Category: Markets
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Bühler has upgraded chocolate refining and conching systems for processors. The Edition 26 Finer S and ELK S add automation, hygienic design, remote access, and energy-efficiency improvements for tighter mass control.
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Heartland Food Products Group is acquiring Whole Earth Brands’ Americas business, adding Equal, Whole Earth, Swerve, and Chuker to a portfolio that already includes Splenda. The deal expands Heartland’s sugar-reduction, formulation, foodservice, and B2B capabilities.
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PPM Technologies and Key Technology have introduced a fully integrated potato chip processing line combining slicing, frying, optical sorting, seasoning, conveying, and production data visibility. The system targets raw-material variability, labour pressure, and high-volume snack production.
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Brand Tap has partnered with Spirit Hound Distillers to manage importation, warehousing, and UK sales following a BCMPA-supported trade mission to Colorado. The first 2026 shipment includes more than 580 cases and 3,500 bottles across four spirits.
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New data points to a difficult first quarter for food and beverage manufacturers, with SME producers facing weaker sales and higher uncertainty linked to energy, transport, and global supply disruption. The figures sharpen pressure on inventory, sourcing, and margin control.
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The University of Lincoln’s RoboCrops exhibit has highlighted an AI and robotics system capable of detecting subtle plant stress, disease risk, and performance differences before they are visible to the human eye, supporting work on crop resilience and food security.
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Aldi has announced more than £5bn in long-term agreements with British suppliers, covering fresh produce, dairy, meat, and eggs. The retailer is seeking greater sourcing certainty as farmers and food producers continue to manage cost and capacity pressure.
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Xordex Ventures, Luchrome, and Lasso Loop Recycling have won the 2026 AIPIA Brand Challenge, responding to Cranswick’s brief for smart packaging that can monitor product condition, improve traceability, support food safety, and connect across the supply chain.
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The EU has suspended customs tariffs on key nitrogen fertilisers for one year. The measure covers products including urea and ammonia as input costs continue to shape agricultural production, crop planning, and downstream food manufacturing prices.
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T. Hasegawa USA has launched HASEMILK, a powdered dairy-free flavour technology designed to recreate milk taste, aroma, and mouthfeel in plant-based beverages, bakery, desserts, sauces, and dry mixes.