Beyond The Headlines: Unilever to review India ice cream business, Tate & Lyle slashes carbon footprint at US site

13 Sep 2024 --- This week in industry news, Unilever’s Indian subsidiary set up a committee to review its ice cream business and Tate & Lyle cut 20% of the carbon footprint of its US sucralose production site. Meanwhile, dsm-firmenich’s methane-reducing feed additive for beef cattle gained approval in South Korea and the USDA injected US$121 million to bolster specialty crops research.

Business highlights

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) in India set up a committee of independent directors to review the future of its ice cream business. This follows its parent entity, Unilever PLC’s announcement earlier this year of its intention to separate the global ice cream business by 2025. Based on the recommendation of the committee, the matter will be placed for final consideration of the Audit Committee and the Board at their respective meetings to be scheduled in due course.

Nestlé announced the decision to sell its coffee creamer brand Cremora in South Africa to dairy giant Lactalis. Cremora is currently manufactured in South Africa across two facilities located in South Africa (Babelegi and Potchefstroom) as well as Harare, Zimbabwe.The move will impact operations in Harare, where production of the creamer will cease, and focus will shift to brands such as Nestlé Everyday and Nestlé Cerevita.

Sustainable protein formulator Solar Foods listed its shares on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland to expand its business globally. The company’s Solein protein recently obtained the independent conclusion of Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) status in the US, marking a move toward its commercialization. The ingredient has also received novel food regulatory approval in Singapore and filed for similar approvals in the EU and the UK.

dsm-firmenich says Bovaer can significantly reduce methane emissions with a quarter teaspoon of the additive per cow per day.Investment company One Rock Capital Partners announced that its affiliate is planning to acquire Europe Snacks, which manufactures savory snacks for the European market. Europe Snacks supplies stacked chips, snacks, crisps and crackers to major food retailers throughout Europe. It has seven production facilities across the UK, France and Spain.

Sustainability highlights

Tate & Lyle partnered with Alabama Power to reduce the carbon footprint of its sucralose production facility electricity in McIntosh, US by more than 20%. Through its Renewable Energy Certificates program, Alabama Power will provide the site with 100% of its electricity requirements every year. The move is in line with the company’s transition to renewable energy as climate change continues to pose a big threat to the world’s long-term future, according to Nick Hampton, chief executive, of Tate & Lyle.

dsm-firmenich’s methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer received market approval for use with beef cattle in South Korea, making it the first product the country has approved for this purpose. The nod marks a significant step toward more sustainable agriculture in South Korea, which consists of 3.6 million beef cattle, including the renowned Hanwoobreed. dsm-firmenich says its feed additive can greatly reduce methane emissions with just a quarter teaspoon of the additive per cow per day.

A research by US-based Cornell University revealed that integrating AI into the current environmental control systems could reduce energy consumption for indoor agriculture by 25% and potentially contribute to feeding the rising world population. The study found that for warmer areas, like Dubai or the southern US, AI reduced energy usage to 7.26 kilowatt hours per kilogram fresh weight, down from 10.5 kilowatt hours per kilogram fresh weight.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) invested nearly US$121 million to advance research and extension activities aimed at tackling the key challenges facing specialty crop (fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops) and organic agriculture producers. The investment includes US$70.4 million to support specialty crop production research across the US and US$50.5 million to support farmers and ranchers who grow and market high-quality organic food, fiber and organic products. 

USDA’s investment is aimed at supporting organic and specialty crop farmers and ranchers.DKSH Performance Materials upgraded its innovation centers in the Philippines to a new, ultra-modern facility to strengthen its position in the region. The new facility is specifically designed to provide cutting-edge solutions and formulations for its business partners. The centers are equipped with the latest technology to support DKSH Performance Materials’ formulation capabilities for food and beverages.

Sustainable specialty chemical company Lygos joined forces with CJ Bio to focus on producing and delivering commercial volumes of high-performing, sustainable products to the market. Lygos will develop a commercial-scale biorefinery complex in Fort Dodge, Iowa, US combining CJ Bio’s expertise in fermentation and biotechnology with Lygos’ advanced biology, chemistry and application development technologies and expects a 18-24 month construction period after groundbreaking.

A British Retail Consortium (BRC) research unveiled in its Budget submission, stated that the retail industry is overtaxed compared to other sectors of the economy. Retail pays 7.4% of all business taxes (£33 billion) (US$36.4 billion), a share 1.5 times greater than its share of the overall economy (5% GDP). This bill amounts to 55% of the industry’s pre-tax profits, the highest proportion, along with hospitality, of all main business sectors. Of this total tax bill, 11% of profits is made up of business rates, the highest of all business sectors.

By Insha Naureen