After establishing itself as a top player in the honey category with strong year-over-year growth, Nature Nate’s Honey Co. is expanding into adjacent categories where a company executive said it can offer “real, clean” alternatives to existing products...
The Season Brand wants to expand the currently limited appeal of sardines in the US by launching a new line of on-the-go snack kits that will directly target tuna-lovers with a healthier alternative, while also appealing to existing sardine-lovers who...
Ripple Foods raises $64m in series C round taking total investment to $110m
The co-founder of Ripple Foods – which ruffled feathers in the plant-based community last year* after branding almond milk a ‘sham’ – says his pea protein-fueled products can “go head to head with any dairy product from a nutrition standpoint, and we...
Famed for its health benefits, Manuka honey is beginning to make a mark in the US, with market leader Wedderspoon reporting record-breaking sales across all retail channels in 2017.
Think you’re on safe ground if you follow the letter of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act? It’s a good start, said attorneys at a recent webinar, but it won’t stop you getting sued: “We’re beyond the days when you can just check for compliance with FDA...
On paper, organic extruded chickpea puffs might sound like niche natural products, but the meteoric ascent of HIPPEAS proves that edgy natural brands can hit the mainstream in record time if they have a compelling product and a brand that punches above...
To standout in an increasingly crowded category and manage rising consumer concerns about sugar, juice manufacturers are incorporating more exotic ingredients while also streamlining formulas and playing with new formats, according to one industry player.
More than 1,600 foods and beverages evaluated by the Guiding Stars nutrition guidance program will lose stars and roughly 1,400 items will gain stars as of Feb. 1 when the program updates how it assesses the nutritional quality of products to better reflect...
Private-label packaged foods manufacturer TreeHouse Foods has announced it will close the remaining operations at its cereal production plant in Battle Creek, Michigan, later this year, due to low economic viability.
A new study from McGill University in Canada compared four of the most commonly consumed dairy alternative beverages (almond, soy, rice, and coconut) and determined that soy was the most comparable substitute to cow’s milk in terms of nutrition.
The proposition is deceptively simple. Take marshmallows - a product Americans can typically find in large clear bags in the baking ingredients category – add some gourmet flavors and a cleaner label, put them in a re-sealable pack and create a new usage...
Busy parents are tired, stressed, time poor and often struggling to satisfy competing demands from different family members across multiple meal times, making them particularly receptive to food delivery services, say the founders of Nurture Life, one...
Formulations have undeniably improved, but some plant-based yogurts still have a “gelatinous” and “weird” quality, observed Ripple Foods founder Neil Renninger last year (“Let’s not mince words… some of these products are terrible…”). So can new market...
Complex supply chains, heavy processing and continual supply and demand issues make seafood the ideal target for food fraud, but innovations in molecular biology, along with other tried and true detection and deterrent methods could reduce the risk and...
Consumers are embracing grocery shopping online faster than originally anticipated, and both manufacturers and brick-and-mortar retailers are at risk of being caught flat-footed unless they quickly hire the staff and build the technology necessary to...
Ridged plantain chips – Barnana’s first foray into the large, but notoriously competitive salty snacks aisle – are a logical adjacency for the banana-obsessed brand that will take it further into the snacking mainstream, says CMO and co-founder Nik Ingersöll.
Pique Tea’s clean sweep of gold medals in all three categories of the Global Tea Championships that it entered validates the company’s effort to elevate the quality of instant tea, which often is derided as the lowest class, to that of the industry’s...
The current rollout of national hummus brand Tribe’s new packaging featuring more white space, simplistic designs and fewer claims reflects the manufacturer’s recent commitment to clean label, including a reformulation to remove artificial ingredients,...
If some commentators are predicting a pitched battle between plant-based, animal-based, and cellular agriculture, Tyson Foods - the largest meat-packer in the US is clearly more agnostic about its protein sources – with its venture arm taking a minority...
Despite downward price pressure in the nutrition bar category, Bobo’s continues to sell its organic oat bars for nearly three times as much as its competitors – helping it curry favor with retailers and earn prime in-store positioning that further boosts...
After dominating the premium end of the sparkling water category with Perrier and S.Pellegrino, Nestlé Waters North America is going after the mainstream shopper, and an even larger share of the fast-growing segment, with the launch of new and updated...
The success of high-protein, low cal brands Halo Top and Enlightened notwithstanding, most Americans don't head to the ice cream aisle for a protein fix, argues the CEO of Arctic Zero, who says his new light ice cream can compete with these brands...
The plant-based creamer category has grown considerably more competitive since nutpods launched in early 2015 with its coconut-and-almond-based wares, but revenues surged 500% in 2017 for the Bellevue, WA-based brand, which has just completed a series...
London-based brand UGLY Drinks is gearing up for a US launch in spring 2018… Elaine Watson caught up with CEO and co-founder Hugh Thomas at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy Food Show to get the lowdown on what the brand is all about…
Until recently, Americans only ate about one-third of the recommended amount of seafood per week, but industry insiders say this is changing and they note shoppers aren’t reaching for just any seafood – they want sustainably sourced seafood that is not...
