Functional beverage producer Celsius Holdings has secured distribution deals in the US with partners in the AB InBev, Keurig Dr Pepper and MillerCoors networks. Through these new partnerships, Celsius has expanded within the independent AB InBev wholesaler network with new agreements with Pepin Distributing, Hensley Beverage Company and Tri-City Beverage, bringing the company's distribution agreements within this wholesaler network to six. The company's expansion into the Keurig Dr Pepper network includes four independent wholesalers: Carolina Beverage, Piedmont Beverage, Quality Beverage, and Choice Beverage USA. Finally, the firm added LDF Sales & Distribution and DET, both independent wholesalers in the MillerCoors network. Celsius makes a range of beverages which are said to accelerate metabolism while providing “healthy energy”. Available in both sparkling and non-carbonated variants, the beverages are suitable pre-workout and serve as an alternative to coffee and other caffeinated drinks. "Growing demand for our proven fitness drinks and well-coordinated efforts by our sales team is laying the groundwork for a best-in-class DSD (direct store distribution) network for Celsius," said John Fieldly, Celsius CEO. "We have made tremendous progress in building out our DSD network which now includes members from three of the largest strategic distribution partners that cover several of the largest markets in the country. “We continue to garner significant interest from the best distributors in the country, further supporting our momentum and broadening our retail availability into 2019. We see great opportunity to leverage our partners' networks and drive further availability of our products." Jon McKillop, Celsius EVP of North America sales, added: “As Celsius continues to rapidly scale, the addition of these strategic distribution partners will allow us to service new geographies and provide best-in-class service levels to key retail accounts as we continue to build out our national distribution network. We are pleased to welcome these new distribution partners to the Celsius family."

Mondelēz International recorded a 0.2% rise in its 2018 net revenue as growth in North America and Europe was weighed down by struggling sales in Latin America. The company, which owns brands such as Oreo, Milka and Cadbury, posted net revenue of $25.94 billion for the year. Operating income was down 4.3% to $3.31 billion. In a disappointing fourth quarter, the snacks maker saw its revenue decline 2.8%, partly driven by the impact of currency. While fourth-quarter revenue in Latin America was down 15.2%, sales increased 1.6% in North America as the firm continues growth in the face of changing consumer preferences. Mondelēz CEO Dirk Van de Put said: “Our fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 results demonstrate the power of our brands, the strength of our global footprint and the potential of our strategic plan. "We delivered on our key financial and strategic commitments for the year, including solid top-line and bottom-line growth and strong cash flow generation. In 2019, we will continue to progress against our new strategy, which includes new investments to drive organic revenue growth and operational excellence across the organisation." During the fourth quarter, the company expanded its research and development capabilities with a new facility in India and a $5 million expansion of its technical site in Poland . Both investments form part of the company’s $65 million R&D strategy.  Meanwhile, in a move to increase its focus on snacking, Mondelēz offloaded its non-core cheese business in the Middle East & Africa in December. Earlier this month, the company revealed plans  to move its global headquarters from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield to a new site in the city’s West Loop. It will reportedly relocate around 400 employees from the existing facility in April 2020. For 2019, the company said it expects organic net revenue growth to be between 2% and 3%.

Kerry has launched a non-GMO yeast which has the ability to reduce acrylamide levels by up to 90% across a range of food and beverage products, including biscuits, crackers, French fries, potato crisps, coffee and infant food. Called Acryleast, the clean-label solution is rich in asparaginase enzyme and has been introduced in partnership with Renaissance BioScience after the two companies secured a licence agreement last month. Kerry has initially focused Acryleast application analysis in the categories of baked goods. However, this is being expanded to snacks, processed potatoes and other categories, as the market for non-GMO acrylamide reduction solutions continues to gain traction. The company said that acrylamide is fast becoming “a big concern” for the food industry, due to the growing body of evidence of its role as a potential carcinogen. Indeed, a study published last year revealed that among consumers who are aware of acrylamide, 70% are concerned by its potential health effects. Commenting on the launch,Matthew May, Kerry’s bakery lead for Europe and Russia,said: “Across our entire taste and nutrition portfolio, we are keen to ensure that the functionality of our ingredients is reliable and consistent. On this basis, we repeatedly tested Acryleast’s effectiveness in reducing acrylamide levels across a range of biscuit and cracker applications. "This involved testing in both our own laboratories and in scaled-up plant trials, where reductions of greater than 90% were achieved. Importantly, these trials also demonstrated no impact on taste or texture, confirming that Acryleast is a very effective and versatile solution for acrylamide reduction, that requires no or minimal changes to existing manufacturing processes.” Mike Woulfe, VP business development enzymes at Kerry, said: “For Kerry, it was essential to launch a solution that was clean label and non-GMO so that both producers and consumers could trust that acrylamide was being reduced consistently, and in the right way. We are delighted to partner with Renaissance, an innovative life science company. Their non-GMO approach to acrylamide reduction fits very well with our clean-label strategy.  “Our extensive laboratory and sensory analyses have demonstrated that foods produced using Acryleast are comparable in appearance, aroma, flavour and texture to those produced without Acryleast. It is a versatile solution that offers manufacturers an acrylamide reduction strategy that is much more effective than alternative approaches, which require them to fundamentally change their process e.g. lowering temperatures, processing time or changing raw ingredients.” Dr Cormac O’Cleirigh, chief business development officer at Renaissance BioScience, added: “For customers looking for peace of mind and a more natural, non-GMO, sustainable solution to a naturally occurring problem, Acryleast is the perfect natural and clean-label solution. Couple this with Kerry’s global scale and unmatched taste, applications and sensory expertise, and you have the recipe for long-term success.”  Kerry is rolling out Acryleast globally now, with the exception of 11 markets where Orkla Food Ingredients has a license agreement with Renaissance BioScience Corp to promote its own acrylamide-reducing yeast enzyme.

