SUPPLIER NEWS

Icon Foods has filled two key roles. Ian McGuinness has joined Icon as director of operations, and Angela Squire is the company’s new marketing manager. McGuinness most recently was food safety and quality assurance manager at Yoshida Foods International and has held leadership positions at GVB Biopharma and Portland Bottling Co. He will continue Icon’s ongoing efforts to strengthen stability within its global supply chain. A formally trained chef and wine professional, Squire comes to Icon with significant sales, communications, and social media experience. At Icon, Squire will design new print and digital resources that support food developers.

AAK recently welcomed Megan Griffault as director of human resources and internal communications for the U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining AAK, Griffault served as vice president human resources for Beverage Distribution Center, Inc. and was global human resources director with FMC Agricultural Solutions for more than eight years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Villanova University, Villanova, PA.

IFF has announced the opening of its new Nourish Innovation Lab at the company’s Union Beach, NJ research and development center. In the state-of-the-art lab, scientists—including flavorists and food designers—will leverage tools, technologies, and ingredient expertise to offer customers full product design, driving growth in the global food and beverage markets by fast-forwarding innovation.

BENEO appointed Juliana Hirata as area sales manager, U.S. and Canada, and Thomas Weber as area sales manager, Latin America, as of September 1. Hirata will assume responsibility for the U.S. and Canadian food business and lead the U.S. sales team. Weber will lead the business in Latin America, which includes the recently combined markets of Mexico, Central, and South America.

RFgen Software has released its first annual Digital Inventory Report, an in-depth research survey of supply chain industry professionals, to gauge the current state of the industry. The survey was conducted from March through June 2022, and revealed mixed results related to inventory automation, inventory management challenges, cloud migration, the future state of the industry, and more.

Consumers across the world associate cheese flavors with indulgence, comfort, and freshness, with significant variation in different regions, according to new research from Kerry. Understanding these emotions, in combination with local taste preferences, presents a significant opportunity for snack producers to innovate and meet consumers’ growing demand for new flavors and formats. Kerry surveyed 8,790 consumers across 16 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa to learn more about their snacking behaviors as they relate to cheese-flavored savory snacks, while also studying new-product launch activity.

Stellar has announced two changes to its leadership team. Richard Lovelace has been named executive vice president of its Commercial/Military Group, and Kurt Warzynski has been promoted to senior vice president of its Food Group. Lovelace joined Stellar in 2004 and has more than 25 years of experience in design and construction throughout commercial markets, including health care, hospitality, faith-based, institutional, and industrial. Warzynski will provide oversight on all operational aspects within the Food Group as well as ensure strategic growth, entry into new markets, and overall operational excellence.

Real-time supply chain visibility platform FourKites announced three new programs designed specifically to help companies improve their supply chain performance and accelerate time to value with real-time visibility technology. The community-focused programs, which are free to all FourKites customers and carriers and will impact tens of thousands of users worldwide, focus on three areas: connect & collaborate, learn & grow, and innovate & explore.

Palsgaard showcased the power of its whipping-active emulsifiers to reduce the egg content of cake recipes, which allow significant cost reductions, at this year's IBIE. Earlier this year, wholesale egg prices in the U.S. reached their second highest level ever, and with eggs accounting for as much as 30% of cake recipes, industrial bakers have been hit particularly hard. Solving this problem was the focus of a Palsgaard knowledge-sharing session at the International Baking Industry Expo (IBIE), September 18–21 in Las Vegas.

DS Smith has named Keith Tornes as managing director, paper, forestry, and recycling for North America. Tornes, who has nearly 30 years of experience in operations and plant management in several senior global leadership roles, will be responsible for the U.S. operations that produce linerboard and corrugating medium to support the company’s integrated corrugated packaging business.