Cultivated meat company Upside Foods has secured $400 million in a Series C funding round – an investment that will help it scale up production. The round was co-led by global investment company Temasak and the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund. Other participants included Cargill, Givaudan and Tyson Foods, as well as individual investors Bill Gates and John Doerr. The investment round, which is the company's largest to date, will support product innovation, the expansion of Upside Foods' team and its plans to build a new commercial facility to produce its cultivated meat at scale. Founder and CEO, Uma Valeti, said: "Upside has reached a historic inflection point, moving from R&D to commercialisation. Our team at Upside continues to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges in our mission to make our favourite food a force for good." He continued: "Working in partnership with our world-class coalition of investors, we’re excited to bring delicious, sustainable and humane meat to the consumers around the world". Upside Foods, formerly Memphis Meats, recently announced its acquisition of cultivated seafood company Cultured Decadence.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into reports that consumers have become ill after eating Lucky Charms, a toasted oat and marshmallow cereal made by General Mills. The agency confirmed that it had received “hundreds” of reports related to Lucky Charms this year through its adverse event reporting system. According to iwaspoisoned.com, where consumers have been submitting accounts of illness after eating the cereal, there are now reports of over 4,500 sick. Symptoms detailed on the website include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. “The FDA takes seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury,” the FDA said in a statement. “Complaints of a less serious nature or those that appear to be isolated incidents are monitored and the information may be used during a future inspection of a company to help the FDA identify problem areas in a production plant.” A message posted by Lucky Charms' Twitter account said: “Food safety is our top priority. We take your concerns very seriously. “Through our continuing internal investigations, we have not found any evidence of consumer illness linked to the consumption of Lucky Charms. Please send us a DM so that we can gather additional details.”

Nestlé Health Science is expanding its Boost nutritional drinks portfolio through a collaboration with baked goods chain, Cinnabon. Boost Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Flavoured Nutritional Drink contains the same protein, vitamins and minerals as the regular Boost High Protein Nutritional Drink but includes the flavour of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. The bakery-inspired drink provides 20g of protein and nutrients per 8 fl oz serving and supports muscle, immune and bone health as well as being a source of energy. Abigail Buckwalter, president of Nestlé Health Science US, said: "At Boost, we know that protein plays an increasingly vital role as you get older and we want to make it easier for our consumers to achieve their daily protein requirements. We are excited to explore new flavours for our consumers while providing the protein, vitamins and minerals that are essential to support a healthy lifestyle." The new release is available in a six-count pack of ready-to-drink bottles across the US in Walmart's nationwide as well as on the Boost website.

US industrial aluminium company, Novelis, is investing over $30 million to build a new continuous annealing line at its facility in Plettenberg-Ohle, Germany. The new line will increase the plant's capacity for aluminium used in the production of coffee capsules, meeting the increased demand for sustainable packaging solutions. Novelis says that the investment will strengthen its position in the high-recycled-content packaging market. According to Novelis, aluminium offers "unique" barrier properties and protects the freshness and aromas of capsulated coffee from moisture, light and air. Emilio Braghi, EVP and president at Novelis Europe, said: "The investment demonstrates our commitment to serve as a trusted partner for our food and packaging industry customers, and create more sustainable solutions for consumers". He continued: "Increasing the use of recycled aluminium helps us reduce the use of natural resources, strengthen the circular economy and thus limit climate change. Our sustainability commitments include a 30% carbon footprint reduction by 2026 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner, thereby helping our customers reach their sustainability goals as well." Novelis expects the line to commence operations in spring 2024, with construction preparations to begin after final government approval.

Minus Global Holdings has acquired food waste company Planet Earth in a move to expand its proprietary technology offerings. Toronto-based Planet Earth is a provider of organic recycling services and currently offers several landfill diversion alternatives to food waste collection customers. The acquisition will accelerate Planet Earth's service offering, including its Orca Digester technology that can measure and minimise the amount of food purchased and aerobically digest unavoidable waste. Louis Anagnostakos, Minus CEO, said: "The Minus team is thrilled to have Planet Earth join our mission to reduce environmental impact of food waste and take garbage trucks off the road. Together, we will continue to deliver best-in-class food waste recycling services to our customers." He continued: "The Orca Digester now gives Planet Earth's customers the opportunity to adopt leading-edge waste technology right at their premises – saving the environment while saving money". Funds for this acquisition were provided by Kensington Capital Partners.