Tetra Pak has appointed Adolfo Orive as its new president and CEO, effective as of 1 April 2019. He will be replacing Dennis Jönsson, who has held the position for 14 years but has decided to step down. Orive joined Tetra Pak in 1993, and became part of the Tetra Pak Global Leadership Team in 2014. Orive presently holds the position of cluster vice-president, North, Central and South America, and prior to his present position he has had several managerial positions in the Group, including managing director of Colombia, Spain and cluster vice-president, North and Central Europe.  Orive, who is 55 years old, has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Ibero-American University (IBERO), Mexico and a Master’s degree in business administration from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM), Mexico. The appointment follows the new that Tetra Pak's current CEO Dennis Jönsson has decided to step down from his position after 14 years as president & CEO and after 36 years with the company.

Nestlé has partnered with Loop, a new subscription home delivery service for foods and household goods with reusable packaging, offering Häagen-Dazs in sustainable packaging through the service. Loop is a first-of-its-kind service from global recycling organisation TerraCycle, with Nestlé a founding investor and partner. Häagen-Dazs has been chosen as the official ice cream partner for the Loop pilot project in New York, scheduled to launch in the first half of 2019. As part of the partnership, Häagen-Dazs will debut a reusable double-walled steel ice cream container which keeps the ice cream in optimal condition during transport and consumption. According to Nestlé, the canister design ensures that when opened, the ice cream melts more quickly at the top than at the bottom of the container, allowing consumers to enjoy every scoop in perfect condition. Laurent Freixe, Nestlé CEO for Zone Americas, said: "Loop provides a much-needed innovation platform, challenging companies to take a fresh look at our value chains and integrate reusable product packaging as part of our efforts to waste-reduction. "Nestlé is proud to be a founding investor and partner of Loop. It’s a critical part of our commitment to work with consumers to protect our planet for future generations."

Post Consumer Brands and Mondelēz International have joined forces to launch a Sour Patch Kids breakfast cereal in the US. Inspired by the soft and chewy candy of the same name, the cereal is said to have a sour coating and a sweet finish. The companies said the product can be enjoyed in a bowl of milk or straight out the box. Roxanne Bernstein, chief marketing officer at Post Consumer Brands, said: “Following the launch of Post Oreo O's cereal, Nutter Butter-flavoured cereal and Chips Ahoy!-flavoured cereal last year, we are excited to introduce fans to a new first-of-its-kind cereal, one that they never dreamed was possible. "Post Sour Patch Kids-flavoured cereal brings the sour then sweet taste of the beloved candy brand right to the cereal bowl. Fans have been curious about this new sour then sweet cereal, and we can't wait for them to learn how delicious the cereal is both straight out of the box and with milk." The product is now available in US Walmart stores and will go on sale in other retailers across the country as of June. Post Consumer Brands is a business unit of Post Holdings, formed from the combination of Post Foods and MOM Brands in May 2015. The launch follows on from the introduction last year of Sour Patch Kids yogurts and Sour Patch Kids ice lollies .

Tetra Pak has partnered with Koenig & Bauer to offer full-colour digital printing on its carton packages, opening up new opportunities in product customisation. It is expected the new digital printing technology will simplify the complexity of design handling, reducing the time from design to print and increasing the scope for flexibility in order placement. Tetra Pak said beverage brands can take advantage of added benefits such as dynamic on-package printing and the ability to include a variety of designs within the same order. Charles Brand, executive vice president of product management and commercial operations at Tetra Pak, said: “We are committed to helping our customers explore new avenues with a truly ‘smart’ package, supporting their need for product customisation, smaller batch sizes, greater traceability and the ability to interact with the consumer. “Our investment in this digital printer demonstrates our commitment to support customers with future-proof technologies as the digital revolution transforms the way we all do business.” In an interview with FoodBev last year, Brand highlighted the growth of value-added products as a key product innovation area for dairy companies, while stressing the importance of new technologies in both research and production capacities. The full-width digital printer is currently being built by Koenig & Bauer and will be installed at Tetra Pak’s converting plant at Denton, Texas. Field testing of the digitally printed carton packages is expected to begin in early 2020 with North American customers. Carmen Becker, CEO of Tetra Pak US and Canada, said: “Brands continue to look for opportunities to deliver greater customisation and personalisation of their products. We’re thrilled to offer our customers new and innovative ways to engage with consumers, all while increasing flexibility in the design and order process.” Koenig & Bauer board member Christoph Müller added: “We are absolutely delighted that Tetra Pak has decided in favour of our digital printer. Collaboration between our companies is on an extremely constructive and trusting basis. I am sure that, together, we will significantly change the market for the benefit of Tetra Pak customers.”

