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BUSINESS Smarter Systems for a Sustainable Future mixing & blending Sustainable Innovation in UK Food Production Fruit & Vegetables Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Waste Management environment October 2025 • Issue 23 transport & Logistics transport & logistics foodandbeverage.businessGULFOODMANUFACTURING.COM DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE NOV 4-6 2025 THE OF THE Gulfood Manufacturing stands as the leading global event for food and beverage manufacturers, supply chain leaders, and technological pioneers to access advanced innovations that recalibrate efficiency, amplify productivity, and secure long-term profitability. INGREDIENTS SUPPLY CHAIN PROCESSING AUTOMATION PACKAGING12 04 16 20 32 20 transport & logistics 24 fruit & vegetables CONTENTS 16 mixing & blending environment FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 03 Editorial: editorial-ukeurope@foodandbeverage.business Sales: sales@foodandbeverage.business Finance & Admin: accounts@foodandbeverage.business Design: studio@foodandbeverage.business Where you see a QR code, it will take you to a longer version of that printed piece. News Everything that has been going on in the Food & Beverage sector this month Import & Export From the ancient spice routes to modern refrigerated freight, the trade corridor between the UK and the Middle East has always been rich in flavour. mixing & blending Mixing and blending may not be the most visible stages of food and beverage production, but they are among the most critical. Every loaf of bread, ready meal, sauce, or plant-based drink depends on the uniformity, texture, and stability achieved during these steps. transport & logistics Logistics has shifted from a background operation to a daily boardroom concern. What was once simply about moving goods from A to B has become a test of resilience, cost control, and regulatory compliance. With the full rollout of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), the growing reach of Clean Air Zones, and persistent driver shortages, the pressure on supply chains has never been greater. fruit & vegetables The future of UK food production is being reshaped by innovation. From vertical farms to aquaponics, from AI-driven crop management to robotic weed control, agriculture is entering a new era. What was once considered niche or experimental is becoming central to how Britain produces food. environment Waste has always been a part of the food and beverage industry, but in 2025, it is no longer something that can be hidden away at the back of the factory. What was once considered an unavoidable cost of doing business has become one of the most critical levers for financial performance, compliance, and consumer trust. Today’s food manufacturers face a stark reality: waste management is no longer a housekeeping matter—it is a boardroom issue. events guide Everything that has been going on in the Food & Beverage sector this month 24 28 28Company Name Address Phone Website 100 Words Logo on Map Marker & Listing Page Company Name Motto / Tag Line Address Phone Whatsapp Email Website Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Youtube Instagram Youtube Video 10 Images 1,000 Words Logo on Map Marker & Listing Page Company Name Motto / Tag Line Address Phone Whatsapp Email Website Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Youtube Instagram Youtube Video 10 Images 1,000 Words On Homepage and at top of each Category listing We’re super excited to finally tell you about all these epic features we’ve worked on during the last months. We have launched a FREESTANDARD PREMIUM foodandbeverage.business/directoryFOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 05 Calbee Takes Majority Stake in Tofu Company Hodo Calbee, a Japan-based snacks group, has announced its acquisition of a majority 58% stake in Hodo, a US-focused tofu manufacturer. This strategic move marks Calbee’s entry into the burgeoning US plant-based food market. The company aims to accelerate the growth of its international “health and food” businesses through this acquisition. Moreover, Calbee revealed that Sagamiya Foods, another Japan-based tofu manufacturer, will acquire a 10% interest in Hodo, facilitating a collaborative effort in the US market. Calbee’s CEO, Makoto Ehara, remarked, “As demand for sustainable foods grows, tofu is increasingly valued by health-conscious consumers. Its high plant-based protein content and minimal processing make it particularly appealing in the US market, which is driven by health and environmental concerns.” Little Town Dairy adds shrink wrapper to their big renovation project A new automated shrink wrapping line has been added to the major renovation of Little Town Dairy in Lancashire. The servo-driven side-feed system, supplied by Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS), ensures the packaging of yoghurts can keep pace with the dairy’s new filling lines and other automated equipment. “We’ve recently invested in robot milkers, filling lines and pallet wrapping, all to keep up with demand