News in brief: a round-up of industry stories

We visit different corners of the industry to bring you a selection of stories in bitesize form.

Viridian victorious

Family-run ethical supplements brands Viridian Nutrition has been presented with the prestigious King’s Award for International Trade.

Holly Thallon Steenson, MD, comments: “It’s a great honor to receive the prestigious King’s Award for International Trade and to celebrate this achievement with everybody who has supported Viridian. We are passionate about helping our communities to greater health and wellness by developing supplements that make a difference to people’s long-term wellbeing. Viridian wouldn’t be here today without the support of our suppliers, distributors, retailers and Viridian friends, and are grateful to them all.”

Accolades for ATTITUDE

Plastic-free personal care brand ATTITUDE has been recognized at the Top Santé Skincare Awards 2024.

Along with being shortlisted for Best Day Moisturiser with its Oceanly Anti-Aging Solid Face Cream with Peptides, the brand was highly commended for its Leaves Bar Body Scrub in the Best Body Exfoliator category, and walked away as winner of Best Natural Deodorant with its Leaves Bar Deodorant.

Real Banana Bites launch

Frozen snack brand Pukpip has launched Real Banana Bites through CLF – a new line of sharing bags of responsibly sourced ‘rejected’ frozen banana slices dipped in either milk chocolate, dark chocolate or peanut butter (the latter two vegan certified).

The brand positions the product as something to enjoy with friends and family, ‘or alone as a permissibly indulgent snack or dessert’.

Zara Godfrey, founder and MD, comments: “We’re super excited to bring a sharing bag option to shelves. Our Real Banana Bites deliver on convenience as well as permissible indulgence, allowing more consumers to treat themselves and their families, whilst getting more fruit into their diet.”

HFMA expands team

The HFMA has welcomed Houaida Alawieh as technical manager, bringing to the role specialist knowledge of food legislation, regulatory affairs and industry best practice.

Martin Last, HFMA director general, says Alawieh’s experience is ‘a great asset to HFMA members’. “Her appointment brings the team back to full contingent and will allow us to continue to support the members and the industry with all aspects of technical, regulatory, legislative and political affairs.”

Alawieh adds: “Joining the HFMA presents an exhilarating opportunity for me to dive deep into the world of health food products. I am passionate about leveraging my expertise in this field to empower our members, guiding them through regulatory challenges and fuelling their growth.”

‘Hidden veg’ smoothies

Oat drink brand Three Robins brings to market this month two oat milk-based, fibre-rich smoothies aimed at 3-12-year-olds which answer the need for convenience and taste, while offering parents an easy way to feed ‘hidden veg’ to their children.

Packed with nutritious vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, courgettes and beetroot, which the brand says are often a struggle to entice kids to eat, the smoothies range between 25-45% veg content and contain iodine, folic acid and vitamins B12, B2 and D.

Available in Super Berry and Totally Tropical, the smoothies are ambient — a perk for retailers ‘seeking to keep a firm grip on their wastage numbers’.

Brain health boosters

Australian brand vybey has made its UK retail debut with a duo of brain health nutrition products.

Complete Meal Shake (available in Chocolate or Vanilla) boasts a high dose of prebiotics and probiotics, omegas 3 and 6, four times less salt than competitors and only natural sweeteners — but the key USP is its focus on nootropics to support brain health and overall wellbeing.  

“We try and see things a little differently from a number our sports nutrition peers,” comments Gordon Belch, vybey co-founder, citing the brands’s ‘unwavering commitment to brain-boosting ingredients’ such as lion’s mane, to support cognitive function and ‘wider wellbeing needs’.