FoodBusinessNews

KANSAS CITY — The announcement earlier this month that Hostess Brands, Inc. has entered an agreement to acquire Voortman Cookies Ltd. from Swander Pace Capital is generating buzz, not just from the Kansas City-based maker of Twinkies and Ho Hos, but also from the analysts who cover the sweet goods...

EFFINGHAM, ILL. — Plant-based ingredient developer Nutriati secured $12.7 million in a Series C funding round led by Manna Tree Partners, a Vail, Colo.-based private equity fund. The investments will support R.&D. and increased production, said Michael Todd, chief executive officer at Nutriati. The company, which was founded in 2018,...

CHICAGO — Conagra Brands, Inc. has announced plans to place eight acres of solar panels on the property of its Wish-bone salad dressing facility in St. Elmo, Ill. The energy generated by the panels will be equivalent to the amount needed to produce approximately 35% of all Wish-bone salad dressings...

AMSTERDAM — Cargill is investing more than $113 million to expand two West African cacao processing sites. The company announced a $100 million investment aimed at doubling its production capacity in Yopougon, Ivory Coast. An additional $13 million investment in Tema, Ghana, will increase production capacity by 20%. “We aim...

PARIS – Novel sources of plant protein, including mung bean and moringa, could affect the food and beverage industry in the coming years, but sourcing, distribution and functionality issues need to be solved. In the case of moringa, a Dr. Seuss children’s story illustrates one problem. Does anybody like green...

CAMDEN, N.J. — Campbell Soup Co.’s soup business played a prominent role in the company’s performance during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. On the positive side, the company grew its soup market share for the first time in 10 quarters. To the negative, the timing of U.S. soup shipments...

NEW YORK — Starbucks Corp. has evolved its approach to menu innovation over the past two years to focus less on food and more on beverages. Previously, efforts were evenly split between food and beverage, said Patrick J. Grismer, chief financial officer. “There’s no doubt that food remains an important...

WASHINGTON — Japan’s Upper House approved a trade deal with the United States on Dec. 4. The agreement opens markets and will support expansion of U.S. food and agricultural exports, increase farm income, generate more rural economic activity, and promote job growth. The deal, previously announced in September, includes Japan...

SHEBOYGAN FALLS, WIS. – Michael Stayer-Suprick has been elected by the board of directors of Johnsonville Holdings, Inc. as the company’s next chief executive officer. He will succeed his father Ralph C. Stayer. Johnsonville Holdings is the parent company of Johnsonville L.L.C., the 74-year-old sausage company based in Sheboygan Falls. “Over...

SEATTLE – Aqua Star is bringing convenience to the seafood segment with a new line of chef-designed seafood meals that are microwavable. New MicroSteam Seafood Meals feature technology that locks in the steam so each meal may be cooked from frozen in six minutes. In the microwave, the MicroSteam film...

CHICAGO – Specialty hot sauce company Co-Op Sauce is launching its core line of five hot sauces with keto-friendly recipes made with zero sugar. The wild-fermented sauces start with probiotic bases and non-G.M.O. produce from small farms in Illinois and Michigan. Each variety is keto-friendly, vegan, gluten-free and allergen-free. Flavors...

MINNEAPOLIS — General Mills, Inc. is moving its Oui by Yoplait yogurt into the non-dairy segment with new Oui Dairy Free. Made with a coconut base, the yogurt alternative comes in mango, strawberry, raspberry and vanilla flavors. Oui Dairy Free is packaged in 5-oz glass pots and feature teal labels...

PARIS – Europeans’ preferences for how products are sweetened sound a lot like the preferences of Americans. Europeans increasingly are seeking products with no added sugar, and they want clean label sweetener alternatives, meaning ingredients they recognize, said Emma Schofield, senior analyst for global food science for Mintel, in a...

KANSAS CITY — During the last year, consumers have continued to seek out bars delivering on nutrition. Dollar sales in the nutritional/intrinsic health value bars segment climbed 5% to $3,388,257,525 in the 52 weeks ended Oct. 6, according to Information Resources, Inc., a Chicago-based market research firm. Seeking to meet...

KANSAS CITY — During the last year, consumers have continued to seek out bars delivering on nutrition. Dollar sales in the nutritional/intrinsic health value bars segment climbed 5% to $3,388,257,525 in the 52 weeks ended Oct. 6, according to Information Resources, Inc., a Chicago-based market research firm. Seeking to meet...

SOLON, OHIO — Nestle S.A. is putting a plant-based spin on two of its legacy frozen brands. The company is launching new meatless DiGiorno and Stouffer’s offerings made with Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds, a plant-based ground beef alternative. Awesome Grounds are made from textured yellow pea protein, wheat gluten, canola...

SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. has revealed a new holiday beverage for 2019 —– the Irish Cream Cold Brew. The drink is the coffee chain’s first new holiday offering since 2017. The Irish Cream Cold Brew is made with Starbucks cold-brew coffee and Irish cream syrup over ice, topped with a...

CHICAGO — Reduced packaging and not paying to ship water are the two most significant benefits to using beverage concentrates. This is true for both consumers and processors, with the form and variety of concentrates evolving as nutritional and taste preferences change. While retailers continue to stock frozen juice and cocktail...

GREELEY, COLO. – JBS USA announced a lease agreement on Dec. 3 with a J&B Group Inc. value-added beef processing facility in Pipestone, Minn. The JBS S.A. subsidiary said it plans to acquire the facility in the upcoming months for an undisclosed amount of money. “We are excited to welcome...