News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
PepsiCo’s acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in Sabra and Obela dips and spreads brands from Strauss Group late last month underscores the growth potential of the US hummus market, which Persistence Market Research predicts will grow at a compound...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
Eight in 10 consumers globally are limiting sugar in their diets, but where they are cutting back and where they continue to indulge varies as do their reasons for limiting sugar and how they prioritize sugar reduction alongside other values, such as...
Founders' Fundamentals Podcast
Delivering on whitespace innovation can propel a CPG food and beverage startup into mainstream success, and filling a gap in the market might be simpler than some startups think, explained Karen Anderson, CEO of Purple Peak Marketing, during a recent...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
Emotional wellbeing is emerging as a top health concern for consumers across the generations, according to new research by the Hartman Group, which also found an increasing portion of people prefer to manage their moods with food, beverages and...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
A broadly-supported new definition for “pasture-raised” poultry proposed by USDA this fall could help level the playing field for small, independent farms and brands competing in the increasingly important, crowded and confusing humanely-raised chicken...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
Research and advocates for 100% grass-fed dairy suggest the practice is better for people, the planet and animals – but is it better for business?
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
After a year of “unapologetically” embracing luxury, indulgence and whimsy through vivid colors and unexpected flavor combinations, consumers will rediscover and recenter themselves in 2025 by choosing taste profiles and hues that more realistically...
Founders’ Fundamentals Podcast
Successful CPG startups not only strike the right balance between delivering on product claims and branding aesthetics — the head and heart of building a food and beverage business — but also provide consumers easy ways to learn about their brand when...
Soup-to-Nuts Podcast
Consumer interest in products made with ingredients from regional smallholder farmers or those practicing regenerative agriculture is on the rise, but CPG companies and suppliers are struggling to meet their demand in part because most farmers are unable...
Food and beverage industry stakeholders and consumer advocates are lauding FDA’s commitment to enhance its post-market assessment of chemicals in food, but they worry the agency’s proposed process is “thin on details,” including lacking sufficient...
As US consumers embrace a wider variety of seasonings to flavor their food they increasingly want to know where spices come from, their safety profile and environmental and social impact – prompting the industry stakeholders to rethink spice supply...
Food and beverage CPG startups can set themselves up for long-term business success by slowly and strategically growing their retail footprint, focusing first on product-market fit, unique branding and wisely allocating marketing dollars to build loyalty...
More Americans – especially younger generations – are drinking tea and herbal tisanes more regularly as brands lean into the beverages’ innate functional health benefits and positive sustainability story as well as enhance accessibility with innovative...
Nutrient dense dairy often is positioned as a posterchild for tackling malnutrition and feeding the world, but it also can have a significant impact on climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and biodiversity loss among other...
After three years of double-digit declines in volume and dollars in plant-based meat alternatives, the hemorrhaging in the category is steadily slowing, according to data from Circana – tentatively giving credence to claims by segment stalwarts that the...
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To create a sustainable business, early-stage CPG companies must be prudent in how they spend their limited capital — being cautious on how much they pay in slotting fees — and ensure they maintain authenticity and their disruptor mentality when hitting...
IFT FIRST 2024
With Red dye No. 3 soon to be banned in California and potentially in other states, and Red dye No. 40 along with the whitener titanium dioxide also in the crosshairs of some legislators and public health activists, food and beverage companies that rely...
IFT FIRST 2024
Between ongoing inflation, rising fears about climate change’s impact on the food system, and increasing physical and mental health concerns turbo-charged by the pandemic, consumers have been through a lot in recent years, and in response, new data from...
IFT FIRST 2024
The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) in Chicago earlier this month featured cutting-edge solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing the food system,...
Mega-viral social media trends promoting water “recipes” and consumption, including #watertok, #beveragegoblin and #sexywater, alongside surging demand for hard-to-find Stanley cups may lead one to believe that Americans are sufficiently hydrated – but a...
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Many CPG brands eager to grow their retail footprint often rely on the expertise of brokerage firms. However, finding the right partner can be a nuanced challenge that requires founders to have a detailed growth strategy down to specific channels and...
Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins Summit
In an era where money is tight for consumers and companies alike, and leeway for new products to fall short of expectations is even tighter, many CPG companies are rethinking their innovation investment strategy to make fewer but bigger bets – a strategy...
Summer Fancy Food Show
At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last week, health claims were downplayed and flavor came first – for real – followed by personalization with more brands offering consumers ways to dial up or down the heat, tang, funk and other...
An end may be in sight for the capital crunch that has slowed innovation, growth and M&A activity in the food and beverage space in recent years, according to one investment insider, but she warns the timeline is longer for closing deals and the bar is...
As the media landscape has become more fragmented in the past ten years, social media has emerged as one of the most influential sources of information on the consumer path to purchase and many companies are shifting advertising dollars accordingly – but...
