MGP Ingredients has agreed to acquire US alcohol producer and marketer Luxco and its affiliated companies in a $475 million deal. According to MGP, a supplier of distilled spirits and speciality wheat proteins and starches, the acquisition will increase its scale and boost its market position in the branded spirits sector. Luxco is a producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products, with a portfolio of brands that includes Ezra Brooks, Daviess County, Yellowstone, El Mayor and Everclear. Founded in 1958 in St. Louis, Missouri, Luxco remains locally owned and operated by the Lux family. The company owns or controls a stake in distilleries including Lux Row Distillers and Limestone Branch Distillery. For the unaudited 12-month period ended 31 October 2020, Luxco generated approximately $202 million in net revenues, according to MGP. The acquisition deal represents an enterprise value of $475 million, comprised of equal parts cash and stock. “Luxco presents a unique opportunity to take a material step towards realising our long-term strategy. It significantly expands our product line in the higher-value branded spirits sector and increases our sales and distribution capabilities across all 50 states,” said David Colo, president and CEO of MGP Ingredients. “We have enormous respect for the platform Luxco has built, and we’re excited to add its portfolio of fast-growing premium distilled spirits brands together with strong, cash-flow generating legacy brands.” The transaction is expected to be completed during the first half of this year, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Last year, MGP Ingredients expanded its textured protein offering with the addition of a gluten-free textured pea option.

The Pioneer Woman brand has partnered with Zavida Coffee Roasters to launch a new premium coffee line in the US. Food blogger and cookbook author Ree Drummond, known as The Pioneer Woman, has been growing her lifestyle brand into new categories. The new coffee line marks the latest expansion by the brand, which is also known for its colourful housewares. The coffee line comes in single-serve cups in both flavoured and non-flavoured blends. Using premium ground coffee beans, the three non-flavoured blends include Up & At ‘Em (breakfast roast), Saddle Up (medium roast) and Giddy Up (dark roast). Meanwhile, the variety of flavoured blends are inspired by Drummond’s popular recipes and features hazelnut vanilla, cinnamon rolls, caramel fudge brownie and pecan pie. “Coffee is one of my favourite things about rising and shining, and I love to sip it all day. My coffee line with Zavida Coffee Roasters includes both high-quality coffee beans and single-serve cups in both flavoured and non-flavoured blends that I think you will absolutely love,” said Ree Drummond. Charles Litterst, chairman at Zavida Coffee Roasters, added: “At Zavida, we’re all about great tasting coffee – and we’re excited to bring our passion for combining the world’s best coffees with unique flavours to the Pioneer Woman brand. Our team crafted these blends to be enjoyed both hot and cold-brewed, so Ree’s fans can indulge in her favourite treats one steamy (or iced) cup at a time.” The Pioneer Woman coffee single-serve cups are currently available to purchase online on Walmart, Amazon and Zavida sites and will be at retailers nationwide later this year. Ground beans will also roll out in late spring 2021.

Los Angeles-based digital bakery Sugar Lab has launched a new line of 3D printed chocolate truffles and bonbons for Valentine’s day. In collaboration with chef Melissa Walnock of the Culinary Institute of America, Sugar Lab has created rich chocolate ganache recipes that are complemented by 3D printed shells. Currently available on the company’s website, the Valentine’s line includes vegan strawberry-covered chocolate truffles and broken heart truffles in tahini and ginger varieties. Meanwhile, Sugar Lab’s bonbons are filled with chocolate ganache with s’mores and peanut butter and jelly profiles. As part of its Valentine’s line, the company has also developed candies, cupcake décor, cocktail garnishes and pastry shells that can be filled at home with mousse, ice cream or cake batter. With its offerings, Sugar Lab aims to demonstrate the potential for beauty and customisation of 3D printed confections. “Our goal at Sugar Lab is to pursue chef-led culinary innovations in partnership with our skilled digital design team, using 3D printing technology,” said Kyle von Hasseln, CEO and co-founder of Sugar Lab. Sugar Lab was founded in 2020, however the concept has been years in the making. Von Hasseln and his wife Liz invented the technology in 2012, which was then acquired by a 3D printing manufacturer. Co-founders Von Hasseln, Meagan Bozeman and William Hu became key members of the R&D team that allegedly invented the first food-safe 3D printer, in partnership with Brill. “After years of developing the Culinary Printer, we understand its potential better than anyone. Our goal is to make this amazing technology accessible to chefs and consumers around the world," said Bozeman. Von Hasseln added: “3D printing brings so much flexibility to the table for our customers. Equally significant, 3D printing allows for fast design iteration without the need for molds. This means we can quickly brand and personalise existing designs with something unique for each customer.”

