Novax acquires majority of Ulrick & Short Novax has acquired a majority stake in UK ingredient supplier Ulrick & Short as part of its drive into the food sector.
Announcing the transaction, Novax – the investment arm of Swedish group Axel Johnson – said Ulrick & Short will continue to operate as a standalone business. The company’s founders Adrian Short and Andrew Ulrick will remain minority shareholders and the existing management team will remain in place under the leadership of Short as CEO.
“From the first meeting with the Novax team it was clear we had found an organisation and group of people that shared our values and beliefs of how a business should be nurtured and developed,” Short commented.
Researchers propose standardised testing methods to crack sensory challenge of plant-based milk Despite rapidly growing consumer demand, the quality of plant-based milk products very often underwhelms. The solution? More consistent testing at R&D stage.
There has been a surge of interest recently on the development of plant‐based milk alternatives due to increasing consumer concerns about the ethics, sustainability, and healthiness of animal‐based milks.
Consequently, producers are having to quickly develop and test new formulations to meet rising consumer demand using a range of protein sources such as soy, oat, pea, almond, coconut and flaxseed.
But a lack of standardized analytical methods and protocols is stifling successful innovation in the area, and the more widespread adoption of plant milks is being held back by products lacking the sensory attributes, stability, and functional performance of real cow’s milk.
Health campaigners call for ‘honest’ labelling on so-called healthy snacks Researchers at Action on Salt are demanding a restriction on the use of what it calls misleading nutrition claims on HFSS products after its new data revealed seemingly ‘healthy’ snacks contain often higher salt levels than crisps and flavoured nuts.
The group analysed 118 snacks including dried/roasted pulses and processed pulse snacks such as lentil curls, chickpea chips and puffs,
which are often perceived as healthy alternatives to the usual snacking options such as crisps and flavoured nuts.
Despite these products being on average lower in fat, saturated fat and calories, and higher in fibre compared to standard crisps and nuts, over one in three (43%) contained more than 1.5g/100g of salt – often more than that in crisps and nuts. KP salted peanuts contain 1.3g/100g salt, while Walkers Ready Salted crisps contain 0.35g of salt in a 25g bag.
Consumer demand for functional products is rising. SōRSE Technology’s Director of Research and Analytics, Donna Wamsley, speaks to FoodNavigator about the ingredients that are poised to benefit.