NEW YORK — Cerebelly, a manufacturer of organic baby food and children’s food designed to support brain and cognitive health, has acquired Fresh Bellies, a children’s food brand that manufactures plant-based, freeze-dried snacks without added sugar. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition brings Cerebelly and Fresh Bellies under shared ownership while operating independently with their own product line, formulation and brand identity, the companies said.

Cerebelly’s product line currently includes purees, smoothies and snack bars. The company said the acquisition will expand its product development capabilities for additional formats and snacking usage occasions.

“We are not merging these brands — we are amplifying them,” said Jodie Wing, chief executive officer of Cerebelly. “The children’s nutrition category is large enough and the unmet consumer need is significant enough that two differentiated brands, operating with shared operational strength, creates more value than either could achieve alone. This is a platform play, not a consolidation.”

The acquisition will enable Fresh Bellies, founded in 2015 by Saskia Sorrosa, access to Cerebelly’s supply chain infrastructure to meet demands.

“Fresh Bellies has always been about giving children a bold, adventurous start with real, whole food,” Sorrosa said. “Joining forces with Cerebelly gives us the ability to say ‘yes’ — yes to more retailers, yes to larger and more frequent orders, yes to more innovation and exciting new products, and yes to meaningful certifications that set our products apart. This partnership gives us the runway to grow in ways we’ve always known we could.” 

Three company directors have been fined in the first prosecutions brought by the Insolvency Service for failing to comply with Companies House identity verification requirements.

Jill White and Marc Dillon, directors of White (Reading Properties) Limited, and Modinat Banjo, director of J Isogony Apparel Limited, were sentenced at City of London Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The Insolvency Service said the convictions serve as a warning to directors that they must verify their identity or risk prosecution.

Identity verification is a central part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which strengthened the powers of Companies House to improve the accuracy of the company register and tackle the misuse of UK companies for criminal purposes.

Newly appointed directors have been required to verify their identity with Companies House before acting as a director since 18 November 2025. According to the government’s guidance on the changes to UK company law, that date also marked the start of a 12-month transition period.

Existing directors are required to verify during that transition period, when filing the company’s next confirmation statement. Business Matters has previously reported on the rollout of the identity checks for directors and people with significant control.

White, 62, of Speen, Buckinghamshire, acted as a company director despite not verifying her identity, according to the Insolvency Service. She participated in board-level decision making and signed company accounts while unverified.

She completed identity verification in early September 2026, around nine months after the deadline and shortly before appearing in court.

Dillon, 62, of Atlanta Close, Benson, Oxfordshire, had verified his own identity. He was prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent White from continuing to act as a director while unverified, despite being aware of the legal requirement.

The Insolvency Service said that, as a director of White (Reading Properties) Limited, he had a legal responsibility to ensure the company did not allow an unverified individual to continue acting as a director. Both were also convicted after the company failed to file a confirmation statement on time.

White was fined £166 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £66. Dillon was fined £307, with costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £123.

Banjo, 50, of Thornham Street, London, continued acting as a director despite failing to complete the mandatory process. She signed and delivered company accounts on behalf of J Isogony Apparel Limited while unverified, and completed verification on or around 28 May 2026.

She was also convicted after failing to file a confirmation statement within the statutory period. Banjo was fined £80 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £32.

Daniel Hart, senior criminal lawyer at the Insolvency Service, said: “Identity verification is a legal requirement for company directors and forms a key part of efforts to improve the accuracy of the Companies House register and tackle economic crime.

“These prosecutions demonstrate that directors have responsibilities not only for their own compliance but also for ensuring unverified individuals do not continue acting as directors on behalf of a company.”

He added: “In both cases, multiple opportunities were provided for the directors to comply with the requirements before enforcement action was taken.

“There is no option to opt out. Directors who continue to act without verifying their identity risk investigation and prosecution.”

Martin Swain, director of intelligence and law enforcement engagement at Companies House, said the cases “mark an important milestone in strengthening the integrity of the UK’s company register”.

“These cases send a clear message that identity verification is not optional,” he said. “The vast majority of directors and people with significant control will comply with the new requirements, but where individuals fail to meet their legal obligations, Companies House will take appropriate enforcement action.”

Experts had predicted when the rules took effect that the corporate register would shrink under the new director verification requirements, and the checks were followed by a fall in new company registrations.

The Insolvency Service said verification can be completed online through Companies House free of charge or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.