Dutch food and biochemicals company, Corbion, has announced an investment to expand its lactic acid production capacity by around 40% in North America. The company is increasing its production capacity at its Blair, Nebraska plant, in order to meet the growing demand for natural ingredients in multiple industries in the region. According to Corbion, the use of lactic acid and its derivatives as ingredients in foods and beverages for safe preservation has increased steadily in the Americas over the past five years. Corbion offers a variety of lactic-acid based solutions for customers in the beverage and food sectors, such as the juice, confectionery and meat categories. According to Corbion, manufacturers of food, home and personal care products worldwide are finding the efficacy, consumer-friendliness and sustainability advantages offered by lactic acid-based solutions.   Corbion also operates lactic acid production facilities in the Netherlands, Brazil, Spain and Thailand. Early last year, the company announced plans to build a new lactic acid plant at its existing site in Rayong Provincce, Thailand to help meet global demand. “At Corbion, we enable brand owners to commercialise safe, high-performing products using our lactic acid-based products and technology,” said Marco Bootz, president of lactic acid & specialties at Corbion. He added: "Given the growth our customers in North America are experiencing, and the increased demand for our products, we believe this expansion is the right thing to do for our customers and for Corbion. We're committed to further strengthening those relationships by enabling more growth." In line with its sustainability commitments, the company says it will employ technology to enable a significant boost in efficiency while avoiding an increase in emissions.

Imperfect Foods has received a commitment to fund $95 million in a growth investment, as it seeks to continue expanding its direct-to-consumer grocery service.   The Series D financing will be led by Insight Partners – who also led the company’s $72 million Series C round last year – and Norwest Venture Partners. Founded in 2015, Imperfect Foods aims to reduce food waste by ‘rescuing’ imperfect or excess products, including vegetables, dairy, shelf-stable goods, meat and seafood. These are then distributed to consumers via its grocery delivery service. “This planned funding underscores the solid infrastructure, supply and customer experience upon which we've built this company,” said Imperfect Foods CEO, Philip Behn. “2020 proved there is a real and growing demand for the marriage of sustainability and convenience in retail food. As the leading direct-to-consumer online grocer with a coast-to-coast footprint and our own last-mile delivery fleet, we plan to continue improving the customer experience by doubling down on technology and building the 'perfect imperfect assortment' for our customers.” The Covid-19 pandemic has seen Imperfect Foods continue to prevent food waste by partnering with airlines to buy up first-class cheese plates and by packaging the popcorn kernels from underused cinemas. In 2020, the company says that it saw ‘triple-digit’ growth over the previous year and added hundreds of items to its catalogue. According to Imperfect Foods, the new investment will be used to double capacity and product assortment in existing facilities, improve the shopping experience and accelerate its private label programme, among other things. “Imperfect is delivering a 'mission with a margin',” said Adam Berger, Insight Partners' managing director and Imperfect Foods' lead director. “Their unit economics are exceptional, driven by their unique 'farm to fork logistics' that curates customised produce and groceries, with scheduled weekly deliveries to the customer's doorstep. Imperfect Foods’ supply chain is unmatched and quickly gets fresh groceries from producers to consumers with minimum intermediaries and waste, completing the last mile in their own vans.”

The UK’s Food Standards Agency has announced the appointment of Ruth Hussey as its interim chair, effective 1 February 2021. Hussey will hold the role for up to three months, to allow time for the process of recruiting a replacement for current chair Heather Hancock to conclude. Hancock will be standing down from the position at the end of this month, having been elected the master of St John’s College, Cambridge. She was appointed chair of the FSA board in April 2016. Hussey was an FSA board member for Wales and chair of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee from 2016 until she was appointed as deputy chair of the FSA in July last year. As part of a career in public health, Hussey has also previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Wales. “I am delighted to be able to step into this new role. The FSA is a progressive and effective organisation which works in an evidence-based and transparent way,” said incoming FSA interim chair, Hussey. “As the food system continues to evolve, I will strive to ensure that food safety and public health continue to be protected with confidence. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members to continue to protect consumers’ interests in relation to food.”

