Danone splits chairman and CEO functions, begins recruitment process for new CEO Danone s Board of Directors has confirmed a proposal from current chairman and CEO, Emmanuel Faber, to separate the functions of chairman and CEO in the near future, and has begun looking for a new CEO.
Danone said it has launched the recruitment process for a new CEO, and once complete, Faber will focus on his role as non-executive Chairman. In the meantime, Faber will continue as chairman and CEO of Danone.
The multi-billion dollar global CPG company, which has a strong presence in dairy and a growing portfolio of plant-based dairy alternatives, came under pressure after activist investor, Bluebell Capital Partners, criticized Danone for its
Plant-based seafood firm Ocean Hugger Foods – which was forced to pause operations last June as COVID-19 ravaged the foodservice industry (its primary market) – will stage a comeback later this year after forging a joint venture (Ocean Hugger Inc) with Thai food manufacturer Nove Foods.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of global manufacturer NRF, Nove Foods has “
multi-continent manufacturing capabilities and sales relationships with many of the world’s largest retailers,” and is “
quickly becoming a major force in the supply of cutting-edge plant-based foods,” said David Benzaquen, co-founder and board member at Ocean Hugger Inc.
The plan is for a global launch of an expanded portfolio of plant-based seafood products in retail and foodservice in late 2021, said Benzaquen, who told FoodNavigator-USA that the order is still to be determined, but the company
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Gotham Greens goes west to unlock next growth chapter: ‘The indoor environment is relatively unexplored but offers fantastic opportunities’ By Mary Ellen Shoup Using funding from its recent $87m Series D capital raise, indoor agriculture company Gotham Greens has expanded operations to Northern California – its first West Coast greenhouse location – opening a 10-acre facility, which will bring its total annual production to 40 million heads of lettuce and herbs.
Expanding to Solano, California, where the greenhouse will be co-located with the University of California-Davis (UC Davis), is a significant milestone for the company that has thus far built greenhouses in its home state of New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado.
Maple Leaf Foods: ‘We unequivocally believe that the investments’ in plant-protein ‘will be rewarded’ Maple Leaf Foods will continue to invest heavily in plant-based protein, including renovating and relaunching two of North America’s “best-known and most-loved” brands Lightlife and Field Roast, although the division fell far short of company targets and competition increased during the company’s fourth quarter.
During fiscal 2020, Maple Leaf’s plant protein division drove revenue up 19.5% but it failed to meet the company’s 30% target increase due mainly to pandemic-related supply chain challenges, incremental costs and commercialization restrictions that hampered new product launches and limited food service, the company revealed late last week in its fourth quarter earnings report.
Forager Project has entered the burgeoning plant-based cheese category with a new line of organic products made from a base of cashews, starch, and coconut cream and oil, which it claims delivers the “cheesiest vegan cheese with the best melt and stretch.”
The
cheeses (SRP $5.99) will be available at retailers including Fresh Thyme, Sprouts, Central Markets, and Stop & Shop in the spring, said co-founder and CEO Stephen Williamson, who launched the first
Forager Project products (HPP veg-forward cold-pressed juices), in January 2013, and has since branched out into nut milks, smoothies, cashew-based yogurts, and ‘pressed vegetable’ chips made with pulp left over from juice pressing.