Production lines Gateshead (Photo: European Valuations)
Sponsored Post – On behalf of Sarah O’Toole, Kevin Coates & Jon Roden of Grant Thornton LLP, the Joint Administrators of Orchard House Foods Ltd, European Valuations present a major auction of late model and high spec fruit and food processing machinery. Orchard House Foods Ltd was one of the UK’s largest suppliers of prepared fruit, fresh fruit drinks and desserts to retailers, on-the-go food outlets, food service providers and manufacturers throughout the UK. Over 700 lots will be included in the online auction which closes from 10am on Thursday 1st of June. A great number of the assets were only recently purchased by the client, some lot highlights include: Ishida High speed 12 Head fresh fruit weighing system, Ishida CCW-R2-112WB-2D-15-WP-BE Single head 12 port fresh fruit weighing system, Dohmeyer DOH-TLT-8400-2X28 Cryogenic freezing tunnels, PND PL6M fruit peeling machine, Kronen Tona Rapide Apple Segmenter, Ishida DACS Checkweigher, Proseal GT2S Sealing machine, ICS Refrigeration plant, Proseal GT1S Sealing machine, Twin Head Ishida Potting Machine and much more. More stock is being added in the coming weeks. Viewing is by appointment only on May 30th.
European Valuations has over 130 years of experience in selling assets and providing consultancy advice. They pride themselves on delivering high-quality solutions that provide the best outcomes for our clients. They offer a range of services, from sale and disposal solutions for entire businesses to individual assets such as inventory or plant equipment.
Sponsored Post – On behalf of Sarah O’Toole, Kevin Coates & Jon Roden of Grant Thornton LLP, the Joint Administrators of Orchard House Foods Ltd, European Valuations present a major auction of late model and high spec fruit and food processing machinery. Orchard House Foods Ltd was one of the UK’s largest suppliers of prepared fruit, fresh fruit drinks and desserts to retailers, on-the-go food outlets, food service providers and manufacturers throughout the UK. Over 700 lots will be included in the online auction which closes from 10am on Thursday 1st of June. A great number of the assets were only recently purchased by the client, some lot highlights include: Ishida High speed 12 Head fresh fruit weighing system, Ishida CCW-R2-112WB-2D-15-WP-BE Single head 12 port fresh fruit weighing system, Dohmeyer DOH-TLT-8400-2X28 Cryogenic freezing tunnels, PND PL6M fruit peeling machine, Kronen Tona Rapide Apple Segmenter, Ishida DACS Checkweigher, Proseal GT2S Sealing machine, ICS Refrigeration plant, Proseal GT1S Sealing machine, Twin Head Ishida Potting Machine and much more. More stock is being added in the coming weeks. Viewing is by appointment only on May 30th.
European Valuations has over 130 years of experience in selling assets and providing consultancy advice. They pride themselves on delivering high-quality solutions that provide the best outcomes for our clients. They offer a range of services, from sale and disposal solutions for entire businesses to individual assets such as inventory or plant equipment.
The climate impact of food is important to Europeans. Three out of five consumers consider climate impact when buying food according to a new survey by Yara.
Yara International announced the findings in a new European survey on sustainable food conducted by leading international market research company IPSOS on behalf of Yara. The report provides an overview of consumer purchasing habits and sustainable food preferences.
“The report shows that Europeans are highly motivated to buy sustainable food to reduce their climate impact. This should be a wake-up call to the entire food industry,” says Birgitte Holter, VP of Green Fertilisers at Yara. “While three out of five Europeans find the climate impact important when buying food, a majority feel it is not easy enough to understand available information about the climate emission to be able to make sustainable choices. More than three out of four consumers would prefer to be able to read the carbon footprint on the food item,” Holter says.
The world’s food production accounts for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. This new report shows that 58 % of Europeans consider the climate impact important when buying food and beverages. In addition, 51 % of Europeans are willing to pay more for fossil free food items, meaning food produced without fossil sources. However, most people feel that it is not easy to know which food is climate friendly, as 76 % of Europeans would like the carbon footprint to be visible on the food label.
“Decarbonisation of food is possible and that is why we are developing green fertilisers made from water and air using renewable energy, to support farmers and food companies in reducing their climate impact of their food. These voluntary choices must be supported by adequate policies. The EU’s Sustainable Food System initiative, planned for the end of 2023, should therefore create a set of incentives for food systems’ actors to go beyond the minimum requirements and favor low-carbon footprint solutions such as green fertilisers,” says Holter.
In Porsgrunn, Norway, Yara is building the first production plant to run on renewable energy. From here, Yara will produce green fertilisers made without the use of fossil energy or fossil sources. This will result in crops with an up to 30 % lower carbon footprint and up to 20 % carbon footprint reduction in the food produced, making them a powerful solution to grow a decarbonised and fossil free food future. The first green fertilisers are planned to enter production in the second half of 2023.
The market demand for food made without fossil energy sources is high. More than half of Europeans (51 %) said they are willing to pay more for climate friendly food. A clear majority of Europeans (74 %) say food companies need to work to reduce the emissions from their food production.
Key findings in this survey:
58 % of Europeans consider the climate impact important when buying food and beverage items
69 % of Europeans would choose a climate friendlier food item versus a cheaper option. (26 % would choose a fossil free food item, 43 % would choose a low-carbon item)
51 % of Europeans say they are willing to pay more for food made without fossil fuel sources
31 % of Europeans already make sustainable choices when it comes to their buying habits
More than three out of four (76 %) Europeans want to see the carbon footprint of food items on the label
Nearly three out of four Europeans (74 %) believe food companies should work to reduce emissions in their food production
About the survey The survey on the need for sustainable food was commissioned by Yara International and conducted by IPSOS. The panel consisted of 12,000 consumer respondents in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Norway, Sweden and Denmark (1,000 respondents in each country). The data was collected from online interviews during the period of December 1 – 14, 2022.
The leading global trade fair for food and beverages taps into the extensive know-how of Europe’s leading initiative for food innovations
EIT Food, the world’s largest and most dynamic initiative for food innovations is the new partner of Anuga. In line with the key theme of Anuga, “Sustainable Growth”, the aim of the long-term, strategic partnership is to promote the dialogue and the interdisciplinary cooperation to achieve a sustainable food system. Together the leading global trade fair for food and beverages and EIT Food will create a platform for innovative ideas and new sustainable developments in the food industry. To this end, they are bringing the most important players from the industry and fields of politics and business together at Anuga in Cologne from 7 to 11 October 2023.
“We are delighted to have the experts of EIT Food and its network on board in the scope of this new, strategic partnership. New ways towards an improved, global food system will be highlighted in the course of different event formats and subsequently there will be an opportunity to engage in a direct exchange with an international trade audience and the trade media,” explained Bastian Mingers, Vice President Food.
Dr. Andy Zynga, CEO of EIT Food, adds: “EIT Food is very pleased to work more closely with Anuga, in addition to the partnership with Anuga HORIZON. The goal of the food community is clear: only together will we build an innovative and resilient food system, which is integral in driving greater food security and a healthier planet. This requires new ideas, solutions and collaboration within the industry, for which Anuga offers a fantastic opportunity.”
The key contents of the partnership are among others:
a professional exchange and knowledge transfer
the joint development of the conference and event programme of Anuga with panel discussions, workshops and speakers
joint press events in the run-up to and during Anuga
The climate impact of food is important to Europeans. Three out of five consumers consider climate impact when buying food according to a new survey by Yara.
Yara International announced the findings in a new European survey on sustainable food conducted by leading international market research company IPSOS on behalf of Yara. The report provides an overview of consumer purchasing habits and sustainable food preferences.
“The report shows that Europeans are highly motivated to buy sustainable food to reduce their climate impact. This should be a wake-up call to the entire food industry,” says Birgitte Holter, VP of Green Fertilisers at Yara. “While three out of five Europeans find the climate impact important when buying food, a majority feel it is not easy enough to understand available information about the climate emission to be able to make sustainable choices. More than three out of four consumers would prefer to be able to read the carbon footprint on the food item,” Holter says.
The world’s food production accounts for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. This new report shows that 58 % of Europeans consider the climate impact important when buying food and beverages. In addition, 51 % of Europeans are willing to pay more for fossil free food items, meaning food produced without fossil sources. However, most people feel that it is not easy to know which food is climate friendly, as 76 % of Europeans would like the carbon footprint to be visible on the food label.
“Decarbonisation of food is possible and that is why we are developing green fertilisers made from water and air using renewable energy, to support farmers and food companies in reducing their climate impact of their food. These voluntary choices must be supported by adequate policies. The EU’s Sustainable Food System initiative, planned for the end of 2023, should therefore create a set of incentives for food systems’ actors to go beyond the minimum requirements and favor low-carbon footprint solutions such as green fertilisers,” says Holter.
In Porsgrunn, Norway, Yara is building the first production plant to run on renewable energy. From here, Yara will produce green fertilisers made without the use of fossil energy or fossil sources. This will result in crops with an up to 30 % lower carbon footprint and up to 20 % carbon footprint reduction in the food produced, making them a powerful solution to grow a decarbonised and fossil free food future. The first green fertilisers are planned to enter production in the second half of 2023.
The market demand for food made without fossil energy sources is high. More than half of Europeans (51 %) said they are willing to pay more for climate friendly food. A clear majority of Europeans (74 %) say food companies need to work to reduce the emissions from their food production.
Key findings in this survey:
58 % of Europeans consider the climate impact important when buying food and beverage items
69 % of Europeans would choose a climate friendlier food item versus a cheaper option. (26 % would choose a fossil free food item, 43 % would choose a low-carbon item)
51 % of Europeans say they are willing to pay more for food made without fossil fuel sources
31 % of Europeans already make sustainable choices when it comes to their buying habits
More than three out of four (76 %) Europeans want to see the carbon footprint of food items on the label
Nearly three out of four Europeans (74 %) believe food companies should work to reduce emissions in their food production
About the survey The survey on the need for sustainable food was commissioned by Yara International and conducted by IPSOS. The panel consisted of 12,000 consumer respondents in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Norway, Sweden and Denmark (1,000 respondents in each country). The data was collected from online interviews during the period of December 1 – 14, 2022.
According to the scientific study conducted by Professor Christian Fischer of the Free University of Bolzano, the company contributes to a 10% reduction in harvest losses in the apple sector.
An estimated 22 % of fruit and vegetables are lost every year during or immediately after harvest. Much of global food waste therefore occurs at the beginning of the value chain, long before products reach the market.
Through its activities, VOG Products contributes to reducing this phenomenon, thanks to its business model, to efficient planning and the significant technological investments made in recent years. The South Tyrolean producer organisation is one of the largest in the sector in Europe and processes about 70 – 80 % of the Italian industrial apple harvest (20 % of the Trentino-South Tyrol harvest).
The validity of the anti-waste model adopted by VOG Products is demonstrated by a recent scientific study conducted by Christian Fischer, Professor of Agricultural and Food Economics at the Free University of Bolzano, which was also presented at the 2022 International Horticultural Congress in Angers (France).
In the study, titled “The apple processing cooperative VOG Products as a role model for minimising post-harvest crop losses – an empirical case study from South Tyrol, Italy”, Professor Fischer demonstrates how VOG Products significantly contributes to reducing harvest and post-harvest losses in the apple production chain. While internationally apple wastage averages 20 % of the harvest volume, with VOG Products food loss in Italian apples drops to 6 – 10 % (depending on the year).
“Food waste is not inevitable,” comments Christoph Tappeiner, CEO of VOG Products. “With good organisation and investment in innovation along the supply chain, product losses can be significantly reduced, providing a triple win for producers, consumers and the environment.”
The FAO specifically refers to food loss as “the waste of edible food in the production, post- harvest and processing stages of the food chain”. Besides the wastage of the food itself, food loss also entails environmental costs in the form of loss of land, water, factors of production and labour, and leads to greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
For VOG Products, food loss already starts with the company’s mission statement: apples destined for industrial processing are those with minor quality defects (too big, too small or not enough colour) or do not meet the quality standards of fresh fruit, and therefore cannot be sold on the table apples market.
“VOG Products is an international model for minimising harvest and post-harvest losses in the apple supply chain,” remarks Prof. Fischer. “VOG Products also generates significant added value for members in the region by giving them a fair and sustainable payout price.”
Growers who deliver their apples to VOG Products’ members (VOG, VIP, La Trentina and 18 cooperatives) receive an average of 4,000 euro per head or 1,400 euro per hectare for their apples for processing. The producer organisation also creates jobs for around 210 employees. The industrial fruit enhancement strategy pursued in recent years strengthens the region’s high-quality image of table apples, based on a win-win approach that rewards all operators along the supply chain. Generating value for the economy, people and the planet.
The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry’s novel foods applications (RP126 and RP127) have been validated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The ACI received formal notification from the FSA that both its applications for the authorisation of CBD isolate and distillate ‘fall within the scope of the novel foods regime’ as set out in Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 (as retained) and fulfil the requirements set out in Article 10(2) of that Regulation.
These applications are now regarded as valid, and will now move on to the risk assessment stage to be assessed further.
ACI member applications account for 30 % of the products currently permitted to remain on the market under the novel foods authorisation process.
These applications relate to 320 brands on sale in Britain.
In 2022, the ACI submitted a complete toxicological package and related bioavailability data to the FSA to support the consortium of member applications.
This included the dose range finding study and the OECD408 rodent toxicity study to determine a No Observable Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL), to cover the safety implications of not only CBD, but also the minor cannabinoids and other plant matrices present in these plant-derived products.
Two years on from the novel food application submission deadline, this week’s FSA update comes a year after the food safety body published its first public list of ingestible CBD products deemed temporarily compliant, pending the submission of toxicology data, its risk assessment and acceptance to progress to the validation stage.
Steve Moore, ACI co-founder and strategic counsel, said: “This is a key milestone for the sector and the ACI. The new consumer cannabinoid sector has been set as an important regulatory challenge. Today’s outcome suggests that by collaborating, they are both progressing towards market authorisation for thousands of products but also delivering the safety data the authorities have been crying out for.”
Paul Birch, ACI co-founder, said: “This outcome was only achievable due to the expertise of our regulatory and scientific team led by Dr Parveen Bhatarah and Dr Paul Duffy who have provided exemplary insight and advice throughout this process.”
