seeing consumers flock to purchase the Gordon’s Premium Pink Cake last summer, we knew that there was a further appetite to combine Diageo’s much-loved portfolio of drink brands with our expertise and bring to market innovative products in new formats". She continued: "By launching the Divine Duo Cupcakes, we are confident that we can replicate the success of our previous collaboration. Not just appealing to gin lovers, each cupcake comprises delicious flavour combinations to make this treat suitable for all to enjoy." Gordon's Divine Duo Cupcakes are available in Tesco for an RRP of £4. Last year, Finsbury introduced Gordon’s Premium Pink Cake.

Britvic has expanded its Robinsons beverage portfolio with the launch of new on-the-go vitamin-enhanced squash drops – Benefit Drops. The new range consists of: Vitality, peach, mango and passionfruit squash with added vitamin B3, Immunity orange and guava squash with added vitamin C, Boost, raspberry, strawberry and acai squash with added B6 and Focus, lemon, lime and ginseng squash with added B3 and zinc. Ben Parker, at-home commercial director at Britvic, commented: "When people are on-the-go all day, we know it can be difficult to stay on top of keeping hydrated. Benefit drops are the ideal portable format for shoppers on the move, adding great taste and additional vitamins to their water." Benefit Drops are available across UK grocery and convenience channels from this month for an MSRP of £2.50 per 66ml pack.

PepsiCo has reported net revenue growth of 9.3% for its first quarter, despite the "complex" operating environment created by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The beverage and snack giant posted Q1 net revenue of $16.2 billion, up from the $14.82 billion recorded for the same period last year. Operating profit stood at $5.27 billion, up 128% from $2.31 billion the prior year. PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division reported a 14% rise in net revenue to $4.84 billion. Meanwhile, PepsiCo Beverages North America's net revenue rose by 5.5% to $5.35 billion, with the company recognising gains associated with a $3.3 billion juice divestiture in its PepsiCo Beverages North America and Europe divisions. The company has also highlighted charges related to property, plant and equipment impairment due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Ramon Laguarta, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, commented: “For the first quarter, we delivered strong results which reflect our presence in growing, global categories and the investments we have made towards becoming an even faster, even stronger and even better company with 'PepsiCo Positive (pep+)' at the centre of everything we do". He continued: "Given the strength and resilience of our businesses to date while reflecting higher than expected input cost inflation for the balance of 2022, we now expect our full-year organic revenue to increase 8% (previously 6%) and we continue to expect core constant currency earnings per share to increase 8%".

Finnish dairy company Valio has agreed to sell its operations in Russia to Velkom Group, amid the country's invasion of Ukraine. Valio previously said that it was ending its operations in Russia. Just announced, the sale deal includes a processed cheese factory in Ershovo as well as other operations. Velkom Group will have the option to continue producing and selling the Viola processed cheese brand in Russia. However, brand rights to the Viola fresh cheeses sold and produced in Finland are not part of the transaction and remain under Valio's ownership. Valio's CEO, Annikka Hurme, said: “Russia’s attack on Ukraine made it impossible to continue our operations in Russia, both ethically and from a business perspective". She continued: "Exiting from Russia has proved difficult in this situation because of the constantly changing legislation and the reciprocal sanctions. We have sought out solutions and a suitable buyer throughout spring. With the transaction, we will complete this process, and our operations in Russia will end." The Valio brand will still be seen in Russian stores until the packaging materials have been depleted and product expiry dates have been reached. The terms of the sale, which is taking place immediately, were not disclosed.

The Co-op has announced plans to scrap 'use by' dates across its own-brand yogurt offerings in a bid to reduce food waste. Beginning next month, the Co-op will start to replace 'use by' with 'best before' dates on its own-label yogurts, a move that the retailer hopes will encourage shoppers to use visual cues to establish suitability for consumption. The company aims to amend the full range by October. Nick Cornwell, the Co-op’s head of food technical, commented: "Yogurt can be safe to eat if stored unopened in a fridge after the date mark shown, so we have made the move to use 'best before' dates to help reduce food waste. The acidity of yogurt acts as a natural defence and we’d encourage shoppers to use their judgment on the quality of their yogurt if it is past the 'best before' date." According to sustainability charity Wrap, 50% of yogurts are thrown away in unopened packs and 70% of all yogurt wasted in homes is due to "not being used in time," with the date label cited as the reason. Catherine David, director of collaboration and change at Wrap, said: "Applying a 'best before' date helps give people the confidence to use their judgment to eat beyond a 'best before' date and use more of the yogurt they buy – protecting the planet and their pockets". She continued: "We’d encourage all food businesses to follow Wrap/FSA/Defra best practice and identify where products, especially dairy items like yogurt, can have a 'best before' date applied and to make that change wherever possible". Earlier this year, Morrisons announced that it was scrapping ‘use by’ dates on 90% of its milk in favour of customers using the sniff test.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a shortage of sunflower oil and led to increases in the prices of other cooking oils, such as rapeseed, soybean and palm. Russia and Ukraine are major producers of sunflower oil and combined, they account for about 60% of global production and approximately 80% of global exports, according to research firm Mintec. A spokesperson for UK oil refinery Edible Oils Limited (EOL), a joint venture between ADM and Princes Limited, told FoodBev: "With 80% of the global supply of sunflower oil historically coming out of Ukraine and Russia, the war has undoubtedly had a profound impact on the global supply of sunflower oil. It is looking likely that there will be no Ukrainian crop in 2022, and the position in terms of crops and infrastructure in future years is of course in serious doubt, indicating that this could disrupt the sunflower oil supply for some time to come." As businesses switch to alternatives in the face of dwindling sunflower oil supplies, the price of other popular cooking oils has been impacted. Sky News has reported that crisp, oven chip and cereal bar manufacturers are being forced to change their recipes and replace sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil. EOL's spokesperson added: "There is a certain level of fluidity between the uses of edible oils, and while they do all serve different purposes and possess varying properties, the likes of rapeseed, corn and soybean oil are potential alternatives for consumers at home but also manufacturers". "We anticipate that UK customers and consumers will increasingly switch to rapeseed and corn oil as a replacement for sunflower." The UK’s Food Standards Agency advised that food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may contain refined rapeseed oil instead, explaining that the shortage has led to some food manufacturers urgently switching oils before being able to make the change on the label. “We are therefore advising that food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may instead have been produced using refined rapeseed oil, and consumers should look out for additional information being provided by retailers and manufacturers to stay informed,” the agency said. Meanwhile, Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, has announced an export ban that comes into effect later this week, as it looks to control skyrocketing domestic prices. Palm oil prices have surged to historic highs this year amid growing demand and weak output from the world’s top producers, according to Reuters. While it excludes crude palm oil, the ban will cause further disruption in the global edible oils market.

