Brightseed, a bioactives company and creator of Forager AI, announced the formation of a Bioactives Coalition to advance education and advocacy of science-backed bioactive compounds among food and health industries, consumers and policymakers. “Given the advancement in science and technology, the time is ripe to help build a widely accepted consensus on the definition and role of bioactive compounds for integration into dietary guidelines or current regulatory frameworks,” said Jan-Willem Van Klinken, Brightseed’s senior vice president of scientific and medical affairs, in a statement. “Bioactives are the ‘missing good’ in our food system and a core component required for proactive and preventative health. With the tools and research momentum available today, we can go beyond vitamins, minerals and proteins and begin including bioactives as an important part of nutrition and in modern medical education.” Bioactives Coalition members are comprised world-renowned researchers and experts working at the intersection of agriculture, food and health: Jed W. Fahey M.S., Sc.D, John Hopkins nutritional biochemist; Mark Hyman, MD, founder and senior advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and founder and director of The UltraWellness Center; Taylor C. Wallace, PhD, CFS, FACN, principal and CEO of the Think Healthy Group; Katie Stebbins, executive director of The Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute at Tufts University; Ashlie Burkhart, MD, CM, chief scientific officer at Germin8 Ventures, associate with the Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resources Program, Harvard Kennedy School; Chef Robert E. Graham, MD, MPH, Harvard-trained researcher and physician, public health scientist, food activist and founder of FRESH Medicine and FRESH Med U; and Jennifer Kelly, PhD, nutrition director at Food Systems For The Future.

In 1923, Virginia Dare Extract Co. entered the food and beverage industry as an extracts and flavor supplier. This year marks Virginia Dare’s hundredth year in business. Today, the company is a world leader in flavor development, manufacturing, and distribution, and the global market standard for vanilla extracts. “Upholding the taste experience through flavor is what we have been focused on since day one,” said Virginia Dare’s President Howard Smith in a statement. “Flavor truly is forever. All of us have tastes that take us back to specific moments in our lives – whether it’s a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone or cotton candy from the carnival. Our team is so proud to be a part of some of the memories that consumers hold dearest.” As part of its centennial celebration, Virginia Dare launched a new website in July and will host a ribbon-cutting at its new headquarters in Carteret, N.J., later this year. “Our 100-year milestone is the perfect time to revitalize our physical and digital presence, celebrate with our long-standing customers and new prospects at this year’s trade shows, and look forward to the next 100 years of flavor innovation,” Smith said. “We encourage anyone looking to launch products that will be part of shaping the next generation of foods, beverages, and nutrition to visit our trade show booths and toast to both the past and the future.”

HOWTIAN unveiled its SoPure Galaxy-Series, a stevia product range specifically formulated to enhance dairy applications and meet growing consumer demand for healthier and more natural dairy products. “The SoPure Galaxy-Series products offer an exceptional sensory profile in dairy, closely resembling the sweetness of full-sugar benchmarks, while also reducing development time and delivering up to 45% cost savings on the sweetener compound,” said Tom Fuzer, vice president of market strategy at HOWTIAN, in a statement. According to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN, the global dairy market boasts an extensive consumer base, with more than 6 billion of the world’s population consuming dairy products on a daily basis, the company notes. For manufacturers of dairy products the SoPure Galaxy-Series delivers virtually identical sweetness profile to full sugar in yogurts; enhanced milky notes and prolonged fruity flavors; rich, creamy mouthfeel when combined with bulking agents; and clean label with zero calories, it says. 

BENEO appointed Niels E. Hower as the newest Member of the Executive Board of Directors at BENEO GmbH with immediate effect. In his role, Hower will be responsible for BENEO’s portfolio of plant-based proteins, including Meatless, a specialized company for plant-based texturizing solutions. With an MBA in economics and more than 25 years of experience in the retail, wholesale, and life science sectors, Hower has occupied several senior management roles across his career, where some of his key responsibilities have included category/product management and operations. Prior to his new role at BENEO, Hower was positioned as executive vice president of global procurement at Fresenius Kabi. He also co-founded the Doctor Chococo brand, which launched the first milk chocolate bar containing vitamin D and other beneficial ingredients. “I am happy to join the BENEO team whose technical and nutritional expertise and longstanding experience has made the company a leading player for prebiotic chicory root fibers, functional carbohydrates, and specialty rice ingredients,” Hower said in a statement. “My ambition is to grow the plant-based protein business as well as Meatless in a similar way, by accelerating market expansion and extending our solutions. In the future, we will continue to grow our range into more products to satisfy different market needs for meat and fish alternatives.”