With the global market for functional foods and beverages on track to reach $176.7 billion this year, this booming category now accounts for 5% of the overall food market and is driving growth for the food industry as a whole, according to Euromonitor.
What do Hunt’s ketchup and Capri Sun have in common? They both switched back to using high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) after taking it out of the recipe, the former citing ‘consumer indifference’ and the latter citing sugar prices. Market data indicates...
Amid calls from Italian gay rights groups to boycott Barilla, the pasta company’s chairman, Guido Barilla, apologized for saying he would never use homosexual families in company advertisements.
Amid growing awareness in the US about reducing sodium in baked products, UK-based baking powder specialist Kudos Blends hopes to maintain strong growth across the pond with its zero-sodium potassium bicarbonate and low-sodium baking powders.
As consumer and retailer demand for third party-verified non-GMO product labels shows no signs of slowing, NSF International announced that it will join the Non-GMO Project as a technical administrator in early 2014.
'Dynamic and interactive' event returns to Cannes, France
Innovation, sustainability, cutting-edge food science, and changing consumer behaviour will drive William Reed’s Food Vision event, with the programme offering food science through the focused lens of commercial interest to identify strategies for profitability...
Walmart has kicked off the second iteration of its Get on the Shelf competition with a new crop of hopeful, emerging brands looking for coveted shelf space at the world’s largest retailer.
From August 5, 2014, manufacturers using the term ‘gluten-free’ on food labels must adhere to new FDA rules that set a gluten limit of 20 parts per million (ppm). But can consumers take their word for it, or will they still look for some kind of third...
The head of an Israeli firm behind a patented functional energy drink WakeUp insists that the ‘sky’s the limit’ if the award-winning drink is accepted by a specific market segment demanding alertness.
Innovation. It’s a word you hear on many executives’ lips. Sure, it’s reassuring rhetoric for investors, as it means a company is not resting on its laurels. But what does it mean, exactly? The answer, for all too many companies, even some large corporations,...
More than a year after South Dakota beef processor Beef Products Inc. (BPI) filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News Inc. for its coverage of lean, finely textured beef (LFTB)—which since gained the infamous moniker “pink slime”—the two sides are awaiting...
Connecting subtle cues consumers use to judge the quality and taste of a food with the context in which they experience those cues can help companies more closely align their products with consumer expectations, new research shows.
Consumer perceptions of store brands are continuing to improve in the US as retailers move beyond cheap me-too products. But perceptions of quality still vary considerably across different categories, says a new survey.
The healthy snacking boom has created a storm that small, boutique snack makers are benefiting from as their personal, niche products connect with the enthusiasm of consumers, Packaged Facts finds.
One in five Americans now grazes on snacks throughout the day instead of eating three square meals or even several ‘mini-meals’ a day, according to new research suggesting the line between meals and snacks has become increasingly blurred.
Mounting interest in the benefits of rice protein from the technical and sports nutrition communities alike has turned to increased sales of Axiom Foods’ brown rice protein powder.
US retail sales of non-GMO foods and beverages are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% in the next five years, and could represent 30% of the market with a value of $264bn in 2017, predicts Packaged Facts.
From four years of navigating the unpredictable terrain of the highly competitive functional beverage market (plus 20 in the coffee business), Ben Weiss, CEO and founder of Princeton, N.J.-based Bai, had a few insights into how to build a sustainable...
About a year on from OatSweet’s initial push into the U.S. sweetener marketplace, Oat Tech CEO and founder, Dr. Paul Whalen, caught up with FoodNavigator-USA on the growth areas—both expected and unforeseen—for this natural, oat-based sweetener.
Amid increased environmental concerns over palm oil production, Sensient Colors has developed palm-free natural colors to expand on its existing natural colors portfolio.
Aside from people with celiac disease, which is estimated to affect less than 1% of the US population, why do so many other Americans buy gluten-free products, and will they carry on buying them, or are current growth rates unsustainable?
A new report from Rainforest Action Network says food giants supporting "weak" and "diluted" Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards or buying GreenPalm certificates are kidding themselves if they think this will save...