Fonterra is marking Earth Day with the launch of a carbon zero certified organic butter under its Anchor Dairy brand. Organic carbonzero Certified Butter is carbon zero audited and certified through Toitū Envirocare, which verifies carbon emissions across a product’s life cycle. The butter is certified USDA organic, non-GMO and free from synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. Fonterra said that in order to meet Toitū Envirocare's carbon zero certification requirements, the company "calculated the carbon emissions required in the distribution of Anchor butter from farm to consumers' homes, developed a plan to reduce emissions further and supported renewable energy projects to offset emissions that couldn't be reduced". Fonterra's Americas marketing communication manager, Megan Patterson, said: "We're excited to celebrate Earth Month with the launch of our Organic carbonzero Certified Butter. Not only does it taste great, but our butter can help everyday consumers live a more sustainable life. With sustainability and the environment a core pillar of the Fonterra brand, we're thrilled to be amongst the first companies to offer US consumers a carbon zero butter option."

New York-based start-up, Bubluv, has launched the "first" ready-to-drink, better-for-you boba alternative into the retail market. The release is available in three variants: Black Milk Tea with Tapioca Pearls, Matcha Soy Latte with Tapioca Pearls and Passionfruit Oolong Guava with Tapioca Pearls. Each flavour is brewed with loose leaf tea and is sweetened with all-natural sweeteners, including monk fruit and erythritol, "resulting in a lightly sweet and refreshing taste". The ready-to-drink bubble tea has no added sugar or artificial ingredients, contains less than 50 calories per bottle and provides antioxidants – as well as being keto-friendly and gluten-free. Diana Ark Chen, CEO and founder of Bubluv, commented: "After learning how unhealthy boba tea could be, I decided to create Bubluv Bubble Tea so I could enjoy one of my favourite drinks without worrying about how much sugar I was consuming. The incredible pre-launch demand has been a clear indicator that I was not alone in my sentiment. Consumers deserve to experience bubble tea in a simple and better-for-you way and we're excited to bring this first-of-its-kind beverage to market." The drinks are available exclusively on the brand's website.

Nestlé has reported 7.6% organic sales growth in the first quarter, driven by a 5.2% increase in prices, continued momentum in sales and further recovery in out-of-home channels. For its first quarter, the Swiss food giant posted total sales of CHF 22.2 billion ($23.4 billion approx.), compared to last year's CHF 21.09 billion. Coffee, alongside the company's pet care brands, was once again the best performing category, thanks to continued demand for Nescafé, Starbucks and Nespresso products. Meanwhile, Nestlé's dairy business saw mid-single-digit growth, with sales developments in coffee creamers, ice cream, and premium and fortified milks. Nestlé's Nespresso unit grew organically by 3.3%, fuelled by the continued momentum of its Vertuo system and innovation. In March, Nestlé announced plans to invest $675m in a 630,000-square-foot site to produce Nestlé’s creamers, including the Coffee-Mate, Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss and Starbucks brands. Sales in North America decreased by 1.5% to CHF 5.8 billion ($6.1 billion approx.), representing a 9.9% organic growth led by pet food, coffee and creamers. In Europe, organic growth reached 6.9% with continued market share gains, particularly in pet food, coffee and plant-based food. Sales in Europe increased by 2.2% to CHF 4.6 billion ($4.8 billion approx.). In the AOA region, sales grew organically by 6%, seeing market gains in the culinary, coffee and ice cream categories. Sales in the AOA increased by 3% to CHF 4.6 billion. Nestlé's CEO, Mark Schneider, said: “In these first months of the year, the war in Ukraine has caused unspeakable human suffering. We remain focused on supporting our colleagues there and providing humanitarian relief while standing with the international community in the call for peace." He continued: "Amid this challenging environment, we delivered strong organic sales growth with resilient RIG. We stepped up pricing in a responsible manner and saw sustained consumer demand. Cost inflation continues to increase sharply, which will require further pricing and mitigating actions over the course of the year." Nestlé confirmed its 2022 full-year outlook, expecting organically sales growth of around 5%.

