Weekly Roundup: Eggs for sustainable protein, Symrise receives recognition for environmental commitment

12 Oct 2018 --- Today (October 12) marks World Egg Day 2018 and the American Egg Board is celebrating with a global campaign that focuses on eggs as a sustainable source of high-quality protein. Meanwhile, Symrise has achieved second place in the German CSR Awards 2018, for its commitment to sustainability. Flagship Food Group is adding up to 90 jobs as it expands its frozen food manufacturing in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ADM has announced the completion of their flour mill modernization in Enid, Oklahoma. The Fuji Oil Group has joined the Dutch Food Valley community to accelerate R&D and build global collaboration networks and finally, Campden BRI is calling for companies to join a research project to understand better what causes “checking” in biscuits and crackers.

In brief: Sustainability
The American Egg Board (AEB) is highlighting the US egg industry's commitment to sustainable nutrition on World Egg Day, October 12, under the global campaign theme “Protein for Life.” The campaign “Protein for Life” refers to the quality of nutrition that eggs provide and the continuous improvement made by egg farmers to reduce the impact of egg production on the environment and resources like land and water. “America’s egg farmers take their dual responsibilities of providing nutritious food and stewardship of the land extremely seriously,” says AEB President & CEO Anne L. Alonzo. “On World Egg Day 2018, we're celebrating Protein for Life with the International Egg Commission by educating people on how eggs are a source of sustainable nutrition that can help fight world hunger.”

In brief: Recognition & awards
The expert jury of the German CSR Award 2018 distinguished Symrise with a second place in the category “Environmental Commitment.” For Symrise, making an outstanding contribution to the preservation of biodiversity is a given. In the end, the Holzminden-based company also benefits greatly from the diversity of natural raw materials. For over 25 years, the company has been actively involved in many regions around the globe to protect the environment. Now, the sustainability strategy of the fragrance and flavor experts from Holzminden has been distinguished once again.

In brief: Acquisitions
Capri Sun Group has acquired a majority stake in Austrian beverage start-up “all i need,” as it seeks to diversify its product portfolio further and expand its presence in the healthy beverage market. Capri Sun has purchased 85 percent of the shares in the Vienna-based start-up, which produces a range of organic tea beverages such as White Tea and Green tea, which are sold nationwide throughout Austria. The remaining 15 percent of the company will be retained by the company’s founders Thomas Miksits and Alexander Jiresch, who founded the company in 2010. The company also announced that the brand would be introduced to Germany and Switzerland in 2019.

In brief: Appointments & retirements
In response to the company's projected growth in 2019, Flagship Food Group announced today that it would immediately begin adding up to 90 new positions at its food manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The positions will begin in November and will support the plant's second shift. In addition, Flagship has announced that Becky Prescott has joined the company as General Manager of the manufacturing facility. Prescott has been a resident of New Mexico for several years and was previously at General Mills.

The International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI) has elected Jean Mane its new president at the organization’s October 2018 General Assembly meeting in Beijing. He succeeds Howard Smith of Virginia Dare who was the US delegate from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association. Mane is the CEO of multi-national flavor and fragrance company V MANE FILS, founded in 1871 by Mane’s great-grandfather and headquartered in Le Bar-sur-Loup, France. A synthetic organic chemist by training, Mane has served as president of both EFFA and the French flavor association SNIAA and has been a member of the IOFI Board for many years. Jean Mane becomes the second member association delegate to head up the IOFI Board, he assumes the Presidency as the representative for the European Flavor Association (EFFA). As president, Mane is responsible for guiding the ten-person Board in strategy development and implementation of the global association’s initiatives in science, advocacy, communication and sustainability, working closely with the association’s Executive Director Sven Ballschmiede. 

DuPont has announced that Darrell Ford (pictured) has been named Chief Human Resources Officer for the Specialty Products Division of DowDuPont, which is expected to become an independent company (future DuPont) by June 1, 2019. Ford’s appointment is effective November 5, 2018. Ford will report to Marc Doyle, CEO-elect for future DuPont and Chief Operating Officer, DowDuPont Specialty Products Division. Ford joins DuPont from Xerox, where he served as chief human resources officer responsible for the company’s human resource planning, sourcing, talent management, leadership development, pay and rewards, diversity, work environment and industrial relations. Ford’s previous experience includes HR leadership roles at Advanced Micro Devices, Shell Oil and Honeywell International.

In brief: Other highlights
This week, ADM celebrated the opening of its modernized flour mill in Enid, Oklahoma. The modernization project involved a complete retrofit of ADM’s existing mill in Enid, which was built in 1928. ADM replaced the two existing milling units with a single, highly-automated, state-of-the-art unit and will add a new, high-speed packer in Q1 2019 to help more effectively serve customers. The new mill will provide additional capacity to allow ADM to continue to grow its customer base in the region. ADM Milling is one of the world’s largest flour millers, with many wheat mills in the US as well as Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and the UK.

The Fuji Oil Group has joined Food Valley NL in the Netherlands. The group intends to extend its network of international R&D collaborations with the objectives of speeding up innovation and delivering plant-based food solutions that meet the diverse needs of its global customers. Joining Food Valley NL, which is the leading knowledge-based agri-food ecosystem in the Netherlands, will enable the Fuji Oil Group to interact with a wide range of companies, knowledge and educational institutions involved in food-related R&D.

Broken biscuits and crackers can be rejected by retailers and a cause of consumer complaints which can damage brand reputation. Campden BRI is encouraging companies to join the research club to help prevent this industry problem. The underlying mechanisms and conditions that lead to biscuits and crackers breaking – known in the industry as checking – are poorly understood. Campden BRI’s new club project will provide a better understanding of the factors that lead to checking, predict when it’s likely to occur and identify strategies to prevent it. Previous research carried out in collaboration with Campden BRI showed that, at particular humidities, the rim of a biscuit expands and the center contracts. Little work has been published in this area since and checking remains a problem.

By Elizabeth Green