UK bakery company, Warburtons, has expanded its gluten-free range with the launch of two new products, Seeded Bloomer with Sourdough loaf and Super Soft Seeded Sliced Rolls. The 400g loaf, which is free of wheat and milk, comprises sunflower seed, linseed, millet seed and poppy seed. The new offering is available at Morrisons stores for an RRP of £3.61 and will be available in Sainsbury's and Co-op later this month. Meanwhile, the Super Soft Seeded Rolls, which come in packs of four, are made with sunflower seed, linseed, millet seed and a range of soft rolls. The pre-sliced rolls are available in Tesco for an RRP of £2.59. Chris Hook, Free From director at Warburtons, said: “We’re really pleased to be expanding our gluten-free range with two new fantastic products. Following a gluten-free diet can be quite challenging, and we are dedicated to investing in product innovation to offer consumers more choice for their mealtimes." The new products join Warburtons’ range of gluten-free artisan loaves, sliced bread, rolls, wraps, and sandwich thins and crumpets.

Mondelēz International has agreed to acquire Grupo Bimbo’s confectionery business, Ricolino, for approximately $1.3 billion. According to Mondelēz, Ricolino has a leading position in the confectionery market in Mexico, offering lollipops, marshmallows, chocolates, gummies and other products through brands including Ricolino, Vero and La Corona. The business employs nearly 6,000 workers, has four manufacturing facilities and records annual revenue of around $500 million. The deal will double the size of Mondelēz Mexico’s business and is expected to accelerate the company’s growth in core snacking categories. “This acquisition will provide a step change for our business in Mexico, an important growth market for us, more than tripling our routes to market and growing our position in core snacking categories,” said Dirk Van de Put, chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International. “We are thrilled to welcome Ricolino’s talented people and amazing brands into the Mondelēz International family.” Meanwhile, the sale will allow Grupo Bimbo to focus on its grain-based baking and snacks businesses. “We ventured into the confectionery industry with the establishment of Ricolino in 1970; today, after 52 years of growth and progress, it is the industry leader in Mexico,” said Daniel Servitje, chairman and CEO of Grupo Bimbo. “We truly recognise the Ricolino family for this amazing accomplishment and are deeply thankful for their commitment and hard work. I’m confident that Mondelēz International will leverage these amazing brands to a much higher position.” The transaction, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to close later this year. The deal marks the latest in a string of acquisitions by Mondelēz, which since the beginning of 2021 has snapped up baked goods firm Chipita, performance nutrition brand Grenade, Australian food company Gourmet Food Holdings and US snacking company Hu.

Organic, plant-based dairy brand, Forager Project, has announced the launch of a cashew milk yogurt line for children. The new range features three flavours – ‘berry berry,’ strawberry and mango – all of which are low in sugar and free from gluten and soy. Marking Forager Project’s first products aimed at children, the vegan yogurts come in squeezable pouches that can be enjoyed on the go. “We hear from our fans about how much they love our spoonable and drinkable dairy-free yogurts, so it only made sense to make a kid-approved version,” said Stephen Williamson, Forager Project co-founder and CEO. “In speaking with parents, ‘organic’ is one of the most important attributes they look for when shopping for their kids’ food. We are excited to provide parents with an option we know their kids will love, and expand our product offerings to make Forager Project a brand the whole family can enjoy.” The new range contains probiotics, calcium and vitamins D, A and B12. With an SRP of $1.99 per pouch, the children's line will be available at Whole Foods Market stores across the US beginning in May, as well as at a number of other grocers.