Beyond The Headlines: Mondelēz propels snack innovation, Japan’s “electric salt spoon” tackles sodium

24 May 2024 --- In this week’s industry updates, Mondelēz International inaugurated a bakery and snacks lab in Singapore to boost NPD and Coca-Cola revealed plans to invest in Africa. The USDA injected funds worth US$300 million to diversify export markets while a Japanese company tackled high sodium in foods with an “electric spoon” for better consumer health.

Business highlights
Mondelēz International unveiled its Biscuit and Baked Snacks Lab and Innovation Kitchen in Singapore with the aim to invest more than US$5 million in the site to bolster innovation and product development across Southeast Asia and Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The facility will serve as a strategic center of excellence and a regional hub driving creative development and innovation in baked snacks. The site also propels the company’s efforts at encouraging healthy snacking, including developing products that encourage portion balance and mindful indulgence while exploring flavor innovation and different product formats.

Bühler's Denmark office will provide open meeting zones and host customer visits and industry events (Image credit: Bühler).Bühler relocated its Biscuit Business Unit and Nordics Services & Sales organization to offices in Copenhagen, Denmark to optimize its production footprint. This move comes as Haas-Meincke was renamed to Bühler Denmark to indicate the complete integration into the Bühler Group since its acquisition in 2018. The production of ovens for biscuit and cracker lines will be consolidated into one location in Roedkaersbro, Denmark to optimize and renew the company’s production footprint. The company will also use the new office to host customer visits and industry events.

The Coca-Cola Company and its authorized bottler, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, unveiled plans to grow its investment in Kenya by up to US$175 million over the next five years, should the business achieve its anticipated growth targets in the country. The Coca-Cola system also works with over 500,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across the region, directly linking the experiences shared by many businesses in Kenya and across the East African region. Coca-Cola Beverages Africa accounts for over 40% of all Coca-Cola products sold in Africa by volume.

Lower energy prices in the UK pushed inflation closer to 2%, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Recent consumer price inflation figures showed headline inflation falling to 2.3% and food inflation falling 1.1 percentage points to 2.9%. Commenting on this, Kris Hamer, director of Insight of the BRC, said that inflation continued to head back toward the Bank of England’s 2% target, with a significant drop in April. Meanwhile, the lowest energy price cap in two years and food inflation falling to its lowest level since November 2021 helped to reduce pressure on household finances with significant falls in the inflation rate of alcoholic beverages. The price of fresh, dried and preserved fruit products also declined. He acknowledged retailers’ role in bringing prices down but called for the government’s support too.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) allocated US$300 million to 66 US organizations, under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to amplify demand for American food and farm exports in high-potential markets globally. The funding involves various projects encompassing various products and markets such as cranberries, yellow pine, hazelnut, dairy, meat and beer. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the move is important to reverse the decline of small and mid-sized farms and raise wealth that stays in rural communities.

Coca-Cola's investment in Africa will bolster its capacity in a country where it employs 10,000 people (Image credit: Coca Cola Beverages Africa).Innovation and launches
Kraft Heinz unveiled its Canadian brand Pure JL KRAFT for shelf-stable premium dressings and marinades made with no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. The move marks Kraft Heinz Canada’s “first innovation” in the salad dressing category in over five years. The launch targets consumers who prefer homemade salad dressings but crave convenience. The range includes twelve flavors: Pomegranate Zaatar, Honey & Shallots, Miso Lime Ginger, Moroccan Lemon, Orange Turmeric Poppyseed, Black Garlic, and Cracked Pepper.

Kirin Holdings addressed the problem of “excessive salt consumption” among the Japanese by launching an “Electric Salt Spoon” that uses electricity to enhance salty and umami flavor by 1.5 times. The spoons have a unique current waveform that enhances the taste sensation of low-sodium foods to tackle consumer dissatisfaction associated with them. The technology has been developed through joint research with Japan’s Meiji University. The innovation is essential for the country since the daily salt intake of Japanese people over 20 years of age is 10.1g, much higher than the recommended by the WHO of 5.0g.

Food safety highlights
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) alerted traders’/fruits handlers and Food Business Operators operating fruit ripening chambers to “strictly ensure compliance” with the prohibition on calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits, particularly during the mango season. The chemical is banned in India but is often used for ripening fruits like mangoes, releasing acetylene gas, which contains harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus. These substances, also known as ‘Masala,’ can cause serious health issues such as dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and skin ulcers.

The FSSAI has banned the use of calcium carbide for ripening fruits like mangoes in India.ScaleUp Bio secured a food manufacturing license from the Singapore Food Agency for its commercial pilot production facility in Singapore. The license signifies adherence to the highest global standards of food safety and quality in food production for the facility, which focuses on submerged microbial and precision fermentation services at a scale of up to 10,000 liters. The new facility complements ScaleUp Bio’s Fermentation Joint Lab, designed and operated with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation.

Alternative protein highlights
Dutch company Groentegoed sowed chickpeas on a large scale in the Netherlands amid a surge of demand for plant-based proteins from the country’s own cultivation. It planted seeds on farms from Groningen to Limburg at growers in Tollebeek, Borssele, ’t Zandt, Odoornerveen, Heeswijk-Dinther, Heerlen and Siddeburen. The company uses chickpeas in spreads such as hummus, which are supplied to numerous caterers, childcare organizations, shops and online. The plantation is expected to yield up to 30 metric tons of chickpeas from Dutch soil in the autumn. 

By Insha Naureen