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Despite its long association with diet food, two legacy dairy brands think cottage cheese is ready for a comeback. To modernize the snack, they’re looking to non-traditional, savory flavors.

Plant-based protein, dairy’s efforts to regain relevance, and the continued ascent of CBD and hemp were a few of the major trends to emerge from Natural Products Expo West 2019, according to a show recap presented yesterday by market research group SPINS.

Just over a month after taking a stake in Uplift Foods, Mondelēz announced today its second investment in Hu Master Holdings, the parent company of both CPG brand Hu Products and fast-casual restaurant concept Hu Kitchen. Hu Chairman and Co-Founder Jason Karp told NOSH the investment will allow the emerging brand to scale and increase accessibility of its products.

Back to the Roots this week announced the launch of its Organic Hemp Starter Grow Kit. The kit allows consumers to grow five hemp plants that can be used to produce hemp oil, hemp tea or hemp hearts.

Clayton Christopher, the founder of Sweet Leaf Tea and Deep Eddy Vodka, told BevNET that he’d left an active role within the CAVU organization earlier this year, although he is continuing to work as a board member and advisor to the brands in his portfolio from CAVU’s first two investment pools.

Organic food producer Tessemae’s is ready to move on to the next stage — a warmer one. Today the brand announced it will begin selling shelf-stable products with the launch of Tessemae’s Pantry, a new line of salad dressings. The company is also reformulating its condiments line to be shelf-stable.

Conagra, America’s fourth-largest food company, revealed upcoming product innovations, homing in on healthy and sustainable solutions for snacking and mealtime.

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Butterfly signed a definitive agreement today to acquire Bolthouse Farms from Campbell Soup Company for $510 million in cash — roughly $1 billion less than what the soup conglomerate paid when it acquired the 104-year-old food and beverage brand in 2012.

Protein snack producer Lenny and Larry’s has upped the cash reimbursement available to consumers in a settlement offer in order to conclude litigation around the product’s protein claims. The changes came after the U.S. Department of Justice’ Consumer Protection Branch urged a federal judge in Illinois to reject the company’s previous offer as too low.

Kettle Cuisine, a New England-based producer of refrigerated and frozen, natural soups, sauces and entrees, announced this week its acquisition of Harry’s Fresh Foods, an Oregon-based custom food manufacturing company.