food production

SAN FRANCISCO — Eat Just Inc. is expanding its protein manufacturing operations. The company announced plans to acquire a 30,000-square-foot facility and 40 acres of land in Appleton, Minn. The plant has operated as Del Dee Foods, a custom spray drying facility, for more than 30 years. Just partnered with...

NEW YORK – Siggi’s, maker of Icelandic-style yogurt, is debuting its first plant-based recipe. The new yogurt alternatives contain more protein than sugar. Made with a blend of coconut milk, macadamia nuts, tapioca flour, pea protein and live active cultures, the non-dairy products are sweetened with cane sugar and contain...

SAN DIEGO — The search for a new chief executive officer is underway at the Jack in the Box Inc. Lenny Comma, chairman and c.e.o., announced he is leaving after six years at the company’s helm. “I’m proud of what the company has been able to accomplish during my tenure...

KANSAS CITY — Boosting demand in the market for gluten-free foods are new product launches featuring flours based on nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables that appeal across a range of diet trends. Cassava, coconut and cauliflower are among ingredients replacing wheat in tortillas, pizza crusts and snacks. Such products...

BERKELEY, CALIF. — Perfect Day, a producer of animal-free dairy proteins, has closed a $140 million Series C funding round led by Temasek with significant contribution from existing investors. The start-up plans to expand production capacity, enhance partner opportunities and extend its product portfolio. The recent round brings Perfect Day’s...

VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Nestle S.A. has entered into an agreement to sell its U.S. ice cream business to Froneri for $4 billion. Froneri is a joint venture created in 2016 between Nestle and PAI Partners, a European private equity company. Once completed, the transaction will make Froneri the second largest...

GLENDALE, CALIF. — IHOP Restaurants will launch a new fast-casual concept in spring 2020. The brand, called Flip’d by IHOP, will focus on freshly made breakfast foods and beverages. Popular lunch and dinner items, including Ultimate Steakburgers and Buttermilk Crispy Chicken, also will be available. Other menu items include a...

BELLVUE, COLO. — Noosa Yoghurt, L.L.C. is introducing Noosa HiLo, a yogurt made with higher protein and lower sugar. Containing 12 grams of protein and 12 grams of sugar per 5.3-oz cup, the yogurt is made with rBST-free milk sourced from within a 40-mile radius of its production facility. Noosa...

KANSAS CITY — While the number of nutritional, snack and granola bars being sold may be lower than that of a year ago, the category heading into 2020 looks promising based on an expansive pipeline of products. Dollar sales in the snack bars/granola bars category totaled $6,367,979,959 in the 52 weeks...

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Functional beverages, better-for-you offerings and bold flavored snacks were central to PepsiCo, Inc.’s year of innovation. In May, PepsiCo launched Propel Vitamin Boost, a fitness water enhanced with 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamins B3, B5, B6 and C as well as electrolytes. The 20-oz...

SAN FRANCISCO — The Plant Based Foods Association (P.B.F.A.) is attempting to strike a balance with the release of voluntary guidelines for the labeling of plant-based meat alternatives. The proposal is in response to legislative proposals in many states that would restrict the labeling of meat alternatives with words and...

ATLANTA — Public health and regulatory officials in the United States and Canada are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections linked to a Fresh Express chopped salad product. The outbreak is caused by a different strain of E. coli than the current outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its Dec. 10 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, again slashed its forecast of 2019-20 U.S. sugar production but raised imports from Mexico sharply to bring the ending stocks-to-use ratio to 13.5% from 10.5% in November. For the second consecutive month...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture in its Dec. 10 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report projected the carryover of all wheat on June 1, 2020, at 974 million bus, down 40 million bus, or 3.9%, from the November projection, down 106 million bus, or 10%, from 1,080...

KANSAS CITY — The trajectory of the meat alternative category may become clearer in 2020. A plethora of products are now available on retail shelves and restaurant menus, and next year consumers will vote with their food dollars to show how rapidly the category may grow. Many of the industry’s...

CHICO, CALIF. — Mooney Farms, producer of sun-dried tomatoes and premium Mediterranean-inspired products, is putting a tomato-forward twist on jerky with the launch of Bella Sun Luci Plant-Based Tomato Jerky. Containing 80 calories per serving, the jerky bites are non-G.M.O., vegan, gluten-free and kosher. Varieties include hickory smoked and sriracha....

BOSTON — Animal-free ingredient technology company Motif FoodWorks is teaming up with the University of Queensland (U.Q.), Brisbane, Australia, to improve the texture of plant-based meat alternatives. The partnership will focus on in-vitro processing, a new method of assessing mouthfeel qualities developed by U.Q. researchers. Texture remains one of the...

BOSTON — Ocean Spray is broadening beyond the cranberry with the expansion of its Pure Fruit Juice portfolio of unsweetened juices. Previously only available in a Pure Cranberry variety since the product launched in 2017, the premium juices now also come in Pure Tart Cherry, Pure White Grapefruit and Pure...