The mode of grocery shopping has evolved over the last few months with e-commerce experiencing a noticeable spike, but according to consumer insights and data company DISQO, in-store shopping is still the predominant and preferred way for consumers to...
The high cost and opaque process of securing patents can be daunting for cash-strapped startups, but the CEO of the home hydroponic growing system GroPod advises entrepreneurs not give into the temptation to skip or delay this step until after fundraising.
Private equity firm Brynwood Partners VII will acquire refrigerated pasta brand Buitoni’s North American business from Nestlé USA, forming the Buitoni Food Company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic paused face-to-face meetings and tradeshows, startups that couldn’t afford the high entrance fees to some of the food and beverage industry’s most prominent shows struggled to catch and keep investors’ attention –...
Supply chain snags, consumer stockpiling and retailers reprioritizing what to stock during the initial phases of the coronavirus pandemic meant many consumers had to go without their favorite brands and switch to available alternatives, but according...
As Americans tentatively emerge from lockdown, the industry is likely to face a very different consumer landscape. How might tighter household budgets change consumer priorities and behaviors? Will ‘Big Food’ really stage a comeback? Will habits (stress...
Impossible Foods has launched an e-commerce site to make its plant-based burgers available to all US consumers in the lower 48 states, offering free, two-day shipping of larger, family-sized quantities of the Impossible Burger.
Instore demos - a key tool for many emerging brands to encourage trial and raise awareness – were one of the first things to go when COVID-19 hit, with multiple retailers discontinuing them until further notice. However, Costco is planning a gradual...
The FDA says it has made “substantial progress” in forging a regulatory path for ingestible CBD products, but has given no indication of when it might provide food and supplement makers with more clarity.
To remain relevant to consumers as they navigate the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the economic downturn and the anti-racism movement sweeping America, food and beverage brands need to shelve their current marketing playbooks and potentially any pre-set...
A citizen petition filed by The Sugar Association to the FDA is calling for “complete and accurate labeling of low- and no-calorie sweeteners on food packages,” which would require food manufacturers to add the term ‘sweetener' in parenthesis after...
As stay-at-home restrictions ease across the US and Americans attempt to return to a post-pandemic normal way of life, the crisis and nationwide aid initiatives such as the Frontline Impact Project are far from over.
While not everyone is convinced that recent surging sales for some legacy food brands mean ‘Big Food’ is staging a comeback, some habits developed during the pandemic could be sustained, and brands such as Campbell Soup are well-placed to exploit them,...
While many Americans have cooked more than ever in recent weeks, with some picking up new skills, demand for fresh ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook meals that require minimal effort has never been higher, says the founder of FreshRealm, which has teamed...
No longer able to rely on conferences, in-store demos or serendipitous meetings to raise awareness of a new business or product, entrepreneurs increasing are connecting with each other, mentors and consumers through subscription-based online platforms...
The IRI New Product Pacesetters List of the top 100 CPG brand launches of 2019 saw a resurgence of $100m brands which accounted for 33% of Pacesetter dollar sales in 2019.
With fears that another wave of the coronavirus could hit the US just as the academic year begins, parents likely will seek products that could help support their children’s immune systems, claims Slammers Snacks.
While many states emerge from several weeks of shelter-in-place mandates and businesses begin to reopen, many consumers feel their usual shopping behaviors won’t return to “normal” for some time, an Acosta report revealed.
Bolthouse Farms – a fresh food business specializing in packaged carrots and juices, smoothies and dressings – has discontinued its premium organic cold pressed juice brand 1915 amid declining sales, but says it is enjoying a strong uptick in sales of...
Miriam Ueberall recently joined The Kraft Heinz Company to head up research and development for the group’s international zone. FoodNavigator speaks to her about how innovation and product development is at the heart of Kraft Heinz’s turnaround plans.
With last Friday’s launch of the first-of-its-kind, single-material baby food pouch, Gerber is one step closer to its ambitious goal to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 without compromising the convenience and safety that parents...
Even before the threat of the “quarantine 15” – or the idea that some Americans are at risk of packing on 15 pounds during the pandemic due to stress-baking, mindless snacking and reduced physical activity – the rate of obesity in America has been stubbornly...
As the plant-based food sector continues to grow (up 11% in dollar sales in 2019 to $5bn), the category has become an integral part of many grocery retailers’ store assortments, marketing, and promotional strategies, according to The Good Food Institute...
