March 28, 2025

Please see below for a listing of what the North Point Food & Beverage Team has been tracking this week. We hope that you find the content insightful and a nice way to summarize the most noteworthy Food & Beverage events of the week.

Have a nice weekend!

Glen Clarke

Head of Food & Beverage

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Gourmet Specialty Foods in midst of sale process.

• Gourmet Specialty Foods, a family-owned manufacturer of value-added, ready-to-cook meat products, is in the second round of a sale process, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

Source: Mergermarket

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Roquette appoints Societe Generale to sell Sethness - report (translated).

• Roquette, a family-owned producer of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products specializing in plant-based ingredients, is said to have mandated banking group Societe Generale to advise on the disposal of its subsidiary Sethness, a Skokie, IL-based producer of high-quality caramel color for food & beverage markets, news portal l'Informe reported.

Source: Mergermarket

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Global Eggs to acquire Hillandale Farms for USD 1.1bn, plans New York IPO.

• Global Eggs, a holding company controlled by Ricardo Faria, has disclosed that it has agreed to acquire Hillandale Farms Inc for USD 1.1bn (EUR 1.02bn), Ft.com reported. The report quoted Faria, who said the acquisition was part of a strategy for international growth and not due to the recent rise in egg prices.

Source: Mergermarket

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TH Foods shareholder Kameda Seika signs MoU to acquire remaining 50% stake from Mitsubishi.

• Kameda Seika, a Niigata, Japan-based manufacturer of rice-based confections, announced on 27 March that it has reached a memorandum of understanding to acquire all remaining shares in Illinois-based confectionery company TH Foods.

Source: Mergermarket

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Schlotterbeck and Foss in midst of sale process.

• Schlotterbeck and Foss, a sponsor-backed manufacturer of sauces and condiments, is in the second round of a sale process, three sources familiar with the situation said.

Source: Mergermarket

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Lakeview Cheese set to explore sale process.

• Lakeview Cheese, a sponsor-backed manufacturer of cheese for foodservice and private label, is gearing up to explore a sale, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

Source: Mergermarket

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Fresh Del Monte acquires avocado oil producer.

• Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, today announces its acquisition of Avolio, Uganda’s leading supplier of bulk crude and edible avocado oil.

Source: Produce Bluebook

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CraftMark Bakery agrees to sell to One Equity Partners.

• One Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm, today announced it has agreed to acquire CraftMark Bakery, a supplier of bakery products for quick service restaurants and in-store retail bakeries.

Source: Mergermarket

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JBS acquires plant-based brand from Unilever.

• Vivera, a subsidiary of JBS S.A., one of the world’s largest meat processors, is acquiring The Vegetarian Butcher from Unilever. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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McCormick working with industry to reformulate more products as efforts to ban synthetic food dyes intensifies.

• McCormick is partnering with restaurants and manufacturers to reformulate products in response to growing political and regulatory pressure to eliminate synthetic food dyes, especially with RFK Jr. now leading the Department of Health and Human Services.
• States like West Virginia have passed laws banning certain artificial dyes, and the FDA recently banned Red No. 3, amplifying calls from consumer groups to remove color additives linked to health concerns like cancer and hyperactivity in children.
• CEO Brendan Foley stated that while McCormick’s consumer products already use minimal synthetic dyes, the company is seeing increased demand for reformulation across the industry and is actively responding to that shift.

Source: Food Dive

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USDA reports egg price drop, progress in bird flu mitigation efforts.

• Under Secretary Brooke Rollins’ $1B HPAI mitigation plan, wholesale egg prices have dropped nearly 50% in a month, with the New York price falling from $8.53 to $4.08 per dozen, easing pressure on consumers and farmers.
• The USDA, through APHIS, is investing $100M into HPAI research, prioritizing novel therapeutics, vaccine development, and biosecurity enhancements to reduce outbreaks and culling, while maintaining food safety.
• To secure domestic egg availability, the USDA reduced shell egg exports by 8% and arranged new import deals with Turkey and South Korea. Over 130 poultry facilities have completed biosecurity assessments in 2025, with USDA covering up to 75% of costs for critical improvements.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Power of Meat report: Record meat sales in 2024.

• Retail meat sales hit a record $104.6 billion in 2024, with volume up 2.3% to 22.8 billion pounds, driven by consumers prioritizing home-cooked meals amid high restaurant prices and economic uncertainty.
• Fresh meat outperformed processed meat, led by beef and ground meats like ground beef and turkey, with lamb showing potential to become a billion-dollar category.
• Despite high prices, 98% of U.S. households bought meat, with most consumers viewing it as nutritious and protein-rich, while also valuing convenience, quality, and global flavor options.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Customers show preference to private label brands.

