PowerPlant Ventures announced that the fund has acquired ZICO coconut water from The Coca-Cola Company. PowerPlant Ventures, a growth equity investor, was co-founded and is co-led by Mark Rampolla, who is the brand visionary behind ZICO, which he founded in 2004 and sold to The Coca-Cola Company in 2013.

Kraft Mac & Cheese announced it is developing and testing the brand’s first-ever recyclable fiber-based microwavable cup. Upon testing completion, the brand will launch a new Kraft Mac & Cheese Shapes variety later in 2021 using the new cup and design.

Nellson Nutraceutical LLC, the full-service nutritional bar and powder provider in North America, announced the appointment of Jean Filion to chief executive officer. He succeeds Jamie Better, effective today.

The investment round is being led by world-class foodTech investor PeakBridge VC, Malta, together with Arancia Group, a privately owned Mexico-based food ingredient/food service conglomerate, Minrav (the company’s largest investor) and additional private investors.

AIDP, Inc. announced that Debbie Wildrick Consulting is to lead its beverage and natural food expansion efforts. Debbie Wildrick, chief beverage visionary, has 40 years of sales, marketing, and operations in the food and beverage industry with a focus on the functional beverage sector.

Santa Monica Seafood, a national seafood processor and distributor headquartered in Southern California, announced that it has closed a purchase agreement for the equity interest in its Ethos Seafood Group division that had been owned by an outside, unaffiliated group. Santa Monica Seafood now owns 100% of Ethos Seafood.

Reporting directly to AEB president & CEO Emily Metz, Koenigs will oversee and be responsible for driving new efficiencies in the AEB's finance and human resources functions, while unifying organizational engagement and outreach to egg producers, the food chain, allied industry, government and other key industry stakeholders.

The updated standards will note that True Source Certified Honey whether imported to North America or purchased directly from North American beekeepers is tested for authenticity by an accredited laboratory at some point in the supply chain using either EA/LC-IRMS and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) profiling or EA/LC-IRMS and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) analysis. This is in addition to the long-established pollen analysis requirements for shipments of honey from countries identified as high-risk.

On Dec.29, 2020, T. Hasegawa USA Inc. acquired Mission Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. The purchase fits into T. Hasegawa USA, Inc.’s strategy to broaden its flavor portfolio within dairy, bakery, plant-based alternatives, fruit-filling and confectionary categories.

Maple Leaf Foods announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Greenleaf Foods, SPC, a leader in plant protein products, is advancing plans to increase tempeh production capacity through the acquisition and planned build-out of a food processing plant in Indianapolis.