Stratum Nutrition Joins UNPA and TraceGains
Stratum Nutrition has furthered its commitment to the natural product industry by joining the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) and TraceGains, a holistic network of brands looking to connect on ingredients and items from supply chain locations
"We are deeply honored to have a company of Stratum Nutrition's reputation and integrity join UNPA," shared Loren Israelsen, Founder & President of the United Natural Products Alliance. "We know they will add great value to the work we are doing to advance safety, science, and quality of the dietary supplement industry, and we hope to expand the range of relationships for Stratum in the U.S. and international markets."
Stratum said its presence in both groups as well as the recent Upcycled certification of its NEM eggshell membrane will allow the company to broaden its reach with suppliers and consumers by increasing its availability and accessibility of resources.
NIQ Category-Level Data Available for RangeMe Premium, Pro Subscribers
RangeMe announced that its Premium and Pro subscribers now have free access to category-level insights from NIQ’s Extended All-Outlet Combined (xAOC) multichannel market data. The offer is designed to level the playing field for emerging brands, the company said. RangeMe subscribers will have access to category-level data segmented by week, facilitating year-over-year comparisons for both promotional and non-promotional retail sales.
“For emerging brands in the CPG sector, access to powerful marketing insights can be a game-changer,” said Marc Santos, VP of North America Sales for NIQ. “However, the resources needed to obtain and utilize such data have often been out of reach of many small businesses. Through our relationship with RangeMe, even brands with limited resources can now access this data.”
In addition, RangeMe Premium and Pro subscribers can leverage competitive insights powered by NIQ, uncovering the top-selling products and fastest-growing brands on the platform within their categories. “This holistic approach of providing market data and competitive insights empowers emerging brands to compete more effectively in the market,” said Vir Satyan, SVP of Customer Success at RangeMe. “NIQ has been a valued resource providing insights to our retailer subscribers for years. We’re thrilled to now extend their marketing information services to our supplier community as well.” Get details here.
dsm-firmenich Sets Up Pilot Plant
Plainsboro, NJ is home to dsm-firmenich's new pilot plant. Designed to enable collaboration within dsm-firmenich and its customer teams, the facility will support applications like juices, ready-to-drink coffee and tea, sports drinks, carbonated soft drinks, sparkling water, energy drinks, dairy and plant-based products, and will feature a wide range of capabilities and equipment to help innovative food and beverage ideas move from development to small scale-up production. The location is part of the Taste, Texture & Health Business Unit and will welcome established industry leaders as well as progressive startups.
NZMP Solidifies Regenerative Agriculture Position
Fonterra's ingredients and solutions brand, NZMP, has affirmed Fonterra's regenerative agriculture position. While there is currently no globally accepted definition of regenerative agriculture, the New Zealand dairy co-operative has had a long standing recognition in the regenerative agriculture system due to its unique pasture-based system. “Because of the commitment of our farmer owners and the way they farm in New Zealand, the application of our definition applies across our New Zealand farms and enables us to demonstrate to our customers that we’re already at an immediate advantage,” said Charlotte Rutherford, Fonterra's Director of Sustainability.
Maypro Inaugurates European Office and Maypro Ventures
Maypro has announced the opening of its new Lombardy region office near Milan. With European-based representation the company expects to effectively leverage the market's predicted CAGR growth of 5.7% through 2027. The new center will be headed by Alessandro Piccolo of ALDL Consulting.
In addition to the new office location, the company has also launched Maypro Ventures—a business accelerator focused on aiding companies commercialize novel nutraceutical ingredients in the North American market. The business model for the program was inspired by similar programs previously launched in the tech industry of Silicon Valley will look to provide assistance with strategy, marketing, R&D, IP, legal, regulatory, business development, and capital raising. Companies selected for the program are expected to participate for 3-12 months with the goal of launching their products during that timeframe.
