William T. Andersen will assume his new role as president and CEO of Gemstone Foods.

General Mills and South Dakota State University (SDSU) announced the opening of a state-of-the-art oat variety development lab on the Brookings campus. The Oats Research Laboratory will focus on advancing the sustainability and quality of oats in the US.

Julian Davidson appointed as executive chairman of the board of directors; Richard Allen appointed as chief financial officer.

The Hershey Company confirmed that it had received a preliminary, non-binding indication of interest from Mondelēz International to acquire the company for a mix of cash and stock consideration, totaling $107 a share of Hershey common stock. The indication of interest also included other non-monetary considerations.

Friendly’s Ice Cream, LLC announced that it has finalized the sale of its Retail Ice Cream and Manufacturing business from an affiliate of Friendly’s Ice Cream, LLC to Dallas, Texas-based Dean Foods Company, a leading food and beverage company and the largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fresh fluid milk and other dairy and dairy case products in the United States, for the amount of $155 million in cash.

Harmening will be responsible for all company operations including U.S. Retail, International, Convenience Stores and Foodservice segments, Sales and Channel Development, as well as Global Supply Chain, and Innovation, Technology and Quality functions.

Johnson also served as Chairman of the Campbell Board of Directors from 1993 until 1999.

The Research Chefs Association has selected SmithBucklin, an association management and services company, to provide full-service association management. RCA’s headquarters will move to Chicago in mid-August.

The Equitable Food Initiative (EFI), a nonprofit that brings together workers, growers and retailers in the effort to produce safer, more responsibly grown fruits and vegetables, announced that the GoodFarms brand will debut its craft blueberries, craft strawberries and organic strawberries from EFI-certified farms at Costco locations on the West Coast, Northeast and in Hawaii.

Yummy Spoonfuls®, the maker of frozen organic baby and toddler food made from simple and fresh ingredients, announced the national expansion of its product line to deliver on its vision of redefining healthy eating for a new generation, available in nearly all Target stores nationwide.