Huhtamaki has announced a €10 million investment in a new manufacturing site in Malaysia, in order to better serve its customers in Southeast Asia. As part of the investment, the company is transferring its Malaysia manufacturing base from Penang to Port Klang, Selangor State – the capital region of the country – as it seeks to better serve its customers and respond to future growth of the sector. Like its existing plant, the facility will initially focus on manufacturing paper cups, but Huhtamaki says the new site will allow it to expand its product range and introduce new sustainable paper-based technologies. The approximate €10 million investment will be used to improve the infrastructure and fund machinery investments and installations. According to Huhtamaki, its current employees in its Malaysia site – approximately 150 people – will be offered the opportunity to relocate to the new site. Eric Le Lay, president of Fiber Foodservice EAO at Huhtamaki, said: “By investing in a world-class facility in Malaysia we are creating a platform for future growth in Southeast Asia. “The new site is strategically located, it is close to our key customers and has easy access to neighbouring countries. We will also use the relocation as an opportunity to modernise our equipment and increase automation to improve efficiency.” The new site is expected to be fully operational by the end of the second quarter of 2021. Last month, Huhtamaki announced that it is establishing a new fibre packaging manufacturing plantat its existing site in Alabuga, Russia, after witnessing rapid growth of the retail and egg packaging sectors in the region. The Finland-headquartered company operates in 36 countries and 81 sites around the world.

Swedish coffee group Löfbergs has teamed up with 3D print company Sculptur to transform coffee production waste into new coffee stations.  The group claims their 3D printed waste-based coffee station is a "world-first", with one already in operation and a number of others underway. The collaboration, part of Circular Coffee Community (CCC), aims to reach the group's target of zero coffee waste by 2030.  “Our goal is to make all activities related to growing, processing and consuming coffee 100% circular, eliminating all waste throughout our supply chain by 2030,” said Lars Aaen Thøgersen, recently appointed chief innovation and circular transformation officer at Löfbergs. “Our new coffee station is a prime example of circularity, upcycling leftovers from the processing of our own primary raw material, coffee, to create a brand-new and related sustainable product,” he added. “We are very well aware that we cannot achieve our ambition of circular transformation and eliminating all waste by ourselves. We need playmates and partners for developing both ideas and products.” Löfbergs launched the CCC, inviting customers, suppliers, researchers and others to take part in the circular transformation of the coffee industry. The community will help to not only tackle important issues such as climate and waste challenges, but also create new revenue opportunities for struggling coffee farmers and provide new products for consumers.  Sculptur's CEO, Glenn Mattsing, said: “Using silver skin, which is a bi-product from the coffee roasting process and polypropene, we have been able to create a durable material and a cool design for the coffee stations. Further development will allow us to use polypropene from recycled coffee big bags making the coffee stations close to 100% circular.” The first circular coffee station is set up at the Lilla ICA Lindvallen supermarket in Sälen, Sweden.

A complaint against Silent Pool Distillers' Colorado High CBD-infused gin has been upheld by the UK alcohol sector’s Independent Complaints Panel. The Portman Group, the social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, received the complaint from a member of the public. According to the Portman Group, this marked the first complaint about a CBD product under its code of practice for the naming, packaging and promotion of alcoholic drinks. The Independent Complaints Panel found the product to be in breach of the rules prohibiting association of a drink with illegal drugs or with therapeutic qualities. The panel concluded that certain features of the gin's packaging created an indirect association with illicit drugs. These included the use of the word ‘high’, and the reference to Colorado, one of the first US states to decriminalise recreational cannabis which, unlike CBD, is an illicit drug in the UK. The panel noted that CBD was widely marketed as providing pain relief and other health benefits, and that consumers may assume that an alcoholic drink containing the substance had health benefits. The bottle’s product descriptor includes lines such as ‘A sensory infusion of wellness-enhancing CBD and refreshingly complex gin’, and the panel concluded that such wellbeing claims, combined with the description ‘CBD Gin’ on the front of the bottle, suggested the product had therapeutic qualities. The panel considered that producers should give consumers information about the inclusion of CBD as an ingredient, when present, but could convey that without referring to CBD in the product name. Following the panel’s decision on the gin, the Portman Group says that Silent Pool Distillers has decided not to work with its advisory service on revising the product. As a result, a Retailer Alert Bulletin (RAB) will be sent to more than 130 signatories of the code, including major supermarkets. It will allow retailers to sell any remaining stock but prevent them from re-ordering the product in its current form after 20 April 2021. Nicola Williams, the chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, said: “After careful consideration, the panel decided that Colorado High was in breach of two of the code’s rules. We would urge producers to think carefully about how they place a CBD descriptor on their product’s packaging. "It is important that CBD is viewed as an ingredient, rather than a suggestion of therapeutic or health benefits.” The Portman Group is currently developing guidance to aid producers in their use of CBD in alcohol products.