Nelson-Jameson Receives Organic Certification
Food processing distributor Nelson-Jameson has received its Organic Certification from Oregon Tilth. The certification covers a specified range of organic products and ingredients and confirms the company is in compliance with the rules and regulations of the production, handling, labeling, and enforcement of the USDA's National Organic Program standards. “We are proud to support our customers with this organic food handling certification and play a part in meeting the growing demand for organic products,” said Mike Rindy, President of Nelson-Jameson.
Unilever shared place accelerate its Growth Action Plan (GAP)
Unilever announced steps to accelerate its Growth Action Plan (GAP) through the separation of Ice Cream and the launch of a major productivity programme. Unilver said that as a standalone, more focused business, Ice Cream’s management team will have operational and financial flexibility to grow its business, allocate capital and resources in support of the company’s distinct strategy, including further optimizing its manufacturing and logistics network, and developing wide-reaching, flexible, distribution channels over and above the changes that are currently under way in the business. Unilever also stated its intention to launch a comprehensive productivity programme, driving focus and faster growth through a leaner and more accountable organization, enabled by investment in technology. The proposed changes are expected to impact approximately 7,500 predominantly office-based roles globally, with total restructuring costs anticipated to be around 1.2% of Group turnover for the next three years. These proposals are subject to consultation.
“The Board is determined to transform Unilever into a higher-growth, higher-margin business that will deliver consistently for all stakeholders," said Ian Meakins, Chair of Unilever. "Improving our performance and sharpening our portfolio are key to delivering the improved results we believe Unilever can achieve. The separation of Ice Cream and the delivery of the productivity programme will help create a simpler, more focused, and higher performing Unilever. It will also create a world-leading ice cream business, with strong growth prospects and an exciting future as a standalone business.”
NutriLeads Introduces BeniCaros
NutriLeads BV has premiered its precision prebiotic and immune-training fiber ingredient, BeniCaros, with the launch of a brand new corporate and product website. Marketed as either a standalone or combination ingredient, BeniCaros can be used for food, beverage, and dietary supplement products. Other benefits of the prebiotic include a low 300 mg serving size, upcycled and plant-based, and its little to no impact on taste, odor, or texture.
ProBiotix Partners with SymbioPharm
Life sciences company ProBiotix Health Plc has partnered with German microbiome research and evidence-based probiotic manufacturer, SymbioPharm, to develop a dietary supplement to reduce cholesterol. SymbioPharm will use CholBiomeCH, ProBiotix's unique formulation that offers a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claim, to create the supplement. Steen Andersen, CEO of ProBiotix, commented: “We are delighted that SymbioPharm, a recognized leader in the probiotic space, has engaged with ProBiotix Health. This collaboration is strategically aligned with our goal of extending the reach of our unique finished product formulations within the DACH region, which includes Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.”
Solabia-BioActor Receives FDA GRAS Approval
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Solabia-BioActor's women's health ingredient, Bonolive, for inclusion in beverages, functional foods, and supplements. Bonolive is an all-natural ingredient aimed at supporting women's health during peri- and post-menopause. The FDA has granted the ingredient a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation, which is intended to serve as a testament to the safety of a food ingredient or additive.
Roquette Acquires IFF Pharma Solutions
Family-owned plant-based ingredients and pharmaceutical excipients provider, Roquette, announced its agreement to acquire producer of excipients for oral dosage solutions IFF Pharma Solution. IFF's pharmaceutical division employs close to 1,100 employees, has a wide range of high-quality products, and brings in revenues of approximately $1B. The acquisition will help expand Roquette's product range, establish Health and Nutrition as its portfolio pillars, and enhance their US footprint while fueling their growth in the pharmaceutical industry.
“After last year’s acquisition of Qualicaps, today’s announcement is a decisive step in our journey to reinforce our position in the health and nutrition markets. The combination of our excipients’ expertise with IFF Pharma Solutions is a fantastic opportunity to become a true global specialist in drug delivery and oral dosage solutions. This responds to the needs of customers and patients looking for continuously better treatments. We very much look forward to welcoming IFF Pharma Solutions, and to jointly building the next chapter of our company’s growth history,” said Roquette's CEO Pierre Courduroux.
