While the financial threat to traditional grocery stores posed by the burgeoning meal kit delivery category may be manageable for now, it is growing as more players enter the space and consumers become more comfortable with the concept – prompting some...
Lingering consumer health concerns about artificial dyes combined with a more general demand for “clean labels” is contributing to an “upsurge” in the natural colors market that has ingredient suppliers “scouring for cost-effective sources to offer end-products...
The Olympic Games in Rio has been branded a “carnival of junk food marketing” as campaigners published new research on advertising tactics used by Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Mars brand M&Ms. Kellogg’s were also singled out as sponsors of Team Great...
Eager to expand its footprint in the exponentially growing packaged salad space and meet consumer demand for healthy, fresh and convenient produce, Ready Pac Food launches four new Organic Chopped Salad Kits, which it claims create a new segment in the...
'America is becoming a nation of par-cookers, snackers and meal assemblers'
As supermarkets continue to lose market share to high- and low-end rivals, they must fully embrace consumer demand for fresh, stock more premium products and behave more like specialty retailers if they are to survive in today’s climate, according to...
For all their hype, superfoods often are restricted to trend-setting consumers with higher incomes who shop the natural channel, but the makers of Shanti Protein and Energy Bars want to change that by making the ingredients easily available to the masses...
For years a super fruit could give a finished product near superstar status, but as acai, pomegranate, cranberry and other nutritional powerhouses have gone mainstream, manufacturers looking for the same lift from the ingredients have to up the ante.
The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) has urged the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to stop enforcing a San Francisco ordinance requiring sugary drink ads to include health warnings, on the grounds that they violate manufacturers’ First Amendment...
A recent Harris Poll finding that the vast majority of Americans agree they love trying products and experiences outside their own culture likely explains why many of the emerging and fast-growing trends in food and beverage in the US originate in or...
SMASHMALLOW – the latest innovation from food & beverage brand incubator Sonoma Brands – could herald the launch of a new confectionery category: gourmet snackable marshmallows, says founder Jon Sebastiani.
Pro-GMO blog a hit: 'Consumers appreciate that we’re not just blindly following a trend.'
After three years of focus on one product – enhanced with periodic upgrades – Soylent is expanding its portfolio with the launch of Coffiest, a caffeine-fueled version of its flagship Soylent 2.0 beverage (launching today), and Soylent Bar (appearing...
Back when Elizabeth Stein added granola to her brand’s portfolio in 2012, ingredients such as 'ancient grains' were a novelty. As the category becomes more saturated, Purely Elizabeth now stands out with a probiotic granola offering.
The gluten free market in the US remains hot, but as the category becomes more crowded, manufacturers must offer products with added appeal to stay competitive – such as a protein boost from pulses or an added dose of fiber and flavor with ancient grains,...
For most manufacturers, an inability to keep product on the shelf consistently would be considered bad for business, but for Hoboken Farms, the maker of three marinara sauces with a cult-like following, it is a point of pride – and a major selling feature.
While the meal kit market is attracting new entrants on an almost weekly basis – prompting many observers to predict an imminent shakeout – the entrepreneurs behind One Potato, a Los Angeles-based brand targeting families with organic fare, insist they...
It might not have attracted as much media attention as quinoa or chia, but sorghum – a home-grown gluten-free grain that is every bit as attractive in the nutritional and sustainability stakes - is steadily gaining traction in food applications, not least...
An energy bar, jam, and even gelato—these aren’t food items often associated with pulses and legumes. But undergraduates, graduates, and professionals showcased that pulses are capable of far much more than we give them credit for.
Special K has continued to drag down the performance of Kellogg’s US snacks segment – and the business says it is planning ‘more aggressive’ changes to the brand in the coming year.
Sprouts Farmers Market is aggressively expanding its private label program, particularly in the deli area in order to “enhance our position as a ready-to-eat destination,” CEO Amin Maredia said this week.
While fiber hasn’t quite reached the same superstar status as protein, consumer interest in the ingredient is rising rapidly as they look for ways to manage their weight while still enjoying food and beverages with high quality taste and familiar mouthfeel.
Trends may come and go, but they often don't stay gone forever -- rather most eventually cycle back in vogue, as is the case with the current focus on “ancient wisdom,” and time-tested, traditional cooking techniques and ingredients that are influencing...
It’s taken five years and a reported $80m (€72m) of research, but the meat-free burger that “bleeds” has finally arrived. The company behind it, Impossible Foods, believe its similarities to meat in texture, taste and smell make it a breakthrough product.
