PepsiCo-owned sparkling water brand, bubly, has unveiled a limited-edition seasonal flavour: merry berry bublé.  The new product, named playfully after singer Michael Bublé, features a combination of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry flavours.  “For the past two years, we’ve all enjoyed watching the lengths Michael has been willing to go to, to ‘correct’ the name of bubly. Michael’s love of the holidays has clearly rubbed off on us though, because we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the season by giving him the gift he has always wanted,” says Zach Harris, VP water portfolio at PepsiCo Beverages North America. He added: “merry berry bublé marks the first time the brand is entering the holiday season with a unique limited-edition flavour that celebrates Michael Bublé -- one of the holiday season’s most iconic voices.” Available in the US nationwide for a limited time.

Meatless Farm has appointed plant-based and food industry veteran, Dior Decupper, as global CEO.  Decupper has spent the last two years as regional general manager at Upfield, a producer of brands such as Flora, Stork, Elmlea, Bertolli, Violife and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.  In this new role, Decupper will strive to achieve the company's goal of creating a sustainable global food system. She will lead Meatless Farm's global growth strategy and marketing execution.  Meanwhile, Meatless Farm's founder, Morten Toft Bech, will focus on the company's long-term sustainable impact agenda and investment. He said: “Dior is a refreshing leader and has a deep understanding of the plant-based category. The company has grown to a size, which needs someone with Dior’s experience and ability to lead multiple territories. I am extremely excited and can’t wait to work alongside her. Next year will be an important stage in our growth. He added: “I founded Meatless Farm to create a more sustainable food system and challenge intensively farmed meat. Importantly, Dior and I share that deep sense of purpose. ” Decupper commented: “Joining Meatless Farm feels like more than a job. You feel the mission of the business in every corner. It’s open and transparent that it is on a journey, has a sense of creative urgency and importantly it has a sense of humour. The ingredients are here to build the brand and business into not just a market leader but a world changer. I’m very much looking forward to working with Morten and the team to fight for that status."

Sustainable packaging start-up Notpla has closed a £10 million Series A financing round, led by Horizons Ventures.  Founded in 2014 by Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre-Yves Paslier, Notpla develops innovative packaging solutions. The company is well-known for its 'Ooho' solution - an edible and fully biodegradable packaging made from seaweed.  Notpla's products can be easily biodegraded in nature in 4-6 weeks without the need for industrial composting or special conditions.  The funds will support further development of Notpla's seaweed fibre paper, which requires 30% less wood pulp than traditional paper and is made from the byproduct of the company's industrial process.  The round also included participation from Astanor Ventures, Lupa Systems and Torch Capital. Wayne Cheng, portfolio curator at Horizons Ventures, said: "We are excited to join Notpla's journey to make packaging disappear. Conscious of the urgency to act on single-use plastic pollution, we've been impressed by the innovative solutions offered by this team of ambitious entrepreneurs. We believe Notpla is revolutionising the packaging industry with seaweed as a raw material." Pierre-Yves Paslier, Co-CEO of Notpla added: “We are delighted to accelerate the pace towards a zero single-use plastic future. This new round coupled with soon-to-be-announced commercial partnerships is the perfect opportunity to put seaweed on the map of packaging solutions. At Notpla we believe that 'nature knows best,' and we only use naturally occurring materials that have had millions of years to adapt with the rest of the environment." He continued: "Our new films and seaweed paper are great examples of this principle and are the most sustainable solution in their categories. We’re excited to see traction in the foodservice industry and are looking forward to moving into the cosmetics and fashion markets very soon.”

