Once considered primarily as a supplement for fiber and omega-3s, flax increasingly is appearing in more packaged foods with marketing claims extolling its health benefits and unique cooking properties.
Hershey will close its Hershey’s Chocolate World in Chicago's Michigan Avenue by January 2017 as it plans to focus on larger experiential retail stores.
Interview with counsel for six alleged child slaves
A lawyer representing six alleged child slaves working in cocoa in a class action against Nestlé, ADM and Cargill says the ramifications of the case on the chocolate industry could be huge.
Consumer interest in healthy eating is at an all-time high, and in many ways food and beverage manufacturers are rising to meet this demand by cutting calories from across their portfolios and offering more better-for-you options -- but the Center for...
In the natural channel, says Good Karma CEO Doug Radi, plant-based options account for 25% of dollar sales of fluid ‘milk,’ but just 8% of yogurt sales. In the conventional channel, meanwhile, the figures are 8% and 1% respectively. “So if you close the...
Offering products made from crops transitioning to organic at a premium above conventional but not as high as certified organic “helps the farmer, helps the consumer and helps the planet,” says the owner of the McKaskle Family Farm.
While some ‘natural’ lawsuits have been put on ice while the FDA mulls over the meaning of the most contentious word in food marketing, a judge handling one such case against Kraft Foods Group (now Kraft Heinz) says there are not compelling grounds to...
For more than 100 years, brewing and benefiting from the health aspects of Yaupon Holly -- a lightly caffeinated and antioxidant packed plant native to the US -- was nearly forgotten, but now it is coming back and ready to go mainstream thanks to the...
As the plant-based movement marches on, alternatives to animal-based products are starting to show up in some unexpected places -- most recently as substitutes in the burgeoning meat bar category.
Getting retailers to give up valuable space in the chiller for nutrition bars was a tough sell when Bill Keith first started knocking on doors in 2006. Today, Perfect Bars are the third best-selling snack bar in the natural channel, and their success...
Distributor United Natural Foods has signed a deal to distribute DNX Bar’s beef and bison meat bars. Founder John Rooney believes it’s a sign that the meat snack category is poised to exit the ‘trendy’ realm and become a new snack-aisle staple.
Launching a new brand in the ready-to-drink tea market is not for the faint-hearted, but Shaka Tea - one of three winners in this year's trailblazers challenge at Food Vision USA - has unique attributes that set it apart from the competition, says...
Give peas a chance? It's tough breaking into the ultra-competitive snacks market with a brand that resonates across all retail channels, but Hippeas - one of three winners in this year's trailblazers challenge at Food Vision USA - has managed...
Afineur – one of three winners in this year's trailblazers challenge at Food Vision USA – reckons microbes can transform the flavor and nutrition of a host of agricultural products, starting with coffee.
The predictable upcoming onslaught of annual New Year’s resolutions to “eat better” could lead to surge of consumer interest in products with short ingredient decks and “clean labels” that they perceive as healthier.
Cold pressed watermelon juice brand WTRMLN WTR – which hit the headlines in May after Beyonce took a ‘meaningful stake’ – has notched up 300%+ growth in 2016 and is now in 15,000+ stores, says co-founder and creative director Jody Levy, who says fans...
Home delivery meal kit provider Chef’d breaks away from the dinner focused competition by partnering with the Quaker Oats Company to become one of the first services in the crowded category to offer breakfast options.
Ripple – a pea-based ‘milk’ claimed to blow both dairy milk and plant-based alternatives out of the water in the taste, nutrition and sustainability stakes - appears to be living up to the hype, and is now available in 3,000 stores just nine months after...
Increased awareness of and ongoing battles with diet related chronic health problems are pushing more consumers into the kitchen for the first time -- creating a massive opportunities for do-it-yourself kits that teach consumers how to make their own...
The rise of alternative ingredients, technological innovations and new approaches to gastronomy all look to provide more sustainable sources of nutrition in the future. But as food is changing to keep up with the times, is there a limit to how much consumers...
Exotic and over the top hot peppers have claimed the limelight the last few years, but in 2017 common black pepper -- a pantry staple in many homes -- will move to the center stage, predicts flavor and spice giant McCormick.
Kabrita USA cuts through the competition in the infant and toddler formula category to earn shelf space and parents' trust by cultivating consumers' positive reviews and healthcare providers' recommendations.
The food industry should not be pilloried for making food safe, affordable and enjoyable, according to the chairman of food consultancy Zenith International.
Based in part on the idea that good things come in small packages, the founders of The Little Kernel earlier this year launched a line of tiny pre-popped popcorn, which they say is sweeter, crunchier and easier to eat than regular sized popcorn because...
