Japanese professor Homei Miyashita has developed a lickable TV screen, that can imitate food flavours, in a move to create a multi-sensory viewing experience, according to Reuters. The device, named Taste the TV (TTTV), uses a conveyor belt of ten flavour canisters that spray in a particular combination to create the taste of a food. The flavour sample then rolls on hygienic film over a flat TV screen for the consumer to sample. Meiji University professor, Homei Miyashita, said in a statement to Reuters: "In the Covid-19 era, this kind of technology can enhance the way people connect and interact with the outside world. The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home." Miyashita works with a team of approximately 30 students that has produced an assortment of flavour-related devices, including a fork that apparently makes food taste richer. The professor built the TTTV prototype himself during the past year and commented that a commercial version would cost an estimated JPY 100,000 ($875) to make.

Simmons Foods has announced that it plans to invest $100 million to expand its prepared foods operation in Van Buren, Arkansas, US. The project will add 65,000 square feet to the existing facility to make way for two new highly automated production and packaging lines. The plans also include enhanced interior spaces within the site for workers and improved traffic flow in and around the plant. Simmons Foods' Van Buren site currently consists of three production lines, producing approximately 110 million pounds of fully cooked chicken products annually. The expansion will increase annual production capacity by an estimated 100 million pounds. The company currently employs approximately 600 team members at this location. Simmons Foods' subsidiary, Simmons Prepared Foods, is a farm-to-fork poultry producer based in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, that primarily supplies chicken products for the foodservice industry. Joel Sappenfield, president of Simmons Prepared Foods, said: “This investment will create 100 new jobs, including highly skilled positions to support robotics and automation processes. The expansion will also support growth in the local economy and assist in meeting market demand for one of the fastest-growing segments of the business – cooked products." The company expects to break ground on the project this month and have production online by the first quarter of 2023.

Pladis has unveiled its newest product launch in the UK with McVitie's Blissfuls biscuit sharing pouches in two flavour variations. The new release comprises McVitie’s biscuits, encasing a Belgian milk chocolate cream centre – flavoured with either hazelnut or caramel – then topped with a crunchy and golden-baked biscuit lid. David Titman, McVitie’s marketing director at Pladis UK, said: “Created especially for sharing, our latest innovation is just the moreish special treat to shake up the evening snacking occasion by boosting relevance for sweet biscuits during these moments. As the market leader in innovation, we’re committed to broadening appeal for the McVitie’s brand with a line-up of NPD that takes our beloved biscuits to even more consumers and eating occasions. With extremely positive feedback from trials already under our belt, now we can’t wait to see what shoppers think of McVitie’s Blissfuls.” McVitie’s Blissfuls are available in 228g sharing pouches in Sainsbury’s, with further rollout across most major retailers expected in January and February. Two variants, McVitie’s Blissfuls Belgian Milk Chocolate & Caramel and McVitie’s Blissfuls Belgian Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut will retail at an RRP of £2.59.

Rotunda Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Siegel Egg, a distributor of bakery ingredients throughout New England and New York. Siegel Egg operates out of a 171,000-square-foot facility in Billerica, Massachusetts, distributing over 2,300 SKUs to customers in New England and New York. The company supplies products to commercial, in-store, wholesale and foodservice bakeries. Dan Lipson, Rotunda partner, said: “We believe long-term market tailwinds, including increased focus on supply chain simplification and reliability as well as growing demand for speciality bakery products, offer a unique opportunity to invest in a regional leader like Siegel. We are eager to invest in the management team and work in partnership as we seek to drive value creation, accelerate organic growth and pursue add-on acquisitions.” The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