BIOFACH and VIVANESS returned to their February slot with an impressive first in-person show following the one-off Summer Edition in 2022. During the four-day event from 14 to 17 February 2023, they attracted almost 36,000 trade visitors from 135 countries. ‘Strong’ and ‘confident’ describe the start to the year’s international events for the organic foodstuffs and natural and organic personal care sector. The focus was on variety, networking and professional interaction, and the highly topical Congress theme of “Organic. Food Sovereignty. True Prices”. The organic sector and the combined trade fair event proved crisis-resistant, as they demonstrated with revenues of €15.3 billion for the German organic market in 2022 (BÖLW) and €125 billion globally in 2021 (IFOAM/FiBL), in addition to an impressive total of 2,765 exhibitors from 95 countries at BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023.
Tina Andres, Chair of the Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (German Federation of the Organic Food Industry, BÖLW): “We are caught between a paradigm shift and a polycrisis, and we need to provide the right answers now to deal with the crises affecting energy, the climate and biodiversity. Organics offers direct, functional and trailblazing answers to achieve a social and environmental transformation, and thus an agricultural and food industry that is suitable for the coming generations without overstretching the planet’s resources. With its slogan Paving the Path, BIOFACH is showing the way as the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food.
It sets the tone and serves as an anchor and a model for the entire sector. It is a place for innovative, committed business operators and visionaries to network, with a clear focus on ‘30 percent organic’ by 2030, and using positive, powerful examples to illustrate how we can shape the future differently.”
Petra Wolf, Member of the Executive Board, NürnbergMesse: “BIOFACH and VIVANESS are not only back in their February slot but also impressively demonstrated their role as an international sector gathering and a launch pad for the year’s activities during the past four days. The industry players here in Nuremberg showed themselves to be full of strength and strategies for the future. The positive atmosphere that was palpable in the exhibition halls was deeply moving and filled me with joy at a personal level. It is remarkable how rich, inspiring, solution-focused and forward-looking this sector is. Organic is the future!”
BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress: Organic. Food Sovereignty. True Prices
The BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress, with a total of 120 professionally polished individual sessions and high-calibre participants, attracted almost 8,000 delegates and once again proved to be a forward-looking forum for the sector. In addition to the keynote theme of “Organic. Food Sovereignty. True Prices”, with up to 125 interested listeners and participants in the individual sessions, the focus was also on questions of current market developments and trends, as well as the political and legal framework. The session on the international market situation, “Global Organic Market Overview”, as part of the BIOFACH Forum, drew the highest attendance in 2023 with 242 participants.
Extending the trade fair experience digitally
Around one in four of the participants in BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023 also made use of the services offered by the digital event platform, most of them as hybrid participants. They attended in person, but also used the platform as a digital add-on before and during the combined trade fair. The Congress content will continue to be available after the event.
Save the date: BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2024, the next event in the series, will take place at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 13 to 16 February 2024.
Fooditive, the precision fermentation specialist, has become a signatory to a new agreement outlining non-binding principles for how businesses should conduct themselves in outer space.
The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations was formalised on Wednesday 8 February 2023 in Washington D.C. and has been signed by 53 individuals, organisations and companies. The compact is similar to the Artemis Accords, which were drawn up to ensure governments behave responsibly in space, but is applicable to companies and civilians instead.
Fooditive, which develops innovative, sustainable plant-based ingredients, is the first, and currently the only, signatory from the global food production sector. CEO and Founder Moayad Abushokhedim travelled to the US to sign the compact, which has now been submitted to the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Fooditive has taken an interest in the future of space exploration for several years already. It is currently developing a 3D printing technology which can produce food from waste plastic, called BioPrint. It is planned to be ready for use in time for the first mission to land humans on Mars, which is expected to launch in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
Creation of the Washington Compact was spearheaded by the Hague Institute for Global Justice, a non-profit organisation that promotes peace, security and justice. Its President, Lady Sohair Salam, also sits on Fooditive’s Advisory Board.
Mintel, the experts in what consumers want and why, has announced Global Packaging Trends for 2023, featuring a PESTEL analysis* that explores the macro-environmental factors impacting the packaging industry in 2023 and beyond.
David Luttenberger, CPPL, Global Packaging Director at Mintel, examined the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors impacting global packaging evaluations, planning, and decision-making: “The decision to use a PESTEL analysis was based on the fact that currently there are so many extraordinary outside influences on package innovation and the packaging supply chain. Pressures from the environmental perspective, the conflict in Ukraine, global inflation, social issues, legal challenges, extended producer responsibility, and other forces mean packaging must navigate new and more challenging routes to market. The PESTEL format enables us to succinctly identify the opportunities and present clear recommendations to retailers, brand owners, and package manufacturers.”
Economic factors impacting packaging
“Economic uncertainty and the associated rising cost of goods have forced consumers to rethink budgets and discretionary spending. Across categories, brands are tapping messaging, technology, and retail strategies to show consumers how packaging can stretch a budget.
“Consumers will look to brands to help them overcome economic-induced stresses with products and packaging that mesh with purchasing abilities and reflect value without compromise. Offering packaging that represents financial value propositions, while not compromising quality, convenience, freshness, safety, and environmental responsibility, will be a differentiator in 2023 and beyond.”
Social factors impacting packaging
“From food shortages and ethical sourcing to responsible water and land use, consumers want to know more about the products they buy and the brands that produce them. In addition to achievements, brands and package manufacturers must be transparent about their weaknesses. Consumers are pursuing transparency through clearer labeling and what those claims mean for the greater good.
“In the future, packaging will paint a picture of a brand’s equity, which increasingly includes social and environmental capital. Consumers want to hear what companies have to say on controversial topics related to diversity, inclusion, and equity.”
Legal factors impacting packaging
“A myriad of laws have been enacted to protect consumers from deceptive or fraudulent business practices. New rules around the use of plastics and pollution-causing materials, as well as protecting human and planetary health, will greatly affect consumers. To get ahead and stay competitive, companies must get a firm grip on current and future legislation around plastics, PFAS, and EPR.”
“Consumers will rally behind legislation that benefits the environment. Their support will spur additional bans which will put significant cost pressures on manufacturers in their quest to meet mandates and find suitable, though more costly, alternatives.”
Packaging perspective of Mintel’s 2023 Global Trends
also discusses the packaging industry implications of the 2023 Global Food and Drink, Beauty and Personal Care, and Household Care Trends, including the future of packaging within these industries.
“The macro factors impacting packaging are universal across all end-use categories, including what my colleagues outline in Mintel’s 2023 Global Food and Drink, Beauty and Personal Care, and Household Care Trends. How the challenges manifest within each category varies, but the data, insights, and expert recommendations are applicable and actionable across all end-use categories, package formats, and regional markets,” continued Luttenberger.
Food and drink packaging trends
“Although costs of living are rising globally, consumers will not be motivated solely by low prices in 2023. They will find value in affordable food and drink that promises clarity, nutrition, and versatility. Package manufacturers must enable clear communication of added-value nutritional content and provide efficient portioning and product preparation. Clean packaging designs that highlight natural ingredients and health benefits will stand out to shoppers. In the future, brands seeking to be trusted partners in the kitchen need to take energy consumption into account and deliver packaging that enables energy-efficient cooking.”
Beauty and personal care packaging trends
“Post-pandemic consumers are seeking experimentation, social responsibility, and value from brands in-store and online. Package manufacturers must deliver physical, emotional, visual, digital, and environmental attributes that mesh with consumers’ changing lifestyles. Packaging remains not only a constant but an integral part of the beauty consumer experience—whether through new eco-responsible structures and materials, 100 % product evacuation dispensing systems, messaging about eco-attributes, or messaging about a brand’s values. Companies must create strategies that embrace next-generation package technologies to connect with consumers at retail, at home, and in any/all channels they prefer.”
Household care packaging trends
“The inward focus on one’s self and the planet has become intertwined with saving money in the household care space. That triad of forces has created new opportunities that will redefine the definitions of responsibility and value. Companies must invest in innovations that optimise such parameters as cube efficiency, weight reduction, materials management, extended shelf-life, and end-of-life or second-life scenarios. The key to delivering the next generation of household care packaging will be simple design, convenient dispensing, and an overt display of environmental and social responsibility.”
*A PESTEL analysis is a framework used to analyse and monitor the macro-environmental factors that have an impact on an organisation, company, or industry examining the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors impacting global packaging evaluations, planning and decision-making.
Aiming to provide fresh insights towards the company’s journey to develop the most sustainable food package
Tetra Pak has commenced ground-breaking research towards advancing fibre-based sustainable food packaging, in collaboration with MAX IV – the most modern synchrotron1 radiation laboratory in the world. The research aims to uncover fresh insights into the nanostructure of fibre materials, with the first application to optimise the composition of materials used for paper straws.
This is the very first industrial research and development experiment at ForMAX, a brand new research station dedicated to studying materials from the forest, located at the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden.
As the global demand for safe, nutritious food intensifies, and the scarcity of raw materials increases, the need to develop more sustainable packaging solutions that use less of these scarce resources has become urgent. New materials based on paper will bring novel opportunities, but they need to remain food safe, recyclable, be more durable against liquids and humidity, while meeting the increased sustainability demands.
Eva Gustavsson, Vice President Materials & Package, Tetra Pak, says: “A fundamental understanding of the structure and properties of materials is crucial as we work towards developing the package of the future. Our ambition is to provide the world’s most sustainable food package, and experiments at ForMAX will clearly support us in this mission.
“The package of the future needs to be fully recyclable and have a low environmental impact. Using renewable materials and increasing the use of fibre-based material within packages will be vital. With this research, Tetra Pak is helping to uncover fresh insights into plant-based materials as a basis for future innovations.”
Kim Nygård, Manager, ForMAX beamline, MAX IV says: “The experiment conducted at ForMAX is a milestone for both academia and industry. The research station is the first of its kind and will facilitate both fundamental and applied industrial research on how new, sustainable materials can be used going forward. We are proud to support Tetra Pak in its development of sustainable packaging materials for the future.”
About Tree search The construction of ForMAX has been funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the operating costs are funded by the industry through Treesearch, a national collaborative platform for academic and industrial research in new materials from the forest. As an industrial partner in Treesearch, Tetra Pak is one of the initiators and facilitators of ForMAX.
1Synchrotron radiation is the electromagnetic radiation emitted when charged particles travel in curved paths perpendicular to their velocity
GNT has published externally verified data showing it reduced the average carbon footprint of its plant-based EXBERRY® Colouring Foods by 19 % in the first year of its sustainability plan. The company becomes the first colouring foods supplier to issue a Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement as it aims to become the leader in its field on sustainability.
The statement details GNT’s carbon footprint from 2019 to 2021. The auditor SGS verified the emissions data according to the internationally recognised ISO14064 standard, which includes emissions from carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide across six different reporting categories. As a result, the company can now provide comprehensive, benchmarked information on EXBERRY® Colouring Foods’ organisational footprint to customers.
In 2022, GNT announced that it plans to achieve a total of 17 sustainability targets over the course of the decade. These include cutting the environmental footprint for EXBERRY® product ranges by 25 % between 2020 and 2030 as well as reducing its factories’ CO2-equivalent emissions by at least 50 %. The new figures show the company is making significant progress toward those aims. Production volumes saw a double-digit increase between 2020 and 2021, but GNT’s overall carbon footprint remained flat. This meant the average footprint per kilogram of EXBERRY® Colouring Foods decreased by nearly a fifth over the course of the year.
Rutger de Kort, Sustainability Manager at GNT Group, said: “We’re committed to setting new standards on sustainability and the Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement highlights the work we’ve done so far. This external verification for our emissions data enables us to build trust and communicate our efforts in a truly transparent manner.”
The Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement shows GNT’s total carbon footprint dropped by 3,427 metric tons to 38,656 between 2019 and 2021. This is largely due to the use of green electricity at its production sites, which represents an important step in its efforts to reduce CO2-equivalent emissions at its factories by 50 %. The biggest contributors to GNT’s carbon footprint are direct emissions from natural gas and indirect emissions related to the purchase of heat and steam. Emissions related to purchased goods – such as raw materials, ingredients, and packaging – and waste streams are also important factors.
Rutger de Kort added: “The move to green electricity has delivered major improvements, but we need to go further to achieve our goals. Our main focus now is trying to end our reliance on gas to generate heat and steam. We’re already working on ways to electrify the process, including the use of industrial heat pumps and other new technologies, such as filtration. We’re also using the new data to identify further possibilities to cut our carbon footprint in areas including transportation and purchased goods.”
Suitable for almost any food and drink application, EXBERRY® Colouring Foods are made from non-GMO fruits, vegetables, and plants using physical processing methods. The crops are grown by farmers working as part of GNT’s vertical supply chain using sustainable methods.
Experiencing BIOFACH and VIVANESS means benefiting from the best of two worlds. This works by creating a meaningful combination of digital opportunities and on-site trade fair activities. The global organic foodstuffs and natural and organic personal care community will hold its next gathering at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 14 to 17 February 2023, when international trade visitors will be inspired by the products and services offered by an expected 2,700 exhibitors from about 100 countries. And though there is no substitute for a first-hand experience with all senses, the digital event platform has provided the ideal complement since the unique Summer Edition was held in 2022. The future of the World’s Leading Fair for Organic Food and the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care is hybrid. Added value: The ability to plan your trade fair visit with the aid of a floor plan and an overview of products and services; arranging appointments in-person and online; matchmaking; and the fact the Congress will be available in digital form beyond the actual event timeframe. All the content and functions of the digital event platform are available on the app in addition to the desktop version.
One in four of the more than 24,000 trade visitors who participated in the unique Summer Edition of BIOFACH and VIVANESS in 2022 also made use of the services offered by the digital event platform, most of them as hybrid participants. They attended in person, but used the platform as a digital add-on before, during and after the event.
How to take advantage of the benefits the platform offers for BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023, and what highlights there are to look forward to: These questions were put to Dominik Dietz, the BIOFACH and VIVANESS team member responsible for the digital platform.
Briefly, what are the key added values offered by the digital event platform?
With the digital event platform, we offer the organic food and natural and organic personal care community the full package, in other words, an all-in-one service covering all aspects of BIOFACH and VIVANESS – from preparation to on-site use, follow-up and access to congress presentations after the event. That means a wide range of functions from exhibitor and product searches to appointment and agenda scheduling, and many opportunities to interact – digitally, in person and in hybrid form! The right feature is therefore available to suit every requirement at the right time, either during the trade fair or at the preparation stage – all in an intuitive, state- of-the-art platform solution, including the app!
Will there be new developments in 2023 – upgrades or special features?
