Jules Scully rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Mars buys minority stake in Kind, responding to healthier snacking, AB InBev accused of breaking EU competition rules in Belgium, and Kellogg UK to ditch Ricicles and cut sugar in cereals by up to 40%.

Jules Scully rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Nestlé invests $55m in Cuba site with Corporación Alimentaria, Nespresso announces $50m coffee investment in Colombia, and Ontario government invests $18.7m for Feihe formula site.

Jules Scully rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: UK meat substitutes sales to grow by 25% in four years, OMSCo and Wkye Farms create new joint business identity, and Chr. Hansen begins search for new CEO as Cees de Jong resigns.

Jules Scully rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Grupo Modelo plans $754m Mexican bottling site – reports, Heineken invests 6.4m euros to boost production at Spain site, and Kroger introduces ads to boost awareness of waste initiative.

Jules Scully rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Unilever starts search to find successor to CEO Paul Polman, Carlsberg opens its first carbon-neutral brewery in Sweden, and Busy lifestyles lead consumers to skip breakfast – research

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: AB InBev spends $250m in Nigeria and launches Budweiser, Rogers Sugar acquires maple syrup distributor Decacer and Three cups of coffee a day may have health benefits – study

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: UK government announces freeze on beer, wine and spirits duty, Danone takes part in $5.5m financing round for Kona Deep, Frutarom posts record earnings in third quarter results

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Coca-Cola India: Thums Up will be a $1bn brand in two years, Hormel merges its Speciality Foods and Grocery segments and Tyson Foods to build $300m poultry plant in Tennessee

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Ornua expands in Asia with South Korea Kerrygold launch, Goya Foods to nearly double the size of its Texas distribution site and Global Dairy Platform appoints Theo Spierings as new chairman

Did you know that every single day in the UK, 4.4 million apples and 1.4 million bananas are thrown out. With that in mind UK-based start-up Snact has started a campaign with the aim of creating snack bars made from unwanted bananas.

To aid them in their quest, the bars have been created as part of Snact’s #deliciousprotest campaign to "create more taste and less waste" and aim to help reduce the number of edible bananas being thrown away in Britain every day, by using fruit that would otherwise have gone to waste.

FoodBev Media's Darren Wood spoke with Snact director Ilana Taub about the idea, why re-using surplus foods is important and what challenges were faced when the bars were created.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: 2 Sisters scandal should be a ‘wake-up call’ for food industry, Coca-Cola won’t rule out further acquisitions or move into alcohol and Confectionery companies sign up to deforestation agreement

Blupura has introduced two new innovations designed to be controlled by the use of an app.

The customised top control taps have multi-functions including being able to offer cold, ambient and hot water, being able to see how much water consumption they are using, their impact on the environment plus consumers can save their individual settings for greater ease of use.

Meanwhile, the company has also launched a new machine called Blusoda Hot, which can also be used by the company's app, to programme the specific amount of water delivered. The Blusoda Hot also uses a UV light as a strong steriliser therefore preventing the growth of bacteria

Blupura's Debora Screpanti spoke with FoodBev Media's Darren Wood about these two new innovations and their development.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: UK canned craft beer sales increase by 327% – research says, Ocean Spray pays $10m to study health benefits of cranberries and Diageo aims to become best employer for women in the UK

Borg & Overström has unveiled its new B4 water cooler system, which includes a totality hygiene system which incorporates three factors: sterizen – a unique anti-microbial, anti-pathogen procedure that significantly reduces any bacteria build up within the inner systems, viovandt – an ultraviolet sterilising system that works to destroy bacteria within water by the use of ultra violet light and fynil – a double coat resin panel finish which is biofilm, limescale, and impact resistant, ensuring that bacteria cannot build up on the machine's surface intended for increased hygiene and longevity.

Borg & Overström's Richard Gibbon spoke with FoodBev Media's Darren Wood about the new B4 system, how long the design process took for the machine and what challenges the company faced when bringing the product to marketplace.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of foodScottish minimum alcohol pricing ruled legal by UK Supreme Court, Nestlé announces reorganisation of its infant nutrition business and G. H. Mumm and Usain Bolt launch Mumm Grand Cordon

Microfilter, a sister company of MCM Fittings and member of Chungho Nais Group, has introduced a new range of IEN(ion Exchange Resin) filters to the European market.

The Microfilter IEN range of filters have a special blend of resins that combat PH drop in water whilst also removing scale causing calcium. This range of water filters have a built in 30% water bypass for blending of water for taste, creating the perfect water for coffee and tea making in vending machines.

