Europe: Plant & Bean plans to make plant-based foods accessible to all
Plant & Bean, a developer and manufacturer of plant-based food products, has announced that it is set to open Europe’s largest plant-based meat production facility in the UK. The new factory will enable efficient product manufacture and distribution across Europe, helping brands to meet fast-growing demand for plant-based meat. Located in Boston, Lincolnshire, the 263,000 sqm site, will have a planned initial...
Americas: Olam Food Ingredients buy chile pepper business for US$108.5M
Olam Food Ingredients, through its subsidiary, Olam Americas, Inc. has agreed to acquire the US-based chile pepper business (CPB) of major maker of condiments and sauces, Mizkan America, Inc. for US$108.5 million. This is the first major acquisition for the new operating group after the reorganization within Olam International Limited. Based in Deming, New Mexico, CPB is renowned for its...
Europe: ABB releases safety device for access into hazardous areas
ABB has designed a three-position device for food and beverage applications for operators to safely undertake production inspections. They can use the ABB HD5 three-position device to safely enter the hazardous area for troubleshooting, reducing the need to shut down production equipment. It can also be used for programming and test running in situations where no other...
Asia Pacific: Dupont launches enzymes for baked sweets in Japan
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences (DuPont) has launched POWERFresh Special and POWERSoft Cake 8010 in Japan. These enzymes offers improver houses and industrial bakeries an anti-staling solution that provides a unique texture, premium softness and a longer-lasting freshness to cakes, breads, sweet rolls and buns whilst maintaining their shape. They were formulated to help create cakes and sweet breads with an ultimate...
Americas: Ocean Spray, Amai Proteins partner on reduced sugar products
Ocean Spray has announced a partnership with Amai Proteins in an effort to incorporate healthy, sweet proteins into the product portfolio. Through joint development agreements, Ocean Spray and Amai Proteins plan to develop cranberry juice with at least a 40% sugar reduction, offering consumers more ways to incorporate the cranberry into a healthier lifestyle. Amai Proteins' sugar-reduction solution is a...
Asia Pacific: Cargill doubles starch production capacity in Indonesia
Cargill is doubling its cold-water swelling starch production capacity at PT. Sorini Agro Asia Corporindo, its sweetener plant in Pandaan, Indonesia. The expansion is expected to be completed by May 2021. Derived from plant origins, cold-water swelling starches are regarded as the best-in-class instant starch solutions that give unique textures to end products, while offering improved viscosity, better dispersibility, and...
Europe: EC approves sale of Kemin Industries’ algae-sourced beta-glucan ingredient
The European Commission has approved BetaVia Complete to be placed on the market in the European Union with five-year exclusivity on sales of the product. The product by Kemin Industries is an algae-sourced beta-glucan ingredient for year-round immune support that is manufactured through a patented process using a proprietary strain of algae, Euglena gracilis ATCC PTA-123017. It is reportedly the first...
World: Retort packaging demand to soar, pushed by Covid-19 pandemic, urbanization, says report
The retort pouch packaging market is expected to grow at a compound average growth rate of 5.61% during the forecast period from 2020 to 2025. Moreover, the increasing demand for packed food is influencing the growth of this market. Additionally, a higher number of consumers have shown a preference for on-the-go packaging solutions, which have led to the growth of...
Europe: Unilever sets €1 billion sales target from plant-based meat, dairy alternatives
Unilever has announced a new annual global sales target of €1 billion (US$1.21 billion) from plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, within the next five to seven years. The growth will be driven by the roll-out of The Vegetarian Butcher as well as increasing vegan alternatives from brands including Hellmann’s, Magnum and Wall’s. The target aims to help people transition towards...
Europe: Review existing tools, collaborative workforce essential in digitizing factories, say panel
Having too much choice is no blessing because it can freeze decision-making and paralyze much-needed action. So, while all of today's emerging Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices and software are exciting, they cannot do any good if users do not know which ones will be the most useful and successful in their individual applications. These were the issues...