For any beverage producer, water quality is a critical ingredient of the finished product. No one wants a product that’s off color, has a strange taste or contains sediment. Without crystal-clear water, a processor wouldn’t have a viable product.

Mizkan America Inc. recalled some Ragú pasta sauces for possible contamination with plastic fragments.

Elevation Foods recalled some salads and sandwiches sold at Target and Fresh Market for possible listeria contamination.

The FDA warned people to avoid Cavi brand fresh, whole papayas after distributor Agroson’s LLC refused to initiate a recall.

Bratney Companies and F.H. Schule Mühlenbau (member of the Kahl Group) have signed a strategic partnership agreement, which specifies joint distributorship, sales and promotional efforts for new and existing milling plants in the United States. This agreement allows both companies to combine their expertise, resources and experiences in grain milling applications to achieve their shared philosophy of customer satisfaction.

Dandies Marshmallows (a product of Chicago Vegan Foods) got its start when its cofounder, President and Resident Engineer Ryan Howard, wanted his son to try a marshmallow for the first time. But his son, who was a vegan since birth, was not to consume traditional marshmallows, which contain gelatin, an animal-based ingredient. So it was time for Howard, being a food process engineer, to come up with an alternative, truly vegan marshmallow—which he did in his test kitchen in April of 2008. He called the marshmallows Dandies.

Northfork Bison Distributions Inc. recalled ground bison and patties imported from Canada that are linked to a multistate E. coli outbreak.

Pita Pal Foods recalled hummus because of concerns about listeria found at a facility during an FDA inspection, not in the finished product, the company announced.

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its snacks division to Atlas Holdings LLC of Greenwich, Conn. Atlas owns and operates 19 manufacturing and distribution businesses, which together employ more than 17,000 associates at more than 150 facilities worldwide. Atlas agreed to pay $90 million for the division, subject to closing adjustments.

With meat production on the rise—in fact tripling over the last four decades, according to the Worldwatch Institute—HPP (high-pressure processing) has proven itself not only to kill dangerous microbes, but also to extend shelf life by a factor of two to four times. Trouble is, with these merits, HPP meats tend to lose their color, which is a turnoff to some consumers.