Beyond The Headlines: Nordzucker predicts positive sugar beet harvest, Solar Foods’ NASA win

23 Aug 2024 --- This week in industry news, Nordzucker predicted an above-average sugar beet harvest and Solar Foods won the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge in the international category. Meanwhile, Kalsec unveiled a UK manufacturing center to provide increased localized food ingredient options for European customers and a survey indicated a 40% growth in the food-to-go market by 2028.

Business highlights

Sugar manufacturer Nordzucker inaugurated a liquid sugar plant in Sweden and will start the 2024/2025 sugar beet campaign at its European factories at the end of this month. The sugar beet campaign is the period of the year during which sugar beet is processed in sugar factories. It usually lasts from mid-September to January. The company expects an overall above-average sugar beet harvest in its beet-cultivating countries. 

Wheat processor Crespel & Deiters commissioned the construction of a new €18.5 million (US$20.6 million) silo building in Ibbenbüren, Germany, that started at the beginning of the year. The move aims to expand storage and handling capacities while securing the company’s value chain and ability to operate flexibly and globally. Eighteen silo cells will be installed, and the new facility, with a capacity of approximately 2,000 metric tons, is expected to commence operations at the beginning of 2026.

Using Fiix, Nói Síríus has streamlined maintenance and improved performance of its machinery.Natural F&B ingredients supplier Kalsec unveiled its new UK manufacturing center to improve service capabilities for its European customers by providing flexibility, increased localized options and improved delivery times.The 8,000 square-foot facility will help Kalsec improve supply chain sustainability metrics through local sourcing, production and distribution of products.

Wisconsin, US-based Saco Foods, a niche food products company acquired Quinoa Corporation and its brands Ancient Harvest and Pamela’s. This move adds two category brands to the growing Saco portfolio. While Ancient Harvest offers value-added, plant-based products including gluten-free pasta, polenta and quinoa, Pamela’s portfolio includes gluten-free baking mixes and baked goods including pancake mixes, snack bars and flours. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Grainwell Puffed Grains, previously known as Ancient Brands, commenced puffed grain production at its new Dyersville, Iowa facility. The multi-line, 105,000 square-foot operation produces custom-puffed grains and legumes at scale. The company uses controlled Cerex puffing technology, combined with its Grainwell Way methodology, for precise puffing at scale and claims the process to be more sustainable than other puffing methods.

German beverage bottler Refresco Deutschland acquired the Grüneberg mineral water production site from beverage company Berentzen-Gruppe AG. Refresco will also take over the mineral water brands Märkisch Kristall and Grüneberg Quelle. The transaction is expected to be completed by October 31, 2024.

Iceland-based confectionery manufacturer Nói Síríus standardized the management of its maintenance operations using data-driven, digital automation to boost production-line reliability and performance. The company leverages the Fiix computerized maintenance management system software from Rockwell Automation to capture information about the performance and maintenance status of all its core assembly-line machinery for chocolates.

Solein protein is touted as a solution for producing nutritionally rich food in space (Image credit: Solar Foods).Research and innovation

Solar Foods was selected as one of the Phase III winners of the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge in the international category. The competition was launched in 2021 by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency to drive innovation in feeding astronauts during extended space missions. The company’s Solein protein is touted as a solution for producing nutritionally rich food in space. Solar Foods’ space concept produces Solein according to the same microbial gas fermentation technique that the company uses to grow the novel protein on Earth.

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) research revealed that the food-to-go market is expected to grow by 40% by 2028. It also stated that more than £48.2 billion (US$63.23 billion) was spent on food in the out-of-home market in 2024, an increase of 14% year-on-year. Lunch remains a key meal for food-to-go, and in the first quarter of 2024, 71% of food-to-go customers purchased for this meal occasion. Sandwiches accounted for 41% of all pork-based, food-to-go purchases, while pasties dominated beef options, accounting for 13% of volumes purchased.

A survey conducted by LEK Consulting and Houlihan Lokey predicted bakery operators to have a beneficial 2024 based on responses from around 40 bakery executives, to gauge their outlook for this year. It stated that despite consumers tightening food budgets, the bakery sector remains resilient, with 53% of executives projecting significant revenue increases and 74% anticipating substantial profit growth. Some 95% of those surveyed foresee volume increases in the coming year. However, the survey also identifies labor shortages and rising ingredient costs as significant challenges.

By Insha Naureen