Get Adobe Flash player

Unilever, Accenture Collaborate on Next Generation AI

Accenture is joining forces with Unilever, the consumer goods multinational whose 400+ brands are used by 3.4 billion people every day, as part of a strategic initiative to leverage Unilever’s AI research and implementation of technologies that enhance productivity, drive efficiencies, and accelerate disruptive and AI-powered innovations at scale.

The work will kick-off from Unilever’s global AI Lab “Horizon3 Labs,” recently opened in Toronto—a city recognized for its concentration of AI expertise and home to one of Accenture’s six Gen AI studios in North America.

The two companies will explore new applications to scale generative AI; for example, assets from Accenture’s AI Navigator or its proprietary “switchboard,” which allows a user to select a combination of models to address the unique business context.

“This collaboration builds on our relationship of more than three decades with Unilever, which continues to raise the bar as a digital powerhouse and industry leader,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “The combination of Horizon3 Labs’ disruptive innovation with Accenture’s deep expertise and strong ecosystem partnerships will help Unilever scale AI and generative AI more rapidly and responsibly across its business and discover new pathways to value.”

“We are excited about building on our long-standing partnership with Accenture to step up our innovation agenda and drive value for our consumers, retailers, and distributors. Horizon3 Labs is a unique platform for collaboration and co-creation, and we look forward to working with Accenture and other partners to take our investment in AI to a new level,” said Steve McCrystal, chief enterprise and technology officer, Unilever.

This initiative will leverage the industry solutions and accelerators within Accenture’s previously announced $3 billion investment in data and AI. As part of these efforts, Accenture will connect Unilever with its top data and AI experts, and help capitalize on Accenture’s ecosystem partnerships, ventures, and strategic investments within its Center for Advanced AI, which includes more than 1,450 pending and issued patents in Accenture’s AI solutions and learnings from more than 300 generative AI projects.

For more news of interest to the food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

General Mills Announces Senior Leadership Team Changes

General MillsGeneral Mills, Inc. has announced several changes to its senior leadership team to further advance the company’s enterprise strategy, Accelerate.

  • Jon Nudi is appointed to a new role as group president, pet and international, where he will be accountable for the two largest growth areas for the company. Since 2016, Nudi served as group president, North America retail. Under Nudi’s leadership, NAR significantly accelerated its growth in organic net sales and segment operating profit, while driving consistent market share gains across its priority businesses. Ricardo Fernandez, newly promoted to segment president, international, will report to Nudi, with Fernandez also joining the company’s senior leadership team. Fernandez has served as President, U.S. Morning Foods operating unit, since 2021 where he expanded the company’s leadership in its important U.S. cereal category. Earlier in his career, Fernandez held leadership roles for General Mills businesses in Europe and Latin America.
  • Dana McNabb is promoted to group president, North America retail, General Mills’ largest and most profitable segment. Since 2021, McNabb served as chief strategy and growth officer, where she was responsible for the company’s enterprise growth capabilities. Earlier, McNabb served as group president, Europe & Australia segment, as well as president of the U.S. Cereal operating unit, notably achieving U.S. cereal category leadership for the first time in 15 years and accelerating growth in net sales and operating profit.
  • Bethany Quam is appointed president, U.S. Morning Foods, and will join the NAR leadership team, reporting to McNabb. Since 2019, Quam served as Group President, Pet, and led the segment to double-digit compound annual top and bottom-line growth.
  • Kofi Bruce, chief financial officer, will oversee the Strategy and Growth organization on an interim basis while the company conducts an external search for a new chief strategy and growth Oofficer.

All senior leadership changes are effective Jan. 1.

“We are making these strategic changes to best position General Mills for today’s dynamic landscape,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO. “These moves enable us to best match our deep bench of senior talent to fast-growing and important consumer areas and occasions. I am confident this will help us advance our next chapter in our Accelerate enterprise strategy.”

In addition, the company also announced that Sean Walker, who  serves as group president, international, will retire after more than three decades of service, effective Feb. 28.

“I also want to recognize the impact Sean Walker has had across our business and culture,” Harmening said. “Sean identified big bets for our International business and has been instrumental in our most recent launch of Blue Buffalo in China. For more than three decades, Sean has been a positive driving force at the company, and we wish him nothing but the best as he starts a new and exciting chapter in life.”

For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Impossible Beef Hot Dogs to Debut for 1 Day Only in NYC

On Saturday, Dec. 16, Impossible Foods will debut an exclusive sneak preview of its latest meat-from-plants innovation – all-new Impossible Beef Hot Dogs – available for one day only in New York City.

As hungry holiday shoppers descend on Midtown Manhattan in search of the perfect gifts, Impossible will be serving up a gift of its own: free Impossible Hot Dogs on Dec. 16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Impossible fans can tune into the brand’s Instagram page for the address drop in the days leading up to the event.

The giveaway marks the first taste of Impossible’s newest product, which promises a fresh but familiar take on the classic American hot dog and is set to launch in restaurants and grocery stores next year. The juicy, savory links offer a similar cooking and sensory experience to traditional animal beef hot dogs, but are made with high-quality ingredients derived from plants.

Impossible Hot Dogs outperform the animal on several key nutritional metrics: they contain 50% less total and saturated fat than a leading brand of animal beef hot dog served in restaurants, in addition to featuring a whopping 12 grams protein (versus 6 grams) and 0 milligrams cholesterol.2 Unlike most animal-based hot dogs, the franks also contain no added or synthetic nitrates or nitrites, instead using only those naturally occurring in cultured celery powder.

“Hot dogs are an undeniably classic part of American culture and not to mention, they’re a burger’s best friend. It’s long been a priority to add them to our product portfolio,” said Peter McGuinness, CEO and President of Impossible Foods. “Our adaptation replicates that quintessential hot dog taste, while offering consumers a nutrient-dense product that’s better for the planet. We want people to see that there’s really no compromise when you choose Impossible products. It’s as easy as throwing an Impossible Hot Dog on the grill – right next to an Impossible Burger.”

The craveworthy, nostalgia-inducing hot dogs cook up just like their animal beef counterparts and are primed for a variety of delicious toppings – from classic condiments like ketchup or mustard, to plant-based Impossible Beef Chili. And because they’re made from plants, Impossible Hot Dogs account for 84 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, 77% less water and 83 percent less land than an animal beef hot dog.

Impossible Hot Dogs mark the seventh new product to be released by Impossible in the last 12 months. Earlier this year, the company doubled-down on its beef-from-plants portfolio with the Impossible Indulgent Burger – a gourmet patty that recently rolled out across Ruby Tuesdays nationwide – and Impossible Beef Lite – a heart-healthy, plant-based take on lean beef. Impossible also expanded its chicken-from-plants portfolio with new offerings like Impossible Spicy Chicken Nuggets & Patties and Impossible Chicken Tenders. Meanwhile, its flagship Impossible Beef product remains the top-selling plant-based meat product in the United States by dollar sales and volume, across both the retail and foodservice sectors, and its Impossible Meatballs are the #1 best-selling plant-based meatball in the United States.

For more news of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.