Swiss ingredients company Lonza has agreed to sell two lipid oral dosage facilities to NextPharma, as it looks to exit the softgel market. The included sites are located in Ploermel in France and Edinburgh in Scotland, which employ around 260 and 130 permanent staff respectively. Both facilities produce liquid-filled hard capsules including Licaps and softgels for the pharmaceutical and consumer health and nutrition markets. With the divestment, Lonza looks to exit both softgels and liquid filled hard capsules for the pharmaceutical market. While the company intends to exit softgels in the consumer health and nutrition space, it plans to continue offering Licaps-based products (lipid capsules). Lonza says capsules – including Licaps for nutrition – remain core to its offering and the company recently announced an investment of CHF 85 million ($95.9 million) to expand its capsule manufacturing capacity across eight sites. Gordon Bates, president and head of small molecules at Lonza, said: “We are confident that the capabilities and experience at the two sites are a complementary fit with NextPharma’s portfolio and that it is ideally placed to develop both to their full potential.” Following the acquisition, NextPharma plans to develop and broaden its technology offering into lipid finished dosage forms, in addition to offering high potency capabilities and new chemical entity development services to both its existing and new customers. Peter Burema, CEO of NextPharma, added: “At NextPharma, we are very excited at the prospect of adding two new centres of excellence, at Ploermel and Edinburgh, to our manufacturing network, allowing us to further broaden our technology offering for both our existing and new customers.  "These technologies, combined with the know-how and expertise of the employees at both sites, would provide additional solutions for drug formulations which will benefit patients across the world.” The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, has been made for an undisclosed sum.

Beyond Better Foods-owned brand Enlightened has added a new salty and sweet flavour to its light ice cream range in the US. Caramel fudge pretzel joins the brand’s light ice cream line that includes brownies & cookie dough, chocolate peanut butter and strawberry cheesecake. The new variety features a low-carb pint of vanilla ice cream with fudge covered pretzels and a salted caramel swirl. Each pint of the new flavour contains 400 calories and allegedly 60% less sugar than regular ice cream. This represents 130 calories and 11g of sugar per serving. Enlightened’s new caramel fudge pretzel pint is available to purchase now online and is coming soon to retailers nationwide including Sprouts and Walmart for an RRP of $4.99-5.99. The ice cream brand says it is also launching a new variety pack featuring the new pint.

Heineken has announced that it will cut 70 jobs and put investments on hold in South Africa, following the impact of alcohol bans amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Reuters. The brewer’s South African arm says there has been significant impact from bans on alcohol sales and Covid-19 trading restrictions. At the end of December, the country banned alcohol sales for the third time to help reduce the pressure on emergency services. According to Reuters, about 30% of local breweries have been forced to shut their doors permanently and some have abandoned planned investments. Several publications have reported that Heineken marks the first major company to make significant cuts as a result of the alcohol bans. With just under 1,000 full-time employees at Heineken South Africa, 70 will lose their jobs as the brewer looks to restructure its operations to build a future for the business. The news comes after Heineken announced in October that it will cut jobs at its head and regional offices in 2021, despite beer volume sales improving in the third quarter, relative to Q2. The South African market had been mentioned within previous financial results with references to poor beer volumesamid lockdown restrictions. “Prior to considering this action, the company implemented various cost mitigation measures throughout 2020,” said Heineken South Africa human resources director, Yvonne Mosadi, as cited by Reuters. “Unfortunately, given the ongoing challenging situation the company finds itself in, these measures are no longer adequate to manage and sustain the operating costs of the business.” Last year, Heineken South African cancelled plans to build a ZAR 6 billion ($403 million) brewery in KwaZulu-Natal after a second ban on alcohol sales was announced. Reuters reported that Heineken said other new investments will also be placed on hold. The owner of the Amstel and Sol brands will continue to review its cost and organisational structure to meet future needs of the business.