Below-premium and budget beers now make up the fastest-growing segment. According to the Dallas Morning News, 7-Eleven plans to market the beer as "premium lager beer at a below-premium price," said Dan Skinner, 7-Eleven's category manager for alcohol beverages. "Our customer has been telling us for some time that they're looking for a more value-priced brand," he said. "In this tough economy, they're looking for value and ways to make their dollar go further." Although Texas sales still must be approved by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the beer has already entered stores in the northwest, northern California and northern Nevada. Game Day is being produced by City Brewery of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The brew comes in two varieties – Light and Ice – and two sizes: 24oz singles with a suggested retail price of $1.49 and $1.89, and a 12-pack of 12oz cans with a suggested retail price between $6.99 and $8.99. Prices will vary based on distribution costs and state and local alcohol taxes. A 12-pack of a brand such as Bud Light would cost between $10 and $11 in most areas, Skinner told the Dallas Morning News. Game Day face off against premium beers such as Bud Light, Coors Light and Miller Lite, which now dominate sales at 7-Eleven – the third-largest beer retailer in the US behind Walmart and Kroger (according to the Nielsen Co). This isn't 7-Eleven's first foray into the beer category. 7-Eleven introduced Santiago de Oro imported beer in 2003 to compete with Corona, but the beer was discontinued a year later. But 7-Eleven noted today's market is a different animal. "When 7-Eleven introduced Santiago de Oro imported beer in 2003, the economic times were much different," said Margaret Chabris from 7-Eleven. "We went up against a name brand that was merchandised for the exotic hoiday-in-a-bottle experience, and consumers were attracted to that. They were buying 'up' and not as concerned with price. "In 2003, a customer had $20 in his pocket, and gas was about $1.50 a gallon. Today, he might have $10 in his pocket and gas is $3 a gallon. Many more consumers are looking for ways to save money, including the beer they drink." Source: Dallas Morning News/Convenience Store Decisions Group

The peanut butter cookie dough (with fudge and pretzels) ice cream will be served in Ben & Jerry's scoop shops throughout this month, a gesture that sees Ben & Jerry's partner with marriage equality group Freedom to Marry. The two partners are also publicly supporting the first gay and lesbian marriages to happen in the state, and aiming to encourage other US states to follow in the footsteps of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Maine, down the aisle to marriage equality. Although Hubby Hubby will only be served in Vermont, Freedom to Marry's website urges citizens to "bring Hubby Hubby to your state", indicating that Ben & Jerry's may have plans to do the same in other states with successful gay marriage campaigns. Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry's is buzzing up the message via its Facebook fan page, and the renamed flavour is a trending topic on Twitter. The branding exercise has even gone so far as to wallpaper Freedom to Marry's website with Ben & Jerry's trademark cartoon clouds. The company is no stranger to big social gestures. Their employee-led Ben & Jerry's Foundation donated more than $1.9m in 2008 to "support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support Vermont communities". It's no surprise, therefore, given its penchant for left-leaning publicity, that the company is making itself part of this historic occasion in Vermont. It could help its bottom line, too. Source: Springwise

Rose Plastic is expecting a large amount of interest from the wine and spirits industry in its new packaging concept. The new product features an innovative, practical closure mechanism, and is available in a variety of sizes, with the ability to vary the inner length. “There's demand in the market for good quality, well-packaged wines and spirits," said Craig North, UK Sales and Marketing Manager of Rose Plastic. "We're really excited about what this stylish, new concept will mean for drinks producers. The new packaging is ideal for manufacturers who want to differentiate their product, add shelf-appeal and ultimately gain a price premium. It also creates an excellent visual display, while providing protection during transportation and storage.” All Rose Plastic products are manufactured from materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene and poly vinyl chloride, all of which are light yet extremely strong.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published a study that outlines the health benefits of yogurt. According to the study, yogurt may reduce bladder cancer risks by up to 40%. It was reported that: "Those that consumed two yogurt pots or yogurt mini drinks were less likely to develop bladder cancer than those that ate no or little yogurt."

On 4 November, Americans will take to the polling stations to cast their vote for either John McCain or Barack Obama, and Ben & Jerry's plans to reward them for doing so. Each voter who proves their eligibility for a free scoop of ice cream, either by displaying their "I Voted" sticker, showing a photo of themselves at the polling station, or doing the "I Voted" dance, will be rewarded at a participating Ben & Jerry's outlet. The free scoops are being dished out between 5-8pm on 4 November, regardless of who you vote for!