Requiring food manufacturers to label products containing ingredients from genetically engineered (GE) crops would not mean higher food prices for shoppers, according to an independent study released yesterday by the Just Label It coalition.
The amount of detectable arsenic in rice and rice products is too low to pose any immediate health risks to consumers, according to new guidance issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Big Interview: Chris Cuvelier, founder/CEO of Zola Fruits of the World
In the increasingly crowded marketplace of functional beverages, what kind of impact can one more manufacturer of acai juice and coconut water expect to have?
WhiteWave Services Inc. has filed a patent application for ‘light milk,’ a lower-calorie alternative to skim milk without a watered-down flavor and mouthfeel.
Riding the wave of continued strong consumer demand for gluten-free food options, Canada’s gluten-free market reached $458.9 million in 2012, according to a recent report from Packaged Facts entitled 'Gluten-Free Foods in Canada'.
Stevia First, an early stage company based in Yuba City, CA, has built its business model on bringing stevia production onshore in the US. Supply chain transparency and technical innovation are the two pillars on which the company is built, said CEO...
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has slightly reduced its cocoa deficit forecast for the current crop year and says there are ample stocks for chocolate manufacturers, but a deficit next year could raise prices.
Food companies that only use certified sustainable palm oil have been accused of “certifying destruction”, according to a Greenpeace report released to coincide with the first European Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) summit in Berlin this week.
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the nation’s largest dairy farmer-owned milk marketing cooperative, has purchased milk, juice and fruit drink processor Dairy Maid Dairy.
A US government demonstration program to provide school-age children from low-income households with meals and snacks during the summer months showed a 33% decrease in the rate of very low food security among children in the demonstration’s second year,...
The head of Rooibee Red Tea says the US’s first bottled rooibos red tea brand expects a significant sales lift this year after enjoying 330% growth from 2010-2012.
While many US firms were struggling to get hold of sucralose from China early last year, the opposite is now true, with buyers reporting a glut of product on the market and a sharp reduction in prices.
The ageing population remains under-served in terms of functional food and drink products, says Euromonitor's Diana Cowland, despite 'elderlies' living longer and healthier than ever before.
Heineken is confident it can restore growth to its struggling Heineken Light brand in the US by revamping the beer with new packaging and using Cascade Aroma hops favored by craft brewers.
Consumer demand for hotter, spicier, foods has continued to increase on both sides of the Atlantic, says natural extracts specialist Kalsec, which has tied up with Mintel to develop ‘heat indexes’ measuring usage of peppers in retail and foodservice.
Europeans tend to be quite conservative when it comes to flavour, but there are ways to create innovative tastes even around well-established popular flavours, says Euromonitor ingredients analyst Lauren Bandy.
Do college students eat like the rest of us? Broadly yes (washed down by a lot more energy drinks), but there are some notable differences, according to online ordering expert GrubHub, which says students are significantly less likely to place ‘healthier’...
The energy drink category - which did not set the world on fire in most other retail channels this summer - posted 7.4% dollar sales growth in the US convenience store channel in the four weeks to August 3, driven by a strong performance from Red Bull...
‘Eco-eating’, which encompasses everything from edible packaging trends to sustainable seafood, is moving from natural stores and fancy restaurants to the mainstream of food culture, according to a new report.
It was a dismal summer in the US soft drinks aisles, with dollar sales of diet/low calorie soda plunging 7.1% in the four weeks to August 3 vs the same period last year, while unit sales slumped 6.9%, according to new report from Wells Fargo.
We’ve delved into the ConfectioneryNews archives to chart newly built factories and major investments on existing plants by the industry’s major players over the past five years to discover where capacity is moving.
The hot natural flavor trends for 2013 have some obvious and not-so-obvious contenders. In this infographic we look at the market, the main consumer groups and Anyone up for some bacon whiskey?
Flavour and fragrance ingredient supplier Treatt has created a new tea formula adapted to the specific flavour of stevia in response to a growing market trend for natural sweeteners.