US private-label coffee and tea producer, FreshBrew, has announced the sale of its vending division to foodservice company, Compass Group North America. The vending division offers vending machines, micro markets and smart cafés. Following the sale, FreshBrew plans to focus on expanding its coffee, tea and extract product lines. FreshBrew president and CEO, Al Ansari, said: "Due to the rapid growth and continued expansion of our coffee and tea division, we felt this was the ideal time to divest our vending operations. Compass is the nation's largest vending operator and a leader in the foodservice industry, and we are confident they will continue to serve our loyal vending customers with the same quality and service standards as we have since 1997." He continued: "As we look towards the future, we are energised and excited to continue to provide innovative total beverage solutions to the world's largest retailers and foodservice operators". Compass Group North America is the owner of Canteen Vending Services. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Swiss dairy company Emmi has announced that Ricarda Demarmels will succeed Urs Riedener as the company's CEO, effective 1 January 2023. Ricarda Demarmels is currently serving as chief financial officer and has been a member of group management since June 2019. Urs Riedener has been nominated by the company's board to succeed Konrad Graber as chairman. Demarmels commented: "Emmi to me, has always been a matter of the heart. I’m delighted to be able to drive forward the successful development of the Emmi Group in this role of responsibility, backed by a strong management team and over 9,000 passionate employees, and I’d like to thank the board of directors for the trust they have placed in me." Riedener added: "Emmi has a unique corporate culture and is on a very firm footing, both strategically and operationally. In conjunction with this strong foundation, Ricarda Demarmels will also be able to fully leverage her skills and potential as a guarantor of Emmi’s successful future development."

French dairy company Lactalis has entered into an agreement to acquire dairy assets and brands of Bayerische Milchindustrie eG (BMI). The deal includes BMI's fresh milk, yogurt, quark, cream and ayran activities, as well as its production site in Würzburg, Bavaria. Lactalis Germany will integrate 180 employees following the transaction. The acquisition includes regional brands from southern Germany, such as Frankenland, Thüringer Land and ethnic brand, Haydi. The deal will allow Lactalis to build a long-term relationship with producers in southern Germany. The transaction is subject to approval by the German and Austrian antitrust authorities.

Pladis is expanding its biscuit offering in the UK with the launch of a new lighter version of its McVitie’s Rich Tea Delights. The new release includes 30% less sugar, no artificial sweeteners and contains 38 calories per biscuit, while still retaining the "familiar crisp, golden and richly flavoured biscuit that shoppers know and love". David Titman, marketing director of McVitie’s at pladis UK&I, said: "We’re excited to be bringing a product to market which caters to evolving shopper needs and a nationwide focus on health, while retaining the great taste that’s synonymous with McVitie’s. Now, whether shoppers are looking for an indulgent treat or something a little lighter, it’ll be even easier for them to enjoy McVitie’s biscuits as part of a balanced diet." McVitie’s Rich Tea Delights are available for an RRP of £1.59 per 300g pack and have launched across UK retail, convenience and wholesale stores.

Kerry has completed its acquisition of Natreon, a supplier of branded Ayurvedic botanical ingredients based in New Jersey, US. Natreon’s portfolio consists of functional ingredients targeting a range of areas, including diabetes management, cardiovascular support and healthy ageing. The company supplies the Ayurvedic extracts – which will be integrated into Kerry’s ProActive Health portfolio – to both the dietary supplement and the functional food and beverage industries. Headquartered in New Brunswick, Natreon has 34 employees and operates three facilities – its head office, an R&D facility in India and a manufacturing site in Nepal. Gerry Behan, president and CEO Taste & Nutrition at Kerry Group, said: “Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest holistic and alternative wellness practices with historical roots in India”. “Today, we see growing use of Ayurvedic and botanical ingredients, which are trending in functional foods and beverages for their ability to deliver stress, cognitive and energy benefits, for example. “Our acquisition of Natreon allows us to participate in this dynamic market with on-trend and science-backed Ayurvedic ingredients, including the well-known Sensoril Ashwagandha brand.”

