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Canada’s dairy imports to the US have been included in a range of new measures from President Trump that mark an escalation of the trade conflict between the neighbouring countries.

The White House said the move was in reaction to the tariffs Canada placed on US exports last month – itself a response to Washington implementing a 50% tariff on a selection of the country’s goods.

The US has banned Canadian imports of whey protein concentrates. Meanwhile, cheese products including cheddar are parmesan have been placed on a list of goods that will face a 50% tariff rather than a full prohibition.

Trump’s executive orders also banned a range of Canadian alcoholic drinks.

Under the plans, the new restrictions are due to take effect on 29 September.

The White House said Trump was acting to “address Canada’s additional and continued retaliation and discrimination against US commerce”.

Canada-US trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada was “assessing” the new measures.

The Magnum Ice Cream Company is looking to seize opportunities in GLP-1s and make sure the category is top of the tree in AI-driven searches.

CEO Peter ter Kulve, speaking at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference in Boston, suggested the weight-loss drugs and agentic AI “will drive food consumption over the coming five or ten years”.

Ice cream caters to people on GLP-1s or those not on the drugs, even though some come on and off the medication, because it is fun and indulgent, he said. “Ice cream offers portion control, calorie control,” ter Kulve added.

Meanwhile, he explained Magnum needs to “create agentic visibility” as consumers use AI more often for product information and for shopping.

The Campbell’s Company plans to close another snacks plant as the Kettle chips maker guided to another year of falling sales and profits.

Management outlined another challenging year ahead, marked by further price increases, elevated inflation and a new $500m cost-savings programme but with an emphasis on innovation to turn around growth.

Meanwhile, president and CEO Mick Beekhuizen described a “resetting” of the dividend payment – down 36% in the fourth quarter from the previous three months – as a “difficult but necessary decision”.

“Make no mistake, our results remain unacceptable. But instead of waiting for the environment to improve around us, we are addressing reality head-on,” he added.

Unilever and McCormick & Co. have decided to look for a buyer for the UK group’s Colman’s mustard.

Ahead of the planned deal to combine the bulk of Unilever’s food business with McCormick, the Colman’s brand is going on the block to “address potential competition concerns”, the FMCG giant said.

The companies announced their transaction, which valued the Unilever food assets at around $44.8bn, in March.

The deal will house Unilever brands including Knorr and Hellmann’s with McCormick products such as Schwartz spices and French’s mustard.

Under the terms of the transaction, Unilever and its investors are to receive a mix of McCormick’s existing voting and non-voting common stock, equating to 65% of the combined business.

Pasta giant Barilla has expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of US mac-and-cheese meals firm Goodles.

Based in California, Goodles started out in 2020 as Gooder Foods, set up by current CEO Jen Zeszut.

“We chose the Barilla Group because they can help us innovate and grow internationally while letting us make gooder decisions and maintain our quality,” Zeszut said.

Goodles received financing in 2023 from an investment consortium led by US-headquartered private-equity firm L Catterton.

Barilla chairman Guido Barilla said: “We had been following Goodles closely for some time and became increasingly impressed by the strength of the brand, the quality of its products and the momentum behind its growth.