Plant-based confectionery brand LoveRaw has introduced vegan ‘milk’ and white choc peanut butters varieties in the UK. The new offerings are free from palm oil, dairy and artificial ingredients. The cups feature smooth, “creamy” peanut butter covered in the brand’s vegan chocolate. Manav Thapar, Co-Founder at LoveRaw, comments: “We’ve got an epic 2022 line up of new products, which we have already kickstarted with the launch of our brand-new m:lk choc bars in January and our m:lk and white choc peanut butter cups this month”. The new offerings are available from retailers including The Vegan Kind, and Co-op, as well as online via Amazon and the brand’s website.

An advert for Coca-Cola-owned drinks brand innocent has been banned by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) watchdog for 'greenwashing' and providing 'misleading' environmental claims. The advert featured an animated otter singing encouraging lyrics like "get fixing up the planet," suggesting this could be achieved by purchasing innocent's drinks. A spokesperson for innocent told FoodBev: "We’re disappointed to see the ruling from the ASA. Our advert was always intended to highlight important global environmental issues and the need for collective action to make a change. We transparently share more about the work that we do on sustainability on our website." "As with any new guidelines, we’d like to work with the ASA and other brands to understand how to align to them to continue the conversation on these important topics." You might have spotted that our ad has been in the news today. Here’s a few thoughts from us on what’s been going down. pic.twitter.com/qY7THXsoRP — innocent drinks (@innocent) February 23, 2022 ASA ruled that "there was no suggestion in the ad through statements or imagery that purchasing innocent products themselves would lead to a positive environmental impact". The ad was brought to ASA's attention after 26 viewers, including a member of the environmental group Plastics Rebellion, claimed that the advert 'misled' customers by exaggerating the "total environmental benefits" of innocent's products. With ASA upholding the ruling, the watchdog also acknowledged that "some consumers would interpret the ad simply to mean that innocent had made an aspirational commitment to doing their part to do better for the environment, or that the ad was a call to action for everyone more generally to do better for the planet". However, ASA also commented: "Because we considered that the ads would be understood to mean that innocent was environmentally friendly and that purchasing their products had environmental benefits, we needed to see evidence that was the case. Although we acknowledged that innocent was undertaking various actions, which were aimed at reducing the environmental impact of their products, that did not demonstrate that their products had a net positive environmental impact over their full lifecycles." The ASA also noted that innocent's drinks bottles included non-recycled plastic and that the extraction of raw materials and subsequent processing in order to produce the bottle would have a negative impact on the environment.

Clean label cultured dairy producer, Good Culture, has raised $64 million in a Series C round, led by private equity firm Manna Tree. Other participants in the round included SEMCAP Food & Nutrition and celebrity investor Kristen Bell. The cottage cheese producer plans to use the funding to continue expanding the business, as well as grow its team and innovate beyond its current product line. Jesse Merrill, co-founder and CEO, said: "We are evolving from a cottage cheese and sour cream brand to a healing cultured foods company and this new round of funding will help propel our efforts to create positive food system change. Expansion and best-in-class innovation will continue to be primary areas of emphasis for the company." He continued: "We'll also deepen our commitment to real food and sustainable, regenerative farming practices through our partnerships with 1% for the Planet and B-corp and continue to build out a pasture-raised supply chain". Last year, Good Culture partnered with Dairy Farmers of America to launch a programme focused on pasture-raised milk supply using regenerative farming practices.

Bel Brands USA is expanding its Boursin portfolio with two new "culinary-inspired" products, designed for everyday cooking. The new products – Boursin Bites Garlic & Fine Herbs and Boursin Cooking Cream Garlic & Fine Herbs – both feature the signature Boursin garlic and herb flavours. The Boursin Bites are bite-size cheese pieces and can be used for an additional flavour boost in "any salad or pasta dish". Boursin Cooking Cream is an "ultra-smooth" cream and can be used in soups, sauces and more. Jamee Pearlstein, brand director of Boursin, commented: "For years, Boursin Cheese has been a staple in kitchens across the country – featured as the centerpiece of a cheeseboard while entertaining and incorporated into home-cooked meals. But now, we're making it even simpler to elevate any dish. Through consumer feedback, shared recipes and social posts, we've seen the many ways our fans love to incorporate Boursin's unique taste and texture in their dishes and we're thrilled to introduce these two new offerings to make it easier than ever for them to add Boursin to their favourite recipes." The new releases will be available starting this month at major retailers nationwide across the US including Albertsons, ACME, Meijer, Hannaford for the suggested RRP's of $4.49 and $5.49.

