UAE dairy company Al Rawabi has announced that it plans to establish a $177 million dairy production facility in Kizad, Abu Dhabi. Kizad is part of AD Ports Group’s Economic Cities & Free Zones (EC&FZ) cluster, located near Khalifa Port. The new Al Rawabi facility will initially be developed over two square kilometres, with an additional three square kilometres planned for the future. The dairy farm will be home to 10,000 cows and will include milk parlours, a dairy plant and a mechanic and maintenance workshop. Abdullah Al Hameli, head of EC&FZ, said: "Al Rawabi’s confidence in Kizad is a testament to AD Ports Group’s commitment to driving the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy through the supply of high-quality dairy and food products, while also contributing to the growth of the nation’s industrial sector". He continued: "In addition to supporting the advancement of local farms and creating job opportunities in the local farming sector, our agreement presents a positive boost for regional consumers by offering easier access to fresh produce". The facility will employ over 200 people.

Manchester-based distillery, Zymurgorium Group, has unveiled a new wild strawberry cream liqueur to add to its range of gins, liqueurs and rums. The dairy liqueur, named Manquila, is made with agave spirit from Jalisco, Mexico. The new pour will be best served as a shot, over ice or in a creamy cocktail. Aaron Darke, managing director of Zymurgorium, commented: "Since the original conception of the idea in 2021, we have put a huge amount of time and effort into developing the very best product we could. Manquila will be a luxurious, fruity, creamy serve that we think will deliver the best flavour and texture of any agave cream liqueur on the market right now." He continued: "The real challenge for us was learning how to deal with dairy. We can brew, we distill, but we have never made a product with cream before and from buying it in, it has been a whole new curve for us". The release will be available online from 1 April and also in Wetherspoon sites across the UK.

US cell-cultured seafood company, Finless Foods, has secured $34 million in a Series B funding round to expand its business nationally and in Asia. The funding was led by Hanwha Solutions, with participation from Dainichi Corp, At One Ventures, Sustainable Ocean Alliance and others. To date, Finless Foods has raised approximately $48 million in funding. The capital will be used to expand the company's portfolio and launch its plant-based tuna into US foodservice, as well as to finish the construction of a pilot facility for its cell-cultivated tunas and to explore distribution in Asia. “I am excited to swiftly follow up last year’s funding round with our Series B to finalise the construction of a pilot facility where Finless will produce its first saleable cell-cultured bluefin tuna for market, due to open in the Bay Area this year,” said Michael Selden, CEO and co-founder of Finless Foods. “We are also gearing up to launch our plant-based tuna into foodservice nationally this year, which will drive revenue into the company, a key milestone for Finless and the industry.”

US frozen dessert company My/Mochi Ice Cream has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of a new range of My/Mochi Smoothie Incredibites. According to the company, My/Mochi Smoothie Incredibites are "real fruit puree smoothies wrapped in a pillowy blanket of mochi dough". The range will be available in two flavours: strawberry banana and mixed berry. My/Mochi's CEO, Craig Berger, said: "The company disrupted both frozen novelty and snacking categories with My/Mochi Ice Cream and continues the tradition of bringing 'mochi to the masses' with our Smoothie Incredibites. We continue to differentiate ourselves with a mochi twist on already familiar textural experiences." The My/Mochi Smoothie Incredibites range contains 60 calories and is free of gluten, soy and GMO ingredients.

Waterloo Sparkling Water has expanded its line of carbonated water with the launch of two new variants. Cherry Limeade features a blend of lime citrus and red cherries with notes of grenadine, pomegranate and orange citrus. Meanwhile, the Blackberry Lemonade is described as a "twist on classic country lemonade", with blackberry notes layered in. The offerings are free of sugar, calories and sweeteners, and are made with non-GMO natural flavours and purified carbonated water. Adam Price, SVP of operations and flavour development lead at Waterloo, said: "We know that flavour goes beyond just taste. When developing new offerings, we're also perfecting the aroma, mouthfeel, carbonation and more, to ensure our consumers get the full experience they expect from us." He continued: "When creating our Cherry Limeade and Blackberry Lemonade innovations, we tinkered with the flavours for over 10 months to craft authentic flavours that transport you back to the carefree days of summer". Waterloo Cherry Limeade and Blackberry Lemonade sparkling waters are available at HEB, Central Market, Hy-Vee and Whole Foods, with additional distribution coming in April at Target and other major retailers.

PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA), a division of PepsiCo, plans to invest $260 million in the expansion of its DeKalb County manufacturing facility. PepsiCo will expand its facility in Tucker, Georgia, by more than 260,000 square feet. The company aims to increase production five-fold at the site by 2025, making the manufacturing facility one of the largest in PBNA's portfolio. Karen Jordan, chief supply chain officer at PBNA, said: "This expansion will greatly increase PBNA’s production, serving nearby Atlanta and the wider Georgia region to continue the growth of our business and customers in the area. We are proud to increase our footprint locally as a supplier, producer and employer, bringing with us our gender equity and sustainability mission to create positive change." The investment will create at least 136 full-time jobs, increasing the company’s total number of employees in DeKalb County to over 600. PepsiCo and its subsidiaries have invested $460 million in the state of Georgia over the past two years. Stories you may also like to read: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and McDonald’s join list of companies suspending operations in Russia PepsiCo to invest £24 million in UK Walkers factory PepsiCo pledges to advance food security for 50 million people

Kellogg's has launched a limited-edition hot cross bun flavoured wheat cereal, released in time for the Easter season. The cereal consists of crunchy wheat shells, a combination of dried fruit, a hint of cinnamon, ginger and spices, and complete with candied lemon peel. The new release is high in fibre and low in salt and saturated fats. Kirsty Smith, food designer at Kellogg’s, commented: "In order to get the perfect flavour, we sampled a number of hot cross buns to help us understand what made certain ones so good. We then took our hot cross bun expertise and applied it to our cereal. The filling in the crunchy casing all comes together to deliver that famous Easter taste." Hot Cross Bun Flavour Wheats will be available in Sainsbury’s and Asda from next week for an RRP of £1.80 per pack.