Lucas Bols has announced its intention to acquire the ultra-premium Tequila Partida brand from the Shansby Trust and Edrington USA.  According to a company statement, Tequila Partida is the "world's highest-rated ultra-premium tequila brand," sold predominantly in the US and Mexico.  The acquisition will help to strengthen Lucas Bols' tequila portfolio, and includes Partida's La Familia and Roble Fino product ranges. Huub van Doorne, CEO Lucas Bols, commented: “We are delighted to welcome the Tequila Partida brand to our portfolio. Personally, I am very excited to work with a tequila brand again, the spirits category I know well from the time I worked in Mexico. We look forward to the opportunity to further build this fantastic brand. "Complementing our portfolio with the ultra-premium Tequila Partida brand provides Lucas Bols with the opportunity to tap into one of the hottest segments in spirits. We see ample opportunities to grow this brand, not only in its home markets the United States and Mexico, but also in select other markets around the world. We have a strong track record of successfully adding brands to our platform and growing them from there, as evidenced by Passoã, Nuvo and Pallini." He continued: "With our strong distribution capabilities in the United States I am confident we can grow Tequila Partida beyond pre-Covid-19 levels. We are inspired by how Gary Shansby and his team set up the brand in 2005 and developed it from there, and we will continue their journey in the same spirit.” Gary Shansby, founder of Tequila Partida, added: “I am delighted with this fantastic opportunity for Tequila Partida to reach its full potential under the stewardship of Lucas Bols. The strong US distribution network, especially in the on-trade, Lucas Bols’ excellent brand-building capabilities and the synergy with the unique Bols Cocktails brand will greatly contribute to the development of the Partida brand. I look forward to working together with the Lucas Bols team, who combine almost 450 years of heritage with a true entrepreneurial spirit.” The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences in the UK have obtained stem cells from livestock, a discovery they claim paves the way for "manufacturing cell cultured meat and breeding enhanced livestock". The researchers – in collaboration with the Universities of Cambridge, Exeter, Tokyo and Meiji (Japan) – have developed a stem cell line from pigs, sheep and cattle without the need for serum, feeder cells or antibiotics.  A company statement said: "The technical disadvantages to using serum include its undefined nature, batch-to-batch variability in composition, and the risk of contamination so this new chemically defined approach provides greater consistency and safety, making it an ideal solution for manufacturing new lab-grown food products." The research, titled “Pluripotent stem cells related to embryonic disc exhibit common self-renewal requirements in diverse livestock species,” was published in the  Development journal, and received funding from BBSRC, EU (ERC), MRC and Wellcome Trust.  Research lead, Ramiro Alberio, said: “The ability to derive and maintain livestock stem cells under chemically defined conditions paves the way for the development of novel food products, such as cultured meat. The cell lines we developed are a step change from previous models as they have the unique ability to permanently grow to make muscle and fat.” The stem cell lines can differentiate into multiple cell types, which can then be genetically manipulated using the Crispr/Cas9 gene editing tool. The technology could help expand research into gene editing animals to improve productivity, adaptation to climate change, diet modifications and the environmental impact of livestock production.   Alberio added: “Gene editing in this way makes modifications that could happen naturally over a long time but in a selective a rapid manner to customize specific traits. This can accelerate the pace of genetic selection of livestock and cultured meat to improve productivity and creation of healthier foods. With a growing population to feed in a changing climate finding reliable and sustainable food is vital. This research offers potential solutions that the food industry could use at scale.”

Flavour manufacturer Symrise has opened an innovation lab at Colworth Science Park in the UK.  The fully-equipped lab will support UK customers with their bakery, beverage, dairy and flavour development requirements.  The 140 m² site will house office space and a co-creation area, aimed at creating taste solutions that meet consumer trends and customer expectations.   “Our state-of-the art labs and offices will make our Colworth site the perfect location to strengthen our collaboration with the British food and beverage industry, championing a new mindset and way of working,” said Frank Hoeving, managing director at Symrise UK business unit savoury. He added: “It will strengthen our local development to support UK food and beverage manufacturers and producers. Also, it will enable speed and agility to align with fast pace consumer market demands.” The new location bolsters Symrise's commitment to partner with suppliers, customers, academia and research institutions to improve the future of food and support the company's growth.

Organix has launched a lower-sugar baby weaning biscuit, called Little Ruskits.  The "grabbable, munchable, mashable" biscuit can be mixed with a baby's usual milk (for aged six months+), or served whole as finger food (eight months+).  The company says the ruskits are designed to introduce a baby to solid foods in their mashable form, and then later as finger food during their development.  Organix claims Little Ruskits feature 33% less sugar than other branded baby rusks and biscuits.  Each biscuit portion is made with no artificial colours or flavours and features organic, vegetarian ingredients. They are made with a blend of wheat flour, milk and grape juice and flavoured with vanilla extract.  Little Ruskits are available at Tesco, Sainsbury's and online. RRP £1.75 for a ten-pack.

