Weekly Roundup: Alland & Robert scores Non-GMO success, GNT adopts Chinese branding strategy

21 Jun 2019 --- This week, Alland & Robert’s Non-GMO Project Verified products were found to be aligned with the Non-GMO Project Standard. GNT Group launched a Chinese name for its clean-label Coloring Foods – 爱百瑞. General Mills announced the winners of its Food Recovery Champions program that awards grants to expand surplus food recovery in North America. EIT Food (The food Innovation Community of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology) announced the 54 high-impact agrifood startups selected to join the EIT Food Acceleration Network.

In brief: Product launches and certifications
Alland & Robert has announced that its Non-GMO Project Verified products are produced in compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard. This is an important process that confirms Alland & Robert’s commitment to manufacture natural, unadulterated products, and offer the highest quality of gums. The compliance has been granted to its acacia gum references, karaya gum reference and its texturing ingredient Syndeo.

GNT Group has underlined its commitment to China’s food and beverage sector by launching a Chinese name for its clean-label Coloring Foods – 爱百瑞 (pronounced “Iberry”). GNT, based in the Netherlands, believes that localizing its brand in China will increase levels of recognition and awareness among its customers, helping GNT to understand their needs better. In Europe and the rest of the world, its range of Coloring Foods is known as Exberry. 

In brief: Sustainability news
General Mills announced the 20 winners of its Food Recovery Champions program that awards grants to expand surplus food recovery in the US and Canada for greater social and environmental impact, such as food waste reduction. The program reflects General Mills’ belief that food waste is a major social, environmental and economic challenge that undermines population food security. The General Mills’ Food Recovery Champions grants program aims to further strengthen and expand proven and/or highly promising nonprofit food recovery programs, enabling greater levels of impact than ever before via expanded food recovery enablement. Some of the winners include Kitchens for Good, The SF Market, Second Servings of Houston and 412 Food Rescue. 

Pernod Ricard acquired a majority share in Rabbit Hole, an award-winning range of Kentucky spirits.To mark World Environment Day, UNITAR and Danone have developed an online learning course named “Sustainable Diet.” By highlighting the environmental and social aspects of food production and consumption, the partnership will help people to better understand the impact of their food choices on their health and on the health of the planet. It is seeking to shift mindsets towards a more sustainable way of living and to include sustainable development challenges – such as climate change and biodiversity – into consumers’ decision-making. This joint learning program will help over 100,000 Danone employees as well as almost 200,000 UN CC:Learn learners all over the world to become agents of change.

Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has published its 2018 Sustainability Report, highlighting the breadth and depth of actions to embed sustainable practices across its activities and engage with partners to do the same. In an industry first, the company published its Soy Sustainability Policy in June 2018. It was shared with its major suppliers and is being built into all supplier contracts. The policy consolidates LDC’s existing actions and commitments, including as one of the founding signatories of the 2006 Soy Moratorium in Brazil. The initiative was described by The Nature Conservancy as “the first move by a major trader towards a zero conversion approach.”  “By integrating our long-standing sustainability efforts with the company’s purpose of fair and sustainable value creation, we continue to break new ground and build positive momentum across the agricultural supply chain,” says Ian McIntosh, LDC’s Group CEO.

In brief: Business news
Pernod Ricard, through Pernod Ricard USA’s New Brand Ventures division, has acquired a majority share of Rabbit Hole Whiskey, produced and based in Louisville, Kentucky. Rabbit Hole, an award-winning range of Kentucky spirits, is particularly recognized for its iconic, state-of-the-art distillery in the heart of Louisville. The Bourbon category is currently undergoing a renaissance, according to Pernod Ricard, as new consumers are discovering its quality and versatility as Bourbon can be appreciated neat and has also recently earned its rightful place in modern mixology.

Tyson Foods continues to meet changing consumer needs and is well-positioned for long-term, sustainable growth, company officials told investors and analysts today during Tyson Foods’ Investor Day at the New York Stock Exchange. Chairman John Tyson, President and CEO Noel White and members of the company’s senior management team spoke at the event, which showcased the strength of Tyson’s diversified portfolio, execution of its long-term growth strategy, efforts to increase its value-added product offerings, continued innovation in food and sustainability and expansion into new global markets. “We’re poised for long-term growth because we understand consumers and can meet their needs through a broad portfolio of diverse products,” says White. “As we look ahead, prepared foods and value-added chicken are expected to be the most profitable segments and international is where we see the most opportunity for significant growth.”

In brief: Miscellaneous 
EIT Food has announced the 54 high-impact agrifood startups that have been selected to join the EIT Food Acceleration Network (EIT FAN) in its five acceleration hubs across Europe. The chosen start-ups will benefit from world-class mentorship, programming, and resources to accelerate their growth and impact. Launched by EIT Food, the program fosters efforts to identify and support high-impact Agri- and Food-Tech startups, making Europe the go-to innovation hub for this emerging industry. The 54 startups of the EIT FAN will be spread across five program locations running in parallel, in Munich (Germany), Haifa (Israel), Lausanne (Switzerland), Bilbao (Spain) and Cambridge (UK). The selected startups are focusing on smart farming, food security, alternative proteins, predictive modeling, functional foods and shortening the food supply chain.

Flavor and color solutions manufacturer Flavorchem Corporation has revealed its key takeaway trends from IFT2019, in New Orleans. The company notes that the most prominent products at IFT2019 were plant-based meat, dairy and egg alternatives, while developers are continuing to reduce added sugars while maintaining the flavors and mouthfeel that consumers desire. Expanded offerings for natural colors were also well represented throughout the show, in applications such as beverage and food color as well as confectionery coatings, sprinkles and edible glitter. Lastly, global flavors and hemp-derived CBD were hot topics, notes the company.

By Laxmi Haigh