Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and the New Zealand Dairy Board (NZDB), in May launched a new company called DairiConcepts, L.P. Named to reflect the company’s emphasis on innovation, DairiConcepts will manufacture and market a wide range of cheese and dairy ingredients, including intense-flavored cheese ingredients, a variety of cheese and dairy powders, dairy-based seasoning blends, enzyme-modified cheeses, and club cheeses.
Operated as a joint venture with equal DFA and NZDB ownership and management, the new company will capitalize on a combination of the distinct strengths of the two partner groups—the vertical integration and spray-dry expertise of DFA’s Food Ingredients Division, and the cheese ingredient development skills and production technology of NZMP Key Ingredients. Initially marketing established product lines, DairiConcepts will be offering new ingredient products within twelve months, according to Stephen W. King, Vice President of Cheese Flavor Ingredients, who was interviewed by Food Technology at the IFT Annual Meeting and FOOD EXPO® in Dallas, Tex.
Headquartered in Springfield, Mo., DairiConcepts’ sales and service offices will be located in Springfield, Mo., and Hummelstown, Pa., with production facilities located at Hummelstown and various sites across the midwestern U.S.
For more information, call DairiConcepts at 717-566-4500, ext. 3025.
Dean Foods acquires fluid milk operation from Land O’Lakes
Dean Foods Company, Franklin Park, Ill., has purchased from Land O’Lakes, Inc., Arden Hills, Minn., its Upper Midwest fluid milk operations, and the two companies have formed a joint venture to market and license certain value-added fluid and cultured dairy products to further expand the Land O’Lakes brand name nationwide.
Under the joint agreement, Land O’Lakes and Dean Foods will each hold a 50% interest in an independent entity having the U.S. rights to develop and license certain of Land O’Lakes’ brand name products. The purchase includes all the operating assets of Land O’Lakes Fluid Dairy Division, including four dairy plants located near Minneapolis-St. Paul and Thief River Falls, Minn.; Bismarck, N.D.; and Sioux Falls, S.D., as well as a new extended shelf-life dairy and cultured plant in Richland Center, Wis.
Call for Nominations: Verdant Partners Crop Genetics Award
Verdant Partners is issuing a Call for Nominations for its First Annual Verdant Partners Crop Genetics Award. The award is to honor individuals from the international crop genetics industry, including the seed industry, plant breeding, and plant biotechnology, in recognition of outstanding achievement and contribution. A $10,000 scholarship will be donated to a U.S. land grant college of the honoree’s choice in his or her name.
Any public or private sector official within the industry may nominate eligible candidates. Nominations should be made on the Official Nomination Form (not to exceed 100 words) and be accompanied by a complete curriculum vitae of the nominee, including publications where appropriate. A separate letter, seconding the nomination, will be required from a second independent organization. Forms may be obtained from Verdant Partners at the address given below, or nominations may be submitted on the Verdant Web site at www.verdantpartners.com.
Deadline for nominations is August 31, 2000. Please send nominations and documentation to Ms. Teresa Lee, Coordinator for the Judges, c/o Verdant Partners, 777 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2020, Milwaukee, WI 53202-5387 (telephone 414-220-4200; fax 414-273-8140; E-mail: [email protected]).
Government Agency News:
HHS / Agriculture—The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture announce the appointment of Jerry R. Gillespie, DVM, as Executive Director of the Joint Institute for Food Safety Research (JIFSR), succeeding William C. Wagner.
JIFSR was created in 1998 as part of the Clinton Administration’s Food Safety Initiative. Its major functions are to coordinate planning and priority setting for food safety research among the two departments, other government agencies, and the private sector; and to foster effective translation of research results into practice. During his two-year appointment, which began on June 1, 2000, Gillespie will provide leadership for the coordination of research on food safety issues across the government, including USDA, DHHS, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Gillespie has been professor and director of the Food Animal Health and Management Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kans., since 1994. Prior to that, he held faculty positions in physiology at the University of California at Davis (1976–85), and was professor and head of the department of clinical sciences and veterinary medical teaching hospital at Kansas State University (1985–94).