and best practice,” said Alison Moulding, Director at Little Town Dairy. Founded in the 1960s, the family business has diversified into a wide range of milk-based products over six decades. The new shrink wrapper, built to IP65 dairy specification with a stainless steel body, provides speed, stability, and flexibility, handling different collation sizes with rapid changeovers. “YPS have supported us for years, even on equipment they didn’t originally supply,” Alison added. “We knew they’d deliver the right system and excellent support for the future.” BAKERY COMPANY VANDEMOORTELE SECURES NEW FINANCING Belgian bakery group Vandemoortele has secured €100m ($118.01m) in funding to drive its expansion initiatives. The company, renowned for its bakery products as well as margarines and spreads, is raising the funds through a mezzanine finance or subordinated loan from notable investors, including Tikehau Capital, the Belgian Resilience Fund, Flemish investment company PMV, and Welvaartsfonds. NEWSBelgium’s Stow Group Invests $36 Million to Create US Manufacturing Hub in Georgia Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has announced that Belgium-based stow Group, a leader in industrial storage and automation solutions, will invest US$36 million (£26.8 million) to establish a new manufacturing facility in Gordon County, Georgia. This strategic investment will result in a 240,000 square foot manufacturing site located along Highway 41 near Adairsville. Scheduled to commence operations in 2026, the facility is poised to create approximately 200 jobs in the local community. Stow Group plans to hire for various production roles, including profiling, stamping, welding, powder coating, automation, and assembly. Additionally, opportunities will be available in logistics, administration, and management. 06 FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS MAGAZINE Key Technology Introduces COMPASS ® Belt-Fed Optical Sorters Key Technology, a member of Duravant’s Food Sorting and Handling Group, has launched its COMPASS® belt-fed optical sorter, expanding the COMPASS family introduced in 2023. Designed for wet, sticky, and delicate products, the belt-fed COMPASS helps processors ensure food safety, achieve precise product quality and maximize yield while delivering a compelling ROI. “After extensive development and testing, we’re launching the belt-fed COMPASS to serve additional markets,” said Jack Lee, Duravant Group President – Food Sorting and Handling. “This system requires minimal training and delivers exceptional value.” The user-friendly interface allows operators to learn to operate COMPASS in under 30 minutes, with recipe-driven operation enabling quick changeovers. Powered by Key’s NEXT sort engine, COMPASS identifies foreign material and product defects with advanced multispectral sensors. Engineered for sanitation and supported by Key Discovery™ analytics, the belt-fed COMPASS offers processors an efficient, IIOT-connected sorting solution with a compact footprint. French dairy giant Lactalis is set to invest €1 billion ($1.18 billion) in “modernising” its domestic manufacturing sites. The company has outlined a comprehensive programme extending until 2030 to “modernise and enhance the performance” of its facilities across France. Lactalis, recognized as the world’s largest dairy company, operates 69 dairies throughout France, marketing around 6,000 SKUs domestically. The owner of Lactel and Président brands stated that its investment will concentrate on advancing production equipment, innovation, and decarbonisation initiatives. Moreover, the group has initiated several projects, including expanding its Petit Basque cheese production plants in Larceveau and establishing new production lines at sites in Bouvron and Bayeux. NEWSFOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 07 BULK FOOD SAFETY: WHY INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY IS A GAME-CHANGER Food safety is more than just a regulatory requirement – it is a critical factor in maintaining consumer trust and brand reputation. In a world where product recalls can make headlines overnight, food manufacturers must take proactive steps to detect physical contamination before it becomes a costly crisis. For bulk food processors, the challenge is even greater: how do you inspect large quantities of loose product efficiently, without slowing down production? The answer lies in cutting-edge product inspection technology, which is reshaping the industry and setting new standards for quality control. NEWS Wrexham Lager Achieves Listing at Waitrose Currently, 440 ml cans and 330 ml bottles of Wrexham Lager Export (5% ABV) are available for purchase in all Welsh Waitrose stores. This new partnership with Waitrose marks a significant milestone for the brand, which has successfully expanded into the US, Canadian, Australian, Scandinavian, Hungarian, and Northern Irish markets over the past 18 months. In an exciting development, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney acquired a stake in The Wrexham Lager Beer Co in October 2024, joining the Roberts family as