Beyond The Headlines: Kraft Heinz Company appoints new CEO, Clean Food Group accelerates sustainable oils and fats tech

18 Aug 2023 --- In this week’s news, UK-based biotech business Clean Food Group has announced a further £2.3 million in funding to accelerate the commercialization of its sustainable oils and fats technology. Burger King scraps tomatoes in some Indian outlets amid shortages and price spikes, IFF launches a “Creative Center,” and The Kraft Heinz Company appoints a new CEO.

In brief: Funding & grants
UK-based biotech business Clean Food Group has announced a further £2.3 million (US$2.9 million) in funding to accelerate the commercialization of its sustainable oils and fats technology. International investment has come from industrial food specialists Doehler Group and Alianza Team as the global food industry looks to invest in healthier and more sustainable food choices for future generations. Agronomics, the leading listed investment company focused on Cellular Agriculture, and SEED Innovations, the AIM-listed fund focused on investments in global health opportunities, have also participated in the latest funding round.

Avantium, a technology provider in renewable chemistry, has been awarded a grant by the EU Horizon Europe program for its participation in the research and development program Rebiolution. It aims to design and synthesize biobased and biodegradable polyester blends based on FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) and other biobased monomers, to be used as plastic coating for food packaging and for mulch films for agricultural applications. The €0.76 million grant will be paid in tranches to Avantium over three years.

The African Development Bank Group has granted funding totaling US$84.3 million to Ethiopia to advance wheat production and increase farmers’ incomes.The African Development Bank Group has granted funding totaling US$84.3 million to Ethiopia to advance wheat production and increase farmers’ incomes. The grant comprises US$54 million from the African Development Fund, US$20 million from the Government of the Netherlands, US$10 million from agribusiness firm OCP Africa, and US$300,000 from the Global Center on Adaptation. The Ethiopian government will contribute $10 million in counterpart funding for the project, which will ensure that farmers in Ethiopia can access agricultural inputs to raise local production of wheat such that supply disruptions resulting from the Russia—Ukraine crisis do not worsen the food security situation already made precarious by COVID-19, climate change and rising cost of living.

In brief: Business highlights
Duravant, a global engineered equipment and automation solutions provider to the food processing and packaging sectors, has acquired National Presort, a manufacturer of automated parcel sortation systems headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. For over 45 years, NPI has served e-commerce, courier, parcel post, warehouse and fulfillment operations with advanced turnkey equipment solutions designed to increase throughput, improve accuracy, and reduce fulfillment time.

Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, has entered into definitive agreements with Aldi and Fresco Retail Group to effectuate a comprehensive strategic divestiture of its businesses. Under the proposed merger agreement, Aldi will acquire all outstanding SEG capital stock in an all-cash transaction, encompassing all SEG grocery operations under the Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners. This includes approximately 400 stores in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, where 75% of the stores are located. 

In brief: AppointmentsCrop damage due to bad weather has temporarily led to Burger King scrapping tomatoes from its menu in India.(Image credit: Burger King).
The Kraft Heinz Company has appointed Carlos Abrams-Rivera as CEO and a member of the Board, effective January 1, 2024. Until then, Abrams-Rivera will continue in his role as president of the North America Zone with the added responsibilities of becoming president of Kraft Heinz, effective immediately. Abrams-Rivera will take over as CEO from Miguel Patricio, who has served as the company’s CEO since 2019 and Chair of the Board since 2022. 

Azelis Group NV has announced that Todd Cottrell will assume the role of CEO of Azelis Americas when Frank Bergonzi retires on September 30, 2023. 

In brief: Other highlights
Crop damage due to bad weather has temporarily led to Burger King scrapping tomatoes from its menu in India this week as the country grapples with shortages and a sharp price rise. Burger King blames “unpredictable conditions on the quality and supply of tomato crops” in an announcement. Some chains of McDonald’s in India have also dropped tomatoes. 

IFF announced the completion of its new North American Creation and Design Center in the New Century. The IFF Creative Center brings together the company’s flavor and ingredient expertise with its food design capabilities to better support the growth of the region’s food industry. The Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has opened a green hydrogen plant at Walmart’s Quilicura Distribution Center in Santiago, Chile. (Image credit: Walmart).infrastructure upgrade includes the addition of two new flavor creation labs, expanding existing food application design labs for dairy, bars, culinary and bakery and a new lab solely for pet food development. 

Ferraro Foods, one of the US’s largest specialty distributors of food and foodservice supplies to pizzerias and Italian restaurants, announced plans to expand its Napoli facility in Cheshire, Connecticut, significantly. Napoli, a specialty brand of high-quality imported Italian foods, was acquired by Ferraro in 2019. The expansion plans call for a roughly US$10 million, 45,000 square foot multi-temp addition to the Cheshire facility, resulting in a 70% increase in storage capacity, positioning Ferraro to double Napoli’s current sales volume and continue expanding its presence in the crucial Northeast pizza market.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has opened a green hydrogen plant at Walmart’s Quilicura Distribution Center in Santiago, Chile, representing the company’s continued investment in and commitment to renewable energy. Industrial-scale and renewable, the project was developed collaboratively with the generating company Engie. Once converted, the plant is the first of its kind in Latin America and will play a key role in Walmart Chile’s path to net-zero emissions.

By Gaynor Selby