BIOHM Announces Collaboration with Virginia Tech
BIOHM Health Inc. will be collaborating with Virginia Tech to grow its Symbiont platform through artificial intelligence. The peer reviewed platform identifies and selects ingredients addressing bacterial and fungal dysbiosis in target cohorts uncovered in BIOHM's proprietary dataset. The partnership, which will look to accelerate the capabilities of Symbiont by developing predictors using state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, is a major victory towards the development and commercialization of condition specific dietary supplements based on a greater understanding of the microbiome. “In navigating the intricate web of the microbiome's influence on our health and longevity, this important initiative will expedite and amplify our capacity to develop innovative, effective ingredients targeted at addressing critical health challenges,” said Sam Schatz, CEO of BIOHM Health.
CAPTEK Opens New Gummy Facility
A new 60,000 square foot production facility has opened in La Mirada, CA. The SQF certified facility employs close to 100 associates and was built to produce 1.5 billion gummies annually in a variety of shapes including bears, gumdrops, and cubes. The location also offers turnkey gummy formulations, custom flavorings, and bottling solutions. With so much consumer demand for gummies, CAPTEK focused on building starch-free production lines that can seamlessly scale up to produce pectin, agar, carrageenan, gelatin, and combination-based samples/products that are inherently gluten-free.
Tagatose Achieves NutraStrong Certification
The monosaccharide Tagatose has been validated with the NutraStrong Prebiotic Verified certification for its functional health benefits. The prebiotic ingredient, which contains 60% fewer calories than sucrose and boasts a low glycemic index of 3, does not compromise taste, texture, or function of its incorporated product. Produced by Bonumose and distributed by ASR group, Tagatose is the first ingredient to earn prebiotic certification, making it perfect for food, beverage, and nutraceutical manufacturers.
ADM Launches Share Repurchase Agreement
ADM announced an accelerated share repurchase (ASR) agreement with Merrill Lynch International for $1 billion of ADM's common stock. Under the agreement, ADM will receive monthly share deliveries at the end of each month beginning in March 2024. “After repurchasing $1.5 billion of shares in Q4 2023 and nearly $330 million of shares so far in Q1 2024, we are accelerating our program, with an intention to actualize $2 billion of additional share repurchases during the remainder of the year, including $1 billion of which will be executed through this accelerated share repurchase program, which runs through the second quarter,” said Juan Luciano, CEO.
Primient Commits to Sustainable, Plant-Based Future
Plant-based food and industrial ingredient producer, Primient, will be investing more than $700 million across the company's operational footprint. The comprehensive five year phased investment will look to drive purposeful modernization to critical production assets and processes and reflects their commitment to their deep corn milling roots by setting a new industry standard for a brighter and more sustainable future. In addition to the investment, Primient continues to phase out coal and transition to more sustainable energy source across all its facilities.
Prinova Proves Consumers Want Healthy Beverages
Prinova is reporting an increased interest for tea, coffee, still water, juices/smoothies, and energy drinks from consumers that had recently lowered their alcohol intake. Of those surveyed, 42.5% had reduced their alcohol intake over the last three years while 15% reported drinking more. The survey, which was conducted on 1,277 physically active European consumers, found that alcohol-free beer was more popular amongst older age groups than it was with Gen Z, energy was the most sought-after wellness benefit from healthy beverages, and plant protein was preferred over fruit or whey.
M2 Ingredients Opens Cultivation and Processing Facility
M2 Ingredients has completed the expansion project of its organic mushroom cultivation and processing facility. The new 155,000 square foot BRCGS AA-rating space doubles the company's 2023 capacity and furthers the organic mushroom producers commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation. “As the functional mushroom market thrives, so does M2 Ingredients, and this facility represents more than an increase in size and capacity. It also expands our ability to innovate, conduct research and better serve the surging functional mushroom market. We're not just growing mushrooms – we’re helping to cultivate the future of wellness,” said Sandra Carter, Founder and CEO of M2 Ingredients.