co-owners. The duo, who also hold majority ownership of football club Wrexham AFC, purchased the brewery through Red Dragon Ventures, a joint venture formed with their R.R. McReynolds company, alongside minority investors, the Allyn family from Skaneateles, New York. Heartbroken Ben & Jerry’s Founder Resigns Over Brand’s ‘Silencing’ Jerry Greenfield has announced his resignation from his role as brand ambassador at Ben & Jerry’s after an impressive 47 years with the company. This shift highlights significant food and beverage industry trends that emphasize the need for brand integrity and social mission. In a statement shared by co-founder Ben Cohen on X, Greenfield described the decision as “one of the hardest and most painful” he’d ever made, emphasizing that he could “no longer, in good conscience” remain an employee at the firm. This sentiment underscores the evolving landscape of food and drink consumer trends, where authenticity is paramount. This announcement follows Cohen and Greenfield’s request to The Magnum Ice Cream Company— Unilever’s ice cream offshoot—to make the brand independent in anticipation of TMICC’s stock market listing. Such moves reflect current food distribution trends as companies seek greater autonomy.STARLINGER’S PP CAP-TO-CAP RECYCLING PROCESS RECEIVES FDA APPROVAL The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently issued a No Objection Letter (NOL) for the polypropylene cap-to-cap recycling process utilizing the Starlinger recoSTAR dynamic recycling system. This NOL specifically pertains to the manufacturing of beverage bottle caps under Conditions of Use C to H. Caps produced from 100% recycled post-consumer polypropylene through the Starlinger recycling system are now approved for hot fill applications, significantly enhancing food and drink packaging sustainability. The approved machine configuration features a recoSTAR dynamic recycling extruder, enhanced with a C-VAC degassing module that ensures efficient degassing. Additionally, the inclusion of the PCUplus unit at the end of the recycling process ensures consistent odor reduction and complete removal of VOCs. These steps are crucial for the production of food-grade recyclates from post-consumer plastics, aligning with the goals of sustainable food and drink packaging. Go-Pak Secures Top BRCGS AA Grade for the Fourth Consecutive Year Go-Pak group, a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions for the food and drink sector, has proudly secured an AA grade in the BRCGS audit for the fourth consecutive year. This esteemed recognition reinforces their commitment to excellence in food and drink packaging. As a recognized benchmark for quality and safety in packaging, the BRCGS auditor awarded Go-Pak this highest rating. This achievement highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to outstanding performance in all operations. GLANBIA SELLS SLIMFAST BRAND TO HEARTLAND FOOD GROUP Glanbia plc, recognized as the Better Nutrition company, has announced an agreement to sell SlimFast US, along with operations in select other jurisdictions. This transaction hinges on customary closing conditions and entails an undisclosed sum. The buyer, a US-based consumer-packaged goods firm, aims to enhance its portfolio through this acquisition. Located near Indianapolis, Heartland is known for producing the prominent US sweetener brand, Splenda. The company also manufactures a variety of low and no-calorie sweeteners, drink mixes, coffee, and nutritional beverages, establishing a strong foothold in the food manufacturing sector. “The addition of SlimFast to the Heartland family, alongside our Splenda Brand reinforces our commitment to helping consumers live healthier, more balanced lives,” stated Ted Gelov, Heartland chairman and CEO. 08 FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS MAGAZINE NEWSYOUR NEXT CONTRACT IS HELD IN THESE HANDS BUSINESS She isn’t scrolling. She isn’t skipping a pre-roll ad. She’s the Director of Operations for a national food group, and for the next 15 minutes, she is doing one thing: reading. She’s reading about AI, processing, manufacturing, and supply chain innovations that will shape her budget for the next financial year. She’s reading foodandbeverage.business In a world of digital noise, we deliver what marketing budgets crave: genuine, focused engagement with the people who make the critical purchasing decisions. Direct Access Reach the C-Suite, Directors, and Senior Managers who are actively seeking solutions sales@foodandbeverage.business foodandbeverage.business Unrivalled Credibility Position your brand within content that our readers trust and rely on to make critical business decisions. Guaranteed Visibility Your message placed in a premium, uncluttered environment - whether in print or online - ensuring the right audience sees When you advertise with us, you aren’t just buying space. You’re buying: Print, online, or email — foodandbeverage.business is where industry leaders engage, make decisions, and open doors to new opportunities Stop Wasting Your Budget. 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