PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has attacked November ballots in San Francisco and Berkeley that will ask city residents to approve increased taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and sweeteners used to sweeten such drinks.
It’s well-known that many CPG firms feel that they are not getting enough bang for their trade spending bucks. But a recent analysis by Nielsen reveals that most of them are not getting any bang for these bucks, with almost three quarters of promotions...
Is it harder to start a beverage business today than it was 25 years ago when he started distributing ‘ginger brew’ from his Volkswagen Bug in a tie-dyed tee-shirt? Probably, says Reed’s Inc founder & CEO Chris Reed. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t...
As the news broke yesterday that Pepsi had launched a new craft cola, or 'kola' as the hipster spelling has it, we run the rule over a launch that excites us greatly - albeit not as much as the moon landings or the end of apartheid.
The IFT's FutureFood 2050 initiative has started a fascinating conversation about what we might be eating in the future. But what will food shopping be like? Will supermarkets as we know them today still exist or will we get all of our groceries...
Most business administration graduates dream of starting their own business. And most end up working for someone else’s, at least in the short term. Not many of them start a bottled water company. But that doesn’t make Ryan Emmons crazy.
Bakers cannot sit back and be bombarded by negative messaging around bread anymore because there’s actually a huge consumer group who wants it, says the VP of Panera Bread bakery development.
As American phenomenon Sparkling Ice strives to become a $1bn beverage brand by 2018, one analyst says she thinks the eye-watering target is realistic.
Chobani is working with Green America (formerly Co-op America) to “discuss realistic and viable” ways to secure more milk from cows fed non-GMO animal feed.
'The feedback we received appears to be merely satisfactory or mixed'
Initial feedback suggests the US debut of Coca-Cola Life has been “lackluster”, with staff in some of the first stores to feature the product reporting “satisfactory” sales, but nothing to set the world on fire, says Ali Dibadj, senior analyst at Sanford...
Leavening agent sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP) doesn’t belong in products making ‘all-natural’ claims, even if they are USDA certified organic, the FDA has told a Massachusetts-based baker.
Nestlé and Kellogg have partnered with companies including General Mills and Unilever by joining Ceres' Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP).
Until relatively recently, probiotics - gut-friendly live bacteria - were largely limited to the supplement aisle or the dairy case. Today, thanks to the development of more resilient strains, they are creeping into every category in the store. But we’re...
Leading probiotic juice brand GoodBelly is ‘confident’ its partnership with the Microwarriors documentary will help advance public knowledge about the benefits of probiotics.
Conversations about maple water typically start with what it isn't, says Vertical Water co-founder Valentina Cugnasca. It's not ‘watered-down’ maple syrup (quite the opposite in fact - maple syrup is made by boiling up maple water); it’s not...
Just weeks after the US launch of Coca-Cola Life, PepsiCo has unveiled plans to launch its own mid-calorie soda sweetened with a combination of sugar and stevia under the Pepsi True brand.
The "traditionally domestic focused" dairy industry must adopt a "world view" to ensure increasing global consumer demand does not outstrip milk supply, says Tetra Pak.
Tata Global Beverages, Taylors of Harrogate, and Typhoo support Assam programme
The notion that defining ‘natural’ is just too hard - either for the FDA or for the food industry - and that we therefore shouldn’t even bother to attempt it, is defeatist and “disingenuous”, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
In part one of our coverage of FoodNavigator-USA’s natural & clean label panel debate we looked at whether the FDA - or industry stakeholders - should define ‘natural’. In part two, we look at all-natural lawsuits, and whether consumers understand...
Six months after resolving an IP fight with a competitor turned collaborator, KonaRed Corporation has made rapid progress in moving its coffee fruit beverage into nationwide distribution.
Buoyed by the surging popularity of hummus in the US, Sabra Dipping Co has unveiled plans to expand its hummus manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County, Virginia, doubling its production capacity and creating 70 new jobs.
While chia seeds are now appearing in everything from breakfast cereal to yogurt, it’s easy to forget that until surprisingly recently, the only place you could find them was in a health food store or on the web in “ziploc bags with the label written...
Diamond Foods is "competing with products addressing the trends in convenient protein, natural, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO", CEO Brian Driscoll told analysts Thursday. And while its nuts and chips tap into some of these trends, he said,...
Chobani will serve as the official yogurt provider to Team USA for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brazil, the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in South Korea, and the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan after striking a new deal...
While the jaw-dropping amount that General Mills paid for Annie’s ($820m) raised some eyebrows, it was “worth it”, says one corporate finance expert who says big CPG firms are increasingly eyeing up acquisition targets in the natural and organic foods...
Sales of packaged bakery products have been sluggish for years as shoppers have shifted their focus from the center of the store to the perimeter, but there are pockets of opportunity in industrially-produced 'artisanal' goods; ancient grains;...
Chobani’s ‘limited batch’ Pumpkin Spice Greek yogurt has emerged as the “fastest-growing SKU in the history of the company” and its most successful new launch, following its debut on Labor Day weekend, says the Greek yogurt maker.
While new class action lawsuits over ‘all-natural’ claims on food labels are still filed in the ‘food court’ in California on a weekly basis, some recent orders from judges handling these cases present a glimmer of hope for beleaguered food & beverage...
B&G Foods is the latest firm to be hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of misleading shoppers by labeling products containing ingredients that are “highly processed” or/and derived from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’.
You’d be surprised with what you can achieve with a limited budget, a giant inflatable banana, a gorilla suit, and a product that no one else is selling, says the 20-something co-founder of a recent - and very colorful - entrant to the healthy snacking...
Kellogg and J.M. Smucker have topped the consumer likeability charts in the US with Eggo waffles and Pillsbury bread mix – indicating a love of carbs, according to insights specialist Instant.ly.
While sales of vitaminwater and SoBe Lifewater have been pretty lackluster of late, US consumers are still looking for functionality along with hydration and refreshment in the enhanced waters category, and energy is the one trend that refuses to go away,...
General Mills will help newly acquired natural & organic brand Annie’s expand into new categories, channels and markets; and will use its clout to drive procurement and operational/logistical efficiencies, CEO Ken Powell told analysts this week. But...
UPDATED: WhiteWave Foods has struck a deal to buy SO Delicious Dairy Free for $195m in cash in a bid to expand its presence in the fast-growing plant-based foods category.
Bai Brands founder Ben Weiss says he believes carbonated soft drinks are ‘dying on the vine and need true variety’ as his firm aims to disrupt the category with sparkling line Bai Bubbles.
General Mills has defended the future of Annie’s natural and organic snacks under its ownership, but two experts say the company will have to work hard to beat the critics.
Twelve years after it was discontinued, the Coca-Cola Co. is reviving Surge soda after fans of the citrus-flavored soda launched a Facebook campaign to bring it back.
In a sign of how much American palates have changed, Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Chip is building on the success of its original seaweed chip line with a reformulated organic version that will launch at this week’s Expo East trade show in Baltimore.
Food trade associations are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the state of Vermont from implementing its GMO labeling law (Act 120) until a lawsuit they have filed that challenges the law has “run its course”.
Entrepreneur interview: Sanjiv Kakkar, managing director of Himalaya International
The flavors of Asia have no doubt made their mark on American palates—as Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences have made their way from niche to mainstream retail and foodservice outlets. Even tiny Malaysia appears to be moving up the ranks of popular...
As it ramps up flaked and shredded coconut production in anticipation of another holiday season, private label and branded grocery products manufacturer Trailblazer Foods says the growing popularity of coconut has resulted in a 12% increase in the amount...