Within months of enacting Berkeley’s controversial “soda tax” and the corresponding public awareness campaign on the health risks of sugar-sweetened beverages, consumption of the drinks in the California city dropped a sizable 21%, according to new research.
Children between the ages of two and 18 should consume fewer than six teaspoons of added sugars daily, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends.
While the SmartLabel initiative has been dismissed by some as an elaborate conspiracy by big food companies to avoid mandatory on-pack GMO labeling statements, it will ultimately have far broader significance – and potentially a huge impact on how consumers...
Epidemics of seasonal viral infections, such as the flu, or seasonal fluctuations in mothers’ vitamin D levels, could explain why celiac disease is strongly associated with children’s season of birth and shed light on what triggers the autoimmune disorder,...
Time-crunched parents are more likely than those without children to make grocery lists, but sticking to them can be more of a challenge if their kids tag along to the store, according to new research analysis from the Corn Refiners Association.
The USDA approved a federal marketing order (FMO) for the pecan industry earlier this year, enabling the industry to collect mandatory dues that will go towards marketing and research efforts for US pecans. Last week, the industry started the nomination...
In