This week in industry news, Revyve and Lallemand Bio-Ingredients inked a partnership to enable food innovation in the allergen-free and additive-free sectors, and One Rock completed the acquisition of Europe Snacks, a savory snacks player. Meanwhile, the UN’s Codex Alimentarius Commission agreed to include avocado oil in the Standard for Named Vegetable Oils, establishing science-based quality and purity criteria. 

Business highlights

Dutch food tech company Revyve announced a strategic partnership with Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, making the inactive yeast and yeast extract specialist its exclusive distributor in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The collaboration will bring together Lallemand’s production and commercialization capacity and Revyve’s animal-free texturizing ingredients, such as its flagship egg replacer. The companies say they aim to redefine standards for sustainable, gluten-free, animal-free, GMO-free and natural food innovations.

London-based start-up Cerve raised £3.5 million (US$4.4 million) in seed funding in a round led by SuperSeed. The company provides infrastructure and API solutions that help businesses drive profitability and reduce food waste. It intends to inject the funds into commercial expansion in the UK, Europe and North America.

The J.M. Smucker Co. completed the sale of its Voortman business to Second Nature Brands. The agreement was an all-cash transaction valued at approximately US$305 million, subject to a working capital adjustment, according to the US food manufacturer. The transaction covers all Voortman trademarks and Smucker’s manufacturing unit in Ontario, Canada. The company aims to sharpen its focus on core growth brands and optimize its portfolio with the business move while reallocating resources.

One of One Rock’s affiliates wrapped up the acquisition of the France-headquartered company Europe Snacks. The company produces crisps, stacked chips, crackers and other savory snacks for food retail end markets, operating seven production facilities across the UK, France and Spain. Besides developing private-label products, Europe Snacks is a co-manufacturing partner for food companies in the savory snack sector.

The UN’s food standards body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), decided to include avocado oil in the Standard for Named Vegetable Oils. As part of the inclusion, the CAC will create science-backed quality and purity standards as well as food safety criteria for this increasingly traded commodity. The international agreement on the requirements will help protect consumer health, ease trade and form a basis for verifying the product’s authenticity.

Cultura Technologies acquired Spain-based Food Experts, a supply chain management system for food safety and compliance. Cultura plans to expand its footprint by harnessing Food Experts’ solutions in testing for pesticide residue, compliance and automating supplier declarations.

Sustainability highlights

F&B giant ofi launched the annual impact report for its coffee business. According to the company, it enabled over 115,000 farmers with training and inputs to become more resilient in 2023. It also made strides in supporting growers to adapt to the EU’s incoming requirements for deforestation-free and traceable coffee. Other results include improvements in creating coffee living income strategies and comprehensive digital footprints of greenhouse gas emissions through the company’s in-house sustainability management system, AtSource.

Climate innovation agency EIT Climate-KIC launched the FoodCoP project to help transform rural food systems in Europe. As part of the initiative, FoodCoP is establishing a “Startup Villages” network in the region for innovation and entrepreneurship, which can support local economies. FoodCoP will bring together 14 partners from nine countries, including SMEs, EIT Climate-KIC, clusters, Startup Villages and educational institutions.

Non-profit GMO/Toxin Free USA unveiled the Seed Integrity Pledge for Safe Seeds program with a website to increase awareness of the availability of GMO seeds in the consumer market. The website contains a database of seed companies pledged against selling GMO plants and seeds. Organic gardeners and farmers can use the tool to avoid genetically engineered seeds and bolster independent companies with similar values.