In collaboration with our partner talque, we are constantly working on both upgrading and creating new features in order to drive forward the fusion of in-person (i.e. on-site) and digital added value. For 2023, exhibitors, visitors and media contacts will be able to enjoy improvements in usability, such as a revised chat design and design improvements in the area of personal participant profiles. As a further “special”, the mobile app will have a BIOFACH/VIVANESS design in 2023.
Not to be missed: What do I need to know and take into account beforehand in order to get the most out of my attendance or visit to the trade fair?
The important thing is to take time to prepare and maintain your profile, both the company profile for exhibitors and your personal participant profile in general. A detailed, perfect “fit” in the product search process is a key factor for success in ensuring people can find you. This can be boosted further by adding additional product profiles. Carefully maintaining your personal matchmaking details is also an important element in finding the right suggestions and best matches when you are looking for contacts. Recommendation: Keep your profile and choice of search and offer criteria up to date at all times so you can continue finding new matches.
The number of consumers cutting back on their grocery shopping as a result of inflation has grown significantly during the past year, according to new research.
In a survey commissioned by specialist PR consultancy Ingredient Communications, a quarter of respondents (24.9 %) said they had stopped buying a food or beverage product in the previous three months due an increase in price. This is significantly higher than 10 months earlier in late 2021, when the same survey found that 17.6 % of shoppers had traded out of a product because it had become too expensive.
The research, conducted by SurveyGoo, also found that nearly half of respondents (48.4 %) had purchased a product less often, compared with 36.5 % previously. More than half (50.9 %) said they had bought less of a product, compared with 40.8 % before, while 57.8 % said they had switched to a cheaper brand, compared with 47.5 % in 2021.
Retailer brands have benefited from the squeeze, with 35.6 % of respondents saying they had switched to an own label version of a product, versus 25.8 % in the previous survey.
SurveyGoo polled 1,000 consumers in the USA and UK during the first week of October 2022. The previous survey was carried out in early December 2021 when inflation was already on the rise. Since then, prices have soared even higher. Year on year inflation in the UK’s food and beverage category was 14.6 % in September this year.1 In the US, inflation for food consumed in the home was recorded at 13 % over the same period.2
Nearly all respondents to the latest survey (98.1 %) said they had noticed food and beverage prices rising in the previous three months, compared with 94.2 % in the 2021 survey.
Richard Clarke, Managing Director of Ingredient Communications, said: “Since we first conducted our price sensitivity survey in December 2021, the war in Ukraine has exacerbated an already volatile situation. As well as difficulties sourcing certain raw materials, fuel costs have gone through the roof. With winter on the way in the western hemisphere, and no sign of Russia backing down, demand for energy will spike and it’s hard to see any short-term easing of the inflationary pressures that food companies and consumers are facing.”
He continued: “In manufacturing, it’s tempting to look for quick fixes to cut costs but in the food industry there are always risks to this. Consumers are very attuned to recipe changes and pack size reductions and social media means news of these can spread fast. At Ingredient Communications, we’ve always advocated using high quality ingredients that differentiate a product. But in these challenging times, it’s also worth talking to your ingredients suppliers to see how they can help. Many have extensive formulation expertise and might be able to advise on how to reduce input costs without compromising on quality or losing brand equity and consumer trust.”
Tate & Lyle PLC, a world leader in ingredient solutions for healthier food and beverages, is delighted to be supporting a new three-year research project by The University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute which aims to improve the understanding of the UK food system and help people experiencing food insecurity and living with obesity make healthier, more sustainable food choices.
The University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute has been awarded £1.6m funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to carry out the project, which will investigate how issues around poverty, food insecurity and obesity may affect shopping habits.
The data will be gathered from participants from across the UK who will be sharing their experience of living with food insecurity and obesity, and also working with a large UK retailer to study the shopping habits of around 1.6m consumers.
The three-year study will bring together a panel of consumers, policy makers, charities, food and drink producers, processors, and retailers, as well as expert academics to advise, co-develop and test strategies that can support future transformation within the UK food system. The results of the research will be made publicly available at the end of project.
As part of the project, and as the only food and drink ingredient solutions supplier on the panel, Tate & Lyle will provide industry insight on reformulation, as well as share their expertise on nutrition.
Dr Kavita Karnik, Global Head, Nutrition & Regulatory Affairs at Tate & Lyle, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our guidance, expertise and know-how for this important piece of research.
“We are a science-led organisation which helps big and small brands all over the world make food and drink healthier and tastier. Driven by our purpose of ‘Transforming Lives through the Science of Food’, we believe this research is essential to better understand food systems in the UK and provide real-world strategies of how dietary inequalities can be addressed within the food retail sector in an environmentally friendly way.”
Professor Alexandra Johnstone, Rowett Institute, added: “With the cost-of-living crisis it is only going to get harder for people to make healthy food choices, particularly those who are living with obesity and food insecurity. This is a vital piece of research, and we are very much looking forward to working with this excellent team on this extremely important topic.”
One of four regional support centres, the new facilities in Barcelona (Spain) will provide access to the latest product inspection systems, as well as free testing services for contaminant detection on food and pharma production lines
Mettler-Toledo has officially opened its new Barcelona Support Centre in Spain. The new centre showcases a wide range of its product inspection systems for food and pharmaceutical brand owners, manufacturers, processors, and contract packers. Technology on-site includes the latest checkweighing, metal detection and x-ray inspection solutions. Visitors can view ProdX™ data management software which offers real-time logging of x-ray, metal detection and checkweighing product inspection activities to help food manufacturers get ready for digital food traceability. Other technologies, such as vision inspection and track and trace solutions are also available from Mettler-Toledo but are not currently displayed at the Barcelona Support Centre.
The new facility is dedicated to product inspection demonstrations and free testing services, in addition to a LAB showroom, an eStudio, customer facing seminar rooms and internal office spaces.
At the forefront of inspection technology
The demonstration facility is equipped with the latest Mettler-Toledo systems, across different product inspection technologies for a wide range of applications. European food and pharma manufacturers will benefit from a hands-on experience, such as tailored product inspection demonstrations, including a free product test report service.
This free service invites manufacturers from across Europe to send their product samples to the centre for testing, before making a purchasing decision, or request an in-person appointment either face-to-face or virtually via their eStudio. Mettler-Toledo engineers then assess the requirements and provide a full test report within five days of the arrival of the product samples. This includes an individual evaluation of their own products with details of attainable inspection accuracy, performance, and contaminant detection sensitivity.
Customers visiting the centre and participating in the live demonstrations also benefit from shorter lead times for their test report results, as they have direct access to test engineers who can answer specific questions about their products and inspection requirements, helping them to choose the most suitable solution.
The Lab Division from Mettler-Toledo is represented in the new centre with its LAB Showroom, which showcases the latest technology for quality control for laboratories and food manufacturing, such as balances, scales, and analytical instruments – often used in recipe formulation, control, and management.
The new Barcelona centre also benefits from a state-of-the-art eStudio consisting of a room with in-built green screens and recording equipment. The purpose of the room is to record e-demonstrations, deliver virtual training, and create customer-facing video content.
Collaborative environment
The centre, covering over 75,971 sq. ft across three floors, is supported by over 280 Mettler-Toledo employees, from 15 different countries and across all roles – from apprentices to senior managers, dedicated test and service engineers, sales representatives, operations specialists, marketing, and many other functions.
Bringing all teams under one roof, with open plan offices, a new canteen, and common break-out areas, will help the company improve internal communication, knowledge sharing, career development and ultimately, customer service.
“The new facilities reflect the growth of Mettler-Toledo, financially and physically,” said Oscar Dijort, General Manager at Mettler-Toledo Spain. “The new global centre is already paving the path for further expansion over the next several years, as well as creating a collaborative hub to propel inspection technology and best practice forward at a European level.”
Sponsored Post – Does the beverage and liquid food industry also have Olympic aspirations? Manufacturers of beverages and liquid food and machine manufacturers have long since recognised the potential. Digitalisation and digital transformation are one of the four main topics at drinktec 2022, which will be held in Munich from September 12 to 16, 2022. With its range of exhibitors and supporting program, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry offers broad views and focused approaches aimed at helping the industry become faster, achieve stronger results and intensify its focus on sustainable plant concepts in the next years.
(Photo: Messe München)
And the strong momentum around data use and process improvement is not only on the manufacturer side; retailers and consumers have long been active in these areas: Merging virtual and real worlds at the point of sale of the future is aimed at improving contact with consumers. One way to achieve that is through automation and networking with supply chain management, multimedia shopping environments for an individualised customer approach or online retailing.
An international study by the consulting firm PWC puts “digitising products and services” in second place among the top ten challenges of the next few years. The study by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) on the future of food processing machinery also points in this direction: A supporter of the drinktec trade fair, the VDMA identifies digitalization and concepts for intelligent networking and data use as a major focus for the industry’s future alignment until 2035.
Solutions for different perspectives
Digitalisation in the world of beverages and liquid food offers real added benefits for many users. One area that benefits is process engineering, where precise temperature profiles in the manufacturing process can seamlessly track production and identify quality parameters during the early stages of production. The best example of this is in the brewing process: In collaboration with equipment manufacturers and breweries, researchers used machine learning to model an efficient and more sustainable malt yield, and identify significant influencing factors for the malt yield.
Real time is another keyword. At this fall’s drinktec, machine manufacturers will offer numerous solutions for obtaining real-time information from machines: The online tracking of production and filling processes can yield higher performance, predictive maintenance, efficient conversion processes, an overview of consumption values and clear data on product quality. Providers of software solutions, such as manufacturing execution systems (MES), can already give preliminary estimates of the optimisation potential: Efficiency gains of up to 20 percent are possible for line operations, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is improved through maintenance cycles that are up to 30 percent longer, and product changes can be made at the planned time with 99 percent certainty.
While these solutions often require “only” extensive data collection and recording, another supplier goes even further: Thanks to more accurate detection of water droplets, an empty glass inspector trained in deep learning significantly reduces the output of glass bottles identified as defective. Needless to say, this saving can also be directly converted into CO2 savings: Depending on the line output, 25 to 100 t of CO2 can be saved through this improved rejection rate.
The possibilities of machine learning software also raise the expectations for maintenance tasks: One exhibitor at drinktec is already using this digital tool to detect anomalies in separator machinery. Condition-based maintenance with AR data glasses seems to have been taught almost everywhere and has been widely adopted by machine suppliers.
Every digital application is also another checkmark on the sustainability list. This is particularly clear in the case of cleaning technology, which uses optical realtime detection of contamination even inside containers and tanks and enables highly specialized cleaning cycles. A machine learning tool ensures that individual contamination levels are learned, detected and treated correctly.
More inspiration in the supporting program
drinktec 2022 brings together the full scope of innovation for the beverage and liquid food industry: In addition to the exhibitor portfolio, including a directory that lets visitors find providers of solutions to digitise production operations and their supply chain, visitors can also look forward to the supporting program when planning their visit: With presentations on the key topic of digitalisation at the drinktec Inspiration Hub in Halls A3 and B3, exhibitors and visitors will have the opportunity for in-depth interaction: Concentrated expertise and innovative applications offer fresh impetus for the future-oriented alignment of the industry.
More information about drinktec can be found online at www.drinktec.com
Over a four-day period from 26–29 July 2022, all the passion of the international organic community was on display in Nuremberg. BIOFACH, the World’s Leading Fair for Organic Food, and VIVANESS, the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care, celebrated their comeback with a one-off ‘summer edition’. The more than 24,000 trade visitors from 137 countries were absolutely delighted to be reunited. Relishing the opportunity for personal exchanges, networking and in-depth discussions of topical issues, they discovered innovations and trends and enjoyed the multi-sensory experience of a diverse range of products from the 2,276 exhibitors from 94 countries.
Petra Wolf, member of the management board at NürnbergMesse says: “The organic food and natural and organic cosmetics sector got back down to business in Nuremberg for its highly international community gathering, and we’d like to say a big thank-you for what was a massive response! The mood in the halls was impressive. Everywhere you could hear people saying how glad they were to finally see one another again and be back in Nuremberg. Exhibitors and visitors alike emphasised the unique trade fair experience on site.”
The event offered numerous highlights including the Agriculture Forum in the congress, the dedicated display area “Unpackaged”, and the Workshop Area at VIVANESS, all of which made their debut in 2022. From the beginning, however, the major issues of our times like climate protection, sustainability and global food security were also a key theme.
“Again and again, participants emphasised the immense value of the personal encounters, but also the in-depth professional discussions, for highlighting the solutions offered by the organic system, especially in the current global circumstances. We are absolutely delighted that the sector has been discussing these very issues, both on-site and online, and helping to shape the future, from this venue at our one-off summer edition!” Wolf continues.
BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress explored the issues of the day – live and on demand
The 123 technically informed sessions led by high-calibre presenters made the BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress a cutting-edge forum for the sector. Alongside the main theme “Organic.Climate.Resilience”, the 2022 round of the congress explored issues relating to current market developments and trends as well as political and legislative frameworks.
Congress theme for BIOFACH 2023 already decided
As the World Agriculture Report states: “We need an agro-ecological evolution of agriculture, food production and consumption.” The BIOFACH Congress 2023 therefore aims to put the spotlight on the relationship between the organic system as the agriculture of the future, transformation, global crisis management and food security, including true cost. The ways in which the organic system contributes to more sustainable agricultural, social and nutritional choices will be identified, analysed and discussed. What potential does the organic system offer the planet? What global development tasks lie ahead for policymakers, the media and society, and specifically, the (organic) farming sector? Where does the organic system currently stand? From 14-17 February at BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023, the opportunities and risks will be explored in the context of the key question: “Organic farming, climate protection and health: What’s the connection between healthy soil and healthy people?” The thematic focus of the congress will be jointly developed by IFOAM – Organics International, BÖLW (German Federation of Organic Food Producers) and BIOFACH.
Make a note of the date now: The next iteration of BIOFACH and VIVANESS will take place from 14–17 February 2023 at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg.
Sponsored Post – Does the beverage and liquid food industry also have Olympic aspirations? Manufacturers of beverages and liquid food and machine manufacturers have long since recognised the potential. Digitalisation and digital transformation are one of the four main topics at drinktec 2022, which will be held in Munich from September 12 to 16, 2022. With its range of exhibitors and supporting program, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry offers broad views and focused approaches aimed at helping the industry become faster, achieve stronger results and intensify its focus on sustainable plant concepts in the next years.
