Adrianne DeLuca

In this week’s Checkout: OmniFoods partners with nonprofits to support food insecure communities, Kraft Heinz acquires majority stake of Just Spices, Abbot’s Butcher receives the first Whole30 Approved Certification for plant-based meat and tech company Lumi acquired by Navar.

The Campbell’s Soup Company is more focused and a “much stronger company” today than it was three years ago, said President and CEO Mark Clouse during the company’s Investor Day event Tuesday.

Plant-based diets are on the rise among multicultural consumers, according to a new study published last week by Danone North America. However, results suggest there is a gap in the market caused by a lack of culturally diverse plant-based food innovation, cultural stigmas and barriers to access including product affordability and education.

After receiving Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status earlier this month, Massachusetts-based food technology company Motif FoodWorks announced last week that its patented heme protein HEMAMI has launched for large-scale commercial distribution.

Hain Celestial will acquire better-for-you food incubator That’s How We Roll, the owner of Proven Brands, Inc. and KTB Foods, Inc., from private equity firm Clearlake Capital Group in a $259 million deal, Clearlake announced today.

In this week’s checkout: Capital City brings its Sweet Hot Mambo Sauce to KFC, The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance launch U.S. Identity Preserved Certification, Kraft Heinz to combine U.S. and Canada Businesses and Forever Cheese brings on specialty food veteran Tyler Hawes.

With everything from an angry and animated tortoise to a TikTok Tastemonial challenge, these latest activations have embraced a variety of brand building tactics including user-generated content and a unique group of brand ambassadors.

Food tech ingredient platform The EVERY Company, formerly Santa Clara Foods, announced this week it has closed a $175 million Series C capital round co-led by McWin and existing investor, Rage Capital. Temasek, Grosvenor’s Wheatsheaf Group, TO Ventures and Prosus Ventures also participated.

Over the course of the pandemic retailers and food delivery services continuously invested in delivery platform innovations, creating an expedited process of grocery shopping with virtually no contact. However, as lockdowns begin to lift, innovation hasn’t slowed and consumers have now become accustomed to this efficiency, prompting retailers to find creative ways to bring the store to them, almost instantly.

Superfood snack maker LiveKuna announced today it closed a Series A funding round led by global bakery company Grupo Bimbo with participation from SOSV and AMADEO. LiveKuna said it will use the funds to support distribution expansion throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico and to continue growing its team across North America.