Patriot Pickle, a Swander Pace Capital portfolio company, has acquired the pickle assets of distributor Farm Ridge Foods. Based in Wayne, New Jersey, Patriot Pickle manufactures and ships a variety of refrigerated pickles, sauerkraut and other pickled vegetables across the US. Farm Ridge Foods distributes pickle products via its own brand, as well as through private labels and third-party brands. Bill McEntee, CEO of Patriot Pickle, said: "This is an exciting time to be a leader in fresh pickle manufacturing. The acquisition of Farm Ridge Foods is a key step towards rounding out and building up our internal retail sales capabilities." He continued: "Fresh, refrigerated pickles are a key growth area for our retail and foodservice partners and we are excited to be able to better serve them more directly with this acquisition". The acquisition will see Patriot Pickle add another retail brand to its portfolio with direct retail sales capability to help drive further growth and profitability.

Hain Daniels Group-owned Hartley’s has unveiled a new range of sour jelly pots as it aims to attract new consumers to the category and appeal to "grown-up kids". Hartley’s Jelly Sours features three flavours: strawberry, cherry and apple. The new flavours are made with real fruit juice, contain less than 100 calories and are HFSS compliant. Hain Daniels' international marketing & NPD director, Ruth Snowdon Gough, said: “Our new Hartley’s Jelly Sours range has been developed to bring something new and exciting to the category. We know our current range of flavours is much-loved by younger children, but we wanted to create a range that enables the brand to appeal to a wider audience." She continued: "We know older children are looking for more complex flavours that have ‘playground appeal’ and Sours does exactly that. Created in line with HFSS guidelines, each of the three jelly pots contain a different sour fruit flavour that we know consumers will love.” Hartley’s Jelly Sours is currently available in Asda and will be available in Tesco from May for an RRP of £0.65 per 125g pot.

Yili Group has announced a partnership with an affiliate of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) to "upgrade" the dairy industry through space technology. The collaboration between Yili and the China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology International Communications (CCASTIC) will see the inauguration of a 'Space Lab for Future Dairy,' with the aim of leveraging space technology to bring new innovations to the dairy health sector. According to the companies, research on space biology and new space materials will introduce "new solutions to upgrade the dairy industry". Zhang Jianqiu, CEO of Yili Group, said: "Yili will strive to develop more healthy dairy products that fulfil consumers’ nutritional demands and meet strict quality standards. We will drive and contribute to the upgrading of the dairy industry through space technology." Yili is looking to participate in future space experiments – applying research to dairy products under special conditions such as long-term microgravity, strong radiation and extreme temperatures.

Danone has reported Q1 net sales growth of 7.1% on a like-for-like basis, in what the yogurt maker described as a “good start to 2022”. The company posted first-quarter net sales of €6.24 billion, compared to €5.66 billion in the year-ago quarter. Price and volume/mix contributed 4.9% and 2.2%, respectively. Europe and North America recorded like-for-like sales growth of 5.7% and 5.5%, respectively. In Europe, growth was led by Danone’s Specialized Nutrition and Waters businesses, while the company’s Essential Dairy and Plant-based (EDP) division delivered a “soft quarter,” with plant-based growing 'low-single-digit' and dairy posting flat growth. In North America, growth was driven by all categories, with continued strong momentum in yogurt led by Oikos, Two Good, Activia and Danimals, and a good quarter for coffee creamers. The company’s China, North Asia & Oceania zone saw like-for-like sales growth of 15.3% led by Specialized Nutrition, while in the rest of the world growth was led by EDP and Waters. “Sales were up 7.1% on a like-for-like basis in the first quarter, kicking-off a good start to 2022,” said Danone CFO Juergen Esser. “Growth was broad-based across geographies and categories, and benefitted from a positive contribution from both price and mix. Volumes held well especially in North America and Europe as we continued to navigate a highly volatile and inflationary environment.” Danone says that it continues to expect price-led like-for-like sales growth in the region of 3-5% for the full year.