(Photo: Messe München)
And the strong momentum around data use and process improvement is not only on the manufacturer side; retailers and consumers have long been active in these areas: Merging virtual and real worlds at the point of sale of the future is aimed at improving contact with consumers. One way to achieve that is through automation and networking with supply chain management, multimedia shopping environments for an individualised customer approach or online retailing.
An international study by the consulting firm PWC puts “digitising products and services” in second place among the top ten challenges of the next few years. The study by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) on the future of food processing machinery also points in this direction: A supporter of the drinktec trade fair, the VDMA identifies digitalisation and concepts for intelligent networking and data use as a major focus for the industry’s future alignment until 2035.
Solutions for different perspectives
Digitalisation in the world of beverages and liquid food offers real added benefits for many users. One area that benefits is process engineering, where precise temperature profiles in the manufacturing process can seamlessly track production and identify quality parameters during the early stages of production. The best example of this is in the brewing process: In collaboration with equipment manufacturers and breweries, researchers used machine learning to model an efficient and more sustainable malt yield, and identify significant influencing factors for the malt yield.
Real time is another keyword. At this fall’s drinktec, machine manufacturers will offer numerous solutions for obtaining real-time information from machines: The online tracking of production and filling processes can yield higher performance, predictive maintenance, efficient conversion processes, an overview of consumption values and clear data on product quality. Providers of software solutions, such as manufacturing execution systems (MES), can already give preliminary estimates of the optimisation potential: Efficiency gains of up to 20 percent are possible for line operations, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is improved through maintenance cycles that are up to 30 percent longer, and product changes can be made at the planned time with 99 percent certainty.
While these solutions often require “only” extensive data collection and recording, another supplier goes even further: Thanks to more accurate detection of water droplets, an empty glass inspector trained in deep learning significantly reduces the output of glass bottles identified as defective. Needless to say, this saving can also be directly converted into CO2 savings: Depending on the line output, 25 to 100 t of CO2 can be saved through this improved rejection rate.
The possibilities of machine learning software also raise the expectations for maintenance tasks: One exhibitor at drinktec is already using this digital tool to detect anomalies in separator machinery. Condition-based maintenance with AR data glasses seems to have been taught almost everywhere and has been widely adopted by machine suppliers.
Every digital application is also another checkmark on the sustainability list. This is particularly clear in the case of cleaning technology, which uses optical realtime detection of contamination even inside containers and tanks and enables highly specialised cleaning cycles. A machine learning tool ensures that individual contamination levels are learned, detected and treated correctly.
More inspiration in the supporting program
drinktec 2022 brings together the full scope of innovation for the beverage and liquid food industry: In addition to the exhibitor portfolio, including a directory that lets visitors find providers of solutions to digitise production operations and their supply chain, visitors can also look forward to the supporting program when planning their visit: With presentations on the key topic of digitalisation at the drinktec Inspiration Hub in Halls A3 and B3, exhibitors and visitors will have the opportunity for in-depth interaction: Concentrated expertise and innovative applications offer fresh impetus for the future-oriented alignment of the industry.
More information about drinktec can be found online at www.drinktec.com
According to a WWF study, 42 percent of all cultivated fruits and vegetables worldwide are thrown away every year – even though they are eminently suitable for further processing. The Swedish company RSCUED wants to change this and has appointed itself fruit rescuers. Their business concept is as sustainable as it is unconventional and requires a special solution. This has now been delivered to them by the technology group GEA. With the innovative vacuum juicer GEA vaculiq, RSCUED can produce high-quality juices in the shortest possible time from raw materials that would otherwise have fallen victim to waste. The icing on the cake: the waste from production is also recycled into valuable fertilizer.
The GEA vaculiq 100 vacuum spiral filter (left) and the GEA MultiCrush milling system are pre-assembled on movable skids and can be used flexibly. (Photo: GEA)
On its way to food recycling, RSCUED has taken a big step forward together with the technical solution from GEA. “The advantages of the GEA skid for us were the very short processing time, efficiency, high product quality and flexibility. We need to be able to respond to seasonal supply just as quickly as to fluctuating incoming goods,” explains Truls Christenson, co-founder of RSCUED. This is because the company receives the fruit and vegetables sorted out for regular trade via donations from wholesalers, supermarkets, farms and delivery services. Private individuals who have larger quantities from their gardens also participate in RSCUED’s appeal.
GEA vaculiq with its vacuum spiral filter delivers the desired flexibility in full measure: The system processes a ton of fruit or vegetables within about twenty minutes and cleaning the system between productions takes just five minutes. Different varieties can thus be turned into high-quality juice in quick succession. And it does so with maximum yield: in the first test phase, RSCUED was able to produce twice as much juice compared to its previously used press. With a capacity of up to 1,800 liters per hour, RSCUED is now able to easily increase its production in the future thanks to GEA vaculiq and is also capable of receiving goods – besides Sweden – from all over Northern Europe.
RSCUED juices are becoming increasingly popular with customers. (Photo: RSCUED)
In addition, GEA’s vacuum spiral filter technology was convincing in terms of quality. With this juicing method, the products do not come into contact with oxygen, which is known to have unfavorable effects on vegetables and fruits. In addition, the gentle process preserves all healthy vitamins and secondary plant nutrients. Finally, the juice produced with GEA vaculiq not only looks better, it also tastes fresher and has a longer shelf life. “GEA’s overall concept is therefore an innovative and unique solution for us in the field of sustainable, industrial juice production,” adds Truls Christenson.
All’s well that ends well
And so the circle closes for GEA and RSCUED: The dry mash discharged by the vaculiq plant, together with remaining rejects, is ideally suited as a basis for fertilizer – which, as is well known, promotes the growth of new fruits and vegetables. This fertilizer is finally distributed through a large garden center chain in Sweden.
“When we founded RSCUED as a start-up seven years ago, we had the vision to stop the waste madness. Together with GEA, we have now been able to realize this on a higher level. With the new GEA vaculiq 100 vacuum juicer and the multiCrush milling system from GEA, we are very well positioned and can develop our production excellently”, says Truls Christenson. “And the faster, more flexible and more productive we are at RSCUED – the more we contribute to sustainability for a healthier planet.”
About RSCUED RSCUED was founded in Helsingborg in 2015 as a start-up. The company employs around 15 staff members and expects revenues of EUR 3,2 million in 2022. The company’s purpose is to rescue all kind of fruit and vegetables which would otherwise be wasted. RSCUED receives the fruit and vegetables sorted out for regular trade via donations from wholesalers, supermarkets, farms and delivery services from Sweden as well as Northern Europe. The products are sold via their webshop as well as in selected grocery stores, coffee shops and restaurants and in Sweden. Learn more here: rscued.se.
Fermentalg, the French expert in the microalgae bioindustry, announces that it has reached the final technical milestone in the scale-up of Galdieria Blue Extract1 – the acid-stable natural blue food colour developed in partnership with DDW, part of Givaudan. The completion of the industrialisation work allows the partners to engage in the initial commercialisation stage of this new product, an alternative to synthetic blue colours for low pH food and beverage applications.
As part of the partnership agreement signed in June 2020, and in order to support the launch of this new colour, the achievement of this second milestone triggers an additional payment of EUR 1 million from DDW to Fermentalg in the form of a supplier’s advance repayable on future product deliveries. The first pre-commercial orders are expected before the end of the year.
In this context, Fermentalg will initiate the industrial transfer and production with a leading German toll manufacturer, in line with the strategy to increase and diversify its production capacity.
In parallel with the industrial transfer and pre-commercialisation efforts, applications with the European Food Safety Authority and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are being pursued to obtain regulatory authorisations in the second half of 2023.
1originating from the Blue Origins® joint development program
Fi Global’s in-person events and digital platforms will bring together over 250,000 ingredient buyers and suppliers throughout 2022
This year, Fi Global will once again be taking centre stage to bring together international ingredient buyers and suppliers, and connecting the food and beverage community through a series of online and in-person events.
During the year, there will be 11 live events throughout the Americas, Asia and EMEA, and all featuring exhibitors from around the world. These events will cover the industry’s hottest topics, including the ever-growing global trend for plant-based products. Hi and Fi China, for example, is set to launch a plant-based Expo, and Fi Asia is shining the spotlight on plant-based ingredients with a sensory tasting bar and start-up competition, along with other meat-alternative initiatives and opportunities.
Meanwhile, Fi & Hi Europe will once again take place as a digitally enabled event this year. The online show will be delivered in conjunction with the in-person event, offering attendees the best of both worlds, and numerous opportunities to source, connect and innovate. The in-person event will be held for the first time at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in the city centre of Paris. This impressive venue is within walking distance of many hotels, restaurants and bars – bringing back a touch of Parisian panache and making the event more convenient than ever before.
Deep dive webinar series
In terms of online content, this year’s new Fi Webinar Series focusses on increasingly popular market segments, from Protein, Dairy & Dairy Alternatives, to Snacks & Bakery, Plant-based and Beverages. These free sessions are complemented by Fi Global Insights, a digital platform hosting new and exciting content, from latest trends and insights, to industry reports, interviews with thought leaders and much more.
Another key feature of the Fi Global portfolio is its marketplace solution, Ingredients Network – the leading food ingredients marketplace and directory in the global food ingredients industry, where F&B buyers can find suppliers and do business online.
The Fi Global portfolio is supported by global partners including Innova Market Insights, Mintel and FMCG Gurus, all of whom have unrivalled industry expertise and analysis, and their finger firmly on the pulse when it comes to current and future trends.
Marketing services
Fi Global’s marketing services help ingredients suppliers boost their online performance though effective digital marketing solutions with measurable ROI. They help suppliers of food ingredients to reach their specific business objectives such as lead generation, brand awareness and thought leadership, through specific tailor-made digital solutions.
“More than ever before, the Fi Global portfolio connects the ingredient industry through a number of physical and online offerings, with supporting digital platforms and solutions,” says Julien Bonvallet, Fi Global Brand Director. “All of our offerings allow buyers and sellers of food ingredients to come together to connect, learn and do better business. We believe that close cooperation within the global food ingredients community has the power to positively impact wellbeing, health and the environment.”
Cutting edge start-ups, technology companies and universities join hands with Tetra Pak to tackle challenges and unlock new opportunities for the Food & Beverage industry.
Ahead of the United Nations World Food Safety Day Tetra Pak announced its new set of research collaborations and programmes to further accelerate efforts to address challenges facing food systems worldwide. The initiative is part of the company’s drive to nurture an innovation ecosystem to open new opportunities in the areas of food availability, safety and sustainability.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation UN FAO, the world is in a very different place compared to six years ago, when it committed to the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. The current reality is that we have not been progressing fast enough towards ensuring access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food for all people. As an example, over 2 billion people did not have access to enough safe and nutritious food in 2020.
Laurence Mott, Executive VP Development and Technology at Tetra Pak says: “Tetra Pak has been an early advocate of forming and strengthening links between academia and the food industry. We have several long-standing relationships with universities and research institutions. We’ve also been working with game changing start-ups and tech companies to accelerate innovation. Now more than ever this is vital. The challenges of the global food industry are broad and varied. The only way we can meet these challenges is to pool our expertise. Only together will we secure a better future in the areas of sustainability, food safety and food availability. I’m very happy to see the progress so far and will take this opportunity to thank all our partners”.
In an attempt to address challenges around food and sustainability, Tetra Pak is teaming up with entities across countries such as France, US, Sweden and Italy, among others, to explore different innovations across the food system. These includes a range of development programmes – from exploring new food categories, such as plant based food, to using enzymes that reduce food waste to advancing the insect protein movement.
Rodrigo Godoi, VP Processing Portfolio Management at Tetra Pak, says: “To drive innovation, we need to question status quo and keep pushing our boundaries, working together with external partners who bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. At Tetra Pak, we are continuously exploring new concepts, new food ingredients and new production methods that sit outside of our ‘core’ competencies. As an example, we have conducted over 300 screenings that resulted in more than 10 pilot projects to be researched. We encourage start-ups to come to us with their ideas as well as to join cross-industry teams to explore opportunities. We recognise the value in coming together with experts across an ecosystem in food, science and engineering to help identify new solutions and address challenges intensified by the changes in the food supply chain.
Dr Karim Engelmark Cassimjee, CEO at EnginZyme, said “The food industry faces many sustainability challenges, especially the ability to achieve efficient and sustainable production at the same time. The cell-free biomanufacturing that we have pioneered at EnginZyme can meet this need with its broad applicability, low cost of production, short development timelines and predictable scalability. Our collaboration with Tetra Pak is an incredibly exciting opportunity – in particular how we are exploring solutions to unlock the potential of by-products like acid whey”.
Some of the programmes announced include, France’s Paris&Co innovation platforms, Smart Food Paris and Urban Lab, technology start-ups EnginZyme, NuCaps and Tebrito and leading research universities in Italy and Sweden including University of Modena, Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) and Lund University.
EXBERRY® colouring foods supplier GNT has published a major new report that sets out its plans to become the leader in its field on sustainability.
Each year, GNT produces more than 11,500 metric tons of EXBERRY® concentrates from edible fruit, vegetables, and plants – enough to colour over 40 billion servings of food and drink.
To ensure the company is fit for the future, it has unveiled a sustainability roadmap for 2030 to optimize its environmental and social impacts across its global operations. The full plans feature in GNT’s new ‘Sustainability Report 2021,’ which also includes detailed information on its performance last year.
Frederik Hoeck, Managing Director at GNT Group B.V., said: “Since GNT was founded in 1978, we’ve been revolutionising the food colouring industry with our plant-based EXBERRY® solutions. Today, we’re known for offering the most natural solutions on the market. We now want to take this to the next level and lead the industry in sustainability too. As a family business, sustainability and caring for future generations have always been part of our DNA.”
GNT’s sustainability strategy is built around four key pillars: better products, better operations, better agriculture, and better for people. It features a total of 17 targets for 2030, including cutting the Product Environmental Footprint for EXBERRY® product ranges by 25 % and reducing the intensity of factories’ CO2-equivalent emissions by at least 50 %.
Furthermore, due to GNT’s strong vertical integration, the company will soon be in a position to report on greenhouse gas emissions for 80 % of EXBERRY® products. Covering scopes 1, 2 and 3, this data will provide important advantages for food and beverage brands as it will enable them to calculate final products’ total environmental footprint.
Rutger de Kort, Sustainability Manager at GNT Group B.V., said: “We’re positioning our EXBERRY® brand as the most sustainable food colouring solution on the market. GNT is committed to driving industry standards higher than ever before by providing colours that deliver on cost-in-use, performance, naturalness, and sustainability. Achieving our goals won’t be easy, but we’re already making excellent progress across multiple areas.”