US vodka producer Victor George Spirits (VGS) has acquired a majority stake in Palm Beach Distillery, as it looks to become "the largest black-owned spirits company in the world by 2025". Founded in 2017, Palm Beach Distillery, which is said to be Florida’s first female-operated distillery, manufactures vodka, rum and gin, and will begin producing several new VGS products, such as Pullman Porters 1867 rye whiskey and Fort Mose' bourbon. According to VGS, Pullman Porters 1867 is a six year-aged rye whiskey named after former slaves that became the highest-paid black people of the 1860s. Meanwhile, Fort Mose' bourbon is named after the first US city where black people could live freely, located outside of St Augustine, Florida. The new brands will be released in February 2022 in honour of Black History Month. "This is very exciting for our team at Victor George Spirits as we continue to expand our footprint across the US," said VGS founder, Victor G Harvey. "We are rapidly adding to our quality portfolio of brands and will be acquiring additional distilleries with a plan to be the largest black-owned spirits company in the world by 2025." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Boston Beer Company-owned brand Truly Hard Seltzer has announced the release of Margarita Style Hard Seltzers, a new range of ready-to-drink cocktails. The margarita-inspired cocktails feature four flavours: classic lime, strawberry hibiscus, watermelon cucumber and mango chili. Each flavour is made with real ingredients, such as agave nectar, lime juice and sea salt. Truly Margarita Style Hard Seltzers contains 5.3% abv, 110 calories, 1g of sugar and is gluten-free. "With the Truly Margarita styles, we wanted to marry everything drinkers love about hard seltzer with the flavours of a classic margarita," said Casey O'Neill, director of product development at the Boston Beer Company.

TricorBraun has acquired Zuckerman Honickman (ZH) and Vessel Packaging in a move to strengthen its position in the beverage packaging market. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Zuckerman Honickman supplies customers from across the beverage industry in the US and Canada with packaging. The acquisition strengthens TricorBraun’s offering and expertise in the beverage packaging category. As part of the deal, TricorBraun has also acquired ZH subsidiary Delta Industries, a distributor of reusable trigger sprayers and bottles. Meanwhile, Vessel is a value-added distributor of aluminium cans, based in British Columbia, Canada. Described by TricorBraun as a ‘one-stop shop’ for aluminium cans, Vessel offers “everything from mobile canning and design services, to printed cans, can ends and carriers, shrink sleeving, and other labelling services”. The company serves customers across Canada and the US from all major beverage end markets, and operates five locations in Canada. With the Vessel acquisition, TricorBraun expands its beverage offering, strengthens its position in aluminium cans, and grows its Canadian footprint. “Our acquisitions of Zuckerman Honickman, a name synonymous with best-in-class beverage packaging, and Vessel Packaging, a leading Canadian value-added distributor of aluminium cans, bolster our ability to serve beverage customers with expanded offerings and services across North America,” said Court Carruthers, president and CEO, TricorBraun. “We are incredibly excited to welcome the ZH and Vessel teams to the TricorBraun family and look forward to investing in their continued growth.” The companies will operate as separate, standalone businesses, known respectively as Zuckerman Honickman, a TricorBraun company, and Vessel Packaging, a TricorBraun company. All ZH and Vessel team members will remain with TricorBraun. The financial terms of the transactions have not been disclosed.

International Taste Solutions (I.T.S) has developed new flavour enhancers that “replicate the indulgent characteristics of traditional bakery products” in plant-based alternatives. The Vegan Boost range offers an all-in-one solution that can be used to accentuate buttery and creamy flavours in a range of dairy- and egg-free cake and patisserie products. The natural flavour solutions come in liquid and powder formats. Meanwhile, a higher strength range, Vegan Boost Extra, is available if more intense flavours are required. Vegan Boost can also help to mask off-notes from ingredients used to replace dairy and egg in plant-based bakery products. “Consumer demand for plant-based products is rising, but until now the bakery sector has been a little behind the curve,” said Carl Smith, head of innovations at I.T.S. “Our bakery customers know we are easy to work with and they asked us for help in enhancing the flavour of their vegan cakes and bakery ranges. “We set about creating a straightforward alternative to the options currently available from the larger flavour houses. Vegan Boost offers no-nonsense flavours, and it provides an easy-to-use solution that is proven to work.”

