Food safety

CHICAGO — Beverages, snacks and plant-based foods are fueling the growth of specialty foods, a sector of the marketplace that continues to outpace the growth of conventional foods. Specialty foods are defined as foods or beverages of the highest grade, style and/or quality in their respective categories. Their specialty nature is......

ATCHISON, KAS. — MGP Ingredients, Inc. on Jan. 17 announced its financial results for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019, would fall well shy of earlier guidance. The earnings warning was issued more than a month before the company is expected to release financial results for 2019. “The shortfall versus......

LE MARS, IOWA — Halo Top is entering the keto category with its new Keto Series ice cream lineup. Made with ultra-filtered skim milk, which provides more protein and fewer calories than regular milk, the ice cream contains 5 to 10 grams of net carbs and 410 to 630 calories per......

CHICAGO — Duncan Hines has introduced a new line of snacks customized to those seeking keto-friendly treats. The Keto Friendly Cups have a suggested retail price of $2.15 and come in three distinct flavors: walnut fudge brownie, birthday cake and double chocolate cake. The keto diet has grown more popular......

SAN FRANCISCO — Among the top foods predicted to post strong growth over the next four years are cultured butter, hard seltzer, turmeric and Tajin seasoning, according to Datassential. Kombucha, matcha and ancient grains also are projected to gain continued momentum. The Chicago-based market research firm uses a suite of......

SINGAPORE — Olam International will reorganize its business portfolio into two new operating groups: Olam Food Ingredients and Olam Global Agri. Olam Food Ingredients will consist of the businesses for cocoa, coffee, edible nuts, spices and dairy. Olam Global Agri will consist of the businesses for grains and animal feed,......

KANSAS CITY — Sugar producers and buyers are preparing for unprecedented tight sugar supplies in 2020 amid seven-year high prices. While the mechanisms of the U.S. sugar program should help with supply going forward, logistics issues and high prices likely will linger until a new beet crop is harvested in......

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Robert Garcia has been promoted to vice-president of franchise operations, training and development at Bojangles’, Inc. Mr. Garcia joined the chicken and biscuit chain in 2019 from McDonald’s Corp., where he held a series of leadership positions, including vice-president of U.S. operations and vice-president, east division company......

DENVER — Elevating its customer focus in a rapidly changing marketplace, Ardent Mills on Jan. 22 announced that Angie Goldberg has joined the company as chief growth officer. A veteran marketing executive, Ms. Goldberg brings to the newly-created position more than 17 years of experience at high-profile grain-based foods companies.......

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Compared to a year ago, 23% more consumers in the United States are prioritizing sustainable food choices, according to a study released Jan. 22 by Tastewise, a food intelligence start-up powered by artificial intelligence (A.I.). The report analyzed more than two billion social interactions, more than......

TORONTO — Chr. Hansen improved its overall score in the Global 100 ranking of corporations based on their sustainability efforts, but in 2020 the company slipped to No. 2 from No. 1 in 2019 in the rankings put together by Corporate Knights, a Toronto-based media and investment research firm. “We......

SAN FRANCISCO — Eclipse Foods’ management team did not set out to create another plant-based dairy alternative. They set out to create a plant-based raw material that mimics the functionality of traditional cow’s milk and may be used to formulate plant-based alternatives that have the same attributes and functionality as......

CHICAGO — Conagra Brands, Inc. is aiming to convert the entirety of its plastic packaging into renewable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025. The initiative is part of the company’s larger goal of operating in an environmentally conscious manner while upholding food quality and safety. Conagra’s push toward its sustainable......

SAN FRANCISCO — Eat Just, Inc. is propelling its plant-based Just Egg product into a new segment with the launch of Just Egg folded eggs. Designed to fit inside breakfast sandwiches and on toast, the vegan egg alternative is made from mung bean protein, which tastes similar to a conventional......

BERKELEY, CALIF. — Memphis Meats closed a $161 million Series B funding round, the largest to date for the cell-based meat industry. Existing investors including Tyson Foods and Cargill participated in the round, which was led by SoftBank Group, Norwest and Temasek. Memphis Meats will use the funds to build......

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Jan. 17, during a round table discussion on school nutrition issues held in San Antonio, announced a new proposed rule that would provide local school food authorities additional flexibility in planning National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program meals. The proposed......

WASHINGTON — Infants who consumed grains had more fiber and several other nutrients and vitamins in their diet when compared to infants who did not consume grains, according to a study funded by the Washington-based Grain Foods Foundation and published online Nov. 20, 2019, in Nutrients. The Grain Foods Foundation......

SEATTLE — Starbucks is aiming to halve its carbon emissions, water withdrawal and waste sent to landfill by 2030.  Kevin Johnson, chief executive officer at Starbucks, announced the new targets in a public letter on Jan. 21. “Our aspiration is to become resource positive — storing more carbon than we......

PARIS — Coca-Cola Co. has unveiled plans to invest €1 billion in France over the next five years to support its development strategy in the country. The development strategy will include new beverages in France, improved bottling capacity and modernization of Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) production plants, and the development......