Fooditive, a pioneer in developing plant-based ingredients, is gearing up for a game-changer in the industry: a Novel Food licence from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for its sweetener. The Dutch company has developed from a concept to a company worth of 26 million euros in 2022 and is making significant progress. Founded on the belief that sustainability is more than a trend, Fooditive provides innovative and natural ingredients to food and beverage manufacturers.
The company’s unique process allows them to develop a remarkable sweetener, made from side streams of apples and pears. The production process has been enhanced and evolved from batch to continuous fermentation, to be able to deliver on the high demand from the food industry by producing up to 30 tonnes of sweetener per week. For this purpose, 83 tonnes of apples and pears are being upcycled, raw material that is considered as side streams, third-grade by juice manufacturers or simply the “ugly fruit”.
The sweetener – the first of Fooditive’s cutting-edge products – sparked a sugar-free, plant-based revolution. The company hopes to make a ground-breaking step towards establishing the sweetener in the market by forming a successful collaboration with a production partner in the Netherlands.
Fooditive has already been offering the sweetener for research and development purposes to players in the food industry to determine which applications their sweetener performs best in. After three years’ worth of learning and development, feedback, and support from the food industry, the company will submit the sweetener as 5-D-Keto-Fructose in the process of applying for Novel Food certification from the European Food Safety Authority.
Global competitor
Following the recent study by ReportLinker, Fooditive is the only start-up and Dutch company that is considered as one of the global competitors for food sweeteners in the industry competing alongside with several of the leading ingredient market vendors. Fooditive provides an innovative sweetener to companies, for different product applications where it can deliver not only the sweet taste but also the functions of sugar.
The sweetener is developed from the extraction of fructose through fermentation and its conversion to 5-D-Keto-Fructose through bio-refining techniques. Fooditive has accomplished this through its innovative approach to offer solutions by valorizing side-streams and starting from different raw materials, including cherries and bananas, to transform them into valuable, healthy ingredients.
Exciting journey
The Fooditive team is aware that the road ahead will be long and challenging. However, they know that completing its goal of securing EFSA approval for such a unique ingredient comes with a slew of benefits. Investors, venture capitalists, food attorneys, and consultants are invited to join the company’s journey on this effort to deliver this game-changer to the market.
Royal DSM, a global purpose-led science-based company, reveals its new integrated Food & Beverage operating structure which unifies three areas of DSM’s nutrition business – Food Specialties, Hydrocolloids and part of its Nutritional Products group – to closely align with emerging customer and market needs. The new business group combines the company’s full range of food and beverage ingredients, expertise and science-based solutions that improve the taste and texture of foods, as well as support healthier lives and a healthier planet. The new Food & Beverage organization will focus on helping consumers ‘enjoy it all’ without having to choose between taste, texture and health. This differentiating message will be the cornerstone of a new campaign.
The global food and beverage market is set to continue its upward trajectory as the world’s population grows, placing new pressures on producers in an already competitive space to innovate and get to market quickly. At the same time, the industry is converging with the health and wellness space, and increasingly aligning with consumer expectations for delicious products that support their health alongside environmental and social aspirations. DSM’s strategy aims to support this market advancement through the creation of one Food & Beverage business group that encompasses the ingredients, global and local expertise and solutions provided by its previously distinct Food Specialties, Hydrocolloids and Nutritional Products business areas.
This simplified structure represents the activation of DSM’s announcement in September 2021 that the company will become a fully-focused Health, Nutrition & Bioscience company. By establishing a ‘one-stop-shop’ of ingredients, solutions and end-to-end capabilities, DSM will help food and beverage manufacturers worldwide fast-track product development and achieve efficient production. As a leading provider of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients, an innovator in enzyme solutions, and a frontrunner in dairy cultures, DSM has unrivalled nutritional science expertise and deep application knowledge which is paired with prominent advocacy for healthier and more sustainable food systems. This is supported by a number of recent acquisitions – including DSM’s acquisition of First Choice Ingredients, a leading supplier of dairy-based savory flavorings – which have enabled DSM to further elevate its taste, texture and health offering for customers. DSM is therefore uniquely placed to help manufacturers overcome the friction that must be navigated to deliver delicious, nutritious and sustainable food and beverage products, so customers and consumers can ‘enjoy it all’.
As an advocate and leader in enabling a healthier and more sustainable food system, DSM’s solutions help boost process efficiencies, reduce food loss and waste and lower the environmental impact of production and consumption – while also enhancing food’s nutritional profile. As part of this, DSM is taking strategic steps in developing specialty proteins that are produced within planetary boundaries, including CanolaPRO®, and supporting producers to be at the forefront of this protein diversification towards a healthier future. DSM’s recent acquisition of Vestkorn Milling, a supplier of pea- and bean-derived proteins, starches and dietary fibers, will also complement and further accelerate this growth. These efforts are part of DSM’s commitment to reach 150 million people with plant-based protein foods by 2030, in alignment with our recently announced series of quantifiable food system commitments.
2021 was another record year for food and drink industry transactions, with 1,116 registered on the Zenith Global mergers and acquisitions database, an average of 21 each week.
The total is 34 % more than in 2020 and 79 % higher than 5 years ago. The number has risen every year since a dip in 2013. Funding rounds for early stage businesses have become an increasingly important element.
GLOBAL FOOD AND DRINK ACQUISITIONS 2016-21 (Photo: Zenith Global)
The most active sectors were ingredients on 97, packaging on 96, soft drinks on 56 and dairy on 54.
GLOBAL FOOD AND DRINK ACQUISITIONS BY SECTOR 2020-21 (Photo: Zenith Global)
The top 15 sectors saw some significant changes in 2021. Packaging, plant-based and vertical farming deals more than doubled, with plant-based rising 9 places to the top 5. Meat-free entered the top 10, outpacing meat.
Vertical farming, food delivery and CBD moved up to the top 15, while services, water drinks and beer dropped out.
The combination of plant-based (48), meat-free (41), cell-based (24), dairy-free (20), alcohol-free (10) and plant-based seafood (5) would make free-from by far the biggest category overall on 148, 13 % of the total. Water drinks (23) and water dispense (18), when taken together at 41, would come 8th.
5 categories had declared transaction values in excess of $10 billion. These were packaging, food delivery, ingredients, plant-based and dairy.
8 more categories exceeded $5 billion – fresh produce, nutrition, meat, soft drinks, snacks, equipment, water drinks and tea.
Meat-free surpassed USD2 billion, while vertical farming and cell-based both exceeded USD1 billion.
Consumers will stop buying a product when its original price has risen by an average of 40 %, according to a new survey commissioned by specialist PR agency Ingredient Communications and conducted by SurveyGoo.
Just over 1,000 US and UK consumers answered a series of questions designed to reveal just how price-sensitive they really are.1 As many as 94 % of participants said they had noticed their food shopping bills going up in the previous three months, with 79 % stating they believed supply chain problems such as driver shortages were to blame.
Respondents were then asked to select the point at which they would stop buying a selection of food, beverage and nutrition products due to price rises, using a scale of + 5 % to ‘I would buy this product whatever the price’.
Overall, the results indicated that shoppers were more immune to price increases for low-cost staple goods. For example, the category in which consumers were least price sensitive was milk (dairy), which could increase in price by an average of 65 % before respondents would stop buying it. This was followed by bread (62 %) and fresh vegetables (60 %).
Conversely, there was greater resistance to cost increases in nutrition categories, where the base price of products tends to be higher. For instance, respondents said they would stop buying protein powder once the price had risen by an average of 17 %. The corresponding pinch point was 23 % for probiotics, 26 % for dietary supplements, and 28 % for Omega 3 fish oil supplements.
High quality ingredients are key
The survey findings also indicate that consumers are happy to shop around in order to offset the impact of upward price pressures. Nearly half of respondents (48 %) said they had switched to a cheaper brand in the previous three months as a result of price rises, while 26 % said they had changed to a retailer’s own-label version of the same product.
Richard Clarke, Managing Director of Ingredient Communications, said: “For basic goods, even a large percentage price increase might still only be a matter of cents or pennies. By contrast, a small percentage increase in the cost of a premium nutrition product might be measured in dollars or pounds.”
He added: “In such challenging market conditions, brands will need to work hard to retain consumer loyalty. An effective way to achieve this is to demonstrate added value by using high quality ingredients that provide clear differentiation and command high levels of trust, whether that’s through proven efficacy, sustainability, strong co-branding, or a combination of these. These values, communicated effectively, will tie a consumer to a brand more closely, mitigating the impact of price increases on purchasing behaviour.”
1SurveyGoo surveyed 1,063 consumers online in December 2021 (532 UK, 531 US)
The trade fair welcomed more than 6,000 buyers who interacted with over 260 exhibitors during its three days, reinforcing that the physical exhibitions are irreplaceable and that ANUTEC – International FoodTec India is “the platform” for the industry.
The largest and most comprehensive exhibition for the food and beverage technology finally took place after a hiatus of nearly two years caused by the pandemic. The 15th edition of ANUTEC – International FoodTec India, held from 2-4 December 2021 at IECC, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, coincided with PackEx India and Food Logistics India. “The success of ANUTEC – International FoodTec India and PackEx India signals a turning point for the Indian food and beverage technology providers industry. We are pleased to have been able to deliver a physical exhibition of this magnitude and are immensely grateful for the overwhelming response,” said Milind Dixit, Managing Director of Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt Ltd. The exhibition received 6,102 visitors from 13 countries and 268 exhibitors from 20 nations. As a result of the successful conclusion of the exhibition, the food and beverage business will take off, which has been eagerly anticipating new technologies and serving customised consumer demands.
Viki Khakhrawala, founder- Shanta G Technofoods LLP, shared his delightful experience and stated, “We have been participating in ANUTEC – International FoodTec India for the last 2-3 times and always participate with high hopes. This time we are happier because we got what we expected and got the bonus business. We are thrilled to see the footfalls and responses we are getting here. I want to give every new Food & Beverage business a message that all should participate in the exhibitions like ANUTEC – International FoodTec India. It’s the best place to identify your expertise, and it will be the best learning experience for newbies.” Vineta Singh of Fresh-O-Veg, said, “We are into food processing end-to-end consulting services. ANUTEC – International FoodTec India is a good platform for companies like us. After a gap of two years, we are quite relieved to interact with people and get back to the market.” Sunita Chaudhary, co-founder, EcoCosmos, shared her experience, “We deal in imported food processing machines. Essentially, we import from Taiwan, Turkey, and South Korea. We participated in this exhibition with some expectations, and those have been met. We were looking for responsive and mature clientele and are getting that on this platform.”
Several premium industry associations supported the event this year, including the All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA), Indian Flexible Packaging and Folding Carton Manufacturers Association (IFCA), and Health Food and Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA). With industry support, the event reached new heights and attracted top buyers.
Under the umbrella of ANUTEC – International FoodTec India Knowledge Forum, a series of powerful side events were organised. “India Food Supply Chain Summit” was co-organised by Logistics Insider and Food Logistics India. IFCA and PackEx India organised a seminar on “Packaging – Continuous Enabler for Creation of Value” followed by IFCA Star Awards, a National Seminar on “Technology Foresight to Modernise the Indian Food Industry for a Significant Global Role” was organised by AIFPA and Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt Ltd. The event attracted who’s who from the industry, senior representatives from the Government of India and influential buyers from the neighbouring countries.
The next ANUTEC – International FoodTec India, PackEx India, and Food Logistics India will be organised from 14-16 September 2022 in Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai. The event will be co-located with the flagship Annapoorna – ANUFOOD India.
Moving beyond the traditional annual colour forecast, GNT has launched groundbreaking research that empowers food and beverage brands to devise tailormade solutions for the modern market.
The growth of the personalization and customization trends is fueling demand for products that appeal to shoppers on a deeper level. Building on more than 40 years’ experience, GNT has developed ‘The Power of Colour’ to help brands create colouring solutions that will connect with their target consumers.
The research combines consumer psychology and semiotics to deliver unique insights into how color generates meaning across products, brands, and categories, enabling manufacturers to create powerful stories and stand out in their category.
Maartje Hendrickx, Market Development Manager at GNT, said: “It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to colour is rapidly becoming outdated. As a service provider, innovation has always been in our DNA and this trailblazing project enables us to help customers find the cutting-edge colouring solutions they need to strengthen their market position and reach new audiences.”
Created alongside professional semioticians, The Power of Colour explores the many ways in which colour sends out messages on a conscious and subconscious level.
For an inside-out perspective, it uses psychology to explore consumer motivations. It examines the tensions that drive product and brand choices, such as the desire for pleasurable yet permissible food and drink.
The second phase uses semiotics to provide an outside-in perspective, showing how colour can help to deliver on these motivations and needs.
Colour codes and cues create a variety of meanings across different cultures, categories, and situations. For example, colour can indicate how to navigate situations and guide decision-making, as in the case of food nutrition labels. It can also signal personal identity, whether through fashion, cosmetics, or even food and drink. Colours evoke moods and emotions, too – red is seen as an energizing shade, for instance, while yellow is associated with joy.
Together, these two perspectives allow brands to build a comprehensive understanding of how colour can be used to cater to different consumer needs and create a compelling narrative.
Jill Janssen, GNT’s Power of Colour lead, said: “Colour can send out any number of messages about brands and products. It might signal a moment of blissful escapism, tell stories about origins and process, showcase powerful ingredients, or help to highlight healthy formulations. The Power of Colour helps brands think about colour in a new way, delving deeper than ever before into its cultural power while also exploring the psychology behind colour trends.”
Diana Food (part of the Symrise Group), a leader in natural ingredients for Food & Beverages, announces that the company has organized and instituted on June 24 a new training session specifically for farmers located in the French Alps who supply fruits for baby food.
The program, which focuses on best practices for soil biodiversity, is designed to improve the quality and yield of the key crops used in baby foods.
Many farmers follow traditional agronomy practices passed down from previous generations, with limited awareness of how a deeper understanding of the nature of their soil can improve output. With this training, Diana Food agronomists are able to show farmers the role soil plays in producing fruits and vegetables that capture all the inherent goodness of their terroir. By combining this new technical knowledge with the farmers’ traditional methods, yield quality is very high.
