French plant-based start-up La Vie has raised €25 million in a Series A round, which was backed by investors including Natalie Portman. The round also received participation from Seventure, Partech and the CEOs of Vinted, Blablacar and Back Market. The company produces vegetable lardons and bacon using patented vegetable fat that is rich in protein. La Vie plans to use the funding to "revolutionise plant-based food" and expand its distribution across France, the UK and the rest of Europe, targeting both the retail and foodservice channels. "It is essential to switch to plant-based food and I am convinced that technological innovation has a key role to play in encouraging consumers – even the most reluctant – to make the switch," said Thomas Lodewijk Plantenga, CEO of Vinted. "The La Vie team has created a delicious recipe and a unique brand that will make plant-based meat so appealing that it will become the norm in our societies."

US vertical farming technology company, Plenty, has raised $400 million in a Series E funding round, which included investment from retail giant Walmart. Plenty described the funding as "the largest investment to date for an indoor farming company". The round was led by One Madison Group and private investment firm JS Capital, and included participation from Walmart and returning investor, SoftBank Vision Fund 1. The capital will be used to support Plenty's growth strategy, which includes selling multi-crop farms direct to partners. One Madison Group's CEO and chairman, Omar Asali, said: "The indoor farming sector is at an exciting inflection point, poised to reach its full potential as a new asset class that addresses the significant need to provide access to fresh, nutritious food year-round, even in geographies where traditional farming is difficult". He continued: "Plenty has truly 'cracked the code' on the technology and economics of indoor farming. It has developed an innovative and scalable model that can deliver fresh, sustainable produce to retailers, growers and governments anywhere in the world." According to Plenty, the company's vertical towers and intelligent platform make it "the only vertical farming company capable of growing multiple crops on one platform with consistently superior flavour and yields. While traditional farms and other indoor farming solutions battle the limits of space, crop variation, nature and yield, Plenty's...modular system makes it possible to scale farms to meet partner and consumer needs." Additionally, the company has entered into a strategic agreement with Walmart to bring Plenty's leafy greens from its Compton farm to all of the retailer's stores in California this year.

Unilever has expanded its Magnum ice cream brand with the release of the Magnum Remix range, a "remixed" version of its most popular varieties, which includes Classic, Almond and White Chocolate. Magnum Remix is available in three flavours: Magnum Classic Remix, Magnum Almond Remix and Magnum White Chocolate and Berry Remix, each variety is available in a three-pack box with an RRP of £3.99. Meanwhile, Magnum Almond Remix is also available in a Mini-size of six-packs for the same price. Magnum has also unveiled the Magnum Sweet and Salty Almond Remix, available in a 440ml tub format with an RRP of £4. Unilever's brand experience director, Ice Cream, UK, Horacio Cal, said: “Magnum Remix are supercharged versions of our much-loved classics, shining a light on our core range". He continued: "By introducing remixed versions of our already popular range, we can delight fans but also reach new customers and create even more opportunities for shoppers to try Magnum...We want to continue to drive value and expand our customer base to help retailers profit from the growing ice cream category.”

Canadian food manufacturer Leclerc has purchased a factory in Brockville, Ontario, as part of a $100 million investment to expand its operations in North America. The factory – formerly owned by Proctor and Gamble – will help to create more than 100 new jobs locally in 2022. Leclerc, which manufactures a range of products under brands such as Celebration, Vital, GoPure and Choco Max, will use the 790,197 square-foot production plant to produce its cookies and snack bars. The government of Ontario is supporting the investment through its Eastern Ontario Development Fund. A total of $1.5 million will be allocated to the company to assist with the creation of new jobs and technologies. "Brockville offers a strategic location within North America, near US customs and our other Leclerc plants in Canada and the USA. This new facility will allow us to continue to grow our operations in full expansion. We firmly believe that our team members are what make us stand out from the big multinational food companies and we look forward to welcoming Brockville residents into our family" said Denis Leclerc, president of Leclerc Foods. Production is planned to start from July 2022, with full capacity achieved by January 2023.

Producer of premium tea Aiya Matcha has released a new collection of matcha-infused tea made from shade-grown green tea leaves. The collection includes three premium Japanese green teas – Organic Matcha Infused Gyokuro, boasting a smooth, delicate umami flavour, Organic Matcha Infused Sencha, a bright, refreshing blend of traditional green tea with an aromatic finish, and Organic Matcha Infused Genmaicha featuring a combination of matcha, sencha and toasted brown rice. Each box contains ten pyramid tea bags and all products are USDA organic and kosher certified. Nathan Effron, national account executive of Aiya Matcha, said: "Our matcha-infused tea line pays homage to traditional steeped green tea and is a great introduction to matcha. Customers can enjoy traditional green tea flavours enhanced with the subtle flavour notes and umami imparted by organic ceremonial matcha". The new line is available in North American markets at all Gelson's, Lassen's, Jimbo's, Whole Foods Market (Canada only) and Metro Market (Canada) locations. Customers will also soon be able to find these products in select Acme Fresh markets.

Hudsonville Ice Cream has teamed with McKee Foods-owned brand Little Debbie to launch seven new snack cakes-inspired ice cream flavours. The range features: Oatmeal Creme Pies, a vanilla creme ice cream with soft oatmeal cookie pieces and a hint of molasses; Cosmic Brownies, a brownie batter ice cream filled with mini rainbow chips and brownie pieces; and Zebra Cakes, a white cake ice cream with yellow cake pieces and a milk chocolate fudge swirl. Additionally, it includes Honey Buns, a honey bun-flavoured ice cream with glazed honey bun pieces and a cinnamon swirl; Strawberry Shortcake Rolls, a white cake ice cream with yellow cake pieces and a tart strawberry swirl; Swiss Rolls, a chocolate cake ice cream with a swirl of whipped cream; and Nutty Bars, a peanut butter ice cream swirled with chocolate waffle cone pieces and a fudge swirl. The snack cakes-inspired ice creams will be available at Walmart for a retail price of $2.50 per pint.

