August in review: Mars’ Kellanova deal in the spotlight, reducing reliance on citrus and AI-enabled proteins

30 Aug 2024 --- This month, one of the biggest deals of the year was announced when Mars said it was to acquire Kellanova in a mega-merger that would unite two snacking giants.

As the citrus crisis escalated, Kerry spoke to us about mitigating the challenges that have been disrupting supply chains and driving up prices to unprecedented levels.

There were moves in the cultivated meat space, while AI-enabled food innovation was in the spotlight alongside precision fermentation advances.

There were also collaborations in regenerative agriculture and global environmental scoring standards.

Here, we recap the most significant stories of the month to ensure you stay informed about key F&B industry developments and insights.

Reducing sugar: Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition and Shiru leverage AI to develop sweet proteins

Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition and AI-enabled protein discovery company Shiru joined forces in a first-of-its-kind partnership in the global ingredients sector. One of the crucial benefits expected of the collaboration is the commercialization of sweet proteins for use in beverages and specialty products that target health benefits for consumers. This makes them an appealing sugar replacement and could offer brands clean label on-pack sugar reduction health claims.

Cultivated foie gras: Gourmey CEO discusses cell-based regulatory landscape as company awaits approval

As cultivated foods gain acceptance in some regions and pushback in others, Gourmey filed for approval to sell its cultivated foie gras in five key markets.As cultivated foods gain acceptance in some regions and pushback in others, France-based Gourmey filed for approval to sell its cultivated foie gras in five key markets — Singapore, the US, UK, Switzerland and the EU. Its flagship cultivated duck product targets foie gras enthusiasts, chefs and restaurants worldwide. We caught up with the CEO of the company.

EIT Food and Foundation Earth unite on global environmental scoring standards for F&B

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food launched an alliance convened by Foundation Earth to develop internationally recognized standards to score the environmental impact of F&B products. Foundation Earth, an NGO that launched in 2021 to issue front-of-pack environmental scores, will merge into EIT Food and form the International Alliance for Food Impact Data.

Kerry: Reducing reliance on citrus commodities as orange crisis continues to bite

The orange crisis continues unabated as climate-driven extreme weather, citrus greening disease and political instability in key orange-growing regions have severely disrupted supply chains and driven up prices to unprecedented levels. In an exclusive interview with Food Ingredients First, Kerry’s Erlon Pereira discussed the “perfect storm” of challenges facing the orange (and juice) industries, as well as difficulties in the citrus flavors sector.

Fairtrade International calls for financial support for small-scale farmers over EU deforestation regulations

Fairtrade International called for more financial support and clarification of the technical terms of the EU Deforestation Regulation. The regulation mandates that companies demonstrate that their products are deforestation-free and not linked to forest degradation or illegal harvesting and trade. The organization wants more clarity from the European Commission so that coffee and cocoa producers can meet the looming deadline of December 30, 2024 (June 30, 2025, for small and micro enterprises).

Mars to acquire Kellanova in mega-merger uniting two snacking giants

Mars, Incorporated entered into an agreement to acquire Kellanova for US$83.50 per share in cash, for a total consideration of US$35.9 billion. The deal was hailed as an opportunity to create a broader, global snacking business and bring together “two values-based and purpose-led businesses.” We also analyzed the potential for snack market domination if the deal goes ahead. 

Seafood solutions: EU project upcycles fish heads and brine into novel food ingredients

An EU-funded project to turn fish waste into nutritious food has created new flavors made from fish carcasses and heads, as well as treatment processes to improve the utilization of fish brine and increase the shelf life of side streams. Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark collaborated with 13 partners under project WaSeaBi to develop techniques and technology to turn often discarded fish parts, including the head, tail and entrails, into valuable products and ingredients.

ADM and Farmers Business Network form JV to boost regenerative agriculture and sustainable grain supplies

ADM and Farmers Business Network launched a Joint Venture (JV) to accelerate the adoption of regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices, which will see the expansion of Gradable, a technology platform to support farmers and buyers in meeting rising demand for sustainable farm products. A new company will be formed as a result of the JV.Marta Messa, secretary general of Slow Food, unpacked “greedflation” in a interview with us.

Securing fair food: Greedflation, consumer trends and the future of farming in Europe

While the profits of some companies in the F&B sector have increased at a pace much faster than inflation, farmers and food producers have yet to receive their fair share, said Marta Messa, secretary general of Slow Food, a global movement advocating for fairer food systems, in an interview with us. She unpacked “greedflation” and its effects on food sustainability, including consumers’ food accessibility and the balance between industrial farming and small-scale agriculture and local producers.

African Swine Fever remains “massive” risk amid border control cuts, say leading UK meat associations

Leading meat associations raised growing concerns about the risk of African Swine Fever arriving in the UK due to a lack of border control resources to stop infected meat illegally passing through ports and other entry points. The government said preventing an outbreak remains one of its “key biosecurity priorities.” If the disease reaches the UK, there will be “a high risk and cost for the industry,” representatives of the meat sector told Food Ingredients First.

By Gaynor Selby