Jim Redford spoke with FoodBev Media's Darren Wood about the problems that can occur with using normal types of Ion Exchange resin filters, this being that feed water can drop in PH value quite significantly.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: UK competition watchdog clears Tesco’s £3.7bn Booker purchase, Tyson Foods posts record year thanks to fourth-quarter results and Nestlé Mexico set to double milk capacity in Lagos de Moreno

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Nisa members vote to approve Co-op’s £137.5m takeover offer, Huhtamaki invests 11m euros in Finnish manufacturing facility and Food companies back initiative to ban oxo-degradable plastics

After coming away with the Best technology innovation award at the world beverage innovation awards 2017, held at Drinktec, German start-up Mitte has launched a countertop water system that purifies water by distillation and offers cartridges to deliver healthier drinking water.

While some other systems remove minerals in water along with contaminants, the company claims it is able to re-mineralise the purified water with natural ingredients, ‘adding vitality and taste while making water healthy for consumption’. Each cartridge produces 400 litres of mineralised water.

Paula Montaldi, business development manager at Mitte told FoodBev Media about how Mitte allows users to personalise their daily drinking water with three different mineral cartridges containing varying levels of natural minerals and ingredients.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Monster energy sales continue to rise in third quarter results, Chobani invests $20m in Idaho innovation facility expansion and John Lewis unveils Christmas advert featuring Moz the monster

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Barry Callebaut sees 1.9% net sales rise in year end results, Stoli Group announces $150m bourbon distillery in Kentucky and China experiencing online shopping shift – Mintel reveals

Hanovia Limited and Berson Milieutechniek have merged to create a new unified company providing ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems.

The new combined company aims to increase distribution capability and improve its UVCare support by implementing a larger network of approved centres around the world.

FoodBev Media's Darren Wood spoke with Hanovia's managing director about the merger, and how the combined company's will offer customers a more comprehensive product portfolio.

Dow Water & Process Solutions has introduced its new time saving modeling software called Water Application Value Engine (Wave).

This new system design engine enables modeling, calculation and optimising solutions. Wave works with existing customers production line providing accurate results in a fraction of the time that it takes many existing applications. With Wave, users can combine multiple unit operations using Dow products into a single integrated design model. 

The Wave technology uses a powerful hydraulic modeling calculation engine that improves the accuracy of the model, according to Dow. Wave capabilities help engineers and original equipment manufacturers configure water treatment components by integrating all technologies into one tool. 

FoodBev Media's Darren Wood spoke with Eduard Gasia Bruch to talk about the Wave, its functionalities and challenges the company faced when producing this technology.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Coca-Cola India expands in fruit juices with $1.7bn investment, Gruppo Campari’s net sales grow as Aperol brand ‘outperforms’ and Frutarom acquires AB-Fortis product from Spain’s AB-Biotics

Waterways has unveiled its new range of premium water dispensers called the Brook.

This point-of-use cooler showcases a state of the art design including features such as variable hot and cold temperature controls and a large LED display with touch screen controls.

FoodBev Media's Darren Wood spoke with Waterways president Michael Efron about this new range and what it can offer its consumers.

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Pioneer Foods buys Kraft Heinz’ South African joint venture stake, Cargill invests $250m in its India business, creating 1,300 jobs and Dean Foods continues to struggle with net income plummeting

Watercoolers Europe chairman, Derek Callaghan believes the focus of the cooler industry should be on different ways to deliver water instead of a different water cooler.

Speaking with FoodBev Media, Callaghan believes this attitude is being embraced by the industry and is a 'real welcome opportunity and change'

Darren Wood rounds up the day's top stories in the world of food and beverages, including: Fonterra takes stake in US-based whey protein joint venture, targeting £100m growth, Coca-Cola sets out ‘ambitious’ European sustainability strategy and Beam Suntory appoints Albert Baladi as chief operating officer

Jules Scully rounds up the day's biggest news in the world of food and beverages, including: Unilever acquires Starbucks tea brand Tazo in deal worth $384m, Nestle boosts coffee portfolio with Chameleon Cold-Brew buy, Saputo's sales volume in Canada dips with net income down 3.4%. 

Jules Scully rounds up the day's biggest news in the world of food and beverages, including: Suntory Beverage & Food and PepsiCo form Thai joint venture, Carlsberg sees its sales drop 1% due to struggling Russian market, Campbell Soup Company to join Plant Based Foods Association. 

Jules Scully rounds up the day's biggest news in the world of food and beverages, including: Saputo acquires American goat's cheese producer Montchevre, The Coca-Cola Company finalises refranchising of US bottling sites, and Michele Buck says Hershey could turn to M&A to drive growth.