Tetra Pak has launched new packaging that allows every six products to form a cube, improving the use of space in distribution and storage. Called the Tetra Classic Aseptic 65ml Cube, the package is said to be an efficient solution for dairy, juice and liquid food. The package adds to the company’s Tetra Classic Aseptic family, but compared to the Classic Aseptic 65ml packages, the new offering requires less secondary packaging and needs approximately 40% less space to transport the same quantity of products. Tetra Pak said this means food “can now be delivered safely over longer distances, at lower cost, and made available to consumers at an affordable price”. Hemant Krashak, product director at Tetra Pak, said: “With its robust food protection, minimal use of materials, and efficiency in distribution, the Tetra Classic Aseptic 65ml Cube package provides a simple answer to the rising need of environmentally sound packages while saving cost for manufacturers. “Many customers with existing Tetra Classic Aseptic filling machines can easily switch to this new package with limited investment." The new package is now available with hand packing for secondary boxes. It has been in use since December 2018 at a customer in Southeast Asia selling coconut milk as a cooking ingredient in markets where logistics infrastructure is a challenge. In a move to open up new opportunities in product customisation, Tetra Pak earlier this year announced a partnership with Bauer to offer full-colour digital printing on its carton packages. 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.

Mondelēz International has bought a minority stake in Uplift Food, an early-stage start-up that produces prebiotic functional food supplements. Uplift Food's naturally-sourced powdered supplements can be added to applications such as smoothies, snack bars or oats to add extra functional benefits and help support the gut health and mood of consumers. The investment is the first made by Mondelēz's SnackFutures innovation and venture hub, which was established last year to capitalise on emerging growth opportunities in the snacking segment. According to Mondelēz, functional snacking is a strategic area for SnackFutures, as consumers are increasingly looking for their snacks to deliver benefits but options are currently limited. As a result of this investment, the SnackFutures team will work with Uplift Food to make gut health more understandable, accessible, and enjoyable by collaborating in three key strategic areas: well-being snacks, premium snacks, digital platforms and capabilities. SnackFutures will also leverage its industry expertise to provide Uplift Food with strategic support in areas such as marketing, distribution, R&D and sourcing. Tim Cofer, executive vice-president and chief growth officer of Mondelēz International, said: “As the global snacking leader, we’re on a clear mission to lead the future of snacking by providing the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. “Together with Uplift Food, we have a unique opportunity to disrupt the functional food category by delivering ‘snackable’ products focusing on gut health – something that does not exist today.” Kara Landau, dietitian and founder of Uplift Food, added: “Partnering with SnackFutures will undeniably strengthen Uplift Food’s capacity to live our mission of seeing everyone benefit from the consumption of gut healthy foods. "The SnackFutures team provides the industry experience needed to make our dream a reality, and the continued support they show us to hold onto our nutritional and ingredient integrity allows us to remain true to our core values and grow."

Unilever has expanded its Magnum ice cream portfolio in the US with a new range of Double Tubs, featuring thick milk chocolate shards and a range of sauces. Wrapped in a Belgian milk chocolate shell, four flavours are available: sea salt caramel, cookie crumble, chocolate and ganache, and cherry truffle. Leslie Miller, director of ice cream at Unilever North America, said: “In 2018, we launched Magnum Tubs, a first-of-a-kind indulgent ice cream experience, and this year we're offering even more ways for fans to indulge with our new Magnum Double Ice Cream Tubs. "Each of our Double Tubs flavours comes from one of our classic bars, like our most-loved flavour, Magnum double caramel ice cream bar. This favourite has been reimagined into our new double sea salt caramel tub, which gives fans that same delicious taste and fine premium ingredients in an unapologetically indulgent experience." Each new flavour is available in the US with a suggested retail price of between $4.49 and $5.99. The existing Magnum Tubs range is also available in four flavours: milk chocolate vanilla, dark chocolate raspberry, milk chocolate hazelnut, and white chocolate vanilla. Earlier this month, Unilever introduced the first Magnum dairy-free range, in a move to capitalise in the growth in the vegan ice cream market.