Advanced material company Mi Terro has closed a $1.5 million seed fundraising round from Astanor Ventures and others. Mi Terro has developed technology that enables it to upcycle agricultural waste into food packaging and textile fibres. The new funds will allow the company to scale up production, expand its team and research a new application of its technology: converting plastic waste into protein. Mi Terro uses big data and artificial intelligence to re-engineer food waste at the protein level – creating bio-based materials. "Our ability to manipulate nature's most diverse and abundant building blocks is going to change the way we think about sustainability and offer protein-based solutions to reduce our reliance on plastic across all industries," said Robert Luo, CEO and founder of Mi Terro. Christina Ulardic, partner at Astanor Ventures, said: “We are impressed by the speed and breadth of iterations that Robert and the team have demonstrated using different protein sources for different prototype applications”. The company has also signed paid pilots with AB InBev and Unilever to create detergent and laundry pods made from beer waste.

Packaging manufacturer Crown has announced plans to construct a new beverage can facility in Peterborough, UK. Crown says that the proportion of new beverages in the UK being introduced in cans is growing, and expects the 625,000-square-foot plant to help it meet expanding customer needs. Construction of the Peterborough facility will begin during the second quarter of 2022, with the first line expected to commence production a year later. Additional lines are planned in a phased manner to reach an annual capacity of more than 3 billion units. The plant will employ 280 people. The planned facility in Peterborough marks Crown’s latest move to expand its manufacturing footprint and follows announcements of new plants in Nevada, Virginia and Brazil.

Campbell Soup Company saw a 3% decline in its second-quarter net sales, as it "lapped a difficult comparison and navigated labour and supply constraints". The company posted net sales of $2.21 billion, compared to last year's $2.28 billion. Campbell's net earnings for the quarter stood at $212 million. Meanwhile, in the three months ended 30 January, net sales in the company’s meals & beverages unit declined by 3% to $1.28 billion. Sales for US soup decreased 1%, due to reductions in condensed soups, partially offset by gains in ready-to-serve soups and broth. Sales for Campbell's snacks unit decreased 3% to $934 million, while sales of power brands were up by 1%. The decrease was due to declines in non-core businesses and in certain salty snacks, such as Late July snacks. These were partially offset by gains in Goldfish crackers. Mark Clouse, Campbell’s president and CEO, said: "As expected, our second quarter was challenging as we lapped a difficult comparison and navigated labour and supply constraints, made even tougher by the Omicron surge. However, heading into the second half of the fiscal year, we are seeing labour availability and service levels improve, better mitigation of inflation with pricing, and strong levels of demand all underpinning our confidence in our delivery of full-year guidance.”

US plant-based frozen dessert brand, Dream Pops, has expanded its confectionery portfolio with the launch of both Dream Pop's plant-based chocolate-coated snacks and syrups. Dream Pops Crunch, which is a plant-based chocolate-coated snack sweetened with coconut sugar, will be available in six flavours: Berry Dreams, Vanilla Sky, Birthday Cake, Banana Cream, Mint Chip and Cookie Dough. The range is free of dairy, gluten, soy and contains no artificial ingredients, and will be retailed for $5.99 per 3.5oz pouch. Meanwhile, the Dream Pops Drip plant-based superfood syrup line will be available in three flavours: chocolate, caramel and strawberry. The line was made with a coconut nectar base and boosted with baobab extract. The offerings are made with no high-fructose corn syrup, gums, stabilisers or added sweeteners. Dream Pops' CEO and co-founder, David Greenfeld, said: "At Dream Pops, our mission is to re-imagine all cult classics desserts with 100% plant-based ingredients, and we believe indulgence should never come at the expense of health and wellness". Dream Pops Crunch and Drip will be available at select retail stores from April 2022, before rolling out across the US.

UK dairy drinks supplier Crediton Dairy has announced the launch of a new "indulgent milkshake brand". The Real Milkshake Company was inspired by the traditional American diner shakes. The range includes three flavours: white chocolate, salted caramel and chocolate fudge. Crediton Dairy's brand manager, Jo Taylor, said: “Flavoured milkshakes are still very much at the heart of the dairy drinks category but have been somewhat forgotten in terms of NPD and brands, especially in relation to adult consumers. We wanted to put this right by developing a distinctively branded range of authentic, thick and creamy shakes reminiscent of those found in American diners." She continued: “We believe that The Real Milkshake Company with its three decadent flavours will tap into a growing demand among adults for great-tasting, non-carbonated beverages that offer an indulgent treat. In formulating the shakes we have focused on delivering the same great taste as premium milkshakes but in doing so have ensured that they not only offer consumers great value but also stay within the HFSS guidelines.” The Real Milkshake Company range will be available at Morrisons stores nationwide for an RRP of £1.75 per one-litre sized carton.