UK biotechnology company CellulaREvolution has raised £1.75 million in a funding round to accelerate the launch of its continuous cell culture technology. CellulaREvolution has developed technologies that enable more efficient and affordable cell proliferation, facilitating a higher yield at a lower cost for cultivated meat producers. The funding round was led by Happiness Capital and also included Allusion One, the first investment arm of Allusion. The company plans to use the investment to accelerate research and development, while strengthening its commercial team in preparation for taking its technologies to market. Leo Groenewegen, CEO of CellulaREvolution, said: "I am delighted to announce the investment from Happiness Capital and Allusion One. We have been able to secure growth funding from very reputable investors and are now ready to accelerate the development of our products and our company at an increased pace. Looking forward we will be bringing our enabling technologies to market soon, doing our part to bring high-quality and affordably cultured meat to consumers' plates sooner rather than later."

Molson Coors Beverage Company has reported a 6.5% increase in net sales in its full-year results, supported by investments in its capabilities and the premiumisation of its portfolio. The company says the rise was driven by positive net pricing and a favourable sales mix – which reflected its portfolio premiumisation efforts – as well as significant investments in its capabilities. Molson Coors reported that its net sales for the year ended 31 December 2021 increased to $10.28 billion – compared with the $9.65 billion recorded the previous year. The company continues to make investments to increase its hard seltzer production capacity, with notable expansions in Canada and the UK. For example, the company announced back in 2020 that it had increased production capacity for its Vizzy, Coors Seltzer and Blue Moon LightSky products by more than 400% at its Fort Worth and Milwaukee breweries to meet growing consumer demand. Molson Coors CEO, Gavin Hattersley, said: "This year, we grew the top-line for the first time in a decade, our two biggest brands each grew net sales and we now have a larger global above premium portfolio than ever before. These were all goals of the revitalisation plan, against which we continue to make tremendous progress. While we’re proud of the steps we’ve taken, we’re even more excited about where we can go from here, having established a strong foundation for 2022 successes and beyond."

Danone has reported an increase in net sales of 3.4% on a like-for-like (LFL) basis in its full-year results, despite inflationary challenges. The owner of Evian and Volvic posted 2021 net sales of €24.28 billion, compared to the €23.62 billion figure for 2020. Operating income stood at €2.26 billion last year, representing a 19.3% decline from 2020. Danone’s Essential Dairy and Plant-based unit posted LFL sales growth of 3.7% to €13.09 billion. Meanwhile, the company’s Specialized Nutrition business saw a 1% increase in sales in 2021 on an LFL basis. The Waters business recorded LFL sales growth of 7.2% to €3.96 billion, "despite the strong inflationary environment, notably driven by volume recovery, improved product mix and record-high productivity". Danone's CEO, Antoine de Saint-Affrique, said: “With Q4 sales up 6.7% on an LFL basis and volumes at 4%, we ended the year on a strong note. This led to full-year growth of 3.4% on an LFL basis, underpinned by a sound mix component. All categories contributed to this solid performance." He continued: "We delivered on our commitment to return to profitable growth in H2, with recurring operating margin at 13.7% in 2021. This was enabled by a strong focus on execution and a step up in productivity, a proactive approach to pricing and the disciplined implementation of 'Local First'."

Global investment company KKR has signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Refresco Group for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1999, Refresco is a beverage solutions provider for retailers and branded drinks companies. Refresco's production platform includes over 70 majority-owned manufacturing sites across Europe, the US, Canada and Mexico, and KKR's investment will help the company to further expand its global footprint. Hans Roelofs, Refresco's CEO, said: “To support further growth, we have explored the various alternatives available to us and believe that the investment by KKR is an incredibly positive development for the company. Like our existing shareholders, KKR is supportive of our strategy and will bring operational expertise, access to capital and a well-established network to support us in our growth, innovation and M&A strategy." James Cunningham, partner at KKR, added: “Refresco has established itself as an industry leader supporting the global beverage industry with a blue-chip global customer base, an experienced and highly regarded management team and an impressive network of assets that provides compelling value to customers". He continued: "The company also has a strong commitment to sustainability, which is an important differentiator for its customers. We look forward to leveraging our operational expertise from across the KKR platform to support the company’s continued growth and further advance the sustainability of its value chain.” Current investors, PAI Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, will maintain a significant minority stake in the group. The transaction is subject to closing conditions.