SMI designs and manufactures bottling and packaging machines with an innovative design, equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) technology, in order to supply smart solutions and enhance customers’ competitiveness, production efficiency, flexibility, energy efficiency and holistic production plant management. During Anuga FoodTec 2022 (Hall 5.1 – Stand C088) – one of the most important international trade fairs for the food and beverage industry, involving all aspects of food production – SMI will showcase its new ASW 30 T ERGON shrink wrapper with single lane infeed and 90° product infeed, as well as its latest APS 615 ERGON semi-automatic palletiser. Together, these two machines offer all the advantages of an extremely compact, flexible and efficient end of line production, allowing food and beverage companies to easily adapt their production according to the changing consumption habits. Compact ASW ERGON shrink wrapper with 90° infeed In order to automate and optimise the end of line secondary packaging process, SMI offers different solutions suitable for every packaging need – from packs in film only, cardboard pads or trays, to cardboard boxes and multipacks in overlapping sleeves, etc. SMI believes that investments in cutting-edge technology and innovation are the main drivers for success in every company. Among the latest innovations in its product range, SMI has introduced six new models dedicated to the packaging of different containers with a cylindrical, oval or square/rectangular base at a maximum output of 30 (ASW 30) and 40 (ASW 40) packs per minute. The tertiary packaging of food and beverage products requires increasingly flexible solutions for improving the handling of containers, avoiding damages during their transport, reducing the format changeover time, increasing the performance and reducing the space. SMI’s new APS 615 ERGON semi-automatic palletiser is the result of investments in advanced technical solutions, developed to provide users with a simple, easy to use and cost-effective system for production output of up to 15 packs/minute. APS 615 ERGON palletising system features include: A compact and ergonomic structure that allows significant space-saving within low-speed bottling plants. An ergonomic and functional structure of APS ERGON, which allows the operator to easily and safely perform activities related to installation, management and maintenance. Use of innovative, smart and customised technical solutions that offer considerable advantages in terms of operational flexibility and economic competitiveness of the processes. Optimised TCO (total cost of ownership) thanks to low operating and maintenance costs. A high level of flexibility, thanks to the ability to realise several palletising patterns, according to the specific customers’ needs. Use of cutting-edge technology that ensures great operational flexibility and the possibility to adapt to the needs of format changeover, product changeover and/or plant layout. Operations controlled by a user-friendly machine automation and control system, guaranteed by an extremely intuitive graphic interface, touchscreen display and POSYC® real-time diagnostics and technical support functions. The electrical panel, positioned outside the safety guards is a different module, that is not unwired during the transport and can be immediately installed at the customer’s plant. Compact and functional structure At the core of the APS 615 ERGON semi-automatic palletising system is a structure where the three Cartesian axis systems designed for the pallet formation are positioned. This is added to the infeed conveyor, the product picking head and the machine guards. At the palletiser infeed, the product arrives at the product feeding conveyor and is cadenced by the rubber conveyor. Subsequently, it is brought into the picking position by a distancing conveyor; here, the gripping head picks the pack (individually or grouped) and moves it to the pallet on the ground. The cyclic repetition of this operation enables the creation of several palletising layers. The picking head is equipped with a motor for the product rotation, in order to place the pack on the layer in the position required by the palletising pattern. Once the pallet formation has finished, the operator manually removes the full pallet and positions a new empty pallet. To find out more, visit: smigroup.it. #packaging #partnercontent #palletising #technology #Italy #SMIGroup

Ingredion EMEA has announced the launch of Novation Lumina 8300 and 8600 functional native rice starches. The starches are designed to improve colour and flavour, including in white products. Ingredion says that its starches aim to meet sensory requirements in white or light-coloured applications with delicate flavours. Novation Lumina 8300/8600 enables improved consumer preference and allows for clean label and natural applications. Daniel Haley, global platform leader, Clean & simple ingredients at Ingredion, said: “After significantly expanding our Thai facility in June 2020, we harnessed our capabilities in manufacturing, Idea Labs Innovation Centres and Atlas proprietary consumer insights to identify ingredients and technologies that would address unmet customer needs. This resulted in the launch of the first-ever multi-functional rice flours and now the introduction of these functional native rice starches.” The new starches have a "smooth and creamy" texture, combined with hypoallergenic properties, high digestibility and lower viscosity development.

Nestlé is in talks with FnB regarding the potential sale of its Mousline mashed potato business to the French investment fund. The Swiss food giant announced a review of the business – which offers instant mashed potato – last year. The company says that the deal "would be part of a growth and diversification strategy for the Mousline brand, offering new development and innovation perspectives". The sale is expected to be completed in 2022. No details have been provided as to the potential sale price.

