Global News and Digital Insights
for the Consumer Goods Industry

November 24, 2021

Barry Callebaut introduced a cacao-based nutraceutical drink mixture

Barry Callebaut has launched a new better-for-you nutraceutical drink mixture made of 100% cacao-organic product named Elix. This Cacao organic product contains rich nutrients, including flavonols — a class of phytochemicals, having numerous potential medical advantages, particularly for the heart and blood circulation. The Elix mixture can be flavoured or consumed on its own both ways. The product line launched from Barry Callebaut’s targets to utilize the entire cacao organic product in its items. The organization has additionally dispatched WholeFruit chocolate products and began a cacao organic product ingredients line called Cabosse Naturals. Read more from Fooddive

An insight on how CPG executives are dealing with labour issues

At the Virtual Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference, executives of the major CPG companies revealed how they are coping with the labour issue in the post-pandemic era. Mark A. Clouse, CEO of Campbell Soup Co., mentioned that they have attracted and retained labour by offering flexible work schedules, improved environmental facilities, and converting most gig workers into permanent full-time workers. Jonathon J. Nudi, president of General Mills Inc., said they had employed major and minor control towers at the working team levels to address the labour issue and remove hurdles. Andre P. Callahan, CEO of Hostess Brands Inc., added that they coped with labour issues through employee value proposition by providing safety and giving the employees their due liability. Read more from Foodbusinessnews

Alibaba invests in Chinese Letzgo to meet the online car ride-hailing demand

According to the latest Chinese Ministry of Transport Data, China has 248 licensed online ride-hailing companies but China’s dominant ride-hailing app, Didi Chuxing, has been banned from new registries. Plus, its 25 mobile apps have been removed due to national security and data risks. Therefore, to meet the boosting demand of the online car-riding industry in China, Alibaba Group Holding has bought a 10% stake and invested $6.27 million in a state-owned Shanghai-based online ride-hailing service named Letzgo. This is not Alibaba’s first investment in the shared transport sector. Big names including Hello Inc.; a Chinese bike-sharing start-up, AutoNavi Software Co., and T3 Chuxing are all backed up by Alibaba. Read more from Asianikke

India’s largest food and FMCG business, Udaan, is transforming business patterns of retailers and sellers

India’s largest Food and FMCG business, Udaan, has achieved unicorn status in India by encapsulating 5 lakh retailers in 5 years. The company’s hunger to reinvent and reimagine the food and grocery retail ecosystem in India remains insatiable as the firm wants all multinationals, regional and local entrepreneurs to turn to Udaan for growth. Udaan, a B2B e-commerce retail focus business, has transformed into a one-stop-shop model for the grocery business. Through its platform, the company sells 5 lakh products of 2500 brands, while the food business features staple and fresh products including grocery, beverages, pulses, and dairy items. One of the major innovational contributions of Udaan is “Project Baharat” which features a roadmap to reach 600 Tier II and Tier III cities, utilizing its existing infrastructure and network. Under the same project, Udaan plans to personalize products for retailers and bring innovational improvements in the supply chain system. Read more from Indiaretailing

The Giant Company is all set to branch out in Philadelphia

The Giant Company proceeds with its development in Philadelphia, not a long way from the chain’s base camp in Carlisle, Pa., and declared that three additional stores are in transit in December. These developments follow Giant’s latest store opening in the City of Brotherly Love. The December shop openings include areas at Columbus Road on 3 December, Doylestown on Swamp Road on 10 December, and a Giant Heirloom Market on Market Street in the Fashion District on 16 December. These stores add to the giant’s portfolio which already includes the new Giant store on Cotman Avenue opened in November. Read more from Supermarketnews

Transparent ingredient supply is the first step towards sustainability

The Vice President of Customer Alliances and Corporate Sustainability at Croda International, Chris Sayner, says that customers are now inclined towards brands that utilize ethically-sourced ingredients and come with high-level transparency. He claims that for over 10-years, consumers have been interested in the origin of ingredients. Keeping this consideration in mind, Croda has cut the link with raw material suppliers who are unwilling to be transparent. As per World Wildlife Federation, the conversion of thick forests into palm oil plantations has raised enormous questions regarding sustainability. Therefore, to ensure transparency and ethical souring big cosmetic names like Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal and P&G have established transitions in Europe and coalition in the US. Read more from Cosmeticsdesign

Walmart Canada is ambitious to advance beef sustainability in the region

Walmart Canada is all set to buy 1.5 million pounds of beef from sustainable and certified Canadian farms and ranches. The company claims that this deal will support the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of farming practices in Canada. The sustainability goals will be as per the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). The Ontario-based beef operator believes that beef sustainability will continue to increase in the coming year. Walmart Canada and Canadian farmers and ranchers are working to improve sustainability standards and preserve 35 million acres of native grassland in Canada. Read more from Supermarketnews

World’s first no cost and zero-waste kitchen is in Milvalle, Pa

412 Food Rescue opened up its own zero food cost and zero-waste kitchen named Good Food Project in Millvale, Pa. Unfortunately, 35% of all the food that is produced is wasted, while 10.5% of households have food insecurity. The kitchen prevents food wastage at the retail level as expert chefs transform good quality surplus food into ready-to-eat meals and shelf-stable items packed in compostable containers and serve them to the people facing food insecurity. Initially, the kitchen made 300 meals per month, but after receiving funding from Eden Hall Foundation, the kitchen aims to produce 100,000 meals per year and distribute 500 grocery bags to Allegheny County Housing Authority locations. The Good Food Project has reached the status of zero waste via Leanpath, a tracking and measurement-focused technology solution that compiles and analyses data to illuminate an operation’s food waste stream. Read more from Waste360

