The FDA has granted a citizen petition* requesting that glucomannan (found in the root of the elephant yam, also known as the konjac plant) be added to the list of ingredients classified as dietary fiber on US food and supplement labels.
If a beverage contains 25g of added sugar and describes itself as ‘just a tad sweet,’ is it misleading shoppers? In the absence of a legal definition of terms such as ‘low sugar’ or ‘lightly sweetened,’ the courts have delivered mixed opinions on lawsuits...
Search for ‘hojicha’ on Google Trends and you’ll see a notable uptick in US searches over the past couple of years as Americans seek to learn more about the roasted green tea, which is low in caffeine and lacks the bitterness of regular green tea, says...
As we enter the next decade, consumers will continue to wield the power they took from food and beverage brands during the last ten years to drive increased transparency, sustainability and social responsibility, predicts one leading market analyst and...
As obesity rates continue to rise, more Americans are turning to medical professionals, new technology and science-based approaches to help them meet their weight-loss goals, but new research from Jenny Craig suggests long-term success also requires a...
Online grocery shopping is expected to rise 25% year-over-year to reach $74b by 2023, but for retailers to capitalize fully on this trend they need to appeal to older shoppers and address major roadblocks that hinder accurate selection and discourage...
A leading marketing strategist says GNC is evolving to be a ‘better for you’ convenience store as it tries to cope with changes in the retail world and shifts in consumers’ interest in categories like weight management.
Campbell Soup executive Carlos Abrams-Rivera will join the senior leadership team at Kraft Heinz as the new U.S. Zone President, leading all US business operations, the company’s largest business, effective February 3.
Millennials and younger members of Gen X have tended to be the biggest consumers of organic and natural foods, but now, the youngest generation of adult consumers – Gen Z (ages 18-24) – is beginning to command the category.
CBD is the fastest-growing category in supplements and bodycare in Fresh Thyme Farmers Market stores, increasing average basket spend in the category and attracting new shoppers, says the Midwest retailer. However, sales growth is slowing as the category...
Traditional regional grocers are enjoying a resurgence of consumer preference thanks in part to improved assortment and private brands, but the growing threat of a recession in the US could compromise their rising status unless they can also prove themselves...
As more entrepreneurs adopt an iterative, fail-fast approach to innovation it is increasingly tempting to compare businesses and products as a way to measure success, but according to Jane Miller, the CEO of Lily’s Sweets, a better strategy to remain...
Former global president of Catalina, Todd Morris, has taken over as CEO of Chicago-based Label Insight seeking to fix the 'broken' online consumer shopping experience.
The plant-based Impossible Sausage – the latest innovation from Impossible Foods – will debut next week at Burger King outlets in five states in the 'Impossible Croissan'wich' for a limited period.
As consumers continue to place a higher value on enjoyable shopping experiences, retailers will need to offer more than low prices to drive traffic in 2020, including enticing “sights, sounds and smells” in brick-and-mortar stores, seamless shopping across...
As Mexico becomes the latest country in Latin America to set national plastic-reduction goals, increasing numbers of Latinos are looking for plastic-free packaging options, according to market analysts. But how feasible is going plastic-free?
Until the 19th century, chocolate (cocoa) was something you drank, not ate, notes David Burke. “And then we figured out how to turn it into a food. Now we’re on the cusp of exactly the same thing with coffee.”
Food and beverage manufacturers that historically have relied on weight-loss or diet-related messaging to bolster sales in January may need a new game plan if the International Food Information Council Foundation’s prediction comes true that consumers...
As mounting consumer interest in personalized nutrition continues to drive consolidation in the supplement side of the segment, the evidence-based supplement subscription service Baze is expanding into food as a point of differentiation, and in doing...
The Coca-Cola Company has acquired the remaining stake in fairlife LLC from its joint venture partner Select Milk Producers: giving it 100% ownership of the ultra-filtered milk company.
New York based startup Catalina Crunch – best-known for its ultra-low-carb cereal - is moving into new territory with what it claims is the first keto-friendly, shelf-stable smoothie product made with [freeze-dried] whole fruits and vegetables – not powder....
If Del Monte Foods is still best-known for its canned fruits and veggies, a flurry of recent innovations - from frozen ‘veggieful’ bites to shelf-stable ‘bubble fruit’ cups and ready-to-eat oatmeal & fruit – are changing perceptions of the brand,...