According to Aurélie Pellé, Global Fruit Product Line Director at Diana Food, “Consumers are looking for products for their babies that are as close as possible to homemade. They want baby foods that are natural, clean, and simple with no added flavours, colours, or preservatives. This is why agronomy is so important to the category. Growing the best, cleanest fruits and vegetables allows minimal processing and an end product that is very close to what nature intended.”
Diana Food offers a large range of baby food ingredients that support the specific nutritional needs of children in the age groups of 6 months to 3 years, beginning with the introduction of solid foods into the diet. Fruit product streams include banana, apple, and strawberry; vegetable streams include carrot, tomato, and spinach. Diana Food production sites are FSC 22000 certified, which enables the company to provide ingredients that meet the health and safety standards this category demands: very low levels of contaminants, low microbiology levels, and low levels of chemical contaminants and foreign bodies.
Consumer demand for organic ingredients is extremely high in the baby food category, with organic products more prevalent in the market than any other category. The Diana Food Baby Food portfolio meets this demand, with organic certification compliant with the European, American and Chinese markets.
Excellence in agronomy is at the foundation of Diana Food’s value proposition. Thanks to the company’s historical know-how, expertise and global network of agronomic experts, Diana Food is able to select the best varieties and the best growing conditions in order to maximize the potential of the species. With proximity to farmers and producers, Diana Food agronomists are fully involved in the cultivation cycle, guaranteeing traceability, transparency, and sustainability of agricultural practices. This expertise and experience from farm to fark makes Diana Food a trusted partner for developing wining solutions for Baby Food manufacturers.
Establishing global leadership position in natural colours
As part of its 2025 strategy to expand the portfolio of its global Taste & Wellbeing business, Givaudan announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire DDW, The Color House, a US based natural colour company. The acquisition will enable Givaudan to become a global leader in natural colours, enhancing its ability to create “Feel Good” Food Experiences through its extensive portfolio of taste and sense solutions.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, DDW is a leading privately-held company in the natural colour industry, with 12 manufacturing facilities around the world and 315 associates. Founded in 1865, the company has developed a strong market position from its origins in the brewing industry through its market leading capabilities in caramel colours and for the last 20 years having a strong focus on natural colours for the food and beverage industry.
The terms of the deal have not been disclosed and Givaudan plans to debt fund the transaction. DDW’s business would have represented approximately USD 140 million of incremental sales to Givaudan’s results in 2020 on a proforma basis. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2021.
Oterra™ is pleased to announce that it has closed its acquisition of SECNA Natural Ingredients Group S.L.
This is the first acquisition for Oterra, which itself was purchased by private investment firm EQT in March 2021 when Chr. Hansen divested their natural colours business. Oterra, recently announced its intention to pursue a second acquisition, namely Diana Food’s colours business.
Odd Erik Hansen, CEO of Oterra, stated, “This is an exciting time for the industry as demand for natural colors continues to increase. We expect the addition of SECNA to be a meaningful contributor to Oterra’s growth in 2021 and beyond, as we solidify our position as one of the world’s leading suppliers of natural colours. We look forward to offering both our, and SECNA’s, customers a fully integrated go-to-market service soon.”
With this acquisition, Oterra, will further enhance its value offerings to customers worldwide. Notable portfolio additions include SECNA’S anthocyanins from black carrots and grape, as well as caramel, and an organic range. After a period, the SECNA group will be fully incorporated into Oterra.
Approximately 80 SECNA employees, based in Spain and Italy, will join Oterra. This is an exciting time for Oterra, who look forward to having them on the team. “SECNA’s skilled and competent workforce stood out from the start, and I am happy to welcome them to the Oterra family,” said Odd Erik Hansen.
The promise of endlessly recycled PET plastic is one step closer today, as the Consortium – Carbios, L’Oréal, Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe – announces the successful production of the world’s first food-grade PET plastic bottles produced entirely from enzymatically recycled plastic.
Each Consortium company has successfully manufactured sample bottles – based on Carbios’ enzymatic PET recycling technology – for some of their leading products including: Biotherm®, Perrier®, Pepsi Max®* and Orangina®.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of nearly 10 years’ research and development by Carbios to create a new process and supercharge an enzyme naturally occurring in compost heaps that normally breaks down leaf membranes of dead plants. By adapting this enzyme, Carbios has fine-tuned the technology and optimized this enzyme to break down any kind of PET plastic (regardless of color or complexity) into its building blocks, which can then be turned back into like-new, virgin-quality plastic.
Carbios’ patented enzymatic PET recycling process enables a wide variety of PET plastics to be recycled into virgin quality, food grade rPET. PET plastics that would otherwise go to waste or be incinerated, can now be brought back into a continuous circular system of recycling. And this can be achieved at high speed – breaking down 97 % of plastic in just 16 hours – 10,000 times more efficient than any biological plastic recycling trial to date (peer-reviewed article in Nature).
Together, these brands will work to scale this innovation to help meet the global demand for sustainable packaging solutions. In September 2021, Carbios will break ground on a demonstration plant, before launching a 40,000 tons capacity industrial facility, by 2025.
Enzymatic recycling overcomes the issue of degradation in conventional recycling and can be used on any type of PET plastic. Because Carbios’ recycling process works under mild conditions, it also lowers the carbon footprint of PET waste treatment by saving 30 % of CO2 emissions compared to a conventional end of life mix of incineration and landfill, taking virgin PET production substitution into account.**
The successful completion of these initial food-grade bottles is a major milestone in the Consortium’s validation of Carbios’ technology. This partnership is part of a growing trend amongst brands to collaborate across industries to tackle these global challenges, working towards a world of circularity, where we limit the production of virgin plastic.
Carbios will license its technology to PET manufacturers worldwide, accelerating the global adoption of enzymatic recycling for all kinds of PET based products.
*Pepsi Max® also known as Pepsi Black or Pepsi Zero Sugar in other global markets. **Preliminary Life Cycle Assessment of Carbios PET recycling process, 2021
Singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding has acquired a significant stake in the premium British hard seltzer brand SERVED.
Ellie was introduced to Ryan and Dean Ginsberg, the co-founders of SERVED through mutual friends and says she “immediately fell in love with the brand – not only because it’s the best hard seltzer I’ve tasted by quite some margin, but also because this is a brand driven by care and respect for the natural world at this crucial point.”
“I’ve always enjoyed a social drink with friends, but I also lead a busy lifestyle and I am passionate about my health, fitness, and the environment. Served is a brand that allows me to have it all – a delicious and refreshing alcoholic drink without all the calories, sugar and bad stuff.”
Ellie, a global goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme since 2017 adds, “We are going to take on some of the biggest brands on the planet, but do it our way. We refuse to compromise on quality nor the health of the natural world. We use ‘wonky fruit’ as an intervention on food waste, the most innovative ecological packaging materials we can think of and we will support habitats, people and animals on the frontline of the nature crisis. We will continue to be 100 % transparent. Oh, and we’ll do all this while having fun and building an awesome brand with awesome people.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Ellie as a co-owner of SERVED and excited to build a global brand alongside her. Ellie embodies everything that we stand for at SERVED, and she will be an integral part of the brand as we continue to grow” says Dean Ginsberg.
SERVED is already available in the UK with high-profile listings including Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Planet Organic and WHSmith – and will continue to expand its retail footprint alongside significant growth in key international markets including Ireland, France and Spain. Regarding their expansion, Ginsberg continued “we are excited to be working with such great partners who share our enthusiasm and vision for the brand, and we look forward to introducing SERVED to more people up and down the country and across Europe this summer.”
SERVED is crafted in Herefordshire, where Ellie grew up, by infusing sparkling spring water with wonky fruit and pairing this with their own ServedPureTM spirit. The result is a refreshing 4 % ABV plant-based, gluten-free hard seltzer with a crisp, fresh flavour, and a touch of natural sweetness. Designed for the modern health-conscious consumer, SERVED only contains 57 calories and zero sugar.
Committed to reducing food waste and environmental impact as much as possible, SERVED Hard Seltzers are packaged in fully recyclable cans, use wonky fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste, and contain no artificial additives or sweeteners. Committed to inspiring the industry as a whole todo better, 5 % of profits from each can sold are invested towards environmental projects and saving critically endangered species around the world.
Beloved baby food brand to join growing portfolio of better-for-you whole fruit snacks
Sun-Maid Growers of California announced it will acquire Plum Organics, a leading premium, organic baby food and kids snacks brand, from Campbell Soup Company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Plum offers a diverse portfolio of organic foods and snacks to meet the nutritional needs of babies, tots and kids. All of Plum’s products are certified organic and non-GMO.
“We’re excited to welcome Plum Organics’ nutritious line of baby, toddler and kids’ food products to our imaginative world of delicious, whole fruit snacks. Our purpose is to help mom find better-for-you food options that taste great and kids will love. Adding Plum to our innovative product lineup delivers even more choices for her and her family,” said Harry Overly, CEO and president of Sun-Maid Growers of California. “Plum is a natural fit for the Sun-Maid family given our expertise, leadership and rapid growth in healthy snacking, along with our strong emotional connection with family households. Its acquisition is an integral part of our continued dedication to providing superior products while delivering category growth. We’re committed to carrying on Plum’s mission of serving babies the very best food from the first bite.”
Chris Foley, Campbell’s President of Meals & Beverages, said, “The sale of the Plum Organics baby food brand is part of our ongoing strategic process to create even greater focus on driving growth in the division’s core categories of soup, sauces and beverages.”
Plum Organics was founded in 2007 by a group of parents on a mission to give the very best food to their little ones. Campbell acquired Plum in 2013.
The anticipated closing date for this transaction is Spring 2021.
Joint venture leverages manufacturing expertise, global go-to-market capabilities, and food and beverage industry experience to create and scale innovative ingredient solutions
Grupo Arcor, the leading food company of Argentina, and Ingredion Incorporated, a leading global ingredient solutions provider to the food and beverage industry, have signed an agreement to create a joint venture that will leverage the two companies’ manufacturing expertise, complementary geographic footprints and commercial capabilities to broaden food and beverage ingredient offerings to customers in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Arcor and Ingredion will hold a 51 % and 49 % stake, respectively. The joint venture will have a combined turnover of more than US$ 300 million.
Arcor will transfer its ingredient operations to the joint venture, which includes one manufacturing facility in Lules (province of Tucumán) and two manufacturing facilities in the Industrial Complex Arroyito (province of Córdoba).
Ingredion will transfer its Argentina, Chile and Uruguay operations to the joint venture, which includes two manufacturing facilities in the districts of Chacabuco and Baradero (province of Buenos Aires).
The manufacturing facilities produce value-added ingredients, such as glucose syrups, maltose, fructose, starch and maltodextrins that are essential to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.
The joint venture will be managed by a jointly appointed team of executives who will be responsible for integrating the combined operations to market, sell and manufacture ingredients within Argentina, Chile and Uruguay and to further optimize the manufacturing network and support functions to create incremental shareholder value.
The joint venture will operate on a stand-alone basis and upon the closing of the transaction, Arcor will consolidate the business. Ingredion will account for its interest in the joint venture under the equity method of accounting, and hyperinflation accounting will be applied to equity income for Ingredion’s reporting purposes.
The joint venture has been approved by each company’s board of directors and is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Infupa is acting as financial adviser to Arcor and Bruchou as its legal counsel; Finanzas & Gestión is acting as financial adviser to Ingredion and Baker & McKenzie as its legal adviser.
About Ingredion Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2019 annual net sales of more than US$6 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. With Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centers located around the world and nearly 12,000 employees, the Company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature, and technology together to make life better. Visit ingredion.com for more information and the latest Company news.
About Arcor Arcor is the leading food company in Argentina, the first global producer of hard candy, and the main confectionery exporter in Argentina, Chile, and Peru. It has more than 40 industrial plants and employs nearly 20,000 collaborators. Arcor has entered into many alliances, like the one between Bagley Latinoamérica and the French group Danone, the Grupo Bimbo partnership in Mexico, the strategic alliance with Coca-Cola for the joint development of new products and the creation of Kamay Ventures, one of main open capital investment funds in Argentina. Grupo Arcor’s daily production volume amounts to 3 million kilograms and its brands are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide. Its annual turnover for 2019 was US$ 2.5 billion.
The global variety of organic food and natural and organic personal care products will be on show at BIOFACH, the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food Products, and VIVANESS, the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care, between 17 and 19 February 2021. This time, however, instead of taking place in the exhibition halls in Nuremberg, the international class meeting for the sector will be held in purely digital form. A total of 1,443 exhibitors at the BIOFACH/VIVANESS eSPECIAL, 102 of them representing VIVANESS/ natural personal care products and services, will actively contribute to the format of the event by offering digital tasting sessions and product presentations, for example. Sector representatives can look forward to three days full of company and product presentations, knowledge sharing, matchmaking and networking. Of course, the BIOFACH and VIVANESS CONGRESS is an integral part of the eSPECIAL, and participants will be able to experience the digital New Products Stand with its product innovations and trends, in addition to many other highlights. Trends at BIOFACH this year: plant-based products, low- sugar and sugar-free products, functional food, sustainability and social responsibility; and those at VIVANESS: solid cosmetics, me time & comfort, safe beauty und circular beauty.
“In recent months we’ve been working hard on the BIOFACH/VIVANESS 2021 eSPECIAL, and are looking forward to these three days when all the participants will get to know our business platform and use it to interact, make new contacts, do business, and learn about the latest sector developments and trends,” comments Petra Wolf, Member of the Management Board of NürnbergMesse. “The organic food and natural and organic personal care community can look forward to a fascinating, top-quality digital event.”
More than 1,400 exhibitors on board
Among the total of 1,443 exhibitors, BIOFACH accounts for 1,341 and VIVANESS the remaining 102. The international make-up of the event is strong once again, at more than 75 %, with exhibitors this year representing 82 countries from every continent. The top countries by exhibitor numbers, after Germany (365), are Italy (176), France (70), the Netherlands (52), Spain (52), Belgium (48) and Austria (39).
The product areas of “milk substitutes” and “meat substitutes”, in particular, are strongly represented among the exhibitors at BIOFACH. Many exhibitors from the field of “frozen products”, especially fish and seafood, and also ice cream, have also registered. There is also a noticeable tendency for the sector to pay more and more attention to particular product characteristics such as “fair”, “regionally sourced”, “vegan” and “gluten and lactose-free”. One growth segment at VIVANESS is “decorative cosmetics”. Many exhibitors in the areas of “hair care”, “special cosmetics/care”, with particular reference to “shaving aids and beard care”, “chemist articles” and “contract manufacturing, packaging”, and the “oral and dental care” product group are also represented.