Barry Callebaut introduced a cacao-based nutraceutical drink mixture

Barry Callebaut has launched a new better-for-you nutraceutical drink mixture made of 100% cacao-organic product named Elix. This Cacao organic product contains rich nutrients, including flavonols — a class of phytochemicals, having numerous potential medical advantages, particularly for the heart and blood circulation. The Elix mixture can be flavoured or consumed on its own both ways. The product line launched from Barry Callebaut’s targets to utilize the entire cacao organic product in its items. The organization has additionally dispatched WholeFruit chocolate products and began a cacao organic product ingredients line called Cabosse Naturals. Read more from Fooddive

An insight on how CPG executives are dealing with labour issues

At the Virtual Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference, executives of the major CPG companies revealed how they are coping with the labour issue in the post-pandemic era. Mark A. Clouse, CEO of Campbell Soup Co., mentioned that they have attracted and retained labour by offering flexible work schedules, improved environmental facilities, and converting most gig workers into permanent full-time workers. Jonathon J. Nudi, president of General Mills Inc., said they had employed major and minor control towers at the working team levels to address the labour issue and remove hurdles. Andre P. Callahan, CEO of Hostess Brands Inc., added that they coped with labour issues through employee value proposition by providing safety and giving the employees their due liability. Read more from Foodbusinessnews

Alibaba invests in Chinese Letzgo to meet the online car ride-hailing demand

According to the latest Chinese Ministry of Transport Data, China has 248 licensed online ride-hailing companies but China’s dominant ride-hailing app, Didi Chuxing, has been banned from new registries. Plus, its 25 mobile apps have been removed due to national security and data risks. Therefore, to meet the boosting demand of the online car-riding industry in China, Alibaba Group Holding has bought a 10% stake and invested $6.27 million in a state-owned Shanghai-based online ride-hailing service named Letzgo. This is not Alibaba’s first investment in the shared transport sector. Big names including Hello Inc.; a Chinese bike-sharing start-up, AutoNavi Software Co., and T3 Chuxing are all backed up by Alibaba. Read more from Asianikke

India’s largest food and FMCG business, Udaan, is transforming business patterns of retailers and sellers

India’s largest Food and FMCG business, Udaan, has achieved unicorn status in India by encapsulating 5 lakh retailers in 5 years. The company’s hunger to reinvent and reimagine the food and grocery retail ecosystem in India remains insatiable as the firm wants all multinationals, regional and local entrepreneurs to turn to Udaan for growth. Udaan, a B2B e-commerce retail focus business, has transformed into a one-stop-shop model for the grocery business. Through its platform, the company sells 5 lakh products of 2500 brands, while the food business features staple and fresh products including grocery, beverages, pulses, and dairy items. One of the major innovational contributions of Udaan is “Project Baharat” which features a roadmap to reach 600 Tier II and Tier III cities, utilizing its existing infrastructure and network. Under the same project, Udaan plans to personalize products for retailers and bring innovational improvements in the supply chain system. Read more from Indiaretailing

The Giant Company is all set to branch out in Philadelphia

The Giant Company proceeds with its development in Philadelphia, not a long way from the chain’s base camp in Carlisle, Pa., and declared that three additional stores are in transit in December. These developments follow Giant’s latest store opening in the City of Brotherly Love. The December shop openings include areas at Columbus Road on 3 December, Doylestown on Swamp Road on 10 December, and a Giant Heirloom Market on Market Street in the Fashion District on 16 December. These stores add to the giant’s portfolio which already includes the new Giant store on Cotman Avenue opened in November. Read more from Supermarketnews

Transparent ingredient supply is the first step towards sustainability

The Vice President of Customer Alliances and Corporate Sustainability at Croda International, Chris Sayner, says that customers are now inclined towards brands that utilize ethically-sourced ingredients and come with high-level transparency. He claims that for over 10-years, consumers have been interested in the origin of ingredients. Keeping this consideration in mind, Croda has cut the link with raw material suppliers who are unwilling to be transparent. As per World Wildlife Federation, the conversion of thick forests into palm oil plantations has raised enormous questions regarding sustainability. Therefore, to ensure transparency and ethical souring big cosmetic names like Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal and P&G have established transitions in Europe and coalition in the US. Read more from Cosmeticsdesign

Walmart Canada is ambitious to advance beef sustainability in the region

Walmart Canada is all set to buy 1.5 million pounds of beef from sustainable and certified Canadian farms and ranches. The company claims that this deal will support the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of farming practices in Canada. The sustainability goals will be as per the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). The Ontario-based beef operator believes that beef sustainability will continue to increase in the coming year. Walmart Canada and Canadian farmers and ranchers are working to improve sustainability standards and preserve 35 million acres of native grassland in Canada. Read more from Supermarketnews

World’s first no cost and zero-waste kitchen is in Milvalle, Pa

412 Food Rescue opened up its own zero food cost and zero-waste kitchen named Good Food Project in Millvale, Pa. Unfortunately, 35% of all the food that is produced is wasted, while 10.5% of households have food insecurity. The kitchen prevents food wastage at the retail level as expert chefs transform good quality surplus food into ready-to-eat meals and shelf-stable items packed in compostable containers and serve them to the people facing food insecurity. Initially, the kitchen made 300 meals per month, but after receiving funding from Eden Hall Foundation, the kitchen aims to produce 100,000 meals per year and distribute 500 grocery bags to Allegheny County Housing Authority locations. The Good Food Project has reached the status of zero waste via Leanpath, a tracking and measurement-focused technology solution that compiles and analyses data to illuminate an operation’s food waste stream. Read more from Waste360