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Dorer, Morikis Elected to General Mills Board of Directors

General Mills, Inc. announced the election of Benno O. Dorer and John G. Morikis to its board of directors effective Jan. 29. The election of Dorer and Morikis reflects the company’s thoughtful approach to board succession and refreshment.

As the former chairman and chief executive officer of The Clorox Company, Dorer brings to the board strong executive leadership experience from a global consumer packaged goods company. Dorer served as chief executive officer of Clorox from 2014 to September 2020, chairman from 2016 to September 2020 and executive chairman from September 2020 to February 2021. He served as chief operating officer from 2013 to 2014.

Before joining Clorox, Dorer worked for The Procter & Gamble Company in various marketing and sales roles in the U.S. and Europe. Following his retirement from Clorox, Dorer served as executive advisor at KKR & Co. Inc. from 2021 to July 2022 and on the board of Origin Materials from 2021 to May 2023. Dorer  serves on the board of VF Corporation, where he also served as interim president and chief executive officer from December 2022 to July 2023 and lead independent director from 2021 to 2022.

As the current executive chairman and former chairman and chief executive officer of The Sherwin-Williams Company, Morikis brings to the board significant executive leadership experience and a deep understanding of strategic management. Morikis has served as executive chairman of Sherwin-Williams since January, and previously served as chairman from 2017 to December 2023 and chief executive officer from 2016 to December 2023. He joined Sherwin-Williams in 1984 as a management trainee and held roles of increasing responsibility throughout his career. Morikis serves on the board of Fortune Brands Innovations.

In other action at its regularly scheduled meeting, the General Mills board of directors declared a quarterly dividend at the prevailing rate of $0.59 per share, payable May 1, to shareholders of record as of April 10. General Mills and its predecessor company have paid dividends without interruption for 125 years.

General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and standing for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Totino’s, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, General Mills generated fiscal 2023 net sales of $20.1 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled $1 billion.

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Southern Recipe Small Batch Launches Sweet BBQ Pork Rinds

Southern Recipe Small Batch, the leading authentic, handcrafted, small batch pork rind snack brand, recently announced its newest product launch, bringing a sweet and saucy new flavor to the snack food aisle: Sweet BBQ Pork Rinds. The new variety will be available in Kroger stores nationwide in late February at an SRP of $3.99 for each four-ounce bag. This new flavor is a direct response to consumer interest, and is a trending flavor for snack food, overall.

According to Flavor & the Menu magazine, “American barbecue has never showcased more flavor diversity and appeal than it does right now. Across the country, chefs are putting their own spins on the classics while also introducing consumers to the country’s wide array of on-trend regional variations.” As a result, consumers are driving demand for their beloved BBQ flavor in sweet variations in the snack food aisle as well.

“BBQ flavoring for snack foods is as traditional as it gets,” shares Mark Singleton, VP of sales and marketing at Rudolph Foods. “Especially when it comes to pork rinds, consumers just love the combination of BBQ and that bacony flavor they can find only in a pork rind. And because sweet BBQ is a trending flavor right now, we believe this is a flavor made in hog heaven.”

Southern Recipe Small Batch’s newest addition to its branded line of products are a true testament to innovation in nostalgic snacks and flavors. The new Sweet BBQ variety allows the brand to diversify its current offering and speak to the conversations with shoppers specifically requesting this culinary flavor. The brand is excited to once again help fans renew their love for pork rinds, and to become a new favorite for snack food lovers everywhere.

Southern Recipe Small Batch, a division of Southern Recipe – “The tastiest crunch in the South” – is a small batch, handcrafted brand of pork rinds. Developed with the purpose of delivering iconic flavors in a nostalgic recipe, Southern Recipe Small Batch offers this traditionally indulgent Southern snack in internationally-inspired flavors that boasts up to eight grams of protein, up to seven grams of collagen, low carbs and naturally gluten free. For additional information, please call 1-800-241-7675, or visit SouthernRecipeSmallBatch.com.

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Superbrewed Food Obtains US Patent for Postbiotic Protein Ingredient

Superbrewed Food, a provider of innovative, sustainable nutrition products, announced that U.S Patent Application Publication (No. 2023/0320399), for its groundbreaking Postbiotic Protein ingredient, has been allowed. The allowed patent application relates to a “composition of matter” and provides broad coverage for the production, use and commercialization of bacterial biomass ingredients, with 18 years market exclusivity.

Superbrewed Food’s Postbiotic Protein patent allows key protections, such as:

  • Coverage of all forms of bacterial-biomass proteins, including natural, non-GMO and GMO organisms that have a protein content of 60% or higher, the minimum amount required to make them useful as a food ingredient.
  • Coverage of all forms of production methods, including aerobic and anaerobic, and all forms of feedstock, including sugar, agricultural waste and CO2.
  • Coverage of the use of biomass protein in food products, so that consumer packaged goods companies can purchase and use Superbrewed Postbiotic Protein with confidence.
  • Long term protection, as the patent protection runs through 2042.

This milestone is a critical step in Superbrewed Food’s journey and leadership towards commercializing natural and sustainable biomass food ingredients. The patented Postbiotic Protein is animal- and allergen-free, non-GMO, and highly functional such that it can replace or complement animal and plant proteins in many existing and new food formulations. Brand owners in dairy, health and sports nutrition, meat, sauces, confectionery, snacks and bakery products, now have a choice to boost the nutrition in their product renovations. Postbiotic Protein is particularly suited to deliver on consumer demand for foods in the Better for You category, which is growing at 6.5% CAGR, and estimated to top $1.1 TN 2027.

“Securing this patent celebrates the tremendous efforts of Superbrewed Food’s innovation team and it represents a true breakthrough in food ingredients,” said Bryan Tracy, CEO and co-founder of Superbrewed Food. “We are excited to provide unique combinations of benefits and strong IP protection to our customers in the fast-growing and competitive alternative protein market. And most importantly, consumers are soon to have access to a new class of proteins that deliver all aspects of better eating.”

The patent issuance will cap a recent period of steady growth for the company. In 2022, Superbrewed Food secured self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for its postbiotic, cultured protein. Later that year, it began a strategic collaboration with The Bel Group to develop a line of cheese products that incorporate Superbrewed Food’s Postbiotic Protein ingredient. In 2023, Superbrewed Food participated in the UN Climate Conference (COP28), to demonstrate to attendees how using sustainable food production methods can contribute to the fight against climate change. This year, Superbrewed Food will ramp up its commercial scale production and rapidly expand its product offerings across North America and beyond using existing bio-manufacturing infrastructure to sustainably produce functional and nutritional ingredients, at a reasonable cost.

Superbrewed Food is a nutrition and health company focused on the development of natural ingredients using an anaerobic fermentation process. Made from microflora native to Superbrewed Food’s microbiome, products deliver superior nutritional and functional benefits compared to other plant and microbial proteins. Superbrewed Food’s postbiotic cultured protein is sustainably produced, animal- and allergen-free, non-GMO and is remarkably versatile in terms of applications in foods. For more information, visit www.superbrewedfood.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

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