Weekly Roundup: Kate Farms hits US$60M in funding, ADM tops US$684M in quarterly earnings

29 Jan 2021 --- In nutrition news this week, Kate Farms received US$60 million in investments from its final series B round funding. Meanwhile, ADM reported quarterly earnings of US$684 million despite COVID-19 restrictions, and nutraceutical and ingredient supplier Wacker expanded into the US pet supplement market.

In brief: Business news
US-based Kate Farms announced that Main Street Advisors investment firm joined Goldman Sachs and Kaiser Permanente Ventures in Kate Farms’ Series B funding round, bringing the final raise from US$51 million to US$60 million. Kate Farms produces plant-based, organic, clinically tested formulas for tube feeding to nourish people with chronic illnesses. The company also produces nutrition shakes consumed orally for shorter-term or milder conditions that don’t require tube feeding. Produced without major allergens, the product portfolio is USDA Organic-certified, vegan, gluten-free and kosher, and is accessible in more than 95 percent of US hospitals.

Wacker is tailoring pet dietary trends according to human diets.ADM reported its fourth-quarter earnings, registering an adjusted net of US$684 million. Its nutrition business delivered 24 percent year-over-year profit. Its Health & Wellness section delivered higher sales in probiotics and natural health and nutrition. Flavors also produced a strong quarter, driven by high sales and product mix in North America and EMEIA. ADM's earnings per share (EPS) was up 49 percent, excluding the retroactive biodiesel tax credit’s prior-year impact. The company is touting its growth as a major achievement given the challenges raised by the COVID-19 virus throughout the past year. 

Health product company Valensa introduced a video and redesigned logo for its prostate health product USPlus, aimed at men with urinary tract symptoms. The branding efforts come as the industry has been faced with a dramatic shift in product quality, largely due to the proliferation of crushed saw palmetto berry powder supplements and adulterated products that do not work, says the company. In the new design of the USPlus logo, Valensa has used purple to signify the company’s commitment to harvesting ripe berries, which are purple and deliver the correct lipid profile. USPlus is the only lipidosterolic extract verified by the US Pharmacopeia (USP) to contain the required fatty acids, phytosterols, and other phytonutrients for a quality prostate health product. 

In brief: Launches and releases
Nutraceutical and ingredient supplier Wacker expanded  into the pet supplement market in the US. Pet owners’ own dietary choices strongly influence pet product trends, notes the company. Curcumin and coenzyme Q10 are popular ingredients for human supplements and are associated with various health benefits. Wacker has now released three pet supplements incorporating these ingredients: Cavamax, Cavaq10 and Fermopure, which the company says to be dose-efficient, vegan-friendly and suitable for various application forms such as liquids, chews, kibbles, tablets or powders.Z Natural Foods released its mocha protein isolate formula containing two mushrooms extracts.

FoodChem launched a ginseng energy drink branded EnerUP to create an effective alternative to standard market products that contain caffeine and taurine. EnerUP’s R&D team used ginseng extract and green coffee bean extract to develop various flavors of energy drink preparation, including ginseng taste. With ginseng flavor, EnerUP has the advantages of a sweet aftertaste and mouthful fragrance, while delivering a mild supplement and no side effects, says the company. This solves the problems of sour taste extraction difficulties that have until now restricted market development. 

Z Natural Foods released Mocha Mushroom Whey Protein, a supplement to help grow “biceps, fuel workouts and repair sore muscles.” With two mushroom extracts and a mocha flavor formulated with antioxidants, the company is positioning itself as the producer of the healthiest isolate protein product on the market. The mocha drink protein comes from Z Natural Foods’ grass-fed, hormone-free, non-GMO whey protein isolate. This delivers a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to support cellular repair, growth and the body’s antioxidant production, states the company. 

In brief: Research and studies 
A study from the University of Helsinki found that veganism has a wide-ranging effect on children’s metabolisms. Researchers studied 40 Finnish children with a median age of 3.5 years who already followed vegan, vegetarian or omnivore diets and analyzed their serum metabolomics and biomarkers. Levels for vitamins A and D, cholesterol forms and essential amino acids were significantly lower in children on a vegan diet than age-adjusted omnivores. Also, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was absent from those on the vegan diet. Vitamin A status was also lower, as were LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, essential amino acids and DHA, a fatty acid with a central role in the development of visual function. Meanwhile, folate levels were remarkably high in vegan children. The results were published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Nexira’s cognitive enhancing nootropic Cognivia was shown in clinical trials to be effective after two weeks of consumption. The product is formulated from a proprietary extract of Salvia officinalis polyphenols and Salvia lavandulaefolia terpenoids, derived from sage leaves. The results, assessed by Compass cognitive test, demonstrated an Stratum Nutrition now has approval in Brazil for its Nem eggshell membrane for joint health.overall benefit on working memory function. 

In brief: Awards and approvals
Oleochemical producing company Oleon was awarded a platinum medal by Ecovadis, an organization that rates companies’ economic and social sustainability practices. In 2020, EcoVadis had introduced a new medal, called the Platinum Medal, for companies scoring in the top 1 percent of their industry. Oleon’s significant improvements in 2020 were integrating sustainable procurement objectives into buyer’s performance review and the training and support given to its suppliers on sustainability. 

ANVISA, the National Health Surveillance Agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, granted pre-market approval for Stratum Nutrition’s Nem eggshell membrane. Nem is one of few existing joint health ingredients and the only eggshell membrane ingredient supported by a full portfolio of 16 research studies, says the company. The approval was the culmination of a multi-year review by ANVISA of Nem’s safety and efficacy substantiation required for foods or bioactive substances claims in Brazil.

Edited

By Louis Gore-Langton