Yoplait, a yogurt brand of Minneapolis-based General Mills, said it donated a new $75,000, 53-foot refrigerated trailer truck to help address the insufficient refrigeration infrastructure at Feeding America’s Cadillac, Mich., branch. The donation will enable the food bank to safely deliver cold-food products across the Northwest region of its 40-county service area and make dairy more accessible to those in need.

The truck was used for a large-scale food distribution event, sponsored by Yoplait, on March 15. It was loaded with 10,000 pounds of food and served 150 families, Yoplait said.

In early March, Bord Bia — the Irish Food Board — hosted “Going Green from Farm to Fork,” a virtual pre-St. Patrick’s Day briefing for U.S. media on the central issues of farm and food sustainability through a conversation with Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy and chef, author and sustainable food advocate Dan Barber. One of those issues was COVID-19 and its impact on consumer preferences, food production sustainability and community health.

“We've seen that 15% of global consumers are actually looking to purchase more sustainably in this last 12-month period, and 23-25% of them are prepared to pay more for products that are more ethically produced and more sustainable as well,” McCarthy said.

Barber added that diet is related to COVID-19 severity.

“COVID is about 94% diet-related,” he said. “Many people dying of COVID in [the United States] have one of three conditions: obesity, diabetes or hypertension. All three of those are related to diet, and all three of those have direct relationships to how we eat meat and how we eat dairy. It's clear that our agriculture system in [the United States] is suffering from diets that are not about grass-based systems; they are about interventions with heavy antibiotics, corn, soybeans — all the things that are leading us to disastrous results on our environment, but especially on our health.”

In a March 22 letter welcoming the new U.S. trade representative (USTR), Ambassador Katherine Tail, executives from the U.S. Dairy Export Council and National Milk Producers Federation said the prosperity of America’s nearly 32,000 dairy farmers and the jobs of three million Americans tied to the U.S. dairy sector rely on expanded trade opportunities and robust trade-rights enforcement. Tai is tasked with enforcing U.S. trade rules and negotiating terms and conditions for America’s exports to foreign markets.

The Arlington, Va.-based organizations outlined priorities in the letter for continued growth of export opportunities and market access to increase the volume and value of exports. Additionally, the organizations called on USTR to enforce USMCA, restore export growth to China, counter European Union efforts to impede competition, tackle nontariff barriers that limit U.S. dairy exports and successfully conclude negotiations with new trading partners, including the U.K., Kenya and Japan.

Sensient Natural Ingredients LLC, a Turlock, Calif.-based processor and supplier of dehydrated vegetable products and natural food ingredients, said it finalized a transaction to acquire New Mexico Chile Products Inc., a dehydrated chili production facility in Deming, N.M., that processes capsicums and a variety of specialty chilies for commercial sale to food manufacturers, spice blenders and foodservice customers.

Pro Refrigeration, an Auburn, Wash.-based cooling technology and equipment company serving the craft fermented beverage, dairy and food processing segments, announced a plan to bring down refrigeration global warming potential (GWP) by phasing out refrigerants with high GWP. Pro Refrigeration, which provides EPA-compliant HCFC-based systems, is competing to be the first U.S.-based manufacturer to add a carbon dioxide chiller system to its standard product offering. The company said it is currently pitching the chiller concept and design to a leading group of dairy processors in Washington, California and Texas, with the goal to have the first system installed and cooling milk by mid-June.

Qualitas Health Ltd. (doing business as iwi) announced partnerships with Grupo Indukern, Barcelona, and Gullspång Re:food VC, Stockholm. These strategic partnerships enable Houston-based Qualitas Health to accelerate company growth through the development of innovative algae-centered products and increase its footprint in the plant-based products market.

Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing announced the launch of the Aroma Kiosk, a new digital sensory insights tool that is designed to connect with consumers in dynamic environments such as grocery and department stores, universities and shopping malls to gather valuable consumer insights and recommend products in real time. Consumers smell and rate different aroma profiles, then the data are translated into personalized flavor preferences using an AI-based algorithm. The combination of these digital tools and AI can significantly shorten the product development cycle, increase the chances of successful launch, and provide consumers with personalized recommendations and products, the Vernier, Switzerland-headquartered company said.

Lecico, a supplier of lecithins and phospholipids for the food, infant nutrition, animal feed and health and nutrition markets, announced an exclusive distribution partnership agreement with Ciranda, Hudson, Wis., for the North American market. Ciranda supplies brands and manufacturers with a wide range of certified organic and non-GMO ingredients, sourced from around the world, with a focus on sustainable supply and fair trade practices, Hamburg, Germany-based Lecico said.

RCV Frontline, an early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to investing in entrepreneurs reshaping the food and beverage industry, announced its launch. Founded by industry veterans Jeff Grogg of JPG Resources and Andrew Reynolds of RCV Partners, the Battle Creek, Mich., company said it has a mission to help underserved early-stage founders navigate the challenges of building their business.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Motion Industries Inc., a distributor of maintenance, repair and operation replacement parts and a provider of industrial technology solutions, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021. The company said it is planning various activities in celebration of this milestone throughout the year to engage employees, vendor partners and customers.

Tate & Lyle, a London-based provider of food and beverage solutions and ingredients, said it introduced the “Collaborate at Home Kitchen,” a digital engagement hub where food and beverage manufacturers may explore trends, science and solutions that power modern consumer choices. The hub also provides users with access to Tate & Lyle’s experts, as well as additional resources to help them find solutions to their formulation challenges.

Kerry, a taste and nutrition company headquartered in Tralee, Ireland, announced details of Project Amata, a new project with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that aims to enhance the production and availability of safe, sustainable milk for children and communities in the Gitega province of Burundi. Project Amata builds on the success of the previous WFP and Kerry partnership, Project Leche, which helped Honduran farmers create a safer and more sustainable milk supply, nourishing the health of over 7,500 thousand Honduran children, as well as enhancing economic opportunity and better living conditions for the community.

Koch Separation Solutions (KSS), Wilmington, Mass., said it will collaborate with Royal Avebe, a starch manufacturer based in Veendam, Netherlands, to implement a comprehensive separation solution for plant-based protein processing. The project will rely on KSS’s technological expertise to create a high-value protein product.