UK plant-based dips company Holy Moly has expanded its portfolio with the addition of two new "creamy" vegan dips. Holy Moly Tzatziki and Smoky Garlic Aioli dips are made with a blend of plant-based mayo and yogurt, containing no artificial ingredients. According to the company, the dips are promised "creamy indulgence without any compromise on taste". The two new products join Holy Moly’s current line-up of smoky red pepper and tomato salsa, tomato and mango salsa and original guacamole. Holy Moly's co-founder, Tom Walker, said: “Our principles around wholesome, quality ingredients and delicious homemade taste give us a genuine point of difference in dips for consumers across the board". He continued: "We are becoming increasingly discerning about taste and what goes into our food – whether you are vegan, or not there is a trend towards simple ingredients with authentic foodie credentials and the Holy Moly range taps into that insight". Holy Moly Tzatziki and Smoky Garlic Aioli dips are available at Waitrose for an RRP of £2.50 for 170g pack. In 2020, Holy Moly entered into the ready-to-drink category with the launch of a range of cold-pressed Nutshakes across the UK.

Danish Crown has launched a new plant-based range under its Den Grønne Slagter brand, consisting of ready meals and meal components. The range includes eight plant-based products, which includes veggie fars, veggie bites, BBQ burger, nuggets, schnitzel and veggie deller along with Indian-inspired dishes, Tandoori and Byriani. The products are made without soy and with either Nordic or organic vegetables as the main ingredient. Mette Schacht Færch, head of marketing and innovation at Danish Crown Nordics, commented: “We have worked intensively with these products to develop the right taste, texture and preparation, and this work showed that preparation is key to obtaining a good experience from the products. Briefly said, several of the plant-based products must be fried at lower temperatures than meat, and this is one of the things we will now emphasise to consumers buying one of our products." The new product range from Den Grønne Slagter is available in select Danish food retail chains and from the end of January also widely available in Danish supermarket coolers.

Greek yogurt maker Chobani has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of a new plant-based coffee creamer range. The company – which already offers dairy- and oat-based coffee creamers – says that the new line blends plant-based ingredients to create a ‘rich, creamy and dairy-like product’. Chobani’s new plant-based creamer range features four varieties: Sweet & Creamy, French Vanilla, Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel Macchiato. “As coffee drinkers continue to elevate their at-home experience and ask for better options, we're expanding our creamer offering to include four new plant-based creamers full of the flavours they love,” said Chobani president and chief operating officer, Peter McGuinness. “With this expansion, we offer better options with something for everyone – creamers made from oat, farm-fresh dairy or plant-based ingredients.” Chobani’s new plant-based creamers are free from artificial flavours, sweeteners and preservatives, and are available in the US. Chobani has also announced the launch of a new limited-availability dairy coffee creamer flavour, Sizzlin' Brown Sugar, which was picked by consumers through a contest and vote.

Danone-owned brand Evian has announced the launch of its "first-ever" sparkling water in recyclable aluminium cans across the UK. According to the company, Evian Sparkling was "crafted by its 15-year natural filtration journey through the glacial rocks in the heart of the French Alps". The new sparkling water is available to purchase at Tesco stores in 33cl sleek aluminium cans and will be available in 1-litre rPET bottles later this year. Evian's VP of marketing, Shweta Harit, said: “Evian Sparkling represents new possibilities for the brand, as we reimagine our uniquely sourced water into an exciting new product. Evian Sparkling stands out for its true purity and freshness – elevating your experiences and keeping you hydrated." She continued: “This new product contains the perfect level of sparkles with its fine bubbles creating a subtle taste and gentle intensity. Available for the first time in recyclable aluminium cans, this latest innovation demonstrates our longstanding pioneering spirit that runs through everything we do at Evian.”