Plant-based snack brand, Source of the Earth, has launched a range of lentil crisps that are vegan, gluten-free and contain 96 calories per packet and no added sugar. The line-up comes in three flavours: Coconut Curry, which features a spicy seasoning of curry powder, turmeric, fenugreek seed, cumin and a twist of salt and ground black pepper; Smoked Paprika & Chilli which contains smoked paprika, tomato, garlic and chilli; and Sour Cream & Chive, made with parsley, garlic and chive. The crisps have been approved by the Vegan Society and the packets are cetified by A Plastic Planet. Based in the UK, Source of the Earth's latest offering is now available in Asda stores, Whole Foods, Selfridges and Daylesford.

Tofurky has secured a legal victory in Louisiana, after challenging a state law that prohibited the use of terms like ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ to label plant-based meat products. The US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana ruled that the law represents an unconstitutional restriction of free speech, granting a motion for summary judgement that halts its enforcement. Under the law, meat alternatives were forbidden from using common naming conventions such as ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ on their labels, even when accompanied by modifiers like ‘vegan,’ ‘veggie’ or ‘plant-based’. Producers faced fines of up to $500 per day for every product marketed using these terms. Tofurky, which offers a range of meat alternatives and tempeh products, was represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Good Food Institute (GFI). The lawsuit was filed in October 2020, shortly after the law came into effect. It argued that the statute contravened the First Amendment by improperly censoring truthful commercial speech, and noted there was no evidence that consumers were being misled by the naming conventions previously in place. Jaime Athos, president and CEO of Tofurky and dairy-free sister brand, Moocho, contends that: “The law was an obvious attempt to give unfair advantage to animal agriculture interests by stifling the growth of plant-based food sales”. GFI lead regulatory counsel, Laura Braden, added: “The Court reached the right decision in finding that Louisiana’s law unconstitutionally restricts speech”. She continued: “Consumers are not confusing veggie burgers for beef burgers when labels clearly indicate the products are plant-based, meatless, vegetarian or vegan, and it insults their intelligence to suggest otherwise". “Laws like this are regrettable and should be struck down given what’s at stake: a more sustainable food system that works for everyone—farmers, food companies, consumers and entire communities.” Last year, EU bodies rejected Amendment 171 (AM171), the draft legislation which would have imposed new restrictions on the terminology used by the plant-based dairy sector.

Scientists at the Slosh Education Institute have developed an alcoholic grape variety using genetic modification (GM) technology. According to a study published in the journal Grape, the fruit has an ABV of 7-10% at peak ripeness. Project lead Antonio Inebriado told FoodBev that the grapes could be enjoyed in smoothies, savoury dishes and as a snack – adding that the team had tested all of these applications, “and many more,” during the course of their research. GM has faced opposition from different quarters over the last few decades, and even supporters are likely to question whether this is the most fruitful use of the technology. Inebriado urged sceptics to try the grapes before jumping to conclusions, noting that unlike conventional wine, they can be counted as one of your ‘5-a-day’. A spokesperson for nutrition charity Eat-up commented that consumption to this end was “inadvisable”. The grapes are expected to roll out commercially in 2023. An accompaniment of bread or pasta is recommended.

Diageo has acquired premium flavoured tequila brand, 21Seeds, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2019 by three female entrepreneurs, Kat Hantas, Nicole Emanuel and Sarika Singh will continue to operate 21Seeds in partnership with the Diageo North America team. 21Seeds is a flavoured tequila brand infused with natural fruits juice. The tequila has a 35% abv and is available in three expressions: Valencia Orange, Grapefruit Hibiscus and Cucumber Jalapeño. Debra Crew, Diageo's president of North America, said: “This acquisition is in line with our strategy to acquire high growth brands in fast-growing categories. It is particularly special to me given Diageo’s longstanding commitment to champion inclusion and diversity, and we look forward to working with this dynamic trio of female entrepreneurs to continue growing 21Seeds.” Hantas added: “We created 21Seeds because, quite simply, it’s what we wanted to drink – something casual that made drinking tequila cocktails as approachable as a glass of wine or beer...We are excited about the future for 21Seeds with Diageo’s resources and capabilities behind it.”