Weekly Roundup: Campbell invests US$40m in snacking, Sweet Earth enters plant-based partnership

18 Sep 2020 --- This week in industry news, Campbell Soup revealed its plans to expand its Goldfish production capacity in Ohio, US. Nestlé-owned Sweet Earth Foods revealed its partnership with The University of Massachusetts, US, with the launch of a plant-based bac’n cheezeburger. Meanwhile, Tate & Lyle’s greenhouse gas reduction goals were approved and United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) extended a US$200 million sustainability-linked loan to Wilmar in support of agricultural sustainability in Asia.

In brief: Business
Campbell Soup has invested US$40 million in its Willard, Ohio, Goldfish snacks manufacturing facility to meet the increased demand for the product across North America. The latest line, which features a new oven and additional packaging capabilities, is the largest of its kind across the Campbell Snacks portfolio and can produce 11 million individual crackers per day, bringing the Willard bakery’s capacity up to 50 million Goldfish crackers each day.

In brief: Sustainability
Tate & Lyle has announced that its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030 have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for consistency with levels required to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate action goals. In May, Tate & Lyle announced a commitment to a 30 percent absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This is in line with the Paris Agreement’s central aim to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2°C.

Lavva is expanding into the milk alternative industry.UOB is supporting Wilmar International Limited, an agribusiness group in Asia, in its ongoing efforts to advance its sustainability agenda through a two-year US$200 million sustainability-linked loan. In structuring the sustainability-linked loan, UOB worked with Wilmar to identify a list of performance indicators in areas including corporate governance, carbon emissions, land use and biodiversity, community relations and supply chain practices. This is especially important because the global population is expected to increase to close to ten billion by 2050. 

In brief: Recognition & awards
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences has been awarded the first prize “Technology Progress Award” at the 26th Annual Conference of the China Dairy Industry Association (CDIA). The CDIA carries out a series of award activities among dairy, machinery and ingredients enterprises during the CDIA annual conference every year, to encourage and ensure the sustainable development of science and innovation in the dairy industry. The CDIA Science and Technology Awards has two categories, the “Technology Invention Award” and the “Technology Progress Award.” DuPont’s project titled “YO-MIX PRIME yogurt cultures with ultimate post-acidification control: Research, development and promotion to dairy companies” was entered in the “Technology Progress Award” category.

In brief: Acquisitions
Constellation Brands has acquired the Copper & Kings American Brandy Company. The distillery produces highly differentiated American Brandy, absinthe, gin and Destillaré liqueurs, with a tasting room and restaurant located in the heart of Bourbon Country in Louisville, Kentucky (US). 

In brief: Plant-based moves
Lavva, a plant-based foods brand known for its rich Pili nut yogurt, is expanding into the milk alternative industry, which is expected to reach US$21.5 billion by 2024. The Lavva Plant Milks will launch in the US at Whole Foods Market this month, with Plant Creamer following in October. As the category’s first Pili nut-based line, Lavva’s Unsweetened Plant Milk, Chocolate Plant Milk and Unsweetened Plant Creamer are marketed as cleaner, more sustainable alternatives to dairy. All three SKUs are “ultra-clean” and made with the same three base ingredients: coconut water, filtered water and Pili nuts. Unlike other milk alternatives, these products are made with zero added sugar. Chocolate Plant Milk is sweetened only by dates. 

Sweet Earth Foods, a Nestlé-branded plant-based food innovator, announced its Plant-Based (PB) Triple Play – the first fully plant-based “bac’n cheezeburger” to debut in foodservice. The launch will debut at The University of Massachusetts Dining Program, a specialist in campus food. To celebrate National Cheeseburger Day (September 18), they will feature the Sweet Earth PB Triple Play in their Amherst (US) location’s dining halls, take-away, online delivery and food trucks with the special to become a permanent menu item this fall. The Sweet Earth PB Triple Play recipe contains 27 grams of protein and includes three plant-based alternatives – the Sweet Earth Awesome Burger, Sweet Earth Bac’n and Sweet Earth Cheeze.

In brief: Other highlightsThe Sweet Earth PB Triple Play recipe contains 27 grams of protein and includes three plant-based alternatives.
The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) has announced that Edlong has been recognized as a top WBE (Women Business Enterprise) in driving trends and making a significant impact in the Food & Beverage and Agriculture industry. The 13 women-owned businesses were recognized based on delivering innovative products and solutions while driving key industry trends, including ethical sourcing, sustainability, alternatives, organic ingredients and social responsibility. Edlong was lauded for its ability to leverage over 100 years of dairy expertise to accelerate innovation and global product development, even in dairy-free applications.

The UK Department for International Trade has opened a public consultation on the government’s raw cane sugar autonomous tariff rate quota (ATQ) to import raw cane sugar into the country. As part of the new UK Global Tariff, announced in May 2020, the Government proposed an autonomous tariff rate quota to allow 260,000 metric tons of raw cane sugar to enter the UK tariff-free. 

MGP Ingredients has launched their first Single Barrel release for George Remus Bourbon. George Remus Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey is offered at cask strength in two mash bills that reflect MGP’s signature high-rye bourbon character. Participating accounts in the Single Barrel program met with the distillery team in Lawrenceburg in early 2020 to taste, select and order their preferred mash bills. Bottled annually, the George Remus Single Barrel Bourbon program is an entirely custom offer shipped in personalized packaging to each participating retailer, together with the original barrel.

Domino’s is creating 5,000 new jobs and over 1,000 Kickstart placements in an employment boost to the UK, as it gears up for its busiest time of year. The 5,000 new roles include pizza chefs, customer service colleagues and delivery drivers. These positions are on top of Domino’s 6,000 jobs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic this year. The restaurant is also supporting the UK government’s Kickstart scheme, committing over 1,000 work placements for young people in stores across England, Scotland and Wales.

By Elizabeth Green