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Investment firm Stride Consumer Partners announced today the close of their first fund at $420 million to further invest in brands developing consumer products and services. To-date, Strive has made three investments in meat snacks producer Chomps, Canadian skin-care company Skinfix, and clothing company Truewerk.

The government of Indonesia announced it will ban the export of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein, beginning April 28, until prices of bulk cooking oil fall below 14,000 rupiah per liter (approximately USD$0.97).

Plant-based food and beverage maker Laird Superfood introduced a new format to its portfolio with the goal of giving consumers a plastic-free approach to single-serve functional coffee. Today, the company announced the launch of Bright Cups, a proprietary Keurig-compatible pod format made from BPI-certified compostable materials and filled with Laird’s Focus Mushroom Coffee.

Alec’s Ice Cream wants to be more than just a sweet treat. The two-year old company this month debuted new packaging for its line of indulgent ice cream, a look designed to highlight its switch to using A2 milk from dairy farms practicing regenerative agriculture.

In this People Moves: No Evil cofounder Sadrah Schadel takes the lead as CEO, Imperfect Foods adds three new exec team members, Dream Pops brings on new Head of Sales, Gopuff names Maria Renz SVP of North America, Maxine’s Heavenly appoints new VP of Finance and New Culture names Josh Kittelson VP of Biology.

This week’s notable new products saw brands delving deeper into plant-based protein options, launching better-for-you versions of indulgent treats and celebrating birthdays with cake-flavored spreads. Check out this gallery for new items from Hodo and Oat Haus as well as the first products to come from newly launched brands Mooski and Green Fork.

During The Good Food Institute’s State of the Industry presentation on fermentation-enabled meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy yesterday, panelists broke down multiple areas of interest including investments, tech innovations and regulatory progress while highlighting its potential to create viable climate solutions over the long term.

In this week’s The Checkout: Nowadays raises $7 million to scale plant-based chicken nugget tech; Gerber launches new baby food line with a focus on plant-based protein; functional food category see new entry, Adapto Foods; and Halo Top reformulates and adds new flavor.

In this episode of Category Closeup, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg sits down with a panel of CPG founders, executives and experts to take a look at food and beverage trends in the allergen-friendly (or free-from) category.

As it looks to a commercial rollout of cultivated chicken later this year, pending regulatory review, cell-grown meat, poultry and seafood brand UPSIDE Foods announced $400 million in new funding, bringing its total capital raised to-date to over $1 billion.