JBT Corporation has announced the launch of an electric version of its Stein TwinDrum Spiral Oven, as it looks to help customers become more eco-friendly. The TwinDrum Spiral Oven is the latest spiral oven cooking technology from JBT, and includes the addition of a uniform temperature and roasting capabilities via an efficient two-zone spiral system. The oven’s design enables processors to increase their processing capabilities compared with existing ovens, and at the same time ensures consistent cooking of food items by uniformly distributing the hot airflow across all levels. The new electric version allows customers to forgo gas- and oil-based heating systems by plugging directly into the grid, offering a "new way to heat". The electric oven contains a fixed heater, so it can be easily accessed for cleaning and maintenance. Meanwhile, electric heating gives processors the option of using renewable energy sources. The electric TwinDrum Spiral Oven also includes proportional control for the heating elements to achieve more accurate temperature and energy control. “Through the electric TwinDrum, we are offering a new way to heat. We come in contact with a lot of new food producers in the world wanting to cook and fry alternative proteins, but often, for these small-scale start-up producers, investing in a thermal fluid system can be quite expensive. Having an electrically heated fryer and oven is a good and more affordable alternative for this group," said Stefan Paulsson, JBT’s director of value stream and global product line.

UK supermarket chain Morrisons has announced that it is scrapping 'use by' dates on 90% of its milk in favour of customers using the sniff test. This has been enforced to help reduce food waste in the home, with Morrisons anticipating the move will prevent millions of pints of milk from being discarded every year. The ‘use by’ dates will be scrapped from Morrisons own-brand British and Scottish milk, Morrisons For Farmers milk and Morrisons organic milk in-store, which are supplied by Arla farmers. Morrisons South West milk and The Best Jersey milk remain unchanged. The company scrapped ‘use by’ dates across some of its own-brand yogurt and hard cheese ranges back in 2020. Morrisons will continue to show 'best before' dates on its milk packaging to indicate to consumers when they should drink it by in order to get the best taste. Ian Goode, senior milk buyer at Morrisons, said: “Wasted milk means wasted effort by our farmers and unnecessary carbon being released into the atmosphere. Good quality well-kept milk has a good few days life after normal ‘use by’ dates – and we think it should be consumed not tipped down the sink. So we’re taking a bold step today and asking customers to decide whether their milk is still good to drink. Generations before us have always used the sniff test – and I believe we can too". The chain has issued instructions for testing milk. For example, if it smells sour then it may have spoiled or if you can see that it has curdled, then it is not fit for consumption. The move aims to support Morrisons' commitment to reducing its food waste in stores by 50% by 2030.

Santa Margherita USA, a subsidiary of Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo, has acquired majority ownership of Roco Winery. Founded in 2001, Roco Winery produces a wide range of wines, including pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling varieties. The winery is located in the Willamette Valley region in Oregon. "When we started Santa Margherita USA, our vision was to create a robust and relevant wine company featuring the best of key regions," said Vincent Chiaramonte, president and CEO of Santa Margherita USA. Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo's chairman of the board, Gaetano Marzotto, added: "Our affinity and admiration for the US made the location of our first international winery venture a natural choice. The US marketplace is dynamic, and we believe in the quality of Oregon wines, specifically from the Willamette Valley region." Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

'Smart' beverage dispensing company Bevi has unveiled a new smart water dispenser, allowing consumers to customise filtered and sparkling waters to their preference. Bevi's Standup 2.0 enables users to tailor filtered and sparkling water by changing temperature, carbonation level, flavours and enhancements, such as vitamins and electrolytes. Bevi's co-founder and CEO, Sean Grundy, said: "Our new Standup 2.0 is the water machine that we wanted to bring to life when founding Bevi eight years ago. However, we didn't have the resources and the world-class engineering team needed to make it happen until more recently." He continued: "When we launched our 1.0 machine, our goal was to match the quality and convenience of bottled water and seltzer. The purpose of 2.0 is to offer a superior, customised, fun way to drink water that simply can't be matched by bottled beverages." The new machine helps to reduce the dependence on single-use bottles and cans by delivering filtered, sparkling and naturally-flavoured water on tap.

