The World Cheese Awards will open for entry on Wednesday 5 September, with organisers, the Guild of Fine Food, expecting a record-breaking 3,500 cheeses to be judged in Bergen, Norway on Friday 2 November.

Dedicated only to cheese, with no other dairy products judged, the World Cheese Awards is the largest cheese-only competition on the planet and will this year form part of a brand new festival, Matnasjonen Norge. Taking place at Bergen’s iconic Grieg Hall, the 31st edition of the awards will be set against the backdrop of Norway’s finest food and drink, including highlights such as Kraftkar from Tingvollost, which took the World Cheese Awards’ top prize in 2016.

As the international cheese community gathers, entrants from over 30 different countries will be looking to showcase their cheese on a world stage, hoping to land a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Super Gold award. An epic celebration of all things cheese, the World Cheese Awards will bring together over 230 buyers, retailers, writers and makers from every corner of the globe, to judge every entry in a single day and ultimately crown this year’s World Champion Cheese.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, explains: “With 30 years now under our belt, we’re very excited to be visiting Norway for the first time, in partnership with HANEN, to stage the largest cheese-only event that the world has ever seen. This global celebration of cheese leaves a lasting legacy each and every year, for its hosts as well as its winners, and we feel incredibly proud to be taking a headline slot at Matnasjonen Norge, as the country salutes its farmers, producers, chefs and retailers. With cheeses from six continents on their way to Bergen this year, we’ll be bringing a truly international edge to the festival, but I feel confident that Norway’s fantastic cheesemakers will be grabbing a few gongs along the way.”

The World Cheese Awards is open for entry from Wednesday 5 September until Friday 28 September, unless the entry cap is reached before this date – early entry is recommended. Producers can enter online at www.gff.co.uk/wca.

The World Cheese Awards judging will take place on Friday 2 November 2018, forming part of Matnasjonen Norge, which will run from 2-3 November at the Grieg Hall in Bergen.

For further information, please contact any of the following:

Sam Brice at Freshly Ground PR

+44 (0) 7961 635960

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Amy Brice at Freshly Ground PR

+44 (0) 7717 893123

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Tortie Farrand at the Guild of Fine Food

+44 (0) 1747 825200

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www.gff.co.uk/wca

Granges Paccot, 08.08.2018 (lifePR) - With a total of 11 awards at the International Cheese Awards, the Swiss cheese specialists at Affineur Walo reaffirm last year’s success and once again underline the extraordinary quality of their cheeses.

Affineur Walo honored with 11 awards at the Nantwich Cheese Show

The Nantwich Cheese Show is the traditional “summer picnic” of the English cheese industry, and also hosts the International Cheese Awards. These take place annually over two days in July, on a green meadow near Nantwich. A new record was set this year with more than 5,000 registrations from all over the world.

With a total of 11 awards, including 3 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze, and 1 highly recommended, Affineur Walo confirms the extraordinary quality of their cheeses. Here is an overview of the awards:

Gold:

• Red Wine Bärgler: Hard cheese, matured with red wine for at least 12 months.
• Stärnächäs: Semi-hard cheese from St. Gallen, produced by Marcel Gabriel, matured for at least 8 months.
• Le Poya, made of milk from Freiburg and produced by Milco SA: Hard cheese, aged for at least 10 months.

Silver:

• Affineur Walo Le Gruyere Extra Sharp: Matured in a cave for at least 14 months.
• Gallus: Hard cheese produced by Marcel Gabriel, matured for at least 12 months.
• Red Wine Sennechäs, matured by Affineur Walo: Semi-hard cheese from eastern Switzerland, aged for at least 7 months and matured with red wine.

Bronze:

• Affineur Walo Le Gruyere Extra Sharp: Matured in a cave for at least 14 months.
• Gallus: Hard cheese from eastern Switzerland, produced by Marcel Gabriel, matured for at least 12 months.
• Armailli de la Gruyère: Semi-hard cheese, produced by Milco SA in Sorens, aged for at least 8 months.
• Le Poya, made of milk from Freiburg: Semi-hard cheese, produced by Milco SA, aged for at least 10 months.

Highly recommended:

• Red Wine Bärgler: Semi-hard cheese, matured with red wine for at least 12 months.

Affineur Walo’s cheese has grown popular around the world

Swiss Affineur Walo has made it its goal to age the best cheese from Switzerland to perfection. With the steadily rising popularity of Affineur Walo’s cheese in Europe and overseas, they are proving that they have found the right path and that it pays off to consistently strive for top quality.

Today, cheese by Affineur Walo is available all around the world: at cheese specialty shops and department stores like Harrods in England; at the department store Kaufhaus as well as various Edeka distributors such as Scheck-in, Hieber, or Zur Heide in Germany; in the USA, mainly on the east coast; and in the major Japanese cities of Tokyo, Hanshin, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Sapporo.

OAKVILLE, ON, Aug. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX/NYSE: QSR) ("RBI") announced today that it has filed, and the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") has accepted, notice of RBI's intention to renew its normal course issuer bid (the "NCIB") for its common shares (the "Common Shares").  The NCIB is being conducted in furtherance of RBI's current share repurchase authorization by the Board of Directors of RBI in August 2016, pursuant to which RBI may purchase up to US$300 million of its Common Shares over the next three years (the "Repurchase Authorization").