• U.S. private label sales reached a record $271 billion in 2024, growing 3.9% from the previous year, with 69% of consumers rating private label products as similar or superior to national brands.
• Retailers like Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Kroger expanded private label lines, introducing hundreds of new products and leveraging in-house brands to attract value-seeking shoppers.
• Growth is expected to continue through innovation and premiumization, with retailers and CPG companies increasingly collaborating to balance pricing, promotion, and product mix in a competitive market.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Consumers are confused about ‘organic’.

• A 2024 OTA survey found that while consumers recognize the USDA organic label, they often give more weight to single-attribute claims like “no added hormones” or “raised without antibiotics,” not realizing these are already covered by organic certification.
• Trust in the USDA organic label remains high, with 74% of consumers considering it the most trusted certification, especially among younger buyers like Gen Z, who are more willing to pay a premium for organic products due to perceived health benefits.
• The Organic Trade Association sees a strong opportunity to better educate consumers on the full value of the USDA organic label, especially its alignment with personal health and "free-from" claims, to strengthen understanding and increase demand.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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McCormick highlights more cooking at home in outlook.

• McCormick expects continued consumer interest in home cooking to drive demand for spices and seasonings in 2025, citing trends like health consciousness and budget-conscious meal prep as key motivators.
• First-quarter 2025 sales rose slightly to $1.606 billion, though net income dipped 2.2% to $162 million, with flat consumer segment sales and growth in Flavor Solutions driven by product mix, pricing, and cost savings.
• While McCormick plans to offset potential U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports with internal efficiencies and pricing strategies, tariff-related uncertainties remain a risk to the company’s full-year outlook.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Coke refreshes ‘Share a Coke’ to reach Gen Z with digital experiences.

• Coca-Cola relaunched its “Share a Coke” campaign targeting Gen Z with personalized bottles, a digital hub for customization, and experiences like a Memory Maker video tool and college campus tour.
• The campaign combines physical and digital engagement through QR codes, augmented reality-inspired ads, and a sweepstakes tied to memory sharing, emphasizing emotional connection and real-world interaction.
• Coke’s marketing push supports strong financial performance, with 14% Q4 2024 organic revenue growth and a $40 billion retail sales increase over three years attributed to its brand and marketing transformation.

Source: Food Dive

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Wonder moves beyond bread with the launch of snack cakes.

• Wonder, the iconic bread brand, has launched a new line of snack cakes including donuts, honey buns, cupcakes, and cinnamon rolls, marking its first major expansion in 104 years.
• Parent company Flowers Foods aims to capitalize on the $1.6 billion snack cake market and growing consumer interest in indulgent treats, using existing resources from its Tastykake and Mrs. Freshley’s brands.
• The brand extension leverages Wonder’s nostalgic appeal to introduce familiar yet new products in a different section of the grocery store, expanding its reach beyond the bread aisle.

Source: Food Dive

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Conagra to close Michigan pie filling plant, lay off about 85 workers.

• Conagra Brands will close its nearly 100-year-old pie filling plant in Fennville, Michigan by June 2025, resulting in the layoff of about 85 employees, as part of a broader strategy to streamline its supply chain.
• The company cited the need for greater operational efficiency and alignment of production with demand, a trend also seen across other major food companies like Tyson, PepsiCo, and Campbell’s.
• The Fennville facility, originally Michigan Fruit Canners, is one of several recent Conagra closures, including a Birds Eye plant in Wisconsin; local officials plan to support impacted workers during the transition.

Source: Food Dive

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Trump admin delays traceability rule to contain foodborne illness outbreaks.

• The FDA has delayed its food traceability rule by 30 months, originally set to take effect in January 2026, to give companies more time to comply amid concerns about cost and complexity, particularly for small grocers.
• The rule aims to improve tracking of high-risk foods like produce and soft cheeses during contamination events, but recent outbreaks linked to Boar’s Head, McDonald’s, and BrucePac show ongoing challenges due to poor recordkeeping.
• While industry groups welcome the delay as necessary for operational adjustment, public health advocates warn it puts consumer safety at risk and delays needed transparency in the food supply chain.

Source: Food Dive

JUST FOR FUN

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Leftovers: Kellanova serves up salty-sweet Rice Krispies Treats | Sargento partners with Mondelēz and McCormick on cheesy collab – Food Dive

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