The 1,443 exhibitors also include the 15 exclusive partners to the BIOFACH/VIVANESS eSPECIAL: Biokreis e.V.; Bioland e.V.; Bio Austria, Consorzio il Biologico Soc.Coop.; Cultivator Natural Products Pvt. Ltd.; Demeter e.V.; dennree GmbH; GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation), Import Promotion Desk (IPD) and partners on behalf of the BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development); GLS Bank; Lebensbaum; Litfood – Lithuanian National Pavilion; Naturland Zeichen GmbH; Officina naturae S.R.L.; Ukrainian National Pavilion; Organic Ukraine Business Hub and Vietnam Organic Agriculture Association.
Inspiration and stimuli: New developments and trends, start-ups and awards
The digital version of the trade fair pairing of BIOFACH and VIVANESS will still include a New Products Stand. In total, almost 500 new products have been submitted by the various exhibitors, including about 350 new product developments in the organic foodstuffs field and 140 for natural and organic cosmetics. And once again, the items considered most exciting and most innovative by the participants will win the coveted Best New Product Award. In addition to the Best New Product Award, the “BioThesis” Organic Food Industry Research Award will also be presented. This is given to theses with an environmental and sustainable focus.
Based on the registered new products, the trend jury has once again developed a list of the current industry trends for the BIOFACH/VIVANESS 2021 eSPECIAL. The trends at BIOFACH this year are plant-based products, low-sugar and sugar-free products, functional food, and sustainability and social responsibility, while those for VIVANESS are waterless beauty/solid cosmetics, me time & comfort, safe beauty/healthbooster, and circular beauty/economy.
There will also be a Start-up-Area this year. The Startups@BIOFACH/VIVANESS will introduce themselves and their products in a number of brief sessions/10-minute pitches in the exhibitors’ forum.
Networking made easy
The objective of the BIOFACH/VIVANESS eSPECIAL is to make it as easy as possible to establish and nurture business contacts using a range of communication tools such as chats and video calls, which enable all participants to get in touch with each other or arrange appointments, quickly and without complications. A special highlight of the business platform is the integrated Matchmaking Tool, which uses a search and offer process to show participants the best matches, i.e. their ideal contacts.
Comprehensive and fascinating programme at the BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress
All in all, the congress programme comprises 70 individual sessions spread across six forums (the BIOFACH Forum, specialist retail, sustainability, politics, science, and VIVANESS Congress) covering all aspects of trends, numbers, data and facts on the global market for organic food products and natural and organic cosmetics. Of course, there will also be presentations on top themes such as “packaged/unpackaged” and special sessions on all aspects of the main congress theme, “Shaping Transformation. Stronger. Together”. Among the other highlights will be the trend tours on the highlighted BIOFACH and VIVANESS trends. Interested parties can find the entire programme here:
The congress will be live-streamed, and will subsequently be available on demand for another six months or so, which means participants will not have to choose between two presentations or a customer appointment.
STADTLANDBIO Congress
In parallel with the BIOFACH/VIVANESS eSPECIAL, the STADTLANDBIO Congress 2021 will also be held in purely digital form on 18 February. Its focus is the EU’s “Farm-to-Fork” strategy, which represents a sustainable agricultural system for the EU to create greener and healthier foodstuffs. The aim is to increase the share represented by environmentally friendly agriculture in the EU to 25 % by 2030. Participants in the congress will discuss the opportunities and benefits the strategy offers at a city, community and district level, and also how better collaboration can be achieved at an EU and municipal level.
The congress is aimed at decision-makers and professionals in authorities, organizations and businesses. Interested parties can find the entire programme here: www.stadtlandbio.de/programm.
The now, next, and future of the global food and drink industry
The events of 2020 caused a fundamental reset in human behaviour. Recognising this transformation, Mintel’s 2021 Global Food and Drink Trends are inspired by recent shifts in consumer purchases and attitudes across industries. Through collaboration with consumer analysts and insights from Mintel Trends, a global team of food and drink experts have identified new opportunities in line with three of the Mintel Trend Drivers: Wellbeing, Value, and Identity.
In 2021 and beyond, expect food and drink companies to create mental and emotional wellbeing solutions, deliver on new value needs, and use brands to celebrate people’s identities.
Feed The Mind
Innovative food and drink formulations will offer solutions for mental and emotional wellbeing that will create a new foundation for healthy eating.
Quality Redefined
Brands will be challenged to respond to new definitions of trust, quality, and ‘essential’.
United By Food
Food and drink brands can balance a person’s need to feel unique and special with the desire to be part of communities of like-minded individuals.
Please download the free 2021 Global Food and Drink Trends here.
The pandemic and associated travel and event restrictions have also had an impact on Anuga FoodTec, which was originally scheduled for March 2021. After extensive discussions with industry participants and the German Agricultural Society (DLG), the professional and conceptual sponsor of the trade fair, Koelnmesse sees no alternative but to postpone Anuga FoodTec. The next Anuga FoodTec will take place from 26 to 29 April 2022.
“We sincerely regret that we have to postpone Anuga FoodTec until 2022 despite good preparation and encouragement from the industry. In the past few weeks, however, it has become apparent that there is growing skepticism and concern among all involved. As a result, many companies have pulled out in view of the infection situation and current uncertainty. However, Anuga FoodTec cannot take place without the important key factors of internationality and cross-industry participation. With this in mind, we have responded to the industry’s wish to postpone the trade fair with the new date,” says Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “The new event date is the best possible solution, taking into consideration the international trade fair calendar, and the available time and space capacities. This allows us to provide the industry with a vision and planning security”.
In 2022, the trade fair will take place as a hybrid event, combining both an inperson and digital platform. The addition of a digital platform to the physical component creates the foundation for as many people as possible from Germany and abroad to have access to the latest technologies and processes in the food and beverage industry and for promoting sustainable networking within the industry.
“Like the companies, we will use the time to fully prepare ourselves for the upcoming trade fair and boost the industry’s restart further with digital tools and additional reach. Koelnmesse will of course continue to count on the presence of international exhibitors and visitors in April 2022,” continued Frese. “Trade fairs offer the opportunity for products and the people behind them to be experienced through personal interaction and exchange. This is the ideal basis for successful business.”
“As the professional and conceptual sponsor of Anuga FoodTec, we very much regret that the leading international supplier fair for the food and beverage industry will not be able to take place in March 2021 as planned. As a platform for professionalexchange across industry boundaries, Anuga FoodTec is a central partner for the entire food sector, focusing on current topics and providing important impetus with the presentation of forward-looking technologies and innovations. We are therefore even more pleased that in spring 2022 Anuga FoodTec will once again be the meeting place for the international food technology and supplier industry under the guiding theme ‘Smart Solutions – Higher Flexibility'”, says Simone Schiller, Managing Director of the DLG Food Technology Center.
Koelnmesse is the organiser of Anuga FoodTec. DLG is the professional and conceptual sponsor of Anuga FoodTec.
Leveraging combined capabilities to shape new sustainable innovations for customers
Givaudan and Novozymes, the world leaders in their respective industries, are excited to announce the formation of a strategic research partnership for the development of synergistic innovative ingredients and technologies for customers. The two companies will jointly work on the research and development of innovative sustainable solutions in the areas of food and cleaning.
This new partnership is fully in line with Novozymes’ updated strategy Better Business with Biology and with Givaudan’s 2025 strategic goals to expand its offering to consumers’ brands through innovative and sustainable solutions.
Givaudan brings the highest investment in research and development in the industry, has an in- depth understanding of consumers around the world and creates the emotional signatures and food experiences for consumer brands.
Novozymes brings innovation with extensive know-how in enzymes and microorganisms with substantial investments in technology and R&D. On the commercial side, Novozymes is in strong commercial partnerships with some of the largest companies in the industries of Household Care and Food & Beverages. Being the world leader within biological solutions, Novozymes drives sustainable solutions that enable differentiated product performance for consumers.
Together the two companies will work on specific projects with the aim to bring to their respective customers a differentiating solution offering. With a significant overlap of end use markets, there is a fundamental belief that the partnership can generate customer value by combining the two companies’ capabilities and solutions.
Gilles Andrier, Chief Executive Officer at Givaudan said: “We are very excited to initiate this strategic partnership with Novozymes, a much respected company that has an impressive heritage and research platform in biological solutions. Our purpose of ‘creating for healthier, happier lives with love for nature’ fully aligns with the aspiration of Novozymes for a world with 100 % biological products. Together we have the potential to grow with our respective customers while increasing our positive impact on the world with products consumers feel good about, and that preserve our planet.
SunOpta Inc., a leading global company focused on plant-based foods and beverages, fruit-based foods and beverages, and organic ingredient sourcing and production, announced it has reached an agreement to sell the Company’s global ingredients segment and related assets to an Amsterdam based global commodity trading company, Amsterdam Commodities N.V. for a debt and cash free consideration of €330 million. The transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close by January 2021.
“I’m pleased to announce this strategically transformational transaction. This transaction further solidifies SunOpta’s future direction as a high-growth, plant-based company focused on providing value-added products in competitively advantaged categories with consistent, sustainable, above average growth characteristics. The long- term supply agreement negotiated as part of this transaction provides SunOpta with the benefit of a continued strategic relationship with a leading global ingredient player in Acomo. Furthermore, this transaction de-levers and strengthens SunOpta’s balance sheet, enabling the acceleration of near-term expansion plans in our fast-growing plant-based food and beverage segment. The plans include both high-return capital investment projects, as well as synergistic acquisitions, that add to an existing set of strong capabilities in our core plant-based beverage platform. This is a very exciting time for us at SunOpta as we look forward to building on our success of the past four quarters,” said Joe Ennen, Chief Executive Offcer of SunOpta.
“With the exciting acquisition of Tradin, Acomo will realize a highly complementary acquisition, creating a leading global player across organic and conventional unlisted commodities. The company is a leading partner for the organic food industry, benefitting from the rapidly growing global consumer demand for sustainable and healthy foods. Tradin has an attractive financial profile and will continue to be led by a highly experienced management team,” said Allard Goldschmeding, Acomo Group Managing Director.
Under the terms of the agreement, SunOpta will sell processing facilities located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Silistra, Bulgaria; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Yirgalem, Ethiopia. These facilities and their employees will continue to operate in ordinary course. Approximately 525 employees will be transferred from SunOpta to Acomo.
The Global Ingredients business being sold contributed approximately US$488 million to SunOpta’s net sales for the twelve months ended September 26, 2020. The transaction valuation represents an approximate 10x multiple of Adjusted EBITDA1 for the standalone business. This transaction is highly tax effcient and is expected to be accretive to the Company’s long-term growth rate and margin profile further focusing the Company on delivering more consistent financial results for our shareholders.
Proceeds from this transaction will be used for capital investment primarily into the core Plant-Based Foods and Beverages segment and to pay down debt.
1Non-GAAP Measures In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company provides additional information about its operating results regarding segment operating income, adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”), which are not measures in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company believes that segment operating income, adjusted earnings and adjusted EBITDA assist investors in comparing performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that are not indicative of its operating performance. The non-GAAP measures of segment operating income, adjusted earnings and adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
„Food and Agribusiness in 2030: A Roadmap“
At the moment of writing, we are in the last quarter of an incredible year. The world is facing an astonishing number of changes resulting from one of the worst pandemics ever. Food, agribusiness, and biofuel chains will be working in a new macro environment and will operate differently after 2020. These structural changes come on top of the need to increase food production to feed 9 billion people in 2050 and the urgency to increase renewable sources of energy to promote sustainability, save resources and limit climate change.
“Food and Agribusiness in 2030: A Roadmap” offers tools for understanding this new macro environment and helps to position food chains. It helps companies to take advantage of opportunities. The tools relate to strategic planning of food chains in the new scenario, understanding what will happen with chain participants, where markets will grow, how consumers will behave, how sustainability will gain importance, and how cooperatives, associations and other forms of collective actions will gather force.
The goal of this book is to offer something very practical so that companies and other public or private organisations can read a chapter and start discussing what they should do next and take a look at their roadmap. Good luck with your planning process.
In 2021 BIOFACH and VIVANESS will take place as a purely digital format. The World’s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food and the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care will be held as a BIOFACH / VIVANESS eSpecial. In making this decision, organiser NürnbergMesse is responding to the altered circumstances of the dynamically evolving pandemic and its effects on the global organic food and natural and organic cosmetics community. At the same time, this move will allow secure planning for the entire globally connected sector. The dates for the BIOFACH / VIVANESS 2021 eSpecial are 17-19 February.
Petra Wolf, member of the NürnbergMesse management board, had this to say: “The numerous conversations and in-depth dialogue we have had in recent weeks and months have made one thing clear to us. Within the organic food and natural and organic cosmetics sector the desire for interaction, networking and knowledge transfer with experts, and to discover trends and innovations, remains huge and unabated, especially in these exceptional times. Even in this era of coronavirus, the entire sector is absolutely determined to come together to discuss the latest issues, even if only in the digital sphere. However, in the light of the pandemic and based on our ongoing dialogue with the community and a comprehensive survey of exhibitors and visitors, we trust that our decision to host a digital event will now enable all players from the sector to plan ahead in good time. I very much regret that the physical trade fair cannot take place and stress that this decision was an extremely difficult one for all of us. However, before we all meet again on site in Nuremberg in 2022, the BIOFACH / VIVANESS eSpecial will offer an ideal platform for professional dialogue in 2021.”
Exhibitor presentations – networking – congress
The BIOFACH / VIVANESS 2021 eSpecial provides a comprehensive range of innovative options such as corporate and product presentations, discussion and dialogue formats like round tables, and other formats for networking with industry experts. Sophisticated matchmaking functions that help interested parties to find the right exhibitors and vice versa are another integral part of the eSpecial format. BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2021 also offers the organic food and natural and organic cosmetics community extensive access to knowledge transfer at the BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress, which has a global reach. The main congress theme in 2021 will be: Shaping Transformation. Stronger. Together.
Comexposium Group, the organiser of SIAL (Salon International de l’Alimentation), announced that the 2020 edition of SIAL Paris, initially slated for this autumn is to be rescheduled to 15 to 19 October 2022.
To enable such an international event to take place during this pandemic-hit period, SIAL Paris had planned a wide range of initiatives. However, following consultations with exhibitors and visitors, and in view of an uncertain interna- tional public health environment, the results of the survey have shifted substantially in recent days, eventually leading to a majority wishing to see the event put off.