Most entrepreneurs are lucky if they strike CPG gold once. Jason Cohen has done it multiple times, and reckons he could be onto a winner again with Road Crew Crunch, a simple combination of chocolate, nuts, rice and pretzels he discovered on a family...
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed revisions to the Nutrition Facts panel for meat and poultry products, amending regulations published in May 2016.
Demographics don't provide easy answers to GMO debate, says Pew Research Center
Think anti-GMO sentiment is primarily the preserve of white college educated liberals? Think again, says Pew Research Center, which has just conducted a consumer survey suggesting that attitudes on GMOs, organics, and other food issues are “conspicuously...
‘Clean’ (a.k.a. cultured/lab-grown) meat pioneer Memphis Meats says it aims to have products in grocery stores by 2021, and says it is confident it will be able to mass produce meat in bioreactors at prices at parity, or below, that of meat from farm...
Providing transparent, accurate information about products that go beyond what is legally required can boost sales, market share and consumer loyalty, suggests new research by Label Insight.
While the freshly prepared deli category already generates a whopping $24 billion annually, it currently is achieving a fraction of its potential, suggests new research from the Food Marketing Institute.
Change, whether good or bad,can be disquieting and push people toward the familiar, as likely will be the case for food and flavors in American in 2017 as a new president promising significant political shifts is sworn into office.
Charging a fee to deliver food and beverages ordered online is a double-edged sword that can boost basket size but also reduce reorder rates, suggests new research from 1010data Market Insights.
The Kellogg Company has announced it will pull advertisements from far-right news publication, Breitbart, whose executive chairman is US president-elect Donald Trump's appointed chief strategist, Steve Bannon.
The Beyond Burger – the first refrigerated plant-based patty to sit in the meat counter – will move into all Whole Foods regions by the end of the year, while brand owner Beyond Meat is also in talks with foodservice chains interested in testing or launching...
There have been hundreds of class action lawsuits directed against food and beverage companies in recent years over everything from evaporated cane juice to Non-GMO claims. But has the false advertising litigation trend peaked, and if not, what are the...
Modern Americans expect much more from food companies today than they did in the past -- now not only do they want food that is better for them, but they want products that also are better for society and the planet.
US volume sales of products featuring a ‘grain-free’ claim surged 75.7% in the 52 weeks to July 30, 2016, according to Nielsen Wellness Track data,* with many retailers now carving out grain-free or ‘Paleo’ segments in everything from hot cereal and nutrition...
Pinnacle Foods has liquidated the UK operations of its gluten-free subsidiary Boulder Brands according to UK government records, and is now auctioning off the assets.
The founders of startup Malt Shop Cookies are hoping to jumpstart their new ecommerce business by launching on Cyber Monday the online sale of their line of malted milk cookies before expanding into more traditional brick and mortar stores next year.
The question of whether butter, as a stand-in for saturated fat, “is back” and safe to eat in large amounts or not is a false and distracting dichotomy in the ongoing debate about how to improve health and prevent heart disease with diet, suggests an...
Has the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims on food labels put a stop to the tidal wave of false advertising lawsuits engulfing food manufacturers? Not if a new complaint against Dannon is anything to go by, which also delves into the thorny issue of GMOs,...
Sunrise Strategic Partners - a Colorado-based accelerator of emerging brands co-founded by Steve Hughes and Trilantic North America - has made a minority investment in grass-fed organic dairy brand Maple Hill, which makes whole milk yogurts, kefir, cheeses,...
Already recognized by many as the epitome of a convenient and better-for-you snack, ready-to-eat popcorn is about to become even healthier and easier to enjoy, claim the founders of New Pop as it makes its US debut.
Too much sugar remains a top consumer concern, but confusion about how to read product labels and general distrust of their accuracy means many Americans are at a loss as to how to reduce sugar, a new Healthline survey reveals.
As part of Nestlé's 150th anniversary celebrations, FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine Watson caught up with Nestlé USA chief procurement officer Patty Stroup to talk about how relations with dairy farmers are changing.
As widely rumored, two major players in the functional beverages space are to change hands, with PepsiCo to acquire KeVita for an undisclosed sum and Dr Pepper Snapple Group to acquire Bai Brands – in which it already has a small stake – for $1.7bn. And...
Rightly or wrongly, organic snacks often are stereotyped as “esoteric” products that sacrifice flavor and fun for nutrition and are “hard on the wallet” compared to their conventional counterparts, according to the CEO of Pure Growth Organic.
