AFRICA'S NO.1 FOOD, BEVERAGE & MILLING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Agrifood tech investor AgVentures backs Matrix Software South African software provider to meat industry

Jun 11, 2021Jun 11, 2021 Editor

SOUTH AFRICA – AgVentures, Africa’s leading and dedicated agrifood tech investor, has made an undisclosed amount of investment in Matrix Software, a specialist software provider to the meat industry in Southern Africa. Matrix has more than 150 clients spanning from abattoirs, meat processors, wholesalers, and retailers. In addition to setting base in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria and Seychelles, the company also operates in Australia. AgVentures’ investment ideally positions Matrix to continue its rapid growth through the introduction of new functionalities to existing clients and expanding into adjacent…

JBS bounces back from cyber attack, announces major investments in US, Australia

Jun 11, 2021Jun 13, 2021 Editor

US – World’s largest meat producer JBS has come out strong from a cyber attack that almost paralyzed its North America and Australia operations, announcing major investments in the regions that were hit by the cyber attackers. Just a few days after paying an equivalent of US$11 million to prevent unforeseen risk from the cyber attack, JBS has said it is investing more than US$130 million in the U.S. beef industry to increase production capacity at two of its major beef processing facilities in Grand Island and Omaha, Neb. The company is on schedule to complete a…

JBS pays US$11m to resolve a cyberattack that disrupted operations in North America and Australia

Jun 10, 2021Jun 10, 2021 Editor

US – Brazilian meat giant JBS has confirmed that it paid a ransom equivalent to US$11 million to resolve a cyberattack that disrupted its North American and Australian operations. The breach affected servers at facilities in North America and Australia, forcing the company to pause operations at nearly all plants in the U.S. The temporary closure of operations at JBS plants (which process about 20% of beef in US) raised alarm about potential meat shortages for consumers and livestock backlogs on feedlots. However, the meat producer says that its encrypted…

Walmart debuts private label beef in US as avocado consumption hits record highs

Jun 3, 2021Jun 3, 2021 Editor

US – American multinational retail corporation Walmart has debuted a private label beef line called McClaren Farms in stores across the Southeast as it looks to offer customers with responsibly raised, “steakhouse quality” meats. The new beef line is produced in partnership with Bob McClaren of Prime Pursuits, and is currently available in almost 500 stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. The line’s products include USDA Choice Angus filet mignon, T-Bone, porterhouse, ribeye, short ribs and chuck roast. McClaren Farms is an outgrowth of the end-to-end beef…

Tyson Foods promotes COO Donnie King to succeed Dean Banks as President and CEO

Jun 3, 2021Jun 3, 2021 Editor

US – Tyson Foods, the world’s second largest processor of beef, poultry and pork, has promoted its current chief operations officer Donnie King to the position of President and CEO. Donnie King will succeed Dean Banks who the meat processor said is stepping down from the company and board “for personal reasons”. Banks took the CEO job in October, just as Tyson was rebounding from the coronavirus outbreak that forced the company to shut several plants when workers got sick. Banks was formerly a project lead and on the leadership…

Zimbabwe to undertake inaugural artificial insemination on rabbits in partnership with South African specialist

Jun 2, 2021Jun 2, 2021 Editor

ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe is set to commence the use of artificial insemination (AI) on rabbits for the first time, following the Zimbabwe Commercial Rabbit Breeders Association (ZICORBA) entering into a deal with a reputable South African veterinary specialist, Vriesit Andrology Laboratories, for provision of the technology. The agreement is expected to significantly boost the country’s commercial rabbit breeding industry. According to reports by Chronicle, France and South Africa are among a handful of countries globally that practice artificial insemination on rabbits, especially for the purposes of commercial production of rabbits…

JBS subsidiary opens new bacon plant in Missouri as Heck UK invests in sausage and burger capacity expansion

May 26, 2021May 26, 2021 Editor

US – Swift Prepared Foods, a subsidiary of JBS USA, has expand its manufacturing footprint in the United States with the commissioning of a new bacon processing plant in Moberly, Missouri. The JBS subsidiary is a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company focusing on protein-centric prepared foods in both private label and branded offerings. According to a statement from the company, the US$68 million facility will produce fully cooked bacon and employ approximately 200 workers. Tom Lopez, Swift’s president and chief operating officer, said the central location and local support for…

Kenya’s military remodels Kenya Meat Commission’s plant, eyes export market

May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 Editor

KENYA – The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has re-opened the refurbished meat processing plant of the state-owned Kenya Meat Commission, located in Athi River. The reopening comes months after the President fully transferred the management of the commission from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to the Ministry of Defence. The transfer mandated the KDF to redesign the infrastructure of the commission with a view of making it more viable to meet food challenges in the county. To this end, the military pumped in funds to revive the…

Indian food processor Allana Group halts operations in Ethiopian unit following harsh operating environment

May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 Editor

ETHIOPIA – Frigorifico Boran Foods Plc, the Ethiopian subsidiary of India-based Allana Group, has shut down its US$60m abattoir, after slightly over a year since it commenced operations. The company has attributed the stalemate of operations to rampant insecurity in the area, insufficient livestock supply, high competition from contraband livestock market and high local meat prices. The closure has meant that close to 300 people have lost their jobs, and the plant currently employs only a few dozen security and maintenance workers. Sitting on a 72-hectare piece of land in…

UAC Foods introduces spicy, classic variants of Gala beef sausage roll

May 7, 2021May 7, 2021 Editor

NIGERIA – UAC Foods Limited, a leader in the snacks, diary and spring water segments in Nigeria, has launched two new variants of its famous Gala beef sausage roll coming in spicy and classic flavours. The new product variants, which come in a bigger 100gram size, have been carefully formulated to enrich the Nigerian snacking experience, on the go with more spice and beef filling at N100 only. The Gala Spicy sausage roll is enhanced with extra flavour and spice (pepper) to match Nigerians’ love for delicious spicy food and…