The Coca-Cola Company has partnered with Molson Coors to launch a full-flavour alcoholic beverage range inspired by the company's Simply juice brand. Simply Spiked Lemonade, which has a 5% abv, comes in four flavours: strawberry lemonade, watermelon lemonade, blueberry lemonade and its signature lemonade. The launch follows following their successful Topo Chico Hard Seltzer collaboration. Molson Coors chief marketing officer, Michelle St. Jacques, said: “Over the past two years, we’ve seen success by shaking up existing categories with new brands that have clear, compelling points of difference, like Coca-Cola's Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Vizzy Hard Seltzer and ZOA Energy Drink". She continued: "Now, we have a huge opportunity to leverage the power of Simply – a brand known for real juice and big flavour – to disrupt the full-flavour alcohol segment in a way that’s never been done before”. Simply Spiked Lemonade will be released during summer 2022, wand will come in a variety 12-pack of slim cans and 24oz standalone. Molson Coors will distribute, manufacture and market Simply Spiked Lemonade as part of the agreement.

Unilever plans to cut 1,500 jobs as it restructures operations in the wake of its unsuccessful bid for GSK Consumer Healthcare. In addition, the company has simplified its current structure into five business groups: beauty & wellbeing, personal care, home care, nutrition and ice cream. The five categories will be supported by Unilever Business Operations although "each group will be fully responsible and accountable for its strategy, growth and global profit delivery," a company statement said. The proposed business model will result in a significant reduction of senior management roles – which currently account for around 15% of Unilever's employment. The company aims to create more junior management roles (5%). "Our new organisational model has been developed over the last year and is designed to continue the step-up we are seeing in the performance of our business. Moving to five category-focused business groups will enable us to be more responsive to consumer and channel trends, with crystal-clear accountability for delivery. Growth remains our top priority and these changes will underpin our pursuit of this." explained Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever. The move comes after Unilever's £50 billion failed takeover of GlaxoSmithKline‘s consumer health business last week and subsequently Trian Partners acquiring a stake in the company. According to Unilever, these changes are subject to consultation.

Mexican poultry manufacturer Industrias Bachoco has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the stocks of meat producer RYC Alimentos. The deal includes the acquisition of two facilities in Puebla, Mexico, as well as approximately 21 stores located in four Mexican states: Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Tlaxcala. Founded in 1983, RYC produces and distributes beef, pork and chicken. The company's stockholder equity is valued at $61 million, with net sales of around $150 million per year. Meanwhile, Bachoco is described as "one of the largest poultry producers globally" and its main products include chicken, eggs and swine. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Princes has expanded its extensive portfolio into the frozen category with a new range inspired by global street food flavours. The frozen range of 100% chicken kebabs comes in three variations, drawing on flavours from around the world including India, Korea and Malaysia. Each kebab has been hand-skewered and then turned over hot charcoals to "release the delicious spicy flavours". The range consists of The Indian Tandoori Chargrilled Chicken Kebabs, coated in a rich, aromatic marinade with combinations of paprika, cumin and coriander, the Korean Style BBQ Chargrilled Chicken Kebabs which are glazed in a smoky, rich BBQ sauce with soy, chilli and paprika and the Malaysian Style Satay Chargrilled Chicken Kebabs with a creamy and rich satay sauce, made of a mixture of peanuts, coconut and tamarind. Alan Eriksen, marketing director for Princes, said: "A first of its kind for Princes in the frozen food market, we have developed a street food range which is guaranteed to stand out and become a go-to for customers seeking more exciting and unseen flavours and product formats." The products are available in Morrisons with an RRP of £3.75 per 260g pack.

UK dairy group Meadow Foods has announced the appointment of Raj Tugnait as its next CEO. Tugnait succeeds Mark Chantler, who will move to the comapny's board as a non-executive director and significant shareholder once Tugnait takes up the role in May. Tugnait has worked in the food industry since 1998. Most recently, he took up the role of CEO at Sysco Specialty Group. Current Meadow Foods CEO, Mark Chantler, said: “I feel immensely privileged to have led Meadow Foods in its transition from a family dairy business to the market-leading ingredients business we have today". He continued: "The business now incorporates six divisions across four sites, 450 employees, 350 active customers and thousands of suppliers. Meadow Foods is stronger, more diverse and more financially secure than ever before and we feel now is the time for an experienced and entrepreneurial operator to lead us through this next phase of growth.”

Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, has introduced three new cereal offerings to its Pebbles lineup in the US. Pebbles Shake Ups!, which combines several Post cereals together, comes in two varieties: Cocoa Explosion, a mix of Cocoa Pebbles, chocolate honeycomb cereal and marshmallow bits; and Sweet & Salty, a mashup of birthday cake Pebbles, Waffle Crisp cereal and salted pretzel bits. Meanwhile, Post has also unveiled Marshmallow Cocoa Pebbles, a gluten-free "crispy" rice cereal with marshmallows. "Cereal has gone beyond the breakfast table and people are looking for even more ways to satisfy their Pebbles cravings," said Elle Weisenberger, brand manager at Post. "...we're excited to introduce even more ways for consumers to enjoy the cereals they love in a crunchable, snackable pack." Pebbles Shake Ups! and Marshmallow Cocoa Pebbles are available at selected grocery stores.