Gathered Foods has unveiled the latest addition to its Good Catch range: Plant-Based Salmon Burgers. The new fishless alternative to salmon – which Gathered Foods says is the most consumed fish in the US – contains 16g of plant protein per serving. The burgers are said to replicate the delicate texture and ‘mild-yet-rich’ flavour of salmon, with a hint of citrus to round out the flavour profile. The new offering is easy to prepare and “without the unwanted fishy smell once cooked”. “Culinary innovation is at the forefront of everything we create at Good Catch and this new salmon will be an absolute game-changer in the market that boasts incredible flavour and texture,” said Chad Sarno, co-founder and chief culinary officer at Gathered Foods. “We are excited to see consumer response to our Plant-Based Salmon Burgers, which provide a convenient meal solution without the harm.” The burgers are available online via the brand’s website. Gathered Foods also plans to roll out the new offering in retail. Last year, Gathered Foods added a new breaded line, featuring plant-based fish sticks, fillets and crab cakes, to its Good Catch portfolio.

Israeli cultivated dairy start-up Remilk has raised $120 million in Series B funding, as it looks to expand production of its animal-free protein. Remilk uses a yeast-based fermentation process to produce animal-free milk proteins that are said to be indistinguishable in taste and function from cow’s milk proteins. The company plans to use the new funds to scale production of its protein for commercial use by manufacturers in products such as cheese and ice cream. According to Remilk, its ‘dairy-identical’ proteins are free from lactose and cholesterol. The company also estimates that its process uses 1% of the land, 4% of the greenhouse gas emissions and 5% of the water required to produce comparable products through traditional dairy manufacturing processes. Led by Hanaco Ventures, the round also included investments from Precision Capital, Rage Capital, CPT Capital, Intercap, OurCrowd, Indorama Ventures and Tal Ventures, among others. The company plans to have products featuring Remilk in the marketplace later this year. “Not only are Remilk products cleaner and significantly more sustainable when compared to traditional dairy, but they are indistinguishable in taste, feel and texture,” said Pasha Romanovski, founding partner of Hanaco Ventures. He added: “We have a strong conviction in the founders' vision and are thrilled to support the talented team on their journey”. Aviv Wolff, CEO and co-founder at Remilk, said: “This funding propels us on our journey to transform the dairy category into one that delivers delicious, nutritious products without harm to people, planet or animals”. “Already, we are engaging with dozens of companies, including some of the world's most popular brands, to recreate the future of dairy together.” In 2020, Remilk announced that it had secured $11.3 million in an oversubscribed funding round led by Fresh.fund.

FoodBev Media’s Lauren Ford rounds up this week’s food and beverage news, including Biden administration announces action plan for more competitive meat supply chain; JBS finalises acquisition of Rivalea in Australia; SIG to acquire Evergreen’s fresh carton business in Asia Pacific for $335m; and more. You’ll find all this and more in this week’s podcast – click here to subscribe.

Constellation Brands has entered into an agreement with The Coca-Cola Company in the US to launch alcoholic beverages under the Fresca brand. The partnership will bring the Fresca brand into the beverage alcohol sector with a new line of spirit-based, ready-to-drink cocktails. The new brand, named Fresca Mixed, is expected to launch this year, starting with the cocktails using real spirits. Mallika Monteiro, Constellation Brands' chief growth, strategy and digital officer, said: “One of the core tenets of our innovation strategy is a belief in the power of extending strong and trusted brands in thoughtful ways to bring to market unique products that resonate with consumers. This is an exciting agreement that allows us to continue expanding our premium portfolio in ways that deliver distinctive consumer value propositions that include things like more flavour, different alcohol bases and functional benefits". The products will be produced and marketed by Constellation Brands and distributed through the company's networks, leveraging its consumer knowledge, brand-expansion capabilities, beverage alcohol expertise and retail and trade relationships to secure national distribution.