Beyond The Headlines: Marfrig sells abattoirs to Minerva in US$1.5BN deal, Nestlé expands plant-based cooking solutions

01 Sep 2023 --- In this week’s news, Blendhub and Upfood announced a partnership to develop innovative and nutritious ingredients and products from food surpluses while Nestlé is expanding its portfolio of plant-based products. Meanwhile, Minerva Foods, exporter of fresh beef and its derivatives in South America, announced the acquisition of Marfrig’s cattle slaughtering and deboning plants.

In brief: Innovations
Nestlé is expanding its portfolio of plant-based products to give consumers more options for nutritious meat alternatives. The company has launched a range of shelf-stable plant-based cooking solutions in Chile under the Maggi Veg brand that are certified as vegan. This includes Nestlé’s first shelf-stable plant-based minced meat. This comes in recipe solutions that combine it with seasoning, making it a meat replacement in popular dishes like tacos, empanadas or spaghetti bolognese. It is made with soy. 

Captain Morgan has unveiled Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%, an alcohol-free alternative to the iconic Original Spiced Gold. Following the successful launch of Guinness 0.0%, Tanqueray 0.0% and Gordons 0.0% over the past few years, Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% brings further choice to the market as the latest brand and first dark spirit to join Diageo’s alcohol-free portfolio. With 49.6% of those between legal drinking age looking to moderate their alcohol consumption, the launch of Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% provides Diageo with an alcohol-free spirit able to tap into lighter, upbeat drinking occasions favored by this demographic, notes the company. 

Captain Morgan has unveiled Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%, an alcohol-free alternative to the iconic Original Spiced Gold. (Image Credits: Captain Morgan).Production of the first ever locally-produced organic cheese was celebrated in Indonesia this week as a result of an international dairy development project involving Arla and Seges Innovation. The cheese, produced by local artisanal manufacturer Mazaraat Artisan Cheese, has been aided by a Danida-funded project aiming to unlock the potential of organic production in Indonesia and increase local dairy farming efficiency. 

In brief: Business
Minerva Foods, exporter of fresh beef and its derivatives in South America, announced the acquisition of Marfrig’s cattle slaughtering and deboning plants in South America Sul for BRL 7.5 billion (US$1.5 billion). The transaction is subject to analysis and approval by the respective competition authorities. With this transaction, Minerva Foods takes a step forward in its operations in the beef market: the company will expand its cattle slaughtering and deboning capacity to 42,439 head a day, compared to its current volume of 29,540 head a day, representing an increase, of approximately 44%. 

Clasado Biosciences has announced a new distribution agreement with Phytonet AG, an international supplier of functional ingredients and raw materials for the health and nutrition market. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in Clasado’s mission to broaden the availability of BimunoGOS, both in powder and syrup formats, across 14 countries. Under the terms of the new partnership, Phytonet will be the distributor of Bimuno GOS in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey and Japan.

Blendhub and Upfood announced a partnership to develop innovative and nutritious ingredients and products from food surpluses. Upfood, a Danish company led by entrepreneur Sajjad Haider, specializes in upcycling surplus fruit and vegetables into nutritious plant-based ingredients for the food industry. The company has developed a novel (patent pending) fruit and vegetable dryer that is solar-powered and, therefore, more sustainable and with a very low production cost. The standard model can dry 1Mt per day of fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the dryer capacity can be scaled and customized to a capacity from 50 kg/day suitable for small-holder farmers to 10MT per day for industrial production. Nestlé is expanding its portfolio of plant-based products to give consumers more options for nutritious meat alternatives. (Image Credits: Nestlé).

In brief: Other highlights
The Fi Europe Innovation Awards are now open for entries. Applications can be submitted online until the final deadline of October 6,2023. These awards crown companies and organizations breaking new ground in the F&B industry. A jury of industry professionals, chaired by Prof. Colin Dennis, will assess achievements in seven distinct categories during the November event held in Frankfurt, Germany. 

In brief: Sustainability
Tate & Lyle announces its first site powered entirely by renewable energy, alongside other energy transition milestones. The Tate & Lyle’s manufacturing facility in Guarani, Brazil, became the first company site to be powered entirely by renewable energy. Alongside electricity, site operations are powered using locally sourced biomass. Tate & Lyle’s manufacturing facilities in Ossona and Noto in Italy and Mold, UK, joined its facilities in Guarani and Koog aan de Zaan, the Netherlands, in purchasing 100% renewable electricity. These actions are examples of Tate & Lyle delivering on its commitments to purchase 100% renewable electricity for its operations by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050.

Dossche Mills and BAT Agrar have agreed to jointly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and to work as partners for more sustainability. The goal is to significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of the wheat Dossche uses to produce flour. Dossche Mills processes large quantities of grain every year. 

By Gaynor Selby