While some commentators still suspect that the ‘emperor has no clothes’ despite the steady influx of cash being pumped into the burgeoning meal kit industry, the meteoric growth at Sun Basket – which boasts industry-leading margins as well as customer...
Packed with MCT oil, kale, pumpkin seed protein and probiotics, start-up Bear Squeeze wants to be known as a “higher-end, cleaner Soylent,” said co-founder and president Max Baumann.
Peanut butter and jelly maker JM Smucker Co. prepares for the departure of the head of its food and beverage for the US at a delicate time when it is navigating shifting consumer preferences away from “big food” and rising supply costs for some of its...
Consumer demand for products that are healthier for them is quickly expanding to include those that also are better for the environment – creating new opportunities for companies that strive to be more sustainable and barriers for those that do not, according...
Drinkable soup brand Tio Gazpacho has made its first executive hire with the appointment of beverage industry veteran Matt Merson as VP general manager. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with founder Austin Allan at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy...
Faba Butter uses aquafaba – the viscous liquid left over from cooking chickpeas – to bind water, coconut oil and a plant-based liquid oil to create a vegan buttery spread claimed to blow rivals out of the water. Elaine Watson caught up with brand owner...
After disrupting the once stagnant pancake mix category, Park City-based Kodiak Cakes is planning 20 new wholegrain, high-protein product launches in 2018 in categories ranging from frozen waffles to baking mixes.
'We hoped to provide a product that met your high standards for food that fuels an epic life...'
Phenomenal Foods – the Los Angeles-based start-up behind probiotic-fueled organic fruit & veggie snack brand Nomva – has called it a day just over two years after launching in southern California.
Inspiring consumers through beautiful Pinterest posts, delicious recipes, heart-warming blog posts and viral videos can help build brand awareness, but the most effective digital marketers also make each experience easily shoppable, according to new research...
For the first time, Generation Z is emerging as an influencer in grocery spending and early indications suggests that they will favor more organic, healthy products as well as authentic and multicultural offerings, according to new research from Acosta....
Bored of popcorn, but looking for something equally light on the snacking front? Lotus Pops – a popped lotus seed snack on show at the Winter Fancy Food Show – meets consumer demand for guilt-free snacks that still deliver on taste and texture, claims...
The nut butter aisle has expanded well beyond the humble peanut in recent years, with almond, cashew and hazelnut options in many retailers. But walnuts present more of a challenge, says new market entrant Wellnut Farms.
What are the key beverage trends - and companies - to watch in 2018?
One of the most exciting players in the fast-growing meal replacement space, Soylent built its business – and a highly engaged community – online, first on its own website, and later on Amazon, but has recently ventured into the bricks and mortar space...
KRā Organic Sports Drink's commitment to only organic is driving sales and investor interest, says the company's co-founder, with distribution now expanding the brand's footprint to 16 states.
The launch of Amazon Go and a separate $5.5 million infusion of seed preferred financing into Cargo’s “in-car commerce platform,” underscore how quickly the grocery channel landscape is changing and the need for brands to take an omni-channel marketing...
The increasing speed with which new fads emerge and old ones fade can leave companies scrambling to innovate and launch products before consumer whims shift, but as cookie maker Donsuemor shows there are other ways to meet changing trends without changing...
Busy parents who don’t have time to chop & puree food for their babies and who distrust premade food in jars, pouches or HPP tubs, now have another option that meets them half way: Raised Real offers subscription flash frozen meal kits for children...
Members of Congress chastise the US Department of Agriculture in a Jan. 17 letter for threatening to withdraw a widely popular final rule passed in the 11th hour of the Obama Administration that would heighten animal welfare standards for organic producers.
Arctic Zero is seeking to address an unmet need in the frozen dessert aisle with the launch of what it claims is the first light ice cream (made with cream and milk, but containing only 280-360 calories a pint) that doesn’t contain sugar alcohols or high...
Benexia CEO: “The plant-based blends industry is booming and we want to be a partner for new product development for our customers.”
Chilean chia supplier Benexia announced earlier this month that it is launching a line of omega-3 softgel supplements, as well as a line of chia-based packaged food under the brand Sow.
Quark: High in protein, low in sugar, less tart than Greek yogurt
On paper, quark ticks every box. A spoonable cultured dairy product popular in Europe and Central Asia, it’s high in protein, low in sugar, and creamier and milder than Greek yogurt. The challenge in the US, says New York based entrepreneur Kamilya Abilova,...
‘Stealth nutrition’ brand Sneakz Organic – best known for its veggie puree-infused milkshakes - is entering a new category with the launch of vegan protein powders for kids, which will be followed by a dairy-free ready-to-drink shake, and new products...
The jury may be out still on whether trace amounts of the popular herbicide glyphosate pose health risks to humans, but industry insiders predict mounting consumer fear about the possibility will pressure more food and beverage manufacturers in 2018 to...
Hoping to overcome sales-limiting stereotypes about prunes and expand when and how people consume them, the California Dried Plum Board is teaming with the meal kit provider Chef’d to showcase the dried fruit’s diverse uses and benefits in three new meals...