Most Americans consume more than 1.5 times the daily recommended cap for sodium – a staggering figure that prompted FDA to draft voluntary guidance earlier this summer for the food and beverage industry to drastically cut sodium levels in their products...
After two years of tracking down documents, updating its supply chain and tweaking its formulas, Sethness Products Company claims “first-mover’s advantage” in the race to provide manufacturers with “cleaner” ingredients by securing Non-GMO Project Verification...
Health Warrior CEO to join CEO panel at Food Vision USA 2016
Chia-fueled brand Health Warrior will be unveiling new products next year that utilize other nutrient-dense whole foods, says CEO Shane Emmett, who is predicting a 40-60% rise in revenues in 2016 “depending on where certain orders land.”
Manufacturers have been ‘cleaning up’ food labels for years, but the pressure to oust 'unpronounceable' ingredients has now become so great that important vitamins and minerals (which often have chemical-sounding names) are also being ditched...
Love with Food CEO to speak at FOOD VISION USA in Chicago
Powerplant Ventures - a venture fund led by Mark Rampolla (founder, ZICO), Kevin Boylan and T.K. Pillan (co-founders, Veggie Grill) and Dan Beldy (formerly head of Disney’s venture arm) –has closed a $42m fund aimed at “emerging plant-centric companies.”
New NGS DNA testing methods will replace PCR, predicts Clear Labs
As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology" coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods...
Lindt’s Russell Stover Every Day range has gained listings at major supermarkets such as Walmart since its April release in the US as the brand reduces reliance on key seasons.
Showcasing clusters of tea-infused, bite-sized snacks, young Chicago-area entrepreneurs Jordan Buckner and Adi Malik impressed Whole Foods buyers at an open house in the city’s Southside.
KRā, a 90-day-old sports drink company started by three business professionals in the Chicago area, says it is filling a void in the sports hydration market with its USDA Certified Organic sports drink line.
Consumers increasingly are seeking products that they are simple, with ingredients that they can pronounce, benefits that thy understand and minimal processing, but as a leading Mintel analyst noted at IFT’s Food Expo in Chicago “simple” isn’t always...
The nascent meat bar category is filling up fast, but there is still plenty of room for products that target niche consumers beyond the “Whole Foods Crowd,” according to the CEO of Country Archer, which is one of the latest companies to enter the segment.
RUNA – a Brooklyn-based beverage brand utilizing the caffeine-rich Amazonian leaf guayusa – is on course to generate revenues of approximately $10m in 2016, up from around $6m in 2015.
Targeting the crossfit, yoga, and barre-enthusiasts (and the like), prepared meal provider Power Supply relies heavily on local chefs and the local fitness community to differentiate itself in the bustling meal subscription category.
After carving out a niche in the competitive baby- and toddler food categories with its quinoa-based products, NurturMe is ready to expand its portfolio and reach with new ingredients, products and distribution with the help of a $3.7 million investment...
Bottled water brand Waiakea has “never claimed” to be spring water, founder and CEO Ryan Emmons has insisted in the wake of media reports in Hawaii alleging that the company uses a municipal water source, yet appears to imply, through the way it markets...
A class action lawsuit accusing Coca-Cola subsidiary Odwalla of misleading consumers by using the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) on labels is now back in play in the wake of the FDA’s finalized guidance – and is likely to be joined by scores of others,...
The evolution of snacking in America is breaking down barriers that formerly restricted what foods and beverages could be enjoyed at certain times of day, and in doing so is giving manufacturers more creative license to embrace new opportunities for innovation,...
Exclusive Interview: Startup from ex-iTunes producer
Défoncé Chocolatier’s founder and CEO, Eric Eslao, is waiting for the final vote on California's Adult Use Marijuana Act in November. If passed, his cannabis-infused chocolate can be sold in the state for recreational purposes.
What’s the next Just Mayo, KRAVE, or Sparkling ICE? If you’re looking for some entrepreneurs to watch over the next couple of years, check out CircleUp’s 2016 list of the 25 most innovative consumer brands of 2016, 15 of which are in food/beverage.
Finding solutions to reduce sodium, sugar and calories in finished products is essential as regulators and consumers demand healthier products – but the increasing desire for “clean labels” adds a complicating twist to the process of sourcing suitable...
It’s a bold move given how highly-charged – and extremely polarized - the debate has become, but Los Angeles-based start-up Soylent has weighed into the conversation over genetically engineered food crops with a blog post entitled: 'Soylent: Proudly...