Gravity Drinks has launched light-up liqueur baubles for the festive period.  Each 5cl bauble is filled with winter berry-flavoured gin liqueur and contains 23 karat gold leaf.  The gin is said to be sweet, with notes of redcurrants, blueberries and cranberries.  Each bauble features a festive "snow globe" scene and can be used as a Christmas tree decoration. A button on the base turns on the light, which will automatically turn off after ten minutes.  The gin liqueur baubles, which come in a set of six, are available from Costco, Harvey Nichols and online.

Ardagh Group has announced that it will acquire African firm Consol Holdings for approximately $1 billion.  Headquartered in Johannesburg, and founded in 1946, Consol is one of the largest producers of glass packaging on the African continent.   The company operates four glass production facilities, serving a range of customers in the beer, wine, spirits, food and non-alcoholic beverage categories.  Under the terms of the transaction, Ardagh will purchase Consol for an equity value of ZAR10.1 billion ($635 million). The deal will also assume Consol's debt of ZAR5.7 billion ($358 million). Consol reported consolidated revenues of ZAR9.0 billion ($566 million) in the year to June 30 2021.  Completion of the purchase is subject to certain conditions, pending regulatory approval, and expected to be finalised in the second quarter of 2022.

Premier Foods-owned Batchelors has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of plant-based pots.  Available in three flavours – Smoky Facon Mac ‘n’ Cheeze, Chick’n Curry and Rice, and Sweet Chilli Chick’n Noodles – the meat-free range caters to the growing demand for plant-based options in the ambient aisle.  Naomi Shooman, brand director for quick meals, snacks and soup at Premier Foods, said: “At a time when plant-based options are currently under-represented in ambient aisles - when compared to chilled and frozen – the new Batchelors range is designed to help fill this white space and help grow the meat-free opportunity for retailers." She added: “Plant-based innovation is key to unlocking sales and attracting new shoppers to the quick meals category, through our Meat-Free Pots we are recreating familiar flavours that people love, but with tasty alternatives to meat. The range is low in fat, containing no artificial preservatives and provide a source of protein. Quick and easy to prepare in just five minutes, the pots themselves are fully recyclable. The products, made to a vegan recipe, are ideal for busy shoppers looking for quick and easy meat-free options, without compromising on great taste.” Batchelors meat-free pots are available in 65g packs, with an MRSP of £1.25.

Arla Foods Ingredients (AFI) has developed a patented method of separating milk into its different protein components.  AFI says the technology, called milk fractionation, will enable the selection of specific pure milk proteins, such as casein and serum whey proteins. The technology will also allow for the creation of next generation dairy products, for applications spanning infant formula and sports nutrition to hospitality and clinical nutrition. Arla's method bypasses the cheese-making processes – previously considered the only way to separate milk's different proteins from whey.  “The method has been several years in development and I’m delighted to see what was once a vision become a commercial reality with the power to completely revolutionise targeted nutrition for vulnerable groups," said Henrik Andersen, CEO of Arla Foods Ingredients. "As science-based innovators we are driven to invent and reinvent our processes to ensure we have the best possible products available and continue to lead the way in whey.” He continued: “Traditional cheese making demands significant quantities of organic milk to produce the volumes of whey we require to meet demand and now we’re not reliant on this we can significantly increase production and, at the same time, offer parents and guardians greater clarity of the provenance of the organic infant milk formula because just a few Arla farms supply the milk to our factory in Videbaek.” The process is currently being used for infant formula at AFI's dairy in Videbaek, Denmark.  Arla expects to launch its first organic private label infant formula using its milk fractionation technology in 2022.

General Mills has announced plans to sell its European dough businesses to Cérélia, a manufacturer of ready-to-bake dough solutions.   The proposed sale would include General Mills' branded and private label dough business in Germany, the UK and Ireland – with its Knack & Back and Jus-Rol brands included in the transaction.  Each of the transactions is expected to close by the end of fiscal 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.  The deal marks another step in General Mills Accelerate strategy, which includes reshaping its portfolio for "sustainable, profitable growth by increasing its focus on advantaged global platforms, which include Mexican food, super-premium ice cream and snack bars".