News in brief: a round-up of industry stories
We visit different corners of the industry to bring you a selection of stories in bitesize form.
Pesto wins product award
Suma Wholefoods has announced its pride at being awarded Your Healthy Living Magazine’s Platinum Award in the Best Vegan Product category for its Organic Red Pesto.
The cooperative describes the vegan SKU as ‘made with the finest, sustainably sourced ingredients, bursting with rich flavours from sun-dried tomatoes, organic basil and a perfect blend of Italian seasonings’.
Rocketing rice demand
The harvest of IBIS Rice has recently concluded in Cambodia, with the brand reporting that rocketing sales of IBIS Rice from UK customers and retail partners have enabled it to increase its crop purchase by 35% since 2023 from organic and wildlife-friendly farmers, at 70% above market price.
"This is where the impact happens. A busy but rewarding time of year," comments the brand.
Person of the Year 2024
Long-time organic campaigner Pat Thomas, director of Beyond GM, has been named Person of the Year 2024 by Slow Food UK.
A vocal opponent of gene editing, Thomas collaborated with Slow Food UK to co-create the campaign ‘Not in my supermarket’ which pushed retailers to ditch gene edited products — a campaign now being replicated in Europe. “This recognition, from an organization that I admire deeply, strengthens my resolve to continue challenging the narrow corporate narratives that push ever more extreme technologies as silver-bullet solutions for our food system,” says Thomas. “At a time when government policy has lost its way, we must all speak up louder and more clearly than ever.”
Biscuits with a twist
Clearspring has launched its first range of sweet grab-and-go snacks, inspired by the flavours of Japan, Canada and Scotland. Organic Oat Biscuits come in a trio of flavours (Matcha, Miso Maple and Sweet Date) and are made in small batches by fourth generation artisanal craft bakers in the Scottish Highlands — a family business which has been operational for four decades.
Each pack contains six ‘moreish’ wholegrain biscuits, free of refined sugar and high in fibre, boasting a ‘delicious depth of flavour’ that takes consumers on ‘a journey of discovery’. Maria Dawson, MD, comments: “These sweet biscuits are a first for Clearspring and we wanted to launch something special. We have been working … for nearly two years to perfect these flavours, which are unique, sweet and internationally inspired.”
Dirtea partners with H&B
Functional mushroom brand DIRTEA has partnered with Holland & Barrett (H&B) via its wellness cafés, H&Bean. Featured on the H&Bean ‘Drinks with Benefits’ menu are DIRTEA’s mushrooms powders and Super Blends, designed to boost focus, skin radiance and overall wellness.
‘Give Me Sunshine Latte’ is geared towards focus, with lion’s mane enhancing cognitive function and mental clarity. ‘Beauty Within Latte’ promotes a hydrated, glowing complexion with tremella. ‘Take It Easy Tea’ relieves stress through a calming blend of matcha and the adaptogenic properties of reishi.
National Spaghetti Day ‘25
Looking beyond Christmas is Organico Realfoods which is celebrating National Spaghetti Day (4 January 2025) through the seven-strong range of organic pastas it launched in September.
‘Straight-talking, thin lined spaghetti’ holds the title of top pasta status globally, according to the brand, with high sales recently recorded in Germany, Japan, China, Canada and North America.
Contributing to the 18 million tonnes of spaghetti which is consumed globally every year, Organic Realfoods’ small batch Organic Spaghetti is produced in the Italian town of Bari in Puglia, where the dough is proved and dried slowly for a superior product.
Gut-loving breakfast duo
Taking its SKUs to 18, gut health food brand Bio&Me has extended its range of muesli to include Super Nutty and Fruit & Nut. The ‘good for your gut’ duo is set to ‘work its magic’ in the £158 million muesli category, with each high-fibre product containing a minimum of 12 plant-based foods, from wholegrain oats and nuts to dates, sultanas and apricots — with ‘no added sugar or nasties’.
Jon Walsh, Bio&Me co-founder, says: “Consumers are engaging with gut health now more than ever … so now felt like the right time to refocus our efforts on muesli. Bio&Me is well-placed to deliver exactly what today’s muesli consumers are looking for: functional foods that taste really good.”
By Rosie Greenaway, editor