The TSX notice provides that RBI may, during the 12-month period commencing August 8, 2018 and ending on August 7, 2019, purchase up to 24,087,172 Common Shares, representing 10% of its public float of 240,871,724 Common Shares as of July 31, 2018 (a total of 250,018,442 Common Shares were issued and outstanding as of such date).  Purchases under the NCIB will be made through the facilities of the TSX, the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") and/or alternative Canadian or foreign trading systems, if eligible, or by such other means as may be permitted by applicable securities laws, including private agreements.  Any purchases made by private agreement under an issuer bid exemption order issued by a securities regulatory authority in Canada will be at a discount to the prevailing market price as provided in any such exemption order.  Purchases under the NCIB made on the TSX will be made in compliance with the rules of the TSX at a price equal to the market price at the time of purchase or such other price as may be permitted by the TSX.  In accordance with TSX rules, any daily repurchases (other than pursuant to a block purchase exception) on the TSX under the NCIB are limited to a maximum of 134,605 Common Shares, which represents 25% of the average daily trading volume on the TSX of 538,418 for the six months ended July 31, 2018.  Purchases under the NCIB made on the NYSE will be made in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-18 and the U.S. federal securities laws.

Under its prior NCIB that commenced on August 8, 2017 and which expires on August 7, 2018, RBI previously sought and received approval from the TSX to repurchase up to 19,215,980 Common Shares.  While RBI has not repurchased any Common Shares for cancellation under its Repurchase Authorization in the past 12 months, the plan agent under RBI's employee stock purchase plan purchased an aggregate of 4,743 Common Shares in the past 12 months for the benefit of plan participants at an average price of C$77.25 per Common Share.

RBI believes that the market price of Common Shares could be such that their purchase may be an attractive and appropriate use of corporate funds.  Decisions regarding the amount and timing of future purchases of Common Shares will be based on market conditions, share price and other factors.  RBI may elect to modify, suspend or discontinue the Repurchase Authorization, and its NCIB, at any time.  Repurchases under the Repurchase Authorization will be funded using RBI's cash resources and all shares repurchased will be cancelled.  RBI intends to enter into an automatic purchase plan with a broker which will enable RBI to provide standard instructions and purchase Common Shares on the open market during self-imposed blackout periods.  Outside of these blackout periods, Common Shares may be purchased in accordance with management's discretion.

TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - To mark the 50^th anniversary of the iconic Big Mac sandwich, McDonald's Canada is joining in a global celebration to launch the first fully food-backed global currency*: the MacCoin – yes, this is real life!

Starting today, MacCoins will make their debut in Canada and in more than 50 countries globally. Each coin is redeemable for one Big Mac at participating restaurants around the world.  

There will be 50,000 coins in Canada (wink wink, symbolizing 50 years of the iconic burger!). Canadians can get their hands on some of the limited edition coins by:

• Entering the #BigMac50 contest on Twitter @McDonaldsCanada and @McDoCanada, from now until August 8^th and sharing why they love the Big Mac†
• Tuning into to their local radio stations for additional giveaways

Coins are not being distributed with purchase in Canadian restaurants.

The MacCoin is drawing inspiration from The Economist's Big Mac Index – a measure of global purchasing power. Even the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association is joining the celebration calling the MacCoin a "collectible keepsake" (see below).

After 50 years, the Big Mac continues to be one of Canada's favourite menu items. In fact, sales of the Big Mac continue to increase every year by. As the company evolves its menu to cater to guests' changing tastes, the MacCoin is here to celebrate its namesake as one of McDonald's most classic menu items.

QUOTES:

"As one of the most well-known and iconic McDonald's menu items – and business driver – around the globe and in Canada, the Big Mac deserves the celebration that the coin evokes," says Jeff McLean, Chief Financial Officer, McDonald's Canada. "The fact that in 50 years, the Big Mac has become so universally recognized it's used to measure the purchasing power of international currencies is pretty remarkable."

"The Big Mac is a cultural icon and what better way to celebrate its continuing status than to issue a commemorative coin" says Henry Nienhuis, President of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association. "The many designs of the MacCoin reflect the incredible international network that comprises the McDonald's global system. We all know what the Big Mac is worth to us, but giving it its own limited mintage official celebratory coin, expands that worth giving us a collectible keepsake as well."

"When my great-grandfather Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac at his grill in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he just wanted to make his local customers happy," said Nick Delligatti, fourth-generation McDonald's owner-operator and great-grandson of Jim Delligatti, the inventor of the Big Mac. "August 2 would have been my great-grandfather's 100th birthday, and I believe he would be very proud knowing his humble sandwich has made such a lasting impression that people all around the world can enjoy it wherever they find a McDonald's."

FACTS

• Over 6.2 million MacCoins are being distributed in more than 50 countries around the globe
• These commemorative coins feature five unique designs, each representing a decade of the Big Mac. Each MacCoin design pulls in elements from that time in history, nodding to art, music and pop culture, while the front-side of the MacCoin celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Big Mac.
• The seven languages featured on the front-side of the MacCoin represent many of the countries participating: Arabic, English, Indonesian, Mandarin, Portuguese, French and Spanish
• The Big Mac sandwich was invented in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1967 by Jim Delligatti, one of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc's earliest franchisees, and was introduced on the national menu in the United States in 1968.
• In 1968 Canada became the first country outside the United States to offer the Big Mac to guests.
• The sandwich was originally sold for 45 cents.
• The Big Mac is sold in more than 100 countries.

*The MacCoin has no cash value and is only redeemable for one free Big Mac at participating McDonald's restaurants through 2018. Visit playatmcd.com/BigMac50

†Visit McDPromotions.ca/BigMac50for the Official Rules.