Beyond The Headlines: FrieslandCampina Ingredients expands French market reach, Lidl’s sustainable beef production

26 Jul 2024 --- This week in industry news, FrieslandCampina Ingredients chose Brenntag to distribute its Biotis ingredients in France and Lidl joined forces with beef producers to advance regenerative farming and carbon reduction. Meanwhile, Steakholder Foods collaborated with a frozen food formulator and UK farmers were warned of the potential risk to livestock from ergot and fusarium fungi.

Business highlights
FrieslandCampina Ingredients entered an exclusive distribution agreement with Brenntag to distribute its Biotis ingredients for nutritional health products in France. The Biotis portfolio includes Biotis GOS, a versatile, stable and long shelf life ingredient that stimulates the growth of bifidobacteria, producing beneficial effects on gut health and mental well-being. Nutritional health is a growing market for Brenntag Specialties, and innovative suppliers like FrieslandCampina Ingredients provide the kind of products its customers demand.

Retail discounter Lidl announced plans to invest £1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) in British beef production over the next five years. It will also partner with beef suppliers in the region for a sustainability program that will financially reward farmers in its newly formed producer group for adopting regenerative farming techniques and reducing on-farm carbon emissions. Within their partnership, Lidl and red meat company Dunbia have set a target to reduce their scope 3 emissions intensity by 28% per metric ton of finished product by 2030.

Premazon will integrate Steakholder Foods’ SH-Fish premix blend into plant-based white fish kebabs (Image credit: Steakholder Foods). Israel-based Steakholder Foods joined forces with frozen foods manufacturer and distributor Premazon to unveil its plant-based white fish kebabs. The agreement will leverage Premazon’s established distribution network to introduce the new line of products to diverse channels like hotels, restaurants, catering services in the Israeli market. The move aims to provide consumers a sustainable and delicious alternative to traditional fish kebabs, that meets the highest standards of taste, texture, and nutrition. It is expected to generate revenue and enhance operations, supporting Steakholder Foods’ plans for market expansion.

Plant-based beverage brand Califia Farms acquired Uproot Inc., a leading plant milk dispenser system for foodservice that is headquartered in New York City in the US. The move will expand Califia Farms beverages to hundreds of colleges, universities and other dining locations nationwide in a convenient dispensing solution. The Uproot dispensing system provides a convenient and sustainable solution for delivering healthy plant-based milks to health-conscious consumers.

Fresh Hemp Foods expanded its wellness foods product portfolio by acquiring The Humble Seed, a better-for-you snack brand that offers a range of seed-based crackers made with six super seeds, including hemp. The crackers are grain-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO Project Verified and include three flavors: Sea Salt, Garlic Herb, and Everything. Fresh Hemp Foods owns Manitoba Harvest which has an extensive product portfolio of Hemp Hearts (shelled hemp seed), Hemp Protein, Hemp Protein Blends, Hemp Granola and Hemp Oil.

Agriculture highlights
PepsiCo Foods North America launched a “Planting Pathways Initiative” to expand opportunities in the agriculture sector for young people and people from various backgrounds to enter the agriculture sector. This includes a multi-year partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) to provide opportunities for underrepresented and beginning farmers and Farm Foundation to create career opportunities within the PepsiCo Foods North America supply chain and the agriculture industry at large. According to USDA Census of Agriculture data, farmers under the age of 35 make up only 9% of the US farming industry.

Califia Farms' plant milks and creamers are formulated from whole food plant sources (Image credit: Califia Farms).A new European Environmental Bureau (EEB) analysis revealed that Europe has sufficient land (5.2%) to expand solar and wind energy without compromising food production or nature. The study shows that only half of the land deemed suitable for renewable energy, excluding natural reserves and high-value agricultural areas, is needed to decarbonize the EU by 2040. Additionally, the majority of suitable land for sustainable renewable deployment is in rural areas, with 78% for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic and 83% for onshore wind.

UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board warned farmers of potential risk to livestock posed by fusarium and ergot in grain, which is likely to have increased because of the wetter than average weather during the 2024 growing period. At harvest, ergot can be found as a hard, black mass in place of the grain and can be mistaken in a heap for rodent feces, with the only effective way of removal being the use of a color sorter sourced through mobile seed treatment companies. Ergot can affect wheat, barley, rye, triticale and oats and is particularly toxic and can make humans and livestock seriously ill. 

By Insha Naureen