Best artisan drink Belvoir Fruit Farms – Botanical Juniper & Tonic Billson’s Brewery – Small batch sodas Kolibri Drinks – Kolibri Drinks Best artisan food Armatore – Anchovy extract Borna Foods – Pistachio Butters Cottage Delight – Strawberry daiquiri whole fruit jam Fire Grain Freekeh - The grain that was born from the fire Longbottom & Co. - Hot Sauce Best brand extension/limited edition Absolut and Ardagh Group - Absolut Drop Armatore - Anchovy's extract - Ceramic bottle Brownes Dairy - Top Down Natural Yoghurt Family Foods - MGO Manuka Honey Drops Best brand/business Cowan London - Billson's Brewery Dammenberg - The Adventures of Moomin chocolate bar range EauLab - Next Generation Water Kolibri Drinks – Kolibri Drinks Best children’s product BLENDI - BLENDI Snacks Chewy Moon – Chewy Moon Chobani - Chobani Gimmies PLAYin CHOC - PLAYin CHOC kids Best confectionery innovation Fudge Kitchen - Lemongrass & Chilli Peanut Brittle Montrose Chocolate - Benefit Chocolate PLAYin CHOC - PLAYin CHOC kids Best convenience food Bio-tiful Dairy - Cacao Kefir Smoothie The Brook - Vegan Ready Meals Fazer - Froosh Smoothie Bowl Huel - Huel Ready-to-drink complete meal Nim's Fruit Crisps - 100% Air Dried Watermelon Crisps Re:Nourish LTD - Re:Nourish Slice of Sauce - Classic Ketchup TEA-POP – TEA-POP Best convenience packaging Brownes Dairy - Top Down Natural Yoghurt DOZO Tea - DOZO Tea MATCHA KAMBLE GROUP INNOVATIONS LIMITED - Kamble's Grab Cup Best drink concept (sponsored by Austria Juice ) Captivate - Flavouring the Refill Revolution DOZO Tea - DOZO Tea MATCHA EauLab - Next Generation Water Timeless Drinks Ventures Ltd - NINE ELMS No18 Wine Water Ltd - O.Vine Xachoh - Blend No. 5 & Blend No. 7 Non-Alcoholic Spirits Best food concept ALDI - Mama Cozzi Cauliflower Crust Pizza EverSoQwrkee - Plant Based Pea M'LK Fazer - Froosh Smoothie Bowl Frutteto - Frutorka Italia Hubei Bestore Industries - Black Sesame and Mulberry Powder S&P Industries Sdn Bhd - Kerra Coconut Spread Best food-service/catering product Avocado Grinfeld – Frozen Pure Avocado Food for Progress - Pulled Oumph! Willaroos - Jackfruit Pepperoni Best ‘free-from’ product ALDI - Simply Nature 100% Avocado Oil Dolfin (UK) Ltd. - Full Of Beans Snacks Hunter & Gather Foods - MAYOCADO Ice Crime - Mini Sticks 0% added sugar Unbun Foods - Original Unbun YOFIX - Clean-label dairy-free yogurt alternatives Best frozen food ALDI - Sundae Shoppe Protein Pints Ice Crime - Mini Sticks 0% added sugar Oatlaws - Protein Oatscream Best Great British product Atkins and Potts - Inspired Vegan Horseradish Sauce Hunter & Gather Foods - Classic Avocado Oil Mayonnaise Radnor Preserves - Hand-Cut Pink Gin Marmalade Best health/wellness drink Botanical Lab - Cannabidiol Buckwheat Healthcare Products - Nutraceutical Buckwheat Nutrition Drink EauLab - Gut Support Water Nim’s Fruit Crisps - Nim's Edible Teas Upbeat Brands Ltd - Juicy Protein Water Willy’s ACV - Willy's Naturally Fermented Energy Drink Best health/wellness food Bio-tiful Dairy - Original Kefir-Quark Chomptown - Protein Cookies Fire Grain Freekeh - The grain that was born from the fire Huel - Huel Mint Chocolate Powder Pulsin Vitality Blend Supershake - Vanilla Matcha Flavour EverSoQwrkee - Plant-Based Probiotic Puffs - Vegan Cheese Re:Nourish - Re:Nourish Unbun Foods - Original Unbun Best ingredient innovation ALDI - Simply Nature Organic Bean Pasta Comet Bio - The Future of Ingredients Novo Farina - Gluten Free Pea Flour Nutrition Innovation Singapore - Nucane Life PLT Health Solutions - Artesa Chickpea Protein Best manufacturing or processing technology Amyris, Inc. - No Compromise Sweetness KAMBLE GROUP INNOVATIONS LIMITED - Freeze-Dried Sugarcane Juice OAL - APRIL Eye Best marketing/engagement campaign InnerMongolia Yili Industrial Group - Ambrosial Jellybean Creative Solutions for Porky Whites - SAUSIES Awards Kerrygold USA - 'Music Behind the Recipes' Campaign Best organic product ALDI - Simply Nature Organic Coconut Oil Dammenberg Organic - 79 % Criollo dark chocolate with strawberry & blackberry PLAYin CHOC - PLAYin CHOC kids Best packaging design Cowan London - Billson's small-batch sodas Garçon Wines - Innovative, eco-friendly, flat wine bottle Lost Sheep Coffee - Lost Sheep Coffee LOTUS - LEAP Wild Salmon Pemberton & Whitefoord - Switchle Upbeat Brands Ltd - Juicy Protein Water Best packaging technology O-I - EXPRESSIONS Soggy Food Sucks LLC - Crunch Patch Stixfresh USA, Inc. - Stixfresh Best plant-based product ALDI - Earth Grown Meatless Meatballs EverSoQwrkee - Plant Based Pea M'LK Food for Progress - Pulled Oumph! Freaks of Nature - Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Hot Pudding Gato – Pudding Range Oatlaws - Oat Chocolate Protein Pudding Willaroos - Jackfruit Pepperoni YOFIX - Clean-label plant-based yogurt alternatives Best snacking innovation BEPPS - BEPPS Snacks Chobani - Chobani Gimmies Chomptown - Protein Cookies Dealing BG Ltd - Shiitake Crisps Plant Pops - Popped Lotus Seeds The Protein Ball Co - Apple + Blueberry Breakfast Balls ThreeWorks Snacks - ThreeWorks Apple Chips YAAR BARS LTD - Vanilla YAAR BAR Best street food brand Dyfferent - Cauliflower Rice with Peruvian Seasoning Food for Progress - Pulled Oumph! TSC Foods LTD - Glorious! Street Food soups Best sustainability initiative Captivate - Flavouring the Refill Revolution FoodMaven - Distribution Model PT Golden Hope Nusantara - Sustainability Initiatives Stixfresh USA, Inc. - Stixfresh Best sustainable packaging Absolut and Ardagh Group - Absolut Drop DS Smith Plastics - Fillbee Garçon Wines - Flat, sustainable wine bottle with game-changing transit case Stixfresh USA, Inc. - Stixfresh The One Brand - One Less Bottle Carton   Have you launched a new product? Then FoodBev’s awards are for you! We regularly come across new products and trends, providing them with the platform to get the exposure they deserve. Showcase your latest innovations and set that trend!  Find out more

