The Organic Center and Organic Voices to present ‘Organic Oscars’

The Organic Center and Organic Voices announced their joint hosting of the 2024 Organic Gala at Natural Products Expo West. The theme of the celebration is An Organic Night Out: Honoring the Year’s Best in Organic, and it will recognize the outstanding work of a group of individuals, brands and businesses in communicating the benefits of organic to consumers. Jennifer Garner (award-winning actress, philanthropist and co-founder of the organic, next-generation children's nutrition company Once Upon a Farm) and Gary Hirshberg (cofounder of the world’s largest organic dairy company Stonyfield Farm) will emcee the awards ceremony. The evening will feature an interactive science fair demonstrating the latest research being conducted by The Organic Center and other scientists, and enable attendees to witness the meaningful impact organic practices have on crop production, soil health, food safety, climate, and sustainability. Awards will be given in eight categories: Best New Organic Food/Beverage Product; Best New Organic Non-food Product; Best Organic Messaging: Better for the Planet, People or Animals; Best Organic PR or Social Media Activation; Best Retailer Organic Activation; Most Impactful Organic Research Result or Finding; Emerging Organic Entrepreneur of the Year and Organic Company of the Year. Companies can apply for the awards here. 

Luker Chocolate's 'The Chocolate Dream Project' Supports Farmers

Luker Chocolate's longest-running 'The Chocolate Dream' project, The Cacao Effect has been completed, reaching and enriching over 6,000 rural families in Colombia, the company shared. The five-year initiative focused on increasing farmer income through productivity, strengthening farmer associations, and improving education and resilience in rural communities strongly affected by violence. The closing event was held on November 24, 2023, in Bogotá, Colombia, and showcased both the impact of the project and also provided an opportunity for attendees to connect with the project participants. 

Earthlight Whole Food Vitamin D Receives Food & Bev Approval in Brazil

PLT Health Solutions, Inc. announced that Earthlight Whole Food Vitamin D has received food and beverage approval from the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, allowing this ingredient to be used to fortify foods and beverages sold in Brazil. In Brazil, ANVISA is responsible for coordinating, supervising, and controlling the activities of registration, inspection, and risk control of all new raw materials. PLT noted that the approval process employed by ANVISA is one of the most rigorous in the world. 

ADM Continues to Meet Food Security, Sustainability Needs

ADM is making a series of investments to continue to expand its broad-based business in Brazil. ADM is investing to expand crush capacity at three oilseed processing facilities: Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul), Porto Franco (Maranhão), and Uberlandia (Minas Gerais). In total, the investments are expected to add approximately 400,000 metric tons per year to ADM’s crush capacity in Brazil. ADM has completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in Buckminster Química, a Macatuba, São Paulo-based producer of refined glycerin.

Kalsec Opens Finishing and Distribution Centre in Singapore

With the opening of Kalsec Inc.’s Finishing and Distribution Centre in Singapore, the company continues to expand its international footprint to better serve food and beverage brands and manufacturers. This new facility continues Kalsec’s commitment to providing even broader global services for its customers. In November 2023, Kalsec announced the launch of its Savoury Product Innovation Centre of Excellence (SPICE Lab) in the Netherlands. During the past year, Kalsec has also announced new agreements with channel partners to expand distribution in Colombia, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as its hops solutions throughout the US.

Alkemist Labs Announces New Participants & Products in Transparency Program

Alkemist Labs Alkemist Assured testing transparency program continues to attract new participants from among ingredient suppliers and finished product companies in the nutraceuticals industry. The most recent participating companies and products in Alkemist Assured include:

Finished Products:

  • Beehive Botanicals Bee Pollen Granules, Fresh Royal Jelly, Propolis Chunk 95% (Bioflavonoid 8% Up) and Propolis 2x Concentrate Powder
  • ChromaDex Tru Niagen and Tru Niagen Immune
  • TrueGrace Broccoli Microgreens and Omega-3 Fish Oil

Ingredients:

  • Huisong Panax ginseng extract (7% Ginsenosides HPLC)
  • Sabinsa Curcumin C3 Complex and BioPerine
  • Verdure Bacognize Ultra, Guaviam, Rejuna, and Pomella