Frigo Cheese Heads, a Lincolnshire, Ill.-based brand of Saputo Dairy USA, announced the winning schools in its “Build a Bright Future” program, which is aimed at helping schools improve their learning experience and environment through funding for equipment, materials and renovations. Schools across the country had the opportunity to be nominated for the chance at a grand prize of $10,000, followed by 10 runner-up awards. The grand prize-winning school, Desert Star Elementary in Goodyear, Ariz., was revealed on March 31 during a morning student assembly that included a surprise visit and a check presentation from the Frigo Cheese Heads mascot.

Between August 2021 and October 2021, parents, teachers and other adults across the country were invited to submit a video or written nomination explaining why their school deserved to win, Frigo Cheese Heads said. All entries were evaluated by a panel of judges for the overall quality of the nomination and the proposed benefit to the school’s educational needs. A total of 945 nominations from K-8 schools nationwide were received. The judges then narrowed down the list to 11 finalists, and community members, school supporters and fans were invited to vote on social media to determine the grand prizewinner. Winning entries may be viewed at CheeseHeadsBrightFuture.com.

The runner-up schools receiving $2,000 each include:

• Angie Debo Elementary, Edmond, Okla.
• Atlantis Academy, Coral Springs, Fla.
• Birdilee V. Bright Elementary School, Los Angeles.
• Boulder Creek Elementary School, Boulder Creek, Calif.
• Cambridge Elementary School, Jeffersonville, Vt.
• Dunham Elementary School, Petaluma, Calif.
• Elmwood Elementary School, Baltimore.
• Meadowlark Elementary School, Billings, Mont.
• Valley Elementary School, Poway, Calif.
• Woodland Hills Elementary, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Baskin-Robbins said it is introducing a new Flavor of the Month, Totally Unwrapped. A take on a classic candy bar, it is flavor is loaded with layers of fudge covered pretzels, fudge- and caramel-covered peanuts, and caramel swirled through peanut butter and chocolate ice creams.

Along with the launch of a new flavor, the Canton, Mass.-based company said it is also bringing back the Hopscotch the Bunny ice cream cake for a limited-time. Handcrafted in-store, the dome-shaped customizable cottontail ice cream cake features white chocolate bunny ears and feet, surrounded by a bed of grass made of sweet icing and colorful sprinkles. Both launched in shops on March 31.

Cascade Glacier, a Eugene, Ore.-headquartered brand of ice cream for the foodservice industry, said it is celebrating 25-plus years of operation by bringing back its popular Licorice flavor ice cream. With a creamy and authentic licorice taste, the decadent treat is a licorice lover’s dream. Licorice joins more than 50 other fun, colorful options such as Maui Waui, Fruity Pop and Rocks, Party Animal and Cotton Candy.

“We are so proud of 25 years of serving the foodservice community and continuing to offer crave-worthy options,” said Joelle Simmons, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “As a foodservice-only brand, we know the importance of creating memorable ice cream experiences and working closely with our customers to help them be successful. We look forward to continuing this work for the next 25 years!”

Meijer said it will host its first Sustainability Supplier Summit, giving vendors nationwide the opportunity to showcase their sustainable products, from food to pets to home goods, for Meijer merchants to consider offering on shelves. The event will be held virtually June 20-23, 2022, and comes on the heels of a recent survey Meijer conducted to identify environmental issues relevant to the retailer and its customers. Sourcing from companies with a strong commitment to sustainability, as well as expanding the retailer's offerings of sustainable products, were among the most notable topics.

The Meijer Sustainability Summit aims to expand the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailers’ sustainable product offerings and will focus on categories storewide. To meet sustainability standards, Meijer merchants are targeting 38 different certifications on vendor productsor their manufacturing and procurement processes. For example, grocery and consumable merchants are looking for vendors that participate in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program that validates standards on forests, climate, human rights and livelihoods.

Certified vendors with retail-ready products may apply by Tuesday, April 26 for consideration at: https://www.rangeme.com/meijersustainability22.

In a partnership that combines three key retail categories — meat, dairy and spirits — the California Beef Council (CBC), Rocklin, Calif., is again partnering with the Tracy, Calif.-based California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and E. & J. Gallo’s Camarena Tequila for a co-branded Cinco de Mayo promotion. Dubbed “Tacos, Tequila y Más,” the two-month campaign runs April 1 through May 31 and provides consumers with product offers and savings, recipes, videos and other taco and margarita-inspired content on a single hub at TacoTimeCalifornia.com, CMAB said.

QualiTru Sampling Systems, an Oakdale, Minn.-based specialist in the science of aseptic and representative sampling equipment for the food and dairy industries, said Ian G. Davis was named CEO of the company, effective April 1, 2022.

Davis comes to QualiTru with more than 25 years of senior level management experience, including leadership positions in sales, operations and information technology in the food, travel and logistics industries in the United States and Europe. Most recently, he was vice president of operations for a privately held industrial services firm based in Indiana, the company said. He began his career working at a dairy in his native British Columbia.

Admix Inc., a manufacturer of industrial mixing equipment serving the food/beverage, chemical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, announced the acquisition of Diaf Pilvad ApS of Denmark. Diaf Pilvad is a manufacturer and supplier of dispersion and agitation equipment to the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries specializing within the paint, varnish and printing ink sectors.

The acquisition comes on the heels of Admix’s 33rd anniversary and is a significant step forward for the company in expanding its dispersion and agitation product lines and service offerings. Providing everything from laboratory scale agitators to large turnkey projects, Diaf Pilvad offers over 100 years of experience and expertise to the industrial sector, with its machinery exported worldwide and supported by qualified local representatives, Londenderry, N.H.-headquartered Admix said.

Elopak ASA of Norway and Japan-based Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd. announced that that Nippon Paper will produce and sell Elopak's lineup of Pure-Pak packaging for liquid food and beverage products worldwide and introduce them to the Oceania region.

Klöckner Pentaplast, a London-based provider of recycled content products and high-barrier protective packaging, said it selected its production facility in Beaver, W.V., for its multi-million dollar production expansion, adding post-consumer recycled content PET capacity in North America. This expansion will further grow the company’s sustainable innovation offering in the consumer health, pharmaceutical and food packaging markets through the addition of an extrusion line and two thermoformers.

Tate & Lyle PLC, a London-based provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, said it signed an agreement to acquire Quantum Hi-Tech (Guangdong) Biological Co., Ltd., a prebiotic dietary fiber business in China, from ChemPartner Pharmatech Co., Ltd. for a total consideration of $237 million.