About the author

Jamie Young

Jamie Young is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, covering SME finance, employment law and Westminster policy since 2016. He has reported on every Budget and Autumn Statement since 2018, helped make sense of the ‘covid era’ and the bounce-back loan scheme from launch through the fraud investigations, and broke the magazine’s coverage of the 2024 late-payment reforms. He joined Business Matters straight from completing his BA in Administration from Exeter University and is NCTJ-qualified. Reach him at jyoung@cbmeg.co.uk

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The protein bars may be purchased online through the company’s website and Amazon. 

Almost nine in 10 UK manufacturers are using automation of robotics, operations and storage to manage business disruption and demand volatility, according to research from Barclays.

The bank’s Business Prosperity Index found 87 per cent of manufacturing leaders surveyed said automation was helping them, while 94 per cent expected their business to prosper over the next 12 months.

The confidence comes despite cost pressure. Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) said energy costs were constraining growth or investment to some extent, according to the survey.

Barclays said businesses were responding by investing in automation, planning further ahead and pursuing work in defence, national security and critical infrastructure.

Barclays’ anonymised client data from around 30,000 UK manufacturing businesses, comparing the second quarter of 2026 with the same period of 2025, points to a split between larger companies and smaller ones.

Among larger manufacturers served by Barclays UK Corporate Bank, cash inflows fell 3.5 per cent year on year while loan balances rose 12.8 per cent. The bank said this suggested those businesses were continuing to invest despite softer trading conditions.

SME manufacturers served by Barclays Business Banking recorded a 1.4 per cent increase in cash inflows. Their average loan balances fell 17.7 per cent, even though the number of loans rose 1.1 per cent, and savings balances also rose 1.1 per cent. Barclays said this suggested smaller firms were prioritising financial flexibility.

Across the survey, more than three quarters (76 per cent) of manufacturers said they were planning major investment, sourcing and supply-chain decisions further ahead than a year ago. Respondents expected to increase spending by an average of 32 per cent over the next 12 months, and two thirds (66 per cent) had borrowed to fund investment over the past year.

Manufacturers reported benefits from automation including improved order fulfilment and delivery performance (23 per cent), better forecasting and decision-making through data insights (23 per cent) and stronger supply chain resilience (22 per cent). The findings follow reporting on why manufacturing SMEs are turning to automation to address skills shortages.

Over the next three to five years, 27 per cent plan to invest in agentic AI or AI-driven planning, forecasting and decision-making systems, 25 per cent in cybersecurity and operational resilience technologies, and 22 per cent in logistics automation.

On storage, 13 per cent have increased on-site storage or are holding additional buffer stock, and 10 per cent are expanding storage capacity. Growth in production volumes was the most cited driver of extra storage needs (22 per cent), followed by geopolitical supply-chain uncertainty and increased customer stockpiling (both 19 per cent).

Tom Horton, head of manufacturing at Barclays UK Corporate Bank, said: “Despite continued pressure from energy costs and a more uncertain global environment, businesses are responding by looking further ahead, investing with greater certainty and building more resilient operating models.”

He added: “From advanced manufacturing and AI-enabled operations to defence supply chains and national infrastructure projects, businesses are positioning themselves to capitalise on long-term growth markets.”

More than three quarters (77 per cent) of manufacturers surveyed view working with the defence sector more positively than 12 months ago, and 72 per cent reported increased demand from defence and security customers. The government’s Defence Industrial Strategy 2025 set out plans to raise defence spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027.

According to Barclays, 27 per cent plan to develop or sell defence-related products over the next three to five years, with the same proportion targeting dual-use products with civilian and military applications. Some 81 per cent said they had made changes to support defence, national security and critical infrastructure work, including planned investment in physical security upgrades (66 per cent) and security clearances and specialist recruitment (63 per cent). The Ministry of Defence has separately set up a unit to give small defence firms easier access to contracts.

Sarah Collins, head of SME industries at Barclays Business Banking, said: “For smaller businesses in particular, balancing investment with day-to-day resilience remains a priority.”

Barclays said its £22bn Business Prosperity Fund is available to provide lending and refinancing to eligible Business Banking and UK Corporate Banking clients.

About the author

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

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CHICAGO — Hometown Food Co. is texturizing its Pillsbury frosting with Funfetti Dots of Fun Vanilla Frosting.

The vanilla frosting features colorful, crunchy dot sprinkles.

“For years Funfetti has brought a unique decorating moment to baking through a variety of colorful sprinkle shapes and designs,” said Dan Anglemyer, chief operating and chief marketing officer at Hometown Food Co. “With Funfetti Dots of Fun Vanilla Frosting, we are bringing the latest trends in baking and decorating to the forefront of the category.”

The frosting innovating may be purchased at select retailers and online.