Grupo Costa has acquired Juan Luna, a company specialising in sliced cold meats and cheese and meat snacks, in a move to strengthen its presence in the pre-packaged food market. Juan Luna has been added to the Costa Food Group holding, a national meat purveyor that currently supplies 'Iberico' and white pork, chicken and turkey. Jorge Costa, CEO of the Costa Food Group, said: "The acquisition of Juan Luna allows us to strengthen our options in the pre-packaged food market and also to extend our ranges. It will undoubtedly boost our growth, as it is a leading company in cutting, slicing and packaging. This incorporation is key to bringing continuity to our commitment to being closer to the end consumer." The Juan Luna plant in Sollana (Valencia, Spain) produces pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meat and cheese products in different formats such as sliced, cuts, diced, wedges, cheeseboards and presentation cases. Costa Food Group operates under multiple companies, including Piensos Costa, Costa Food Meat, Casademont and Industrias Cárnicas Villar.

Retail and online grocer of premium Korean food products, Wooltari USA, has acquired Korean start-up KPOP Foods, for an undisclosed sum. KPOP Foods offers Korean food products and collaborates with key distributors to bring its sauces and seaweed snacks to 3,000 retailers nationwide. Wooltari USA has partnerships with Korean food manufacturers, an operations hub fulfilling thousands of orders per day and a logistics network offering one-day delivery in major cities with one-to-three-day shipping nationwide. The company's aim is to make high-quality Korean food accessible to everyone. Theo Lee, co-founder and CEO of KPOP Foods, said: "We share a common vision and our teams possess expertise and knowledge in complementary areas. Together, we're excited to influence the future of Korean food in the US." The acquisition will enhance KPOP Foods' capabilities in product development, sourcing and operations to expand its distribution and services.

PepsiCo has introduced a new addition to its SodaStream's portfolio of sparkling water makers, called the Art. The Art features Sodastream's new Quick Connect technology for an easy cylinder insertion and comes with a BPA free one-litre reusable bottle, saving single-use plastic bottles. According to the company, the machine features a "slim silhouette, retro design, stainless-steel trim and a unique carbonating lever". “We really enjoyed designing the Art and believe it will be a showstopper in any kitchen,” said Mark Fenton, general manager at SodaStream US. “In addition to the new, sophisticated look, consumers can rely on the ease-of-use and...quality they have come to know and love with SodaStream.” SodaStream the Art is available in black and white at Bed Bath & Beyond retailers for $129.99, with the addition of two more colours, misty blue and mandarin red, coming in March via "other retailers nationwide".

Once Again Nut Butter has expanded its portable, organic snack range with the addition of new gluten-free graham cracker sandwiches. The new releases are available in peanut butter and sunflower seed butter flavours. The brand's high-quality, sustainably sourced nut and seed butters are combined with its graham crackers, made from a blend of organic sorghum flour, organic oat flour and organic cassava flour. These are then filled with dry roasted blanched organic peanuts or dry roasted organic sunflower seeds. The clean-ingredient product uses RSPO certified palm oil to stabilize the spreads and is made with sustainably sourced cane sugar. They're also vegan, kosher certified and non-GMO verified. Gael J. B. Orr, director of marketing at Once Again Nut Butter, said: "Our nut and seed butters have always been an awesome ingredient choice to create plant-based snacks with, so we couldn’t be more excited to introduce these ready-to-enjoy graham cracker sandwiches to market. Designed to appeal to all ages, the portable snacks can be eaten straight off the shelf, no peanut-butter stirring or sunflower-butter spreading needed and they’re surprisingly filling and tasty." Once Again’s graham cracker sandwiches will be available in US retailers nationwide in March 2022.

Multivac Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co has announced it has acquired the complete holdings of TVI Entwicklung und Produktion. TVI, which specialise in portioning machines and complete portioning lines, has been part of the Multivac Group since 2017. The company's product range includes solutions for tempering, freezing, pressing, portioning and automating, as well as for winding grill sticks and producing kebab skewers. Christian Traumann, joint group president of Multivac, commented: "By acquiring the complete holdings of TVI, we are underlining the strategic importance of TVI within the group. The company is an essential component for the further alignment of Multivac as a complete supplier of packaging and processing solutions." Traumann continued: "This is also shown by the investment in TVI's new site in Bruckmühl, which offers the ideal conditions for further sustainable growth and which makes it possible to systematically expand TVI's leading position in the meat portioning sector".

European packaging company Smurfit Kappa plans to invest $33 million in the expansion of its Fortaleza, Brazil, production facility. The investment will expand the site's capacity, in order to meet growing demand for innovative and sustainable packaging. The project, which will include the installation of a new corrugator, will significantly extend the plant’s shelf-ready packaging capabilities for customers in a variety of market sectors, including fresh fruit and pharmaceuticals. Several high-end printers will also be installed in order to provide a high level of precision and quality. "Today’s announcement will ensure Smurfit Kappa can support our customers to gain even more share in their markets. The combination of an innovation centre and state-of-the-art technology will provide greater opportunities to collaborate with customers to deliver innovative, inspiring and sustainable solutions," said Manuel Alcalá, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Brazil.

