SUPPLIER NEWS

Eriez recently added a feature to its website which allows customers to view the refurbished equipment currently available. Every piece of Eriez refurbished equipment is repaired by the experts at the company’s 5-Star Service Center, ready for quick shipping and backed by an “as new” warranty. The Eriez Service Center, located in Erie, PA, is equipped to remanufacture even the most-complex systems. The fully staffed service center employs trained technicians and houses the machining, fabricating, and welding capabilities necessary to rebuild all Eriez equipment.

Everfresh Packaging, a flexible packaging supplier of high-quality, innovative products specifically designed for the food industry, has launched a new website. Visitors to the revamped site will notice an updated layout and modern, fresh design. The new-look, intuitive user interface makes it easier to search for information and navigate inventory. A new feature provides important educational resources and news updates. For ultimate convenience, the site is also mobile-compatible.

Reading Bakery Systems has announced the promotion of Kyle Sensenig to project manager. In his new role, he will work closely with customers to manage the successful delivery of projects, and control project scopes, budgets, and schedules. Sensenig, who has worked for Reading Bakery Systems since January 2017 as a mechanical designer, holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University and is OSHA-10 General Industry and SOLIDWORKS CSWA certified.

Cargill has announced a significant investment in Seventure Partners’ Health for Life Capital II fund. The investment marks the company’s latest effort to harness its deep expertise and knowledge in nutrition, digestive health, and immune health with cutting-edge companies to bring next-generation ingredient solutions to its customers. Seventure Partners is a global leader in venture capital, actively funding innovative companies within the two evolving fields of digital technologies and life sciences. Its Health for Life Capital II fund supports the microbiome revolution in the areas of health and nutrition. Cargill, who joins a network of other strategic investors in the fund including Danone, Novartis, and Lesaffre, will serve as a limited partner with a member appointed to the fund’s Advisory Investment Committee.

ADM and InnovaFeed have announced plans to collaborate on the construction and operation of the world’s largest insect protein production site in Decatur, IL. The facility will be owned and operated by InnovaFeed and will co-locate with ADM’s Decatur corn processing complex, with ADM supplying feedstocks, waste heat, and more. Together, these investments will bolster economic growth and job creation in Decatur and Central Illinois, while continuing to strengthen the state’s position as a center of innovative, sustainable agriculture.

Gnosis by Lesaffre is striving to create a world that moves better, digests better, ages better, feels better, and ultimately lives better thanks to microorganisms and biotransformation. Earlier this month, Gnosis by Lesaffre unveiled its new, fully integrated brand and business strategy to help make this vision a reality. Gnosis by Lesaffre, a business unit of the Lesaffre Group, harnesses the power of microorganisms and biotransformation processes like fermentation to cultivate nutritional actives, probiotics, and nutritional and functional yeasts that benefit human health and wellbeing. The business unit collaborates with dietary supplement, functional food and beverage, and pharmaceutical brands to develop game-changing products for their customers.

To drive further growth and accelerate innovation within the plant-based foods market, AAK has joined the MISTA innovation platform, based in San Francisco. Established in 2018, MISTA is an initiative that brings together the expertise of larger food and ingredient companies and selected start-ups to optimize ideas, products, people, and investments and to solve current and future challenges within the ever-changing food and beverage industries. The start-ups within the MISTA platform include clean meat, plant-based, biotech, and technology companies. “We are excited to welcome AAK as a MISTA member and a key contributor to deliver on our purpose to transform the global food system and meet the needs of the future”, said Scott May, head of MISTA. “With its global presence and focus on sustainability, AAK will have a significant impact on delivering consumer-preferred solutions that require specialty oils and fats for optimal taste, texture, and appearance. We look forward to creating an abundant future together, for people, and for the planet.”

Despite global business challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, results of an exclusive new study commissioned by Aptean, “Global Food and Beverage Industry Trends Report,” reveal that food and beverage companies and influencers continue to invest in digital technologies that advance productivity, efficiency, sustainability, and food safety. In terms of inhibitors to more digital adoption, 51 percent of industry respondents cited knowing how to use and integrate technology as being the biggest barrier. Lack of budget was also a major factor identified in the report, with 50 percent of respondents selecting the issue as one of their top three barriers. The study, conducted on a blind basis in the U.S. and United Kingdom by Reuters Events—polled over 300 C-suite food and beverage executives and thought leaders in the field.

Harpak-ULMA has announced it is working with multiple medical device manufacturers commissioned to supply high-volume syringe supplies as part of BARDA’s rapidly expanding COVID-19 Medical Countermeasure Portfolio. The U.S. Government’s Operation Warp Speed has been tasked with increasing domestic production capacity of safety needles and syringes. Meeting projected COVID-19 surge demand means these producers must rapidly scale supply inventories far in excess of routine healthcare consumption levels. Harpak-ULMA’s thermoforming platforms, robotic loaders, and case packing automation are ideal for urgent, time-sensitive programs such as Operation Warp Speed that demand swift deployment, maximum scalability, and extreme throughput.

Kerry has released “Food Protection Powering Your Menu—Consumer-friendly protection with real ingredients,” a white paper that examines the accelerating trend of consumers demanding clean-label ingredients and details what these changes mean for foodservice companies looking to clean up their menus. The paper details the lasting power of the clean-label movement around the world and its extension to how consumers increasingly view restaurant menus. In addition, the paper provides a framework for making clean-label improvements in terms of ingredients, processes, and protection, and imparts guidance on navigating these solutions. Real-world case studies, including for plant protein and burger buns, are provided to illustrate how clean-label solutions are being applied successfully in commercial settings.