After years of living in the shadow of well-funded and aggressively marketed pistachios, almonds and walnuts, Oregon hazelnuts are now ready to inspire manufacturers and consumers as the star ingredient in new products thanks to a new cultivar and a steady...
Icelandic brand Good Good, which makes no-sugar-added jams, syrups, and a chocolate hazelnut spread sweetened with stevia and erthyritol, has closed a $3m Series A round of investment led by Icepharma, AtonJL and Svanhildur Nanna Vigfusdottir along with...
Which delivery formats for CBD are most successful at Vitamin Shoppe? How do you market a CBD beverage? And what will distinguish the winners from the losers in this nascent market? Checkout what our panel of experts had to say in our May 20 Where next...
With the invention of peanut coffee, fifth generation peanut farmer James Harrell found a way to combine in one product the rich history and future of his hometown of Suffolk, Va., which as the headquarters for Planters Peanuts was once known as the ‘peanut...
Global ingredients company ADM and beef producer Marfrig have agreed to create PlantPlus Foods, a plant-based protein joint venture serving North and South American markets.
Los Angeles-based Butterfly is adding some variety to the nut butter category with its functional, yet "fun and delicious" nut butters that come in experimental flavors such as chocolate reishi and savory rosemary.
“Gut feelings” often form the foundation of startups, but to scale a business successfully, especially in times of crisis, entrepreneurs need more than that – they need data that shows where their brand fits in the competitive landscape and where consumers...
Allergen-friendly plant-based cheese brand GOOD PLANeT Foods has raised $12m in a series A round led by Cleveland Avenue, and supported by GreatPoint Ventures, Tasseo Consumer, Stray Dog Capital, and Lever VC.
New data from the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and SPINS shows that US retail sales of plant-based meat, cheese, tofu, and tempeh outpaced total food retail sales for the 16 weeks ending April 19, 2020.
The uneven impact of the coronavirus on sales of food and beverage brands of different sizes has created an opportunity for smaller and emerging companies to drive consumer awareness by advertising on Amazon at a scale that previously would not have been...
Rebellyous Foods – a Seattle-based startup that has been targeting high-volume foodservice accounts with plant-based chicken nuggets – has made a dramatic pivot to retail with the launch of family-packs at select retailers in the Pacific Northwest.
Seaweed is well established as a source of thickeners and emulsifiers such as carrageenan and agar and has carved out a small segment of the healthy snacks aisle, but it could also give rivals a serious run for their money as a source of plant-based protein,...
Nearly a quarter (24%) of consumers have taken their grocery shopping online in the months of March and April 2020 compared to 6% in 2019 highlighting the need for retailers to provide a seamless shopper experience between in-store, pickup, and delivery...
Hormel Foods saw organic net sales increase 20% for its grocery products (SPAM, SKIPPY, Hormel chili, and Hormel Compleats microwave meals) and registered a 12% rise in net sales for Jennie-O Turkey products offsetting a decline in foodservice sales in...
The boom in hemp cultivation after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill has created a supply bulge that the industry is still working through, observers say.
The economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus has pushed many investors into a protective mode that precludes new deals, but raising capital during the pandemic still is possible – it just requires entrepreneurs to more clearly define their value...
As news continues to break about more workers at grocery stores and meat and poultry packing plants contracting coronavirus, consumer concern about employee health and their access to food and beverage during the pandemic is on the rise again after a...
The FDA, USDA and EPA have launched ‘Feed Your Mind’, a new Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative that aims to increase consumer awareness and understanding of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused brands to look at their direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses with fresh eyes, including emerging brand PeaTos, which launched its own DTC site, BetterSnacks.com, to fulfill Americans' at-home snacking needs and desire...
Children’s brands that previously relied on “the nag factor,” impulse purchases or being the reward parents give children to behave in stores are pivoting their marketing to target adults now that most families send only one adult to the grocery store...
The middle of a global pandemic when many consumers are filling their grocery carts virtually may seem like a strange time to expand distribution in brick-and-mortar stores, but for the vitamin enhanced water brand KidsLuv the timing of its current rollout...
Walmart US e-commerce sales grew 74% in the first quarter (13 weeks to May 1), driven by strong demand for its expanded grocery pickup and delivery services offered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hemp-infused beverage brand Recess (strapline: ‘calm, cool, collected’) has launched a new direct-to-business wholesale online platform and an updated direct to consumer site to make it as easy as possible to get the product into people’s hands.