Packaging company SIG has expanded its lower-carbon, aluminium-free packaging portfolio with the release of Signature EVO. The new range is said to offer the world's first aluminium-free full barrier packaging materials for aseptic carton packs. The extension, which is already available for plain white milk, can be utilised for "oxygen-sensitive products", such as fruit juices, nectars, flavoured milk and plant-based beverages. SIG's SVP innovation, Ali Kaylan, said: “By extending our Signature portfolio with Signature EVO – the world’s first aluminium-free packaging materials for aseptic cartons with full barrier protection – we are taking the next step in our aluminium-free journey and underlining our position as an industry leader in sustainable innovations". He continued: "We are delighted to give our customers additional opportunities to bring low-impact packaging solutions to more categories and more consumers around the world”. According to SIG, Signature EVO packaging materials are expected to offer a similar carbon footprint reduction to SIG's Combibloc EcoPlus, which was launched in 2010. Signature EVO ensures that "oxygen-sensitive products" are protected over long periods of time without the need for refrigeration. The new aluminium-free solution will initially be released in the CombiblocMini portion-sized format before being extended to other formats.

Vegan fried chicken firm VFC Foods has announced it has secured £7.5 million in a seed funding round led by vegan investment fund Veg Capital. Founded in late 2020, VFC produces a wide range of vegan fried chicken products, including Chick*n Fillets, Popcorn Chick*n and Chick*n Bites. The funding will be used to grow the company's team and support distribution expansion. VFC’s commercial director, Stewart McGuckin, said: “The reception from both customers and consumers has been incredible, and the successful Tesco launch has allowed us to secure listings in more of the UK’s top four grocers, as well as the largest foodservice wholesalers. Expansion within the UK has been phenomenal, and we are also seeing strong international demand, particularly from the US.” VFC says that a larger Series A funding round is being considered for mid 2023. Last year, VFC raised £2.5 million in funding to scale up production and accelerate the growth of the brand, both in the UK and internationally.

Canadian grain and ingredient company, Scoular, has opened a high-speed flax processing facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. Scoular’s new plant will support the company’s ongoing commitment to providing marketing opportunities for Canadian farmers. The facility will produce whole and milled flax – available in the brown or golden categories – for a range of applications, including bread, cereal, bars, snacks, pasta, oils and supplements. Drew Fossum, Scoular’s product group manager, said: “Our new facility is a testament to Scoular’s dedication to Canadian producers. We are committed to providing these growers a competitive market for their flax. The facility has outstanding capabilities and it further strengthens Scoular’s position as a reliable and consistent supplier of flax to our customers.” The facility is the first flax plant to open in Western Canada in almost ten years.

Suntory is adding a new Original flavour to its Lucozade's Alert range, following the £1 million generated sales in under two months through convenience stores. Lucozade Alert Original is low in calories and non-HFSS certified. The new variant will be available from next month in 500ml in standard and price marked cans. Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I's head of Lucozade, Zoe Trimble, said: “Over the past year, consumption patterns have changed, drinking occasions have evolved and we know the importance of converting these insights into action through the launch of new flavours, formats and NPD". She continued: “We know that 75% of adults reported concerns about tiredness, yet many shoppers still don’t think stimulant drinks are for them. This is why we brought Lucozade Alert to shelves last year; high in caffeine and with Vitamin B3 to help reduce tiredness."

Jack Link's-owned meat snacking brand Peperami has launched new chorizo five-packs to add to its extensive snack portfolio. The new chorizo sticks are made with 100% pork, packed with protein, contain 99 calories and are unpasteurised to maintain a fuller flavour — providing a shelf life of over six months. Laura Trivulzio, marketing director at Peperami and Jack Link’s, said: “With health riding higher on the consumer agenda than ever before, there is no better time to launch our new chorizo variant, in a bid to attract younger adults to the category. The British appetite for chorizo is building at a fast pace and as Peperami is cementing its position as an iconic brand in the savoury snack market, we wanted to tap into the growing trend with our new, authentic chorizo variant." She continued: "The chorizo sticks are a more sophisticated lunchtime and mid-afternoon snack offering, adding to our expanding snack portfolio and providing a better-for-you snack with distinctive flavours to help maintain excitement around snack times". The chorizo five-pack will RRP for £2.30 and is available in Tesco, with further roll-out expected into other retailers. The chorizo single sticks will also be launching at a later date.

Puratos has announced the acquisition of Profimix, a Czech supplier of improvers, bakery mixes and confectionery. Founded in 2007, Profimix has built a strong position in the Czech market through its brand 'Pekaruv Mlyn', and has a turnover of more than €4 million. According to Puratos, Profimix has "an organic-certified production manufacturing unit and specialises in flour parameters knowledge and analysis". The acquisition helps Puratos to extend its reach in the health and wellbeing category, as the company's latest Taste Tomorrow research found that 79% of consumers ranked grains and seeds as the number one contributor to health and taste in bakery products. Puratos Czech Republic general manager, Tomas Novak, said: “The acquisition of Profimix will allow us to offer customers greater flexibility, services, speed in innovation and access to healthier products”. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Puratos recently announced its acquisition of Belgian probiotics company THT for an undisclosed sum.