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Food and beverage brands should focus on the fundamentals of growing slowly and strategically to set up long-term success while also complementing a founder's vision with a team of experts with diverse skillsets, Seth Goldman, co-founder and chief change...
Today's niche diets, social media blips and internet search spikes could be tomorrow's must-have functional ingredients, breakout snacks or new kitchen staples -- the trick is spotting them early and knowing whether they represent long-term trends or...
More than 100 organic industry stakeholders converged on Capitol Hill in Washington last week to lobby for increased funding, continuous improvement for certification standards, access to additional market data and improved coordination for research and...
Consumer tolerance is running out for food and beverage companies raising prices to offset inflation, based on volume and sales declines reported by several large CPG manufacturers during the most recent round of quarterly earnings calls.
Water stewardship and use claims are quickly emerging as a top trend in 2024 and could become a “tiebreaker” between competing products as consumers become progressively concerned about sustainability amid increasingly inconsistent rainfall – including...
Natural Products Expo West
Nearly a third of Americans are self-described “health-conscious snackers,” according to new research by YouGov, which also found 35% of healthy snackers are willing to spend more than $50 on snacks each month.
Natural Products Expo West
Consumers increasingly are weary of “drinking empty calories,” and are instead looking for less sugar and more functional benefits from their beverages – be it enhanced hydration, gut-health support, mood and mental health management or permissible...
More than two billion people lack access to safe drinking water services around the world, which is why good corporate water stewardship is imperative. But the global snack giant is stepping up with some industry-leading tech, including one that uses the...
Meaningful innovation in the consumer packaged goods industry has ground nearly to a halt post-pandemic for all but an “elite 20%” of companies, according to the Boston Consulting Group’s latest Build for the Future Survey, which analyzes insights from...
Unsurprisingly, the current state of play in the US is causing deep concern in the food industry: especially for those producers that sell products across multiple states. It's turning into a quagmire to stay ahead of the latest regulatory developments...
Natural Products Expo West
Despite buckwheat’s status as a superfood staple in many parts of the world, including as the base for soba noodles in Japan and in kasha in Ukraine, the protein- and fiber-packed pyramid-shaped seed has struggled to secure a stable spot in the US diet –...
Winter Fancy Food Show
A third of global consumers consider cheese a staple, with most buying the dairy product because they love the flavor or are drawn to its health benefits, according to Innova Market Insights, but industry innovators add those are not the only reasons...
Sales of clean label products are outperforming total store sales, according to new research from the Acosta Group which also found consumer interest in products free of “bad” ingredients or “chemicals” is rising alongside high-profile state legislation...
Can the humble hotdog help slow or even reverse the negative effects of climate change? According to natural and organic meat brand Applegate Farms the answer is yes – especially if it is made with regeneratively farmed beef, which the company is...
Winter Fancy Food Show
Beverage sales have outpaced that of food within the specialty segment in the past decade, according to the Specialty Food Association, which attributes the boom to an increased demand for functional benefits, a faster pace of innovation and a lower...
Winter Fancy Food Show
Sustainability may not be as highly prioritized as taste or price in purchase decisions for food and beverage, but research suggests it is increasingly important to consumers -- especially younger shoppers who are coming into their buying power.
With the recent launch of an AI-powered Smart Assistant, leading business-to-business e-commerce platform Alibaba.com wants to help level the playing field and increase the odds of success for small and medium enterprises and solopreneurs by simplifying...
Regenerative agriculture may be a relatively new or unknown concept to most US consumers, but new research by ADM suggests that as shoppers’ awareness of the practice grows so too does their trust in retailers and brands that implement its tenets and...
Winter Fancy Food Show
A resounding theme of “better” emerged at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas last week, where more than 1,200 specialty food companies came together to showcase the latest innovations in cheese, condiments, baked goods, snacks and more.
‘Ichigo ichiya’ is a Buddhist saying that describes a cultural concept of treasuring the unrepeatable nature of a moment. In other words, cherish every moment – which is exactly what the specially curated snack boxes of Ichigo’s TokyoTreat and Sakuraco...
Historically, most Americans have liked to keep their food and tech separate, as in the case of genetic modification, but research from animal-free dairy company New Culture suggests the majority of consumers will accept technology or unfamiliar...
Once considered taboo and woefully underfunded in terms of research and product development, women’s health will continue to emerge as a major growth opportunity for food and beverage brands in 2024 as hormonal health and menopause rise to the top of the...
Tea’s inherent functional benefits, positive sustainability messaging and diverse usage occasions, formats and flavor profiles should make it a shoe-in for US consumers searching for healthier options that don’t compromise taste or convenience, and yet...
As an early adopter of the “triple bottom line” framework, the premium confection company Endangered Species Chocolate has been “doing well by doing good” for 30 years by responsibly sourcing ingredients, supporting fair trade, prioritizing...
As caffeine content in energy drinks climbs to new heights, some countries and retailers are banning the products or imposing age restrictions. In the US and UK, there are no national regulations that ban the sale of highly-caffeinated energy drinks, but...