QAI establishes organic certification services in Japan
Quality Assurance International
(QAI), a large organic certifier located in San Diego, Calif.; Richmond, Vt.; Collingwood, Ont., Canada; and Kawasaki, Japan, has incorporated a subsidiary company, QAI Japan, Ltd., and will register with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to provide Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) organic certification services in addition to the certification of QAI organic standards now provided. Only those firms that incorporate in Japan can apply to become JAS organic certifiers and continue to certify in Japan.
Beginning April 1, 2001, all organic produce and organic processed foods that bear the organic label must carry the JAS mark.
Company News in Brief
• Archer Daniels Midland Company, Decatur, Ill., has formed a European oilseeds crushing and refining Merchandising Coordination Center to manage all origination of raw materials and merchandising operations in Europe. ADM’s Noblee & Thoerl specialty fat business will continue to operate as an independent business outside of the Trading Center.
• Ashland Distribution Company’s Fine Ingredients Division, Dublin, Ohio, has formed a Nutritional Technical Service Group as part of its Ashland Nutritional Products business. In addition to providing technical support, the team will support customer needs for formulating nutritional blends and provide customers with technical support in developing new products. Randy Kreienbrink was named manager of the new group.
• Barry Callebaut Canada, Inc., St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, has opened a new chocolate college in St. Hyacinthe,The Barry Callebaut Institute. For more information, contact Peter Van Leer, Director of Marketing for North America, at 201-637-9534; fax 973-783-1022; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.barry-callebaut.com.
• Susan K. Harlander, formerly Vice President of Product Development, The Pillsbury Company, Minneapolis, Minn., has opened a new company, Biorational Consultants, Inc., in New Brighton, Minn. Biorational Consultants’ phone number is 651-639-8938; fax 651-639-0288; E-mail: [email protected].
• Cosun, manufacturer of ingredients for the food industry located in Breda, The Netherlands, has acquired the food ingredients division of Döhler. The division will be consolidated with Cosun’s newly formed business group in fine bakery and will continue under the name of Unifine Döhler. Sites are located in Darmstadt, Germany; Breda; Milton Keynes, United Kingdom; Barcelona, Spain; and New Jersey, USA.
• Lonza, Inc., Fair Lawn, N.J., will divest its polyols business and associated assets at its Mapleton, Ill., production site to SPI Holding Company, New Castle, Del., subject to normal regulatory approvals. Sorbitol liquid, crystalline sorbitol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysate products will continue to be produced at the Mapleton facility.
• Newly Weds Foods, Chicago, Ill., has acquired Chicago Spice Company of Elk Grove Village, Ill. Chicago Spice is a full-service manufacturer of custom-blended seasonings, rubs, glazes, sauces, and marinades, and also provides a spectrum of portion-control packaging services.
• Members of the Farmers Cooperative Creamery Company, Greeley, Iowa, voted to unify with Swiss Valley Farms Co., a five-state cooperative headquartered in Davenport, Iowa.
• Tetra Pak Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill., has opened a new pilot plant in Denton, Tex. The Tetra Pak Aseptic Technology Pilot Plant offers its customers complete processing facilities for development of food products from bench top to full-scale production.
• Extruder manufacturer Wenger Manufacturing, Inc. has acquired the machinery division of Extru-Tech, Inc. Each company maintains corporate offices and production plants in Sabetha, Kans., and will continue to market and sell its own line of equipment under both brand names. Neither Star-Tech nor CrossWinds Foods, formerly subsidiaries of Extru-Tech, are included in the acquisition by Wenger, and will remain independently active under the ownership and direction of Extru-Tech’s founder, Ken Matson.
• Whole Herb Company, Sonoma, Calif., has been appointed as the exclusive U.S. distributor for Tasman Extracts Limited, of New Zealand. The company may be contacted at 707-935-1077; fax 707-935-3447; Web site: www.wholeherbcompany.com.
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by BETSY BAIRD
Assistant Editor