Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies, Rice Lake, Wis. has completed a $2 million plant expansion of its manufacturing facility. This includes the development of a state-of-the-art paint facility, allowing Johnson to launch a new Repair and Refurbish Center.

Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited, Nova Scotia, has reopened the spray dryer facility of its micro-encapsulation plant in Arcadia, Wis. The facility had been closed since a fire in October 2005. Ocean Nutrition has also started construction of a new micro-encapsulation plant in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Completion is slated for the end of 2007, and it will double the company’s capacity.

Treofan Group, one of the world’s leading specialty BOPP film manufacturers, is close to doubling capacity at its North American plant in Zacapu, Mexico. Treofan will invest approximately US$45 million in expanding production and R&D facilities including a new state-of-the-art 8.2 meter high speed production line.

The American Oil Chemists’ Society has presented Loders Croklaan with its “Outstanding Paper Presentation” award. The paper titled “Metastable Zone Width and Crystal Morphology of 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl Glycerol and Tripalmitoyl Glycerol Crystallised from Acetone,” authored by Kevin Smith, lead scientist, Unilever Research; Fred Cain, science director, Loders Croklaan; and Geoff Talbot, consultant to Loders Croklaan, won for Loders Croklaan’s groundbreaking work on palm oil crystallization.

Ecovation, Inc. has signed a contract to build a new wastewater treatment and renewable energy production plant for O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Batavia, N.Y. The design, build, finance and operate agreement allows O-AT-KA to replace its current outdated system and benefit from a lower cost, renewable energy alternative. The new system will keep O-AT-KA in complete compliance with the City of Batavia’s POTW discharge requirements, and methane gas produced by anaerobically treating the UF permeate stream would be delivered back to O-AT-KA’s boiler plant.

In order to support its unique turnkey Howaru™ licensing concept, Danisco has launched an upgraded and consumer-friendly version of its website dedicated to Howaru probiotic cultures. The website features an animated film to explain the health benefits of Howaru probiotics for the consumer, a section to help consumers find foods and dietary supplements containing the new ingredients, a selection of tasty recipes using probiotic dairy products and more.

All American Foods, Mankato, Minn., makers of the Pro Mix® line of food ingredients has acquired Forester Foods, Inc., which makes its own line of frozen dessert ingredients.

Cognis, La Grange Ill., has completed the acquisition of Napro Pharma AS, a Norwegian manufacturer of high-quality omega-3 fish oils for the nutrition industry. This news follows the May announcement in which Cognis Nutrition & Health unveiled plans to expand its portfolio of health-enhancing ingredients with omega-3s.

Massachusetts-based planning, engineering and construction firm Food Tech Structures has completed design and construction of a 13,000 square foot specialty cheese plant at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. Pineland Farms, a 4,000-plus acre working farm, business campus and educational/recreational venue, appointed Food Tech to construct the new cheese plant on a turn-key basis with responsibility for the building and all equipment. The facility, located in a pastoral setting on the Pineland Farms campus, will utilize a portion of Pineland’s annual milk production for value-added farmstead cheese products.

Motion Industries, Birmingham, Ala., a leading distributor of industrial maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts, has received the 2005 Vendor of the Year Award by Kroger Manufacturing and Kroger Layton Bakery. The award recognizes exceptional performance and contribution to Kroger’s success.

Food Safety Net Services has dedicated a new, full service laboratory in Grand Prairie, Texas. This state-of-the-art facility officially opened June 5 and is the relocation of the Richardson, Texas laboratory. In addition to several specialized laboratory areas, the facility boasts a large commercial test kitchen and a technologically advanced training and conference room. As in the case of all Food Safety Net Services laboratories, the Grand Prairie facility is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year.