Nestlé will sell its U.S. ice cream business to Froneri, an ice-cream-focused joint venture the Swiss company created in 2016 with PAI Partners, in a deal that valued the business at $ 4 billion.  The deal, which includes iconic brands Edy's, Haagen-Dazs, Outshine and Drumstick, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. Nestlé's U.S. ice cream business ​ had sales of $1.8 billion in 2018.

The Manitoba government has introduced legislation that would amend The Liquor, Gaming, and Cannabis Control Act(LGCCA) to allow liquor to be sold with take-out and delivery meal service by licensed establishments.  “For several years, restaurant owners have expressed interest in selling wine, beer and single-serve beverages through food take-out or delivery service,” says Crown Services Minister Jeff Wharton.

A new infant formula production facility located in Kingston, Ont., will be delivered on time and on budget. Canada Royal Milk plant is a world-class intelligent manufacturing plant backed by China’s largest domestic producer of infant formula, Feihe International. The $208.8 million project, constructed by Graham Group Ltd., is Canada’s first and only wet infant formula facility, and North America’s first and only goat milk infant formula facility.

  It can be said that 2019 was the year plant-based meat truly went mainstream.  Plant-based meat is worth $800 million, or 2% of total packaged meat sales in the United States, according to data from the Good Food Institute, Plant Based Foods Association and SPINS. Consumers just about anywhere in the country can buy plant-based meat at their local grocery stores.

Production of two natural Canadian sweeteners moved in opposite directions last season, with maple syrup output reaching a record high and honey volume dropping to its lowest level in several years.  Statistics Canada says the maple syrup harvest rose by 34.8 per cent from a year earlier to a record 60 million litres (13.2 million gallons) on higher yields and more taps -- despite a cold, late spring in Eastern Canada.

Empire Co. Ltd. says it earned $154.6 million in its latest quarter, up from a profit of $103.8 million in the same quarter last year.  The parent company of Sobeys and Safeway grocery stores says the profit amounted to 57 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Nov. 2 compared with a profit of 38 cents per diluted share a year ago. Sales in what was the company’s second quarter totalled $6.44 billion, up from $6.21 billion last year. Same-store sales excluding fuel increased 2%.

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois (CGG) and Cacao 70 — two big names in gourmet chocolate in Quebec — will now be working together.  As part of a long-term collaboration agreement, CGG will produce and further develop Cacao 70’s bean-to-bar collection, as well as other lines of chocolate products, and in turn, Cacao 70 will provide business-development support to CGG.

Farm Boy's rapid expansion continues with the grocery retailer announcing plans to open ten stores, which includes the recent opening of its Burlington, Ontario location. The Farm Boy store count will grow in a mix of urban and suburban communities with diverse store sizes and formats to fit the needs of local communities. In the GTA, Farm Boy will expand to include locations in Newmarket and in Toronto at College Park, Yonge and Soudan, Front...

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said that the beverage giant waited too long to make a sparkling water brand. Coke is readying itself for its first new brand launch in more than a decade. The company will launch AHA on March 2 in the United States, with the potential to expand globally. As soda consumption falls, flavored sparkling water or seltzer has become a popular alternative for consumers.

The Seven Seas Fish Company Ltd. of Richmond, B.C., and its owner have been fined and placed on probation with increased scrutiny for fish imports to the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington state says the company was fined $150,000, while owner John Heras was handed a $2,000 fine in a district court in Seattle on Friday. In October, the company and Heras pleaded guilty to illegally importing food that had been previously refused entry to the United States.

Metro is selling its stake in MissFresh–a ready-to-cook meal delivery subscription service based in Montreal. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. MissFresh was started in 2015 by Marie-Eve Prevost, Bernard Prevost and Ritter Huang. The three co-founders retained a 30% stake in the company when Metro purchased a majority interest in August 2017.

Shoppers in Burlington, Ontario have another option for groceries now that Farm Boy has set up shop in the city west of Toronto. At 23,938 sq. ft., the newly built store is a bit larger than Farm Boy locations in nearby Hamilton and Oakville. At the grand opening on Thursday morning, co-CEO Jeff York told Canadian Grocer Farm Boy stores have an “accordion like” design that can expand or contract depending on the space they are able to get.