PepsiCo is expanding its Walkers Wotsits' portfolio with the launch of a new Crunchy range, which includes Wotsits Crunchy Really Cheesy and Wotsits Crunchy Flamin’ Hot. The new range is available in grocery stores across the UK in 140g sharing packs for an RRP of £2 and will roll out at convenience stores from 11 April for an RRP of £1 per 60g bags. PepsiCo will also bring back its Wotsits "retro" prawn cocktail flavour in "Giants" format. Wotsits Giants Prawn Cocktail will be available from 7 March in 105g sharing bags for an RRP of £2. Katherine Cook, Walkers Snacks marketing manager at PepsiCo, said: “Offering a variety of snack options has always been important to the Wotsits brand, and we know consumers are incredibly keen to experience new textures and flavours. This is exactly why we have introduced the new Wotsits Crunchy and Wotsits Giant Prawn Cocktail variants – to meet those shoppers’ needs."

Unilever has announced the launch of a new ice cream flavour under its Ben & Jerry's brand – Chewy Gooey Cookie. The new flavour features milk chocolate and coconut ice creams with fudge flakes, shortbread cookies and caramel swirls. " has a perfect balance of milk chocolate and coconut as a base, the caramel swirl for sweetness and a great cookie crunch for texture," said Ben & Jerry's Flavour Guru, Craig Koskiniemi, who led in the creation of the new flavour. Chewy Gooey Cookie will be available in the US during the first quarter of 2022 for an SRP of $4.99-5.49.

US food tech company Yali Bio has raised $3.9 million in a seed round, to advance its efforts to develop “designer fats” for plant-based meat and dairy products. Founded in 2021, Yali Bio is developing proprietary technology that will enable it to create a range of plant-based fats tailored to different applications. Using precision fermentation and plant-based ingredients, the company will be able to design fats that emulate those derived from animals, for use in meat and dairy alternatives. Led by Essential Capital, the seed financing will be used to expand Yali Bio’s operations and accelerate its research and development efforts. Other investors included Third Kind Venture Capital, S2G Ventures and CRCM Ventures. Using synthetic biology, deep learning and genomics tools, Yali Bio aims to produce cultured fats that are more sustainable than the oils currently used in plant-based products, and which overcome technical issues – for example around flavour and melting point. “Yali Bio is one of the first companies tackling the issue of plant-based fats through precision fermentation,” said Edward Shenderovich, managing partner at Essential Capital. “We believe there is a substantial market opportunity for better functioning fats with a smaller environmental footprint and we are thrilled to be working with Yali Bio to bring their solutions to bear.” According to Yali Bio, well-marbled meat consists of 20-25% fats, “so fats that taste good, cook well and are sustainable are essential for progressing the plant-based sector”. Chuck Templeton, managing partner at S2G Ventures, said: “High-quality fats are currently a major weak point when developing plant-based analogues for animal proteins”. “We are excited to invest into Yali Bio to improve this crucial component of plant-based products with the goal of enhancing the consumer experience, while reducing the impacts of conventional animal husbandry.”

AB InBev’s Stella Artois has introduced a new super-premium unfiltered lager, which features a "golden haze and distinctive taste". Stella Artois Unfiltered is naturally unfiltered and uses the original brewing methods. According to the company, the absence of filtration gives the beer a "golden haze and allows the fresh flavours to burst through". Mark Wingfield Digby, off-trade sales director, said: "With unfiltered lager taking Europe by storm and hazy beer becoming hugely popular in the craft segment, we are looking forward to bringing something new to the world lager category. Stella Artois Unfiltered provides retailers with an innovative product and super-premium, fully recyclable paperboard packaging." He continued: "Stella Artois is the ideal brand to grow the unfiltered category in the UK with the lager becoming synonymous with taste and quality. We are thrilled to be launching Stella Artois Unfiltered to the UK market and are confident it will prove a success up and down the country." The 5% ABV unfiltered lager will be available in 660ml and 12x330ml bottles as well as 6x330ml cans. These will be launched in the UK exclusively in Asda on 24 February with further rollout in April.