Mondelēz International has appointed Vince Gruber as its new executive vice-president and president for Europe, replacing the long-standing Hubert Weber, who has announced his retirement. Gruber began his career at Kraft Foods Austria (now Mondelēz International) in 1989, and has held several senior positions at the company, most recently serving as the company's area president for Western Europe since 2016. Other notable roles that Gruber has held at the company include a spell as the director of chocolate for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, a role he held until 2010 when he was appointed as the president of the company's European chocolate unit. Gruber also spent seven years as the managing director for new business at Red Bull between 2000 and 2007, where he was responsible for introducing new concepts throughout Europe and the US. Europe is Mondelēz's largest market, accounting for approximately one-third of the company's total revenue in 2018, with 'power brands' such as Cadbury's, Milka and Oreo holding strong positions in the European market. Gruber will be responsible for driving the company's 'Snacking made Right' business strategy, which aims to leverage Mondelēz's position in the snacking segment to encourage further growth. Gruber said: “With ‘Snacking Made Right’, we have a strong strategic plan that will guide our actions in the years ahead and lead us towards sustained and profitable growth. “I feel honoured to lead such an excellent European team and look forward to creating the future of snacking.” Earlier this year,  Mondelēz announced that it would relocate its global headquarters  from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield to a new site in the city’s West Loop.

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is expanding its Monster Energy portfolio in the UK with the launch of a new ready-to-drink coffee drink range, designed to appeal to coffee drinkers and energy drink lovers alike.  Rolling out in March, Espresso Monster is a blend of real brewed coffee and Monster. Sold in a ‘touch ink’ black 250ml can, two variants will be available: espresso and milk, and vanilla espresso. The product has been designed to appeal to consumers looking for a cold coffee experience with similar caffeine content as a hot coffee. Espresso Monster launches into the ready-to-drink coffee sector, which is set to more than double over the next ten years, according to CCEP. Simon Harrison, vice president of commercial development at Coca-Cola European Partners GB, said: “Espresso Monster is a real step-change for the brand but has already proven extremely popular following a retail trial at the end of 2018." He added: “The new variant will enable us to attract new drinkers to both the energy and RTD coffee sectors, whilst delighting Monster’s core fanbase with our continued investment into exciting and great-tasting innovation. This, combined with the current growth of cold coffee RTD drinks and the energy sector, makes now the ideal time to bring Espresso Monster to market.” Cans of Espresso Monster will go on sale with a recommended retail price of £1.99. The launch comes as CCEP releases Appletiser Spritzer, a canned drink containing 50% fruit juice and 50% sparkling water. Also launching in March, the beverage is exempt from the UK’s soft drinks tax and contains zero sweeteners.

