Beyond The Headlines: UK invests £1.4M in precision fermentation hub, FDA’s food safety online tool

This week in industry news, the UK government backed precision fermentation with a £1.4 million (US$1.8 million) innovation hub and the FDA unveiled an online database listing food contaminants. Meanwhile, Kerry unveiled a facility in California, US, to help emerging companies overcome market entry barriers, and scientists found microplastics in chewing gum as well as declining milk yields in cows due to heat stress.

Regulatory and product launches

The UK government invested £1.4 million (US$1.8 million) in an innovation hub to enable the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to expand its expertise in new technologies. The funding will focus on precision fermentation, which uses microorganisms to create specific ingredients, such as proteins, sugars, and fats. The hub will give innovators and investors greater clarity on regulatory requirements and boost the FSA’s scientific capacity to risk assess innovative products. It will also combine the FSA’s existing work on novel foods and food created through genetic technology alongside the recently launched sandbox for cell-cultivated products.

The US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the FDA unveiled a Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool (CCT) to improve consumer health. The tool is an online searchable database that lists contaminant levels to assess the potential health risks of food contaminants. The list includes tolerances, action levels, and guidance levels, which the FDA uses to help minimize or prevent chemical hazards in food. The CCT Tool provides contaminant levels in one location for ease of searching, and is one of the outcomes of the FDA’s initiative to modernize food chemical safety. 

Kellanova’s rice pretzels target crunchy multi-textural experience with a sweet-and-salty flavor.Kellanova launched Rice Krispies Treats Bliss bars with toppings, including a salty snack to tap into the rising demands for confection-inspired indulgent snacks. The product provides a multi-textural experience with a satisfying crunch and has a sweet-and-salty flavor. The flavors available are Chocolate Sea Salt Pretzel with a balance of crispy rice and chewy marshmallow topped with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and Caramel Sea Salt Pretzel made of caramel-flavored chips and candied sea salt pretzels. The products will be available in the US next month.

Kerry unveiled its new West Coast Customer Engagement Center in Commerce, California to serve as a co-creation hub for F&B manufacturers. The facility will provide advanced R&D, pilot manufacturing, and AI-powered tools like Kerry Kalaido to help companies speed up traditional concept ideation and development sessions. It also launched the “Taste Alley,” a new portfolio to help emerging companies overcome early phase obstacles to launching market products, such as traditionally high minimum order quantities and extended lead time for materials.

Research highlights

A non-peer-reviewed pilot study by scientists at the University of California, found that chewing gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece into saliva and potentially be ingested. Professor Ted Henry from Heriot-Watt University reacted to the findings and said that microplastics are everywhere, including within laboratories, and extensive control procedures are necessary to reduce the errors in sample testing. Meanwhile, Oliver Jones, professor of Chemistry at RMIT University, suggests that the similar microplastic levels in both synthetic and natural gums could indicate contamination in the natural gums or a common source of microplastics, or a measurement error affecting both groups.

Milk yields in the US are expected to decline by 30% by 2050 due to heat stress on cows.US-based University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s research revealed that high heat and humidity led to a 1% decline in annual milk yield in the country from 2012-2016. Damages are expected to increase by about 30% by 2050 compared to 2016. The findings, published in Food Policy, explain that cows exposed to heat stress experience increased risk of infection, restlessness, and decreased appetite, which leads to a decline in milk yield. The researchers state that policymakers need to support smaller farms in implementing mitigation strategies, and investments in further research on managing the highest levels of heat stress will help them remain competitive in the future.

Business highlights

Flavor supplier Symrise reported a proposed dividend increase to €1.20 (US$1.3) per share for the 2024 fiscal year, up from €1.10 (US$1.18) in 2023. It also announced its target of an organic growth rate of 5-7% for 2025, with an expected EBITDA margin of around 21%. The company said it follows sustainability while sourcing natural raw materials, leverages artificial intelligence to optimize product development and production, and has increased focus on the principles of green chemistry.