US Beverage has formed a joint venture to acquire Utah's largest independent craft brewer, Uinta Brewing, as it looks to expand both companies. Connecticut-based sales and marketing company US Beverage represents premium import, craft, cider and speciality malt beverages, and provides a national distribution network for global brands such as Innis & Gunn, Moosehead Lager and Malibu Splash sparkling malt beverages. Uinta Brewing Company, located in Salt Lake City, produces a wide assortment of beers, including Cutthroat Pale Ale, Detour Double IPA and Lime Pilsner. Justin Fisch, president of US Beverage, commented: "Uinta is a strong brand with a state-of-the-art brewery. The team and culture that has been developed over the years is second to none in the industry. The acquisition of Uinta creates tremendous opportunities and synergies and we share a robust strategic vision for the future." Details of the transaction have not been disclosed, but both companies have confirmed that Uinta leadership, operations and staff will remain in place.

Danone-owned International Delight has partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to release a limited-edition Wonka Whipple Scrumptious Fudgy Caramel Creamers. The new "Willy Wonka-inspired" flavour is available in both traditional and zero-sugar varieties. Both offerings are available at major retailers nationwide in 32oz bottles for an SRP of $3.79. "With our new Wonka Whipple Scrumptious Fudgy Caramel Creamers, we're bringing a world of pure imagination to our flavour-obsessed Creamer Nation fans, delivering the magic of Willy Wonka's iconic Chocolate Factory," said Olivia Sanchez, VP of marketing for International Delight. Last year, International Delight teamed up with Hershey's-owned brand Reese's to launch a new ready-to-drink iced coffee mashup.

Danone North America has expanded its Silk portfolio with new Silk Extra Creamy Almond milk, joining the brand's extensive alt-dairy range. The new plant-based release is made with a blend of three different kinds of almonds for a silky-smooth taste and apparently has 50% more calcium than reduced-fat milk, zero grams of cholesterol and is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin E. The milk is available in Unsweet and Original variations and will join the company's range of almond products, which includes beverages, coffee creamers and yoghurt alternatives. Derek Neeley, vice president of marketing for Silk, said: "We’re thrilled to introduce Silk Extra Creamy Almond milk to Silk’s almond portfolio, just in time for the new year. Almond is a great way to start your plant-based journey and our new Extra Creamy almond milk, along with our almond-based coffee creamers and yogurt alternatives, offers options to incorporate plant-based products throughout the day." The new launch is available for an RRP of $3.49 per carton in the US.

Indian snack company Haldiram’s Nagpur is investing more than INR 1 billion ($13.6 million approx.) to build a manufacturing facility for long-shelf-life dairy products. SIG is partnering with Haldiram's to help expand the company's footprint from its existing markets of Maharashtra, Goa and Chhattisgarh by supplying the firm with a high-speed CFA 1224 filling machine for combiblocXSlim carton packs. SIG’s high-speed filling machine is said to be able to fill 24,000 carton packs per hour. “SIG offered us state-of-the-art technology with full flexibility of nine volume sizes on one filling machine, all at high speed," said Haldiram’s Nagpur director, Sushil Agarwal. "This gives us a lot of options to pack a variety of products in a huge number of different packaging formats and sizes. And even more, the elegant, slim carton packs are very attractive and stand out on the shelf.” According to SIG, Haldiram’s Nagpur is also aiming to launch a wide range of ethnic dairy and non-dairy products, and will leverage its existing retail network and distribution capabilities. Haldiram’s Nagpur marketing director, Neeraj Agarwal, added: “With SIG, we know that we will be able to extend this in a big way into the ethnic beverages category. We will be able to introduce beverages that consumers really enjoy, in the right-sized packaging that suits different consumption occasions.” The offerings will include buttermilk, which will be under the name Matka Jhatka, sold in 200ml combiblocXSlim carton packs, along with Aam Panna, Jal Jeera, a variety of lassi products.