In this week’s industry news, Nestlé launched a sustainable chocolate range for travel and Unilever reported rising sales in the flavored mayonnaise market. Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s sold off its Core Banking Business to Natwest Group and a Spanish food business incorporated hen-less liquid egg into Spanish omelet.

Sustainability highlights
Nestlé unveiled its travel retail-exclusive Sustainably Sourced chocolate range to meet the growing demand for sustainable chocolates. The products will be sold at airports worldwide in 170g and 280g bars and are a part of the FMCG giant’s efforts at responsible sourcing through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. In the travel retail sector, the sustainability agenda is gaining momentum, with 71% of travelers stating that it impacts their purchasing decisions.

dsm-firmenich joined forces with feed and pet food provider Bestmix Software to measure and manage the environmental footprint of animal feed. The partnership links Bestmix’s feed formulation with the SustellTM full life cycle assessment (LCA) platform, allowing feed producers to report the environmental impact of their feed with the click of a button and leverages existing data in the Bestmix software suite. This integration assists feed producers in addressing future demands of feed labeling, while simultaneously helping farmers accurately quantify the environmental impact of products such as eggs, meat, milk, and farmed seafood. 

Business highlights
Unilevers brand Hellmann’s tapped into the flavored mayonnaise range and reported almost doubled sales in 2023. Hellmann’s mayo portfolio includes flavors tailored for varied taste profiles like Truffle in Europe, Chilli Lime in the US and Verde in Brazil. Flavored mayo accounts for over 7% of overall US mayo sales and range from zingy French garlic to the Tex-Mex smoky tones of BBQ.

Azelis reinforced its partnership with nutrition ingredient developer BASF to enhance its presence in China with a broader portfolio of food ingredients. Effective immediately, Azelis will distribute BASF’s range of emulsifiers, Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT), phytosterol ester and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), commonly used in bakery, beverage and nutrition enhancement in retail and food service.

Clasado Biosciences signed a new distribution agreement with functional ingredient specialist, BART for its Bimuno prebiotic in Poland. The move will strengthen the global accessibility of Clasado’s science-backed low dose and stable prebiotic. This comes at a time when prebiotics, non-digestible fiber substrates that nourish health-supporting bacteria in the gut microbiome, are accelerating in taking center stage in consumer diets worldwide.

Meat and egg highlights
UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board reported a decline in sheep meat production and tight budgets impacting consumer demand for the product in its Agri-market Outlook for lamb. A fall in the lamb crop impacting on slaughter levels of new season lambs is due to drive a decrease of 2.9% in total sheep meat production for 2024, compared to last year. The outlook predicted that despite a strong start to 2024, retail and foodservice demand for lamb will remain pressured by consumer budgets with consumption set to fall by 1% compared to last year.

Spanish company Grupo Palacios announced plans to incorporate US food tech company Every’s hen-less liquid egg into its Spanish omelet. Palacios will also incorporate the egg substitute into the research and development of new products. From the delicate textures of a French omelet and the rich depths of a crème brûlée to the intricate layers of a chawanmushi and the innovative twist in a foaming cocktail, Every Egg can be used in various culinary applications and replicates the traditional hen egg in both taste and functionality.

Innovation and launches
US-based d9 Designs announced the development of d9-Caffeine (Deura9), a longer-lasting version of caffeine that is enriched with a naturally occurring form of hydrogen known as “deuterium.” The product is marketed as an alternative to conventional caffeine for consumers seeking prolonged effects, lower dosing or for those with tolerance issues to caffeine’s metabolites. The product has achieved the Generally Recognized As Safe status as a food ingredient in the US.

Ghana-based Koa and UK-based confectioner Sweet Freedom launched Sweet Freedom FIZZ, a new line of functional flavored sparkling water sweetened with Koas 100% natural cocoa fruit juice. The drink offers consumers a refreshing and natural sparkling water option with a touch of sweetness while avoiding artificial sweeteners and refined sugar. By using Koas cocoa fruit juice, Sweet Freedom FIZZ targets sustainability as it utilizes a previously overlooked part of the cocoa fruit, thus embracing upcycling and supporting cocoa farmers with additional income.

Other highlights
The FAO hosted the “first-ever” World Young Farmers’ Day at its Rome, Italy headquarters earlier this week alongside the World Farmers’ Organization (WFO) 2024 Annual Meeting. The event included collaborative discussions to spotlight the critical role of young farmers in shaping the future agriculture.

The California Prune Board advocated the use of dried fruits like naturally sweet California Prunes as a sugar and fat replacement in foods to benefit food manufacturers looking to improve the nutritional profile of products. It follows the publication of a University of Southampton study earlier this year which revealed almost one in four children aged 10 and 11 in England are obese. Prunes have a proven European Food Safety Authority health claim which states eating 100g of prunes daily contributes to normal bowel function. Meanwhile, several studies point to the positive effects prunes can have on bone health and their role in reducing abdominal fat and the risk for cardiovascular disease.