Wicked Kitchen, the renowned plant-based food brand and UK market leader in plant-based meals, is pleased to announce that it has completed a $14 million Series A funding round. The round was co-led by pioneering plant-based foods venture fund Unovis Asset Management and Thailand-based NRF Nove Foods.

Andina Acquisition Corp. III, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that it has completed its business combination with Stryve Foods, LLC, an emerging healthy snacking platform disrupting traditional snacking categories and a leader in the air dried meat snack industry in the United States. The business combination was approved by Andina’s shareholders at a special meeting held on July 19, 2021. 

Aspire Bakeries announced the expansion of its Newark, Calif., bakery, with the addition of a new frozen cookie dough line for its popular Otis Spunkmeyer® cookies. As a brand in foodservice frozen cookie dough, Otis Spunkmeyer® continues to grow sales within the cookie category, and in foodservice, convenience and retail channels.

The American Egg Board (AEB) named Hema Prado to the newly created role of director of sustainability. Reporting to Dr. Mickey Rubin, executive director of the AEB’s Egg Nutrition Center, Prado will oversee development and administration of a comprehensive new sustainability program encompassing critical industry-level research and education initiatives with significant potential value to US egg producers and their food industry customers. 

Rabobank is seeking nominations for its annual North America Leadership Awards, which recognize North American Food & Agribusiness (F&A) companies that excel in industry stewardship, sustainability and innovation.

InsightsNow®, a behavioral research firm, hired Kristin Wright to manage InsightNow’s research and insights team, with a focus on delivering behavioral research insights to drive successful innovations for clients. Wright will drive strategic company growth and manage custom client research, as well as grow the research and insights team, in this role.

Tate & Lyle entered into an agreement to sell a controlling stake in a new company and its subsidiaries (“NewCo”), comprising its Primary Products business in North America and Latin America and its interests in the Almidones Mexicanos S.A de C.V (“Almex”) and DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio-Products Company, LLC (“Bio-PDO”) joint ventures, to KPS Capital Partners, LP (“KPS”) (the “Proposed Transaction”). Tate & Lyle and KPS will each own 50% of NewCo with KPS having Board and operational control.

The newest Chicken Parm sausage from Seemore Meats & Veggies contains chicken, roasted tomatoes, basil, cheese, and toasted breadcrumbs. Seemore Meats & Veggies La Dolce Beeta earned the “Best New Retail Food” honors in Prepared Foods’ annual Spirit of Innovation (SOI) awards. Hear more of Seemore Meats & Veggies’ story when Prepared Foods hosts its SOI Awards ceremony on Wed., July 28 from 11 am to 1 pm EDT.

PLT Health Solutions, Inc. named Sharon Peek as technical business manager as part of the company’s global sales team. Before joining PLT, Peek spent seven years in sales, manufacturing and innovation positions at Innophos Nutrition/Novel Ingredients.

“Last September, an operator approached us to help alleviate some labor challenges they were experiencing,” notes Elise Carlson, CFS, King & Prince senior research and development manager. “They were taking frozen, cellophane-wrapped cod, thawing it and then cutting it into pieces. Kitchen staff then cut the cod by hand so not all pieces were exactly the same, which is a desirable attribute."