Kellogg has partnered with Accenture and Qualcomm Technologies to develop a solution that embeds eye-tracking technology in a mobile virtual reality (VR) headset to determine the best way to stock shelves for retailers. The Accenture Extended Reality (XR) practice developed the VR merchandising solution using a Qualcomm VR reference design headset. The resulting experience immerses customers in a simulated store, enabling them to shop, pick up products and place them in carts – all while monitoring what they are looking at, for how long and why. It has been designed to allow companies to extend their reach to more geographically dispersed participants and perform market research faster and on a larger scale. Kellogg tested the solution as it launched its Pop Tarts Bites product. The companies said that the VR technology provided “far deeper” behavioural data than standard testing, which typically relies on online surveys and in-home user tests. Rather than placing Pop Tarts Bites on higher shelves, which conventional testing indicated was where consumers expected to find new products, the VR solution demonstrated that optimal placement for the new product was on lower shelves. This led to an increase in brand sales of 18% during testing. Jenny McDaniels, senior manager of category strategy at Kellogg Company, said: “When trying to best assess a future product’s shelf placement, this new methodology provided optimal guidance from both a product and category perspective. This approach provided multiple data outputs, which in turn, created a holistic solution that would drive success for both the category and product.” Raffaella Camera, global head of innovation and market strategy at Accenture Extended Reality, said: “Our VR merchandising solution has the potential to transform product placement by examining consumer buying behaviour in a holistic way. “By combining the power of VR with eye tracking and analytics capabilities, it allows significant new insights to be captured while consumers shop by monitoring where and how they evaluate all products across an entire shelf or aisle. Ultimately, this enables product placement decisions to be made that can positively impact total brand sales, versus only single product sales.” Qualcomm Technologies senior director of business development Patrick Costello added: “XR provides transformative value to the enterprise. At Qualcomm Technologies, we develop foundational XR technology through our VR reference designs that are engineered to enable companies to evaluate and quickly launch devices. “This proof of concept with Accenture and Kellogg Company demonstrates the benefits of full immersion and eye tracking and we expect several customers to follow with similar deployments.”

British ice cream brand Jude’s has announced the launch of its first handheld ice cream range. Called Jude’s Minis, the line is made using the brand's lower-calorie vanilla bean ice cream – a product which is sweetened with stevia and erythritol – and available in a six-pack format. Each box contains two Belgian milk chocolate and almond sticks, two Belgian milk chocolate sticks, and two Belgian white chocolate-coated sticks, each with 95 calories per serve. Jude’s Ice Cream managing director Chow Mezger said: “We are delighted to be the first to market with these delicious, lower-calorie ice cream bars. We’ve witnessed the growing demand from consumers nationwide for lower-calorie ice cream that tastes delicious. “We launched our range of lower-calorie tubs, including a vegan chocolate flavour, a few months ago, and the flavours have been very well received. We are excited to follow these up with handheld bars – the perfect lower calorie treat.”  The range will go on sale exclusively at Sainsbury’s stores in the UK as of 11 March with a recommended retail price of £4.50. Last year, Jude’s further expanded its Little Jude’s portfolio with the introduction of two flavoured milks in chocolate and banana variants.

Häagen-Dazs has released a line of spirit-infused ice cream products, suitable for pairing with cocktails or enjoying on their own. Five ice cream flavours have been launched: Irish cream brownie, rum tres leches, bourbon vanilla bean truffle, stout chocolate pretzel crunch, and bourbon praline pecan. Also joining the line-up are a non-dairy amaretto black cherry almond toffee frozen dessert as well as Irish cream cookie squares. All products contain less than 0.5% alcohol. Rachel Jaiven, Häagen-Dazs Brand Manager, said: “The Häagen-Dazs brand is built on a passion for transforming the finest ingredients into extraordinary ice cream experiences. "The Spirits Collection was expertly crafted to offer new, extraordinary ways to indulge. Each flavour is perfect to pair with your favourite cocktail, elevate a boozy float or simply enjoy on its own." The Häagen-Dazs Spirits Collection is rolling out in the US now. All flavours are available with a suggested retail price of $5.29. Last month, it was announced that Häagen-Dazs ice cream will be available in a reusable double-walled steel container as part of the Loop waste-free shopping concept.

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.