Ruiz Food Products, Inc., a manufacturer of prepared frozen foods for distribution to retail, convenience stores, clubs, vending, industrial, and foodservice, is expanding its manufacturing footprint in Vernon, Calif., by 150,000 square feet. The expansion will include the addition of two buildings in Vernon, near the assets of Culinary International, LLC that Ruiz Food acquired… read more

Nestle SA has signed an agreement with Advent International to acquire a majority stake in the Brazilian premium chocolate company Grupo CRM. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Grupo CRM manages a direct-to-consumer model that includes more than 1,000 “chocolate boutiques” under the Kopenhagen and Brasil Cacau brands as well as an expansive… read more

SOMOS, a ready-to-eat Mexican food brand, is merging convenience and Mexican cuisine with two new entries to its line of burrito bowl kits. The added kits include a salsa verde variety, with plant-based taco filling, Mexican black beans and cilantro lime white rice, and a smoky chipotle option, which includes mushroom cooked in adobe sauce,… read more

Boneless Chicken Surges on Restaurant Menus Wingstop’s senior manager of public relations, Maddie Lupori, said the chain hadn’t seen a notable difference in the ages of people who prefer boneless to bone-in wings, although boneless orders skew more toward Hickory Smoked BBQ sauce compared to Garlic Parmesan for bone-in. Wing-shaped breast meat and strips have… read more

Barilla names new president for region Americas, Barilla Group Melissa Tendick has been named president of Barilla’s Americas region, effective June. She will succeed Jean-Pierre Comte, who is stepping down from his role after serving 13 years at the company. Ms. Tendick, currently vice president of marketing for Barilla’s Americas region, brings over 20 years… read more

Stephanie Pullings Hart has been named deputy head of operations at Nestle SA, effective July 1. She will succeed Magdi Batato, who is set to retire after a 30-plus-year career at Nestle. Ms. Pullings Hart is currently senior vice president of operations at Warby Parker, where she is responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, and customer… read more

Plant-based company Wicked Kitchen has acquired Current Foods, an alternative protein company that manufactures plant-based seafood for food service and fine dining locations in the US and Europe. “Current Foods is a perfect match for Wicked as a global-impact brand with the same mission and complementary products,” said Pete Speranza, chief executive officer of Wicked… read more

Barilla names new president for region Americas, Barilla Group Melissa Tendick has been named president of Barilla’s Americas region, effective June. She will succeed Jean-Pierre Comte, who is stepping down from his role after serving 13 years at the company. Ms. Tendick, currently vice president of marketing for Barilla’s Americas region, brings over 20 years… read more

Stephanie Pullings Hart has been named deputy head of operations at Nestle SA, effective July 1. She will succeed Magdi Batato, who is set to retire after a 30-plus-year career at Nestle. Ms. Pullings Hart is currently senior vice president of operations at Warby Parker, where she is responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, and customer… read more