beverages

Nestlé SA promised it will work to boost the nutritional value of its snacks, drinks and food products, after most of its portfolio was rated as unhealthy. Less than half of Nestlé’s main food-and-drink portfolio is considered healthy, according to the results of an international nutrient profiling system that the Swiss food company published for the first time. Nestlé started using it last year with the aim of boosting transparency about the nutritional value of its products.…

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it considered cultivated chicken made by Good Meat Inc. safe to eat, making it the second company in the growing industry to have cleared a key regulatory hurdle. Good Meat, based in Alameda, Calif., is the cultivated-meat arm of food-technology company Eat Just Inc. It is now the only company selling its chicken to consumers—but that is just in Singapore, the only country so far to permit the sale to consumers of meat grown from…

The billionaire who upended the beer industry with White Claw hard seltzer has turned his sights on vodka. Anthony von Mandl is releasing on Tuesday a line of vodka sold under his popular brand. Straight and flavored versions of White Claw Premium Vodka will be sold in bottles; vodka and soda cocktails will be available in 12-ounce cans. In a rare interview, Mr. von Mandl—who is 73 years old and the sole owner of White Claw’s parent company, the Mark Anthony Group—spoke about…

No distributed Gerber brand baby formula has tested positive for the presence of the bacteria, says Perrigo. Photo: Arriana Mclymore/REUTERS…

By combining the “Kell,” from Kellogg, with “anova,” which incorporates the Latin word “nova,” meaning new, the name reflects the company’s past and its future, according to Kellogg.  Kellanova joins a growing roster of Latin-inspired names—GE Vernova, Mondelez, Altria—that companies have devised as they seek to reintroduce consumers to their products and services. General Electric Co. borrowed from Latin last year when it announced the name of its power business: GE Vernova. A…

Tyson Foods Inc. TSN -0.52% plans to shut down two of its poultry plants and lay off nearly 1,700 workers as it tries to improve its chicken operations that produce about one-fifth of the U.S. supply. Tyson notified the nearly 1,000 employees at its Van Buren, Ark., chicken plant on Monday that it would close on May 12, the company said. About 700 workers at Tyson’s plant in Glen Allen, Va., also found out on Monday that its plant…

SMITHFIELD, Va.—Smithfield Foods Inc., the country’s largest pork producer, is defending its turf against growing concerns from lawmakers over Chinese control of U.S. agriculture. The Virginia company, which was acquired in 2013 by Chinese pork company WH Group Ltd. 288 -0.65% , said its ownership has helped fuel steady growth over the past decade and export more of its products to China, the world’s biggest pork market. Shane Smith,…

California’s wine industry is facing a potential short-term cash crunch and long-term loss of funding from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which was a significant lender to vineyards and winemakers.Hundreds of wine producers borrowed from the bank and deposited their cash there, including some small, midsize and privately held businesses that are trying to make payroll or loan payments.  “It could be devastating,” said John Balletto, president of family-owned vineyard and winery…

Chick-fil-A Inc. is reaching beyond North America with a $1 billion plan to take its signature crispy chicken-breast sandwich overseas. The Atlanta-based company said it plans to open restaurants in Europe and Asia by 2026, with locations in five international markets by 2030.   Andrew Cathy, the company’s third-generation chief executive, said in an interview that Chick-fil-A has plenty of room to grow in the U.S., but that an international presence is necessary as the family-owned business…

U.S. prosecutors are dropping felony fraud charges they brought against a former chief executive of ice cream maker Blue Bell Creameries LP in the wake of a 2015 listeria outbreak that led to three deaths.   As part of a settlement reached Wednesday, Paul Kruse, Blue Bell’s CEO from 2004 until 2017, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge over food safety violations. He will pay a $100,000 fine and avoid jail time, according to a plea agreement filed in…