Beyond The Headlines: Givaudan unveils digital innovation factory, Unilever’s bite-sized Magnums for snacking

This week in industry news, Givaudan unlocked AI and big data at a new digital hub in France and dsm-firmenich advanced efforts at improving the sustainability of animal farming. Meanwhile, FAO announced plans to unveil a food and agriculture museum in Italy next year. Unilever’s Magnum brand of ice creams launched bite-sized ice creams to tap into the growing snacking trend.

Business highlights

Givaudan unveiled a new site in Paris, France, for its digital factory to enhance digital transformation and customer co-creation using AI and big data. The facility’s expanded co-creation space includes a multi-purpose room for workshops focused on acculturation and ideation. The room also features advanced technologies developed by the Givaudan Digital Innovation team, such as Carto for fragrance customization and the Mini Scent Piano for sensory experiences.

dsm-firmenich and Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines (CPF) collaborated to measure and improve the environmental footprint of animal proteins. The companies will implement dsm-firmenich’s life cycle assessment platform, Sustell, to help CPF transform environmental data into clear, actionable insights to tackle one of the most pressing global challenges: sustainable food production.

Cal-Maine Foods announced plans to expand cage-free egg production after its Board of Directors approved US$40 million in new capital projects. The projects will add five new cage-free layer houses across the company’s locations in Florida, Georgia, Utah and Texas in the US. Construction of the facilities is expected to start by the end of this year and complete with additional production capacity for approximately one million cage-free layer hens by late summer 2025.

Japan Tobacco acquired US-based Vector Group (VGR) to improve the company’s presence and distribution network in the US, the second largest tobacco market in net sales and one of the most profitable. Following a statutory merger on October 7, 2024, VGR became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the JT Group.

Proteine Resources targets €62 million in annual revenue from insect protein sales by 2030 (Image credit: Proteine Resources).Polish biotech company Proteine Resources received €1.36 million (US$1.48 million) from SMOK Ventures and Bitspiration Booster, which it will use to address the challenges of sustainable protein production for both animal feed and human consumption. The insect protein manufacturer has developed a scalable production technology and an operational pilot line, and plans to launch construction of its first factory in 2025 near sources of insect feed. The latest cash injection brings its total funding to €1.8 million (US$1.97 million).

The UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and six meat exporters visited South Africa for a five-day mission to meet with leading importers and distributors of beef and pork in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. According to AHDB, South Africa presents many opportunities for UK exports of beef and pork and the mission aims to support exporters develop global opportunities for red meat exports across a broad portfolio of international markets.

Launches and innovation

The FAO announced it will launch a new Food and Agriculture Museum and Network in Rome, Italy on World Food Day on October 16, 2025. The museum will serve as a permanent exhibition and educational space open to the public. It will be dedicated to food and agriculture and will explore FAO’s mandate in an interactive, digital environment. The site is supported by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and is designed to be a hub for students, families and international visitors, both in-person and online.

Unilever’s Magnum brand of ice creams launched bite-sized ice creams to tap into the growing snacking trend among Gen Z consumers. This includes its first bite-sized Bon Bons, joining Ben & Jerry’s and Yasso in leveraging micro-formats. The Bon Bons are available in white chocolate & cookies, gold caramel billionaire and salted caramel & almond flavors. The products will soon be sold in-store and online in Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, France, UK, Ireland, Spain and other European markets.

Sainsbury’s peat-free mushrooms are available in White Closed Cup and White Baby Button variants (Image credit: Sainsbury’s).UK retailer Sainsbury’s unveiled conventional mushrooms that have been grown without peat, a carbon-rich natural resource that takes thousands of years to grow in wetland ecosystems. It claims it is the first UK supermarket to implement the change in mushroom production that will reduce peat usage by 20,465 metric tons per year and support the retailer in its goal to reach Net Zero in its supply chain. Sainsbury’s also recently started enhancing its white mushroom variety with Vitamin D.

Iceland-based Good Good entered the UK market by launching its no-added sugar jams at Holland and Barrett Stores in the country. The flavors in the product portfolio include strawberry, raspberry, apricot and blackcurrant. The company claims these products are formulated with 33% more fruit than standard jam and 88% fewer calories. They include 6g, or less naturally occurring sugar per serving, and the jams are low glycemic, keto-friendly, gluten-free and non-GMO certified.

Strategy and brand firm MarketPlace expanded its research offerings, including the launch of a research storefront, under the brand Nextin Research by MarketPlace. The new tool is a source of rich data and revelatory insights for supplement, pet, food and beverage business, from B2B ingredient companies to CPG brands. It also includes intelligent insights that inform business and brand strategies, including: product innovation, go-to-market, brand positioning, CPG packaging, sales tools, acquisitions, category expansion and marketing strategies.