Baby food made using biodynamic and regenerative agriculture practices is becoming increasingly important to US consumers as parents become more aware, and wary, of things that don't make it onto product labels such as glyphosate residue.
The consumer awakening and subsequent loss of faith in big business over the past 10 years caught many established food and beverage companies on their backfoot, but a leading market analyst and communications expert predicts the tide will shift again...
Children and teens who drank whole milk (3.25% fat) compared to kids who consumed reduced-fat milk (0.1-2% fat) were less likely to be overweight or obese, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis led by St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health...
Type ‘Kraft Heinz procurement’ into Google and the search engine helpfully suggests ‘scandal,’ ‘misconduct’ and ‘investigation,’ serving as a reminder that the buying function at one of the world’s most iconic food companies had something of an annus...
Increased production of key crops from China, Argentina and Brazil may have weakened US agriculture’s competitive position over the last 10 years, but rapid innovation in ag-tech in the new decade could help American farmers regain a pole-position by...
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products hitting shelves, from chickpea butter and tortilla chips to more plant-based yogurts, new private label lines from Target and ShopRite, and Zevia's new zero sugar soda for kids.
Consumers are demanding simple, wholesome, convenient snacks and mini-meals with cleaner labels, and you can’t get much simpler – or more nutritious - than eggs, says Phoenix-based startup Scramblers, which has developed what it claims is an industry...
Arcadia Biosciences, a publicly-traded biotechnology firm focused on value-added food ingredients, has developed a non-GMO reduced wheat flour that contains 65% less gluten than traditional flour and performs like regular flour in food formulations.
Mondelēz International has named Minsok Pak as the company's new executive vice president, chief strategy, and transformation officer in charge of mergers and acquisitions, new business strategy, and digital transformation initiatives.
Interest in discovering new flavors is higher than ever with 74% of consumers surveyed agreeing that they love to discover new flavors even bitter or earthy taste profiles, according to Innova Trends Survey 2019.
Chicken is the world's most popular animal-based protein, but when it comes to a plant-based version, the market is due for some innovation, said CEO of Daring Foods, Ross Mackay.
Through the acquisition of a 30,000-square-foot facility in Appleton, Minnesota, Eat JUST, Inc. can now scale up to 24/7 production of its plant-based protein isolate extracted from mung beans, the key ingredient in JUST Egg.
Kroger has started trialing dedicated three-foot plant-based meat sets within its conventional meat department in 60 stores in Denver, Indiana and Illinois in partnership with the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA).
Consumers are still seeking a balance of animal and plant-based foods in their diet, says Euromonitor, which says plant-based meats are currently in the 'honeymoon period,' but could evolve over time as consumers demand less processed plant-based...
ShopRite rolls out Bowl & Basket private label: CPG companies led on branding in the past, but ‘that paradigm is shifting’
New private label ranges featuring a more “modern, upscale aesthetic” will help to “redefine how customers see ShopRite,” claims the East Coast retailer, which is consolidating multiple private label lines under its new Bowl & Basket and Paperbird...
Functional ingredients are notoriously difficult to work into a great tasting product, making flavor formulation a common pain point for the sports nutrition category. However, artificial intelligence and machine learning platform Gastrograph says it...
The hemp-derived CBD market is growing rapidly, although many CPG brands and retailers are waiting for clarity from the FDA on the regulatory path forward for cannabidiol before piling in, but what will distinguish the winners from the losers in this...
With a new suite of dairy and non-dairy yogurt innovations unveiled last week and set to launch in 2020, Danone North America plans to build on the success it saw in the past decade, during which it captured a third of market share to become the category...
Xoca (pronounced sho’ka) is hoping to stand out in the notoriously competitive functional beverage set with a new line of sparkling, “slightly fermented” drinks made with 50% juice from cacao fruit, the nutrient-rich pulp surrounding cocoa beans that...
The buzz around fresh, healthy and sustainable eating is so intense it is easy to think that everyone now eats this way – but the reality is the premium prices and extra time often needed to prepare these on-trend items place them out of reach of millions...
PepsiCo’s Pepsi Café – which ‘blends the taste of deep flavorful coffee with the refreshing crisp taste of a Pepsi cola – aims to tap into consumers’ demand for pick-me-up energy in 2020.
A federal court has blocked the state of Arkansas from enforcing a law restricting the use of 'meaty' terms to products derived from slaughtered animals while a legal legal challenge* proceeds through the courts.