Business Bites: Listeria scare triggers massive recall of pre-cooked meats

BrucePac, an Oregon-based poultry and meat processor that I presume was named after Bruce (you know, Bruce!), has announced a massive recall — nearly 12 million pounds of pre-cooked meat and poultry products were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, affecting literal tons of ready-to-eat items like frozen meals and salads. This one is seriously widespread, folks; I even checked my own fridge and found one of these products.

Meanwhile, in the realm of baking ingredients, ACI Group has introduced Synevo GR1, a groundbreaking gluten replacer that promises to revolutionize gluten-free baking by mimicking the properties of, you guessed it, gluten. On the sustainability front, Hershey continues to advance its “Cocoa for Good” initiative, investing heavily in the livelihoods of cocoa growers in West Africa.

All that and more in this week’s Business Bites.

Meat processor recalls millions of pounds of contaminated product

BrucePac has initiated a huge recall of 11.8 million pounds of pre-cooked meat and poultry products due to listeria contamination. Where is all this listeria coming from, anyway? Which one of you isn’t washing your hands?

The recall, which includes items produced from May 31 to Oct. 8, 2024, is for various ready-to-eat items distributed nationwide to establishments like restaurants and schools. The contamination was discovered through routine testing by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), so it’s nice to know they’re really checking, and yet neither USDA nor BrucePac has provided a complete list of retail products containing the recalled meat and poultry. Still, if you want to experience true existential dread, you can browse this 348-page document filled with affected product labels.

Related:Business Bites: ‘Darwin’s’ dog food flagged by FDA for salmonella, listeria

New baking ingredient mimics gluten

ACI Group has launched Synevo GR1, a gluten replacer that uses a proprietary hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) blend that mimics gluten's properties to reduce or eliminate the need for recipe changes. Not only could this significantly improve gluten-free baked goods, but Synevo GR1 also offers increased production stability and consistent crumb structure, which is not a phrase I ever thought I would type. The introduction of this novel ingredient comes as demand for reliable gluten-free products continues to grow, presumably driven by increased awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

Hershey invests $500 million to knock down cocoa farming hurdles

"Cocoa for Good,” a program Hershey is implementing after its failed “Cocoa for Evil” campaign (just kidding), aims to enhance the livelihoods of cocoa growers and improve conditions in West Africa's Ivory Coast, a key cocoa-producing area, by improving access to nutrition, increasing household incomes and implementing a zero-deforestation policy. Additionally, Hershey is working to enhance sourcing visibility for its cocoa in the Ivory Coast and Ghana by 2025 and seeks to stabilize the cocoa supply chain while supporting healthier, better-trained farmers. The company has already invested over half of its $500 million pledge.

Related:Business Bites: Rocket fuel in everyday foods launches renewed safety concerns

Fi Europe Startup Challenge finalists released

A key event at Fi Europe is the Fi Europe Startup Challenge, which showcases 20 startups across four categories, highlighting breakthroughs in ingredients, plant-based alternatives, foodtech solutions and more. Notable innovations include Perfat Technologies' functional solid fats, Solmeyea's carbon-negative proteins derived from CO2, Yeastime's ultrasound-enhanced fermentation technology and MAMAY Technologies' AI-driven sensory evaluation platform. Which all sound really cool, even though I have no idea how they work. Winners will be announced on Nov. 19 during Fi Europe.

Twrl Milk Tea goes viral, attracts possible celebrity investor

Related:Business Bites: Plant-based beverages linked to deaths in Canada

After calling out a bubble tea venture for cultural appropriation on an episode of Dragon’s Den, actor Simu Liu is considering investing instead in U.S.-based boba business Twrl Milk Tea. Liu connected with Twrl Milk Tea Co-founder Olivia Chen, who was recently a panelist on the SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal education series webinar, “Got Milk: The great dairy versus alt-dairy showdown.”