Nicolas Trentesaux, CEO of SIAL Global Network explains that: “SIAL Paris wishes to remain true to its mission with the firm intention of keeping in touch with its market and supporting the recovery and transformation of food industry market players all over the world”.
To guarantee food professionals an experience that lives up to their expectations, SIAL Paris is therefore postponed to 2022, when it will take place from 15 to 19 October. At each of its editions, SIAL Paris usually welcomes 7,200 exhibitors from more than 120 countries and draws 300,000 participants. It also deciphers the market and the trends emerging in the world food sector, and has tirelessly reinvented itself over more than 50 years as the imperative go-to figure in the food industry.
SIAL Paris will continue to propose content and will offer a series of new events from October 2020 onwards dealing with major global issues, trends and innovation that are set to shape the food industry of the future. These include exclusive studies, the likes of which are unparalleled in the food world, conducted by the expert partners of SIAL: Kantar, ProtéinesXTC and Gira. Cutting edge analysis of leading trends and how they evolve over time, based on a three-pillar approach: Customer expectations, Product innovation and Out-of-home food service behaviour.
“Furthermore, we will continue to expand our global network to offer regional growth platforms with major annual gathe- rings in China, Canada, Indonesia, India and the United Arab Emirates,” concludes Nicolas Trentesaux.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated Canadian usage of e-commerce with online grocery being one of the main benefactors. The latest research from Mintel reveals that by mid-April, almost four in 10 (37 %*) Canadians were shopping more online, with 22 %* of Canadians specifically noting they were buying more groceries online due to COVID-19, including 10 %* of seniors (those aged 65+).
Physical grocery stores have a big challenge to encourage consumers to come back into stores and spend time inside. Mintel’s research shows that as of mid-April, 70 %* of Canadian shoppers were making less frequent trips to the grocery store than usual and in the middle of July, 71 %** were limiting the time they spent in the store. Consumers were also doing what they could to protect themselves: 67 %* said they were taking extra precautions when shopping in stores, e.g. wiping down their carts, keeping their distance from other shoppers. These protective behaviours are continuing, at the end of July, half (50 %***) of Canadians continue to be worried about the risk of being exposed to the virus, driving two-thirds (64 %***) of consumers to limit the time they spend in-stores.
Carol Wong-Li, Associate Director, Lifestyles and Leisure said:
“The challenge grocery retailers face now and in the months to come will be to convince consumers to come back into stores and shop for longer periods of time. Encouraging consumers to do so will have a positive impact on the ‘act of discovery’. Consumers will need to be encouraged to slow down and re-engage in spontaneous behaviours like browsing and trying new products, reminding them that shopping pre-COVID was a leisurely enjoyable activity, not what it is considered now – more ‘mission-minded’ with safety remaining at top of mind for consumers.
“The current uncertainty surrounding the virus remains unhelpful to the grocery shopping experience as much of it tends to be tactile, using touch and smell to assess the freshness of produce or sampling. Grocery retailers will need to replace the tactile experiences with more visual incentives to gain people’s interests, which will open up opportunities to enhance the in-store shopping experience in a safe way. Examples include providing QR codes that can be scanned by mobile phones to access full recipes or how-to cooking videos. Ultimately, leveraging platforms popular with Canadians like scannable signs that bring up recipes and/or cooking videos on Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube will work well to enhance the shopping experience while in-store.”
A renewed appreciation of shelf-stable products
The essential nature of food at home has not been lost, as of the beginning of May, almost half (48 %****) of consumers said they had made groceries a higher spending priority at the height of the pandemic, while over a quarter (28 %*) agreed that they were less-budget conscious than usual when it came to buying groceries. Shelf-stable products became a star performer, with 43 %* of Canadians saying they were buying more groceries that would stay fresh for longer like frozen, canned and boxed food.
“An area that was once stigmatized for being less healthy, the centre of the store where shelf-stable items tend to be, has been revitalized due to the uncertainty associated with the pandemic. Preventative measures put in place, like mandatory restaurant closings, led Canadians to cook more from home – providing a boost to shelf-stable products,” continues Wong-Li.
Stressed out Canadians indulge in comfort food
The link between food and comfort is undeniable amongst Canadians: nearly half (46 %*****) of Canadians eat comforting foods as a way of managing stress. During the pandemic, the importance of food in addressing elevated levels of stress was seen with a third (33 %*) of Canadian women reporting that they were eating more indulgent food like chocolate, ice cream or pizza to help them cope with the situation.
“As the uncertainty of the pandemic is set to be the reality for the near future, functional claims – including specific ingredients that help with stress relief or improving sleep – will matter more to consumers now and in the months to come,” concludes Wong-Li.
*500 internet users aged 18+, April 13-17, 2020, Global COVID-19 Tracker – Canada **500 internet users aged 18+, July 13-17, 2020, Global COVID-19 Tracker – Canada ***2,000 internet users aged 18+, July 23-31, 2020, Global COVID-19 Tracker – Canada ****500 internet users aged 18+, May 11-15, 2020, Global COVID-19 Tracker – Canada *****According to Marketing to Gen Z – Canada, June 2020
With an aging population globally, consumers are increasingly looking for solutions that help them to live their lives to the fullest while maintaining high levels of health and wellness regardless of their age.
While 7 out of 10 global consumers in an Innova Consumer Survey said that they had made changes over the past year to improve their health, these changes were not just for physical health, with consumers balancing physical, mental, and emotional aspects. Changes to improve physical wellbeing continued to lead, with 53 % of respondents saying that they had made a change. However, numbers were also significant for consumers saying that they had taken steps to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing (44 % of respondents) and for consumers saying that they had sought more spiritual time (32 % of respondents).
As a result, nutrition that supports both physical and emotional wellbeing is thriving and can target the needs and preferences of different generations with more specific holistic approaches to help identify opportunities and optimize innovation.
Being aged 60+ continues to be redefined, as this age group strives to remain healthier and more active while potentially working until later in their lives than previous generations out of choice or necessity. Future seniors, however, will come from Generation X and Millennials, raised in a different era to the Silent Generation and Boomers who make up the over 60s of today.
Innova’s 2019 research study indicates that 76 % of consumers aged between 26 and 55 years agreed that healthy aging started with what they ate and drank, while 56 % said that they had increased their consumption of functional foods/drinks over the previous year.
Healthy aging claims are starting to appear more regularly on food products and beverages as younger generations prefer functional food & beverages to classic supplement formats. Global research by Innova Market Insights indicates that while 29.7 % of over 55s cited tablets and 26 % cited capsules as their preferred form of intake for supplements in 2019, among those aged 26 to 35 years, nearly 30 % preferred supplements in the form of food products and 27.7 % as beverages, falling slightly to 22.1 % and 25 %, respectively, for those aged 36 to 45.
This presents opportunities to redefine supplements and how they are used, while we are also seeing blurring boundaries between supplements and food/drinks.
It is clear that products with active health claims are increasingly featuring in the marketplace to cater to a variety of needs. Food and beverage launches with active health claims tracked by Innova Market Insights are seeing a growth of +11 % (Global, 2018 vs. 2019). There is a particular focus on healthy aging or aging well, both for seniors and for younger demographics who already engaging with preventative care.
Joint health, energy/alertness, immune health, and bone health are some of the fastest-growing active health claims for global food and beverage launches in recent years as links between particular nutrients and health benefits are increasingly made.
Brain health is another area of growing interest, particularly in terms of aging well, while targeting physical appearance via nutrition and diet is also seeing rapidly rising levels of interest.
On 7th September 2020 at 13:30 BST, Myrthe de Beukelaar, Market Analyst at Innova Market Insights, will present Health & Happiness: a Holistic Approach to Healthy Aging webinar as part of Vitafoods Virtual Expo event. Join Myrthe to learn more about how consumers are increasingly looking for solutions to live their life to the fullest. Register here.
Biesterfeld is expanding its long-term partnership with US-based ingredients manufacturer CP Kelco in the food and nutrition sector. Following on from their successful cooperation in Germany and Poland, the distribution of CP Kelco’s nature-based pectin, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gellan gum and citrus fiber for food applications has been extended to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, as of April 2020.
CP Kelco’s nature-based ingredients provide a wide range of functional benefits in innovative product formulations. CP Kelco is one of the leading producers of pectin, a gelling agent derived from citrus peel and used primarily in the production of fruit preparations and acidified milk products. GENU® Carrageenans are extracted from red seaweed and used in products such as confectioneries and milk-based desserts with different textures. Fermented KELCOGEL® Gellan Gum is widely used as a stabiliser and suspension agent in dairy alternative beverages. KELTROL® Xanthan Gum is used as a versatile thickening agent in various foods. The recently introduced, innovative NUTRAVA™ Citrus Fiber can be used to replace some E-numbered additives and help meet “clean-label” goals as a stabiliser in condiments and dressings, fruit applications and fruit-flavoured beverages, and dairy, bakery and meat products.
“With consumer demand for clean-label products continuing to grow, our portfolio meets the need for nature-based ingredients for a wide range of food applications,” says Bernd-Maximilian Fischer, Business Manager Nutrition, Biesterfeld Spezialchemie. “The expansion of our distribution area allows us to serve our customers and address evolving market needs even more comprehensively.”
“Our partnership with Biesterfeld has been very successful from the start,” adds Niels Thestrup, Head of Commercial, EMEA Region for CP Kelco. “Biesterfeld has an excellent reputation, a high level of technical competence in the field of nutritional formulations and highly effective customer support. We’re delighted to expand our coverage of the European market through our strong partnership with Biesterfeld.”
Tate & Lyle PLC, a leading supplier of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, announces a set of ambitious new environmental targets and commitments. These targets are aligned to the delivery of Tate & Lyle’s purpose, Improving Lives for Generations, a key pillar of which is to care for our planet and protect its natural resources for the benefit of future generations.
Tate & Lyle’s new environmental targets are, by 2030, to deliver:
30 % absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 CO2e emissions, with an ambition to reach 20 % reduction by 2025.
15 % absolute reduction in Scope 3 CO2e emissions.
100 % of its waste to be beneficially used, with an ambition to reach 75 % by 2025.
15 % reduction in water use.
In adopting these targets, Tate & Lyle commits to:
Eliminate use of coal from its operations by 2025.
Establish its Scope 1, 2 and 3 CO2e emissions reductions as Science-Based Targets.
Maintain sustainable acreage equivalent to the volume of corn Tate & Lyle buys globally each year, currently 1.5 million acres, and through partnerships accelerate the adoption of conservation practices.
These new targets and commitments build on the steps already taken to enhance Tate & Lyle’s sustainability across its entire value chain. For example, in September Tate & Lyle announced a landmark sustainable agriculture programme in partnership with TruterraTM (formerly Land O’Lakes SUSTAINTM) to help growers in the US Midwest understand the impact sustainable practices can have on their crops and their profitability, and to adopt them.
To demonstrate its commitment to the new environmental targets, Tate & Lyle has linked the pricing of its US$800 million revolving credit facility, extended in May 2020, to the delivery of its new Scope 1 and 2 CO2e emissions, beneficial waste and water reduction targets.
Nick Hampton, Chief Executive at Tate & Lyle, said: “There has never been a greater need for businesses to address the climate change crisis. One of the key pillars of our purpose of Improving Lives for Generations is to care for our planet and with our new environmental targets and commitments we are taking decisive action to protect our planet’s natural resources for the benefit of future generations.”
Anna Pierce, Director of Sustainability at Tate & Lyle, added: “These stretching new targets demonstrate our steadfast commitment to integrate sustainability into our day-to-day business activities, processes and culture.”
Cibus has been postponed to next year from 4 to 7 May 2021 in Parma – Meanwhile Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare have announced an international Forum on 2-3 September 2020 in Parma addressing the restart of the agri-food sector – The innovative online platform “My Business Cibus” designed for international operators to facilitate the matching between trade operators and the Authentic Italian Food is ready to go
The 20th edition of Cibus, the International Food Exhibition, has been rescheduled for next year, from 4 to 7 May 2021. The decision, taken by Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare, has been mutually agreed with ITA – Italian Trade Agency and the businesses of the Italian agri-food supply chain. An international forum entitled “CIBUS FORUM – FOOD&BEVERAGE SECTOR AND COVID: FROM TRANSITION TO TRANSFORMATION” will be held in Parma in September, later this year. While in the next few days, an innovative digital Sourcing and Business Matching platform, called “My Business Cibus” will be launched.
Regarding Cibus, initially rescheduled for September 2020, we recognized the absence of the necessary conditions able to guarantee the qualitative and quantitative outcome of the incoming program, especially in terms of international trade operators, and as a consequence to meet the expectations of our exhibitors, stakeholders, and institutional partners. Considering the role of Cibus as the reference event for the promotion of the “Authentic Italian Food&Beverage” in the eyes of the international community of agri-food players, a downsized edition of the 20th International Food Exhibition does not seem an acceptable solution.
“CIBUS FORUM – FOOD&BEVERAGE SECTOR AND COVID: FROM TRANSITION TO TRANSFORMATION” will take place in Parma from 2 to 3 September 2020. To what extent have consumer behaviors changed since the COVID-19 emergency? How will the labor market be reorganized? What actions will need to be put in place to recover production and export of the agri-food sector? Industry stakeholders and national and international experts will meet for a collaborative consultation on future scenarios.The Forum will be held at the Fiere di Parma exhibition centre, in a pavilion that in light of Covid-19 has been restructured specifically to host a limited number of guests and key speakers in a safe way and in compliance with the most advanced safety & security standards. Cibus Forum will also be streamed live.
While waiting for the next edition of Cibus, Fiere di Parma together with Federalimentare, have set up an innovative online platform, “My Business Cibus”, which will allow commercial operators to carry out thorough searches and select all Cibus exhibitors’ products, including the latest innovations. All the products that the companies publish on their websites have been indexed and grouped. This will give national and international buyers the possibility of choosing, in an easy and quick way, from amongst almost 200,000 products offered by 3,000 companies. The online tool will be operational from 12 May 2020 (www.mybusiness.cibus.it).
Sponsored Post – Does the beverage and liquid food industry also have Olympic aspirations? Manufacturers of beverages and liquid food and machine manufacturers have long since recognised the potential. Digitalisation and digital transformation are one of the four main topics at drinktec 2022, which will be held in Munich from September 12 to 16, 2022. With its range of exhibitors and supporting program, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry offers broad views and focused approaches aimed at helping the industry become faster, achieve stronger results and intensify its focus on sustainable plant concepts in the next years.
