Two rapid diagnostic tests from Hygiena, Camarillo, Calif., for the detection of coliform and E. coli have received Performance Tested Method Validation (Certification Number 071302) from the AOAC Research Institute.

Stanpac Inc., a supplier of ice cream cartons, installed a new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL-106-6+L full UV press at its plant in Mississauga, Ontario. It is said to be the first of its kind in Canada. The press is capable of printing and curing 18,000 impressions per hour.

Fruit processor Zentis said in August it plans to build a 100,000-square-foot plant in Idaho, scheduled to be operational in the summer of 2014. Existing plants are in Gardena, Calif., Plymouth, Ind., and Philadelphia.

Videojet Technologies Inc., Wood Dale, Ill., added six new inks for its 2300 Series of large character ink jet printers. The colors are M515-K Red, M516-K Orange, M517-K Green, M518-K Blue, M519-K Purple and M520-K Yellow. The inks adhere to plain and coated paper packaging, bundles of pulp-based product and other packaging. They are said to be suitable for brand identification on secondary cartons and helpful for differentiating outer wrappings of products like paper stock.

DSM’s heart health ingredient OatWell oat beta-glucan was named one of the most innovative products of the year at Food Ingredients South America (FiSA). Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber found in oats. The ingredient is known for its heart health benefits and helps to lower cholesterol and the associated risk of cardiovascular disease.

FONA International, Geneva, Ill., was named one of Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources for the eighth year in a row. FONA also was recognized for its benefits and compensation programs. The company makes flavors for foods, beverages, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.

Symrise, Teterboro, N.J., was the sole United States VIP sponsor of the Rencontre Sportive Malgache (RSM) event held at the College of Staten Island in New York in July. RSM is a sporting event that brings together Malagasy nationals who reside in the United States and Canada. The company is a supplier of vanilla and other flavorings.

Virginia Dare, Brooklyn, N.Y., established a partnership with Soarary, a Madagascar vanilla exporter. Virginia Dare said the partnership will provide it with a fully integrated supply chain for securing, curing and exporting vanilla beans from Madagascar.

Edco Food Products, Green Bay, Wis., a processor of diced peppers and pepper mashes for food manufacturers, achieved Safe Quality Food Certification, Level II.

Evergreen Packaging, Memphis, Tenn., entered into an intellectual property license agreement with Smart Planet Technologies. Evergreen Packaging will explore the development of cupstock products using EarthCoating technology, a mineralized barrier coating for paperboard materials.

3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. will hold its 2014 education program and annual meeting on May 12-16, 2014 at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in Milwaukee. The event includes an introductory session on hygienic equipment design, a full-day education program, an annual meeting and work group meetings.

In August, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced that the proposed plans for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research and Babcock Hall building project will move forward with the design stage beginning immediately. “The Governor’s announcement signals the start of design work on this long overdue project,” said CDR Director and Dairy Foods columnist John Lucey. “Our goal remains creating a world-class dairy research and education facility that will put Wisconsin and North America at the forefront of dairy innovation.”