Weekly Roundup: Carlsberg eyes net zero carbon emissions by 2040, US honey demand at all-time high

19 Aug 2022 --- This week in industry news, the Lindt & Sprüngli Group revealed it has exited the Russian market, and the Carlsberg Group unveiled plans to become net zero by 2040. Meanwhile, Asian plant-based protein player unMEAT is making a move for the canned meat market with the launch of its meat-free pressed deli-style meat. London’s Borough Market published a new food policy in a bid to ramp up environmental sustainability.

In brief: Business moves
Lindt & Sprüngli has decided to exit the Russian market following its initial announcement on March 9, 2022. The company says it will support its employees in Russia and act in accordance with local regulations.

Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and Ajinomoto Foods North America have expanded their strategic partnership. Having utilized IRI’s market measurement solutions and consumer panel information since 2003, frozen food player Ajinomoto Foods added IRI’s Daily Out-Of-Stock (OOS) Benchmarking tool to manage retailer expectations where Ajinomoto was experiencing low in-stock conditions. Carlsberg has launched its latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program.Updates through the OOS tool show the stock positions of both Ajinomoto Foods and competitors for key retailers and provide in-stock percentage history, including pre-COVID-19 periods, which allows for promotion forecasting and reporting.

In brief: Sustainability efforts
Carlsberg Group has launched its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program, Together Towards ZERO and Beyond (TTZAB) which contains updated targets and new focus areas. These include a roadmap to achieve net zero carbon emissions across the entire value chain by 2040, from the barley in the fields to the beer in hand. TTZAB is an evolution of the Group’s previous ESG program, Together Towards ZERO (TTZ), which has delivered strong progress, including a 40% reduction in carbon emissions and a 21% reduction in water use per hectolitre of beer since 2015.

One of London’s oldest and most famous markets, Borough Market, has published a new Food Policy to ensure that sustainability cuts across all parts of the market’s operations. The policy, sets standards for quality, environmental sustainability, social and economic sustainability, animal welfare, knowledge and transparency, opportunity, health, variety and accessibility. The move has been taken to ensure principles will be applied not just to the food sold by the traders but to everything that happens at the market. Going forward, all new traders will need to demonstrate a commitment to environmental and social responsibility, while existing traders will be supported to align with the policy over the coming years. 

As the countdown to COP gathers pace – with less than 80 days now remaining until the United Nations hosts its 27th Climate Change Conference – a coalition of leading international food organizations is planning to host the first-ever Food Systems Pavilion. This brings together over 15 international leaders in the food space spanning the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, from farmers and youth to policymakers and scientists. Participating organizations include co-hosts EIT Food, Good Food Institute; session partners Aleph Farms, Food Tank, Rabobank; and supporting partners World Farmers’ Organisation and World Food Forum.

In brief: Plant-based highlights
unMEAT, an Asian plant-based protein brand, has launched its plant-based luncheon meat in the US. Brought to US retailers by Century Pacific Food, Inc., one of the Philippines’ largest branded food and beverage companies, unMEAT Luncheon Meat offers a plant-based alternative to the canned meat that has been a snack for a variety of cultures. Available in two flavors – Luncheon Style Meat and Burger Style Luncheon Meat – unMEAT offers a non-GMO plant-based alternative with 30% fewer calories, 60% less sodium and zero sodium nitrites than its meat predecessor. 

AgriFiber’s carrageenan replacement for meat and dairy alternatives is now “Upcycled Certified.” The insoluble fiber ingredients are clean label alternatives to uphold texture and mouthfeel. Upcycling is a means to divert food waste through the work of innovative companies that create value-added, nourishing ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption. The Upcycled Food Association launched the certification in late 2021 and now predicts that Upcycled Certified foods and ingredients will prevent more than 703 million pounds of food waste annually. AgriFiber is one of 17 companies offering Upcycled Certified ingredients.

In brief: UK dairy highlights 
Sales of Omsco’s British Organic Dairy Co. (BODC) branded range of traditionally made Cheddars are set to grow in the US. Thanks to a major US marketing and distribution launch, the distinctively colorful BODC packs of Mature, Extra Mature and Vintage Organic Cheddar will now be listed in 2,400 stores across the country. Having recently appointed Trugman-Nash, a key importer and distributor of Cheddar in North America, as the British Organic Dairy Co.’s sole US distributor, Omsco has worked closely with them to launch the brand into the North American market.Lakes Ice Cream is tapping into new technology to make 1.2 million liters of ice cream each year for the UK market.

Lakes Ice Cream, based in Kendal in the UK, is tapping into new technology to make 1.2 million liters of ice cream each year for the UK market. The technology has replaced traditional manual, time-consuming, and paper-based processes and sped up communications within the business. The investment is helping Lakes Ice Cream decarbonize by eliminating paper-based processes and activating delivery route optimization, which reduces fuel use. 

In brief: Other highlights
US honey demand has reached an all-time high, according to the latest Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook report published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The consumption of honey and made-with-honey products totaled 618 million pounds in 2021. The previous record was 596 million pounds in 2017. The US is the second largest honey consumer behind China, according to the latest data available from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2019. In 2021, consumption increased 8% from the previous year. Between 1991 to 2021, the average rate of growth is 10.7 million pounds per year. This translates to about 1.9 pounds per capita of honey consumption in 2021 compared with 1.2 pounds per capita in the early 1990s. The growth in demand, in part due to the growing population, has also been attributed to consumers’ association with honey as a “superfood” – along with garlic, ginger and turmeric – and the perception of honey being a healthy sweetener.

The UK is using its post-Brexit powers to launch a new trading scheme with developing countries. The International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has launched the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which will extend tariff cuts to hundreds of more products exported from developing countries, going further than the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences. The scheme means that a wide variety of products, such as foods that aren’t widely produced in the UK, including olive oil and tomatoes – will benefit from lower or zero tariffs. 

By Elizabeth Green