Weekly Roundup: KFC UK & Ireland is the first fast food chain committing to better chicken welfare, Fonterra shaves eleven years off coal reduction target

19 Jul 2019 --- This week, KFC UK & Ireland has announced the bold move of becoming the first in its sector to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment, also known as the European Chicken Commitment. Fonterra is shaving eleven years off its coal target, as it announces a new commitment to reduce its coal reliance in support of New Zealand’s transition to a zero-carbon economy. Sweetener specialist SweeGen, Inc. has opened a new manufacturing base in Europe for the production of its non-GMO Bestevia stevia sweeteners. Mondelēz International has completed its acquisition of a majority interest in Perfect Snacks, a producer of refrigerated nutrition bars. Tyson Foods is funding US$1 million in DonorsChoose.org projects for 46 school districts in 37 US communities.

In brief: Animal welfare
KFC UK & Ireland has announced the bold move of becoming the first in its sector to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment, also known as the European Chicken Commitment. Along with KFC Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden, the company has committed to adopting an ambitious set of six criteria that have been designed and championed by leading animal welfare NGOs to improve the lives of all chickens within the KFC supply chain, by 2026. The business will work closely with suppliers and NGOs – including World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Farming – in a combined effort to raise the minimum level of welfare standards across the industry. These requirements include stricter auditing processes, reducing stocking density (giving birds more space in barns), investing in environmental enrichment including perches, pecking objects and natural daylight, and a commitment towards only purchasing slower-growing breeds.

Fonterra is committing to reduce its coal reliance in support of New Zealand’s transition to a zero-carbon economy.In brief: Sustainability
Fonterra is shaving eleven years off its coal target, as it announces a new commitment to reduce its coal reliance in support of New Zealand’s transition to a zero-carbon economy. This commitment is the latest in a series of targets the co-operative has set as it looks to embed sustainability at its core. These goals include: Reducing emissions by 30 percent across all its manufacturing operations by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050; Reducing water use by 20 percent across manufacturing sites by 2020; A tailored Farm Environment Plan for every Fonterra farmer by 2025; 100 percent recyclable, reusable and compostable packaging by 2025; and Powering its Stirling site in Otago with electricity rather than coal. “Transitioning Fonterra’s sites away from coal requires a staged approach. We’re determined to go as fast as we can but there are a number of practical challenges we have to overcome,” says Robert Spurway, COO for Global Operations at Fonterra. “For example, New Zealand’s energy infrastructure in some parts of the country simply isn’t set up to handle our requirements.” Either there aren’t alternatives to coal available or, if there are, they are not at the scale needed. Fonterra states that its manufacturing operations are on-track to meet its targets to reduce emissions by 30 percent across all its operations by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. The company has 32 manufacturing sites across the country, of which about 40 percent of its current processing energy is from coal. The rest is from natural gas, electricity and wood.

In brief: Business expansion
Sweetener specialist SweeGen, Inc. has opened a new manufacturing base in Europe for the production of its non-GMO Bestevia stevia sweeteners. These non-GMO sweeteners are marketed as providing a clean “sugar-like” flavor, enabling product developers to replace a maximum amount of sugar and artificial sweeteners. This manufacturing facility will enable the company to produce around 3,000MT of the “next generation” stevia sweeteners annually. SweeGen successfully commercialized its non-GMO Reb M and Reb D in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and has recently announced the approval of its latest developed steviol glycoside, Reb E, a major component in the company's Bestevia e+ product. “European food and beverage companies are already working on reformulating their products to reduce sugar and artificial sweeteners. Their commitment to provide healthier, naturally sweetened products to their customers is generating an enormous need for our plant based, non-GMO stevia sweeteners," says Luca Giannone, SweeGen's VP of Sales and Marketing. With its investment of over $100m in Europe, the company is now preparing for the upcoming approval of its stevia sweeteners by the European regulatory agency EFSA in the coming months.

In brief: AcquisitionsMondelēz International acquired majority interest in Perfect Snacks.
Mondelēz International has completed its acquisition of a majority interest in Perfect Snacks, a producer of refrigerated nutrition bars with a range of offerings including Perfect Bar, The Original Refrigerated Protein Bar and Perfect Snacks’ other lines of organic, non-GMO, nut-butter based protein bars and bites. “The Perfect Snacks majority acquisition further expands our leadership position in broader snacking, including the fast-growing segments of wellbeing and refrigerated snacking,” says Glen Walter, Executive Vice President and President, North America, for Mondelēz International. 

In brief: Charitable initiatives
Tyson Foods is funding US$1 million in DonorsChoose.org projects for 46 school districts in 37 US communities. The investment will bring much-needed resources to schools in Tyson communities and introduce teachers to a source of potential support for future projects. Between August January, 2020, Tyson will fully fund projects posted by teachers in qualifying Tyson school districts who request up to US$1,000 in classroom resources. US$50,000 has been allocated for the Springdale, Arkansas school district, where the company’s headquarters is located. “We have a responsibility to support our communities in a variety of ways, including equipping our teachers with the resources they need as an effective way to support education,” says Debra Vernon, senior director, corporate social responsibility, Tyson Foods. “Through the DonorsChoose.org model teachers can focus on the individual needs of their classrooms and students can experience new or better ways to learn.”

By Benjamin Ferrer