Gen Z consumers are some of most frequent visitors to Ireland’s pubs, bars and restaurants. However, younger adults have been more affected by the cost-of-living crisis than older consumers – Gen Z spends an average of €122 a month on eating and drinking out €20 less than Ireland’s average of €144. With their spending under pressure, they need to be engaged with the right combination of value, range and visual appeal. These are among the insights from CGA by NIQ’s latest OPUS research into people’s engagement with the on premise, which helps suppliers unlock ..read more

Glanbia plc, the Better Nutrition company, has agreed to acquire US-based Flavor Producers LLC for an initial consideration of $300 million plus deferred consideration. Flavor Producers is a leading flavour platform in the US, providing flavours and extracts to the food and beverage industries, with a focus on organic and natural ingredients. Glanbia will operate Flavor Producers within its Glanbia Nutritionals (GN), Nutritional Solutions (NS) business. The transaction is consistent with Glanbia’s strategy of acquiring complementary businesses to grow its Better Nutrition platforms. Flav ..read more

Valued at EUR2.4 billion, Guinness remains the most valuable Irish brand for the third consecutive year, according to new data from Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Guinness continues to leverage its unique heritage and authentic brand story to stand out in a crowded beer market, with associations like St. Patrick’s Day and the Six Nations Rugby strengthening the brand’s familiarity. Henry Farr, Associate Director at Brand Finance, commented: “Guinness’ position as the most valuable Irish brand once again is a testament to its rich herit ..read more

Refresco, the global independent beverage solutions provider for global, national, and emerging (GNE) brands and retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia, has completed the acquisition of VBC Bottling Company. VBC, a family-owned contract manufacturer of premium beverages, is strategically located in Modesto, California. The acquisition of VBC Bottling Company complements Refresco’s footprint and capabilities in North America, and further strengthens its ability to provide beverage solutions to branded customers. Refresco CEO, Hans Roelofs, commented: “Acquiring VBC is another step i ..read more

Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, Re-turn, has achieved a significant milestone, collecting over 20 million drinks containers since its inception on February 1. This achievement was reached on March 29. Re-turn recorded its highest daily collection rate to date on Friday, March 29, with 1.2 million drink containers (1,267,178) returned. This surge in collections underscores the public’s increased participation and support for the scheme. More than 2.2 million drink containers were collected during the long St. Patrick’s weekend alone (March 16–18). With 2,300 Reverse Vending Machines now ..read more

LONDON, Wednesday 3rd April 2024 – DS Smith, a leading global sustainable fibre-based packaging company, is investing in its Eerbeek packaging plant in the Netherlands in response to the growing demand for sustainable plastic replacement and fibre-based packaging solutions. The new state-of-the-art 4-colour converting machine will produce the well-known European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers (FEFCO) 0201 bespoke boxes for customers as well as alternative grades. The new machine is currently in the start-up phase and equipped with an advanced automatic inline error detection sys ..read more

Arla Foods Ingredients is demonstrating how manufacturers can meet demand for high-protein cheese products that combine nutritional quality with indulgence. In a market where consumers are highly focused on value, health concerns remain a powerful purchase driver. In the US, 51% of cheese consumers are attracted to products with on-pack health claims, while 38% of those in Spain and Italy say they would buy a product that offers a nutritional benefit.1 With 42% of consumers globally saying that protein is the most important ingredient2, boosting its content in cheese is one of the best strate ..read more

One of the world’s biggest food lubricant manufacturers ROCOL has announced it will be removing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the formulations of its entire FOODLUBE product range. From April 2024, 100 per cent of the FOODLUBE products will be PFAS-free. The company estimates that the new formulations will prevent around 425 kilograms of ‘forever chemicals’ reaching the environment every year. While PFAS are widely considered to be harmful to the environment, there is currently no outright ban in force today. A universal PFAS restriction proposal is currently being debated in ..read more

Farmer-owned Arla Foods, one of the world’s leading mozzarella producers, has announced its largest ever investment – €210 million – into the UK with highly advanced production technology at the Taw Valley dairy in south-western England. With the new production capabilities, Arla Foods will be even better placed to meet increasingly specific demands from key customers and keep pace in the fast-moving space of global mozzarella. “Our mozzarella business has seen double-digit growth over the past five years and we have strong relationships with key customers, particularly in global foodservice ..read more

UK food and drink manufacturers have been empowered with the vision, skills and drive to pursue smarter manufacturing through Made Smarter’s innovative leadership programmes. Made Smarter, a government-funded industry-led initiative to increase technology adoption among SME manufacturers, offers funded access to its Leading Digital Transformation (LDT) programme and Leading Change for Digital Champions (LCDC) programmes. So far 125 participants, hailing from across the spectrum of the manufacturing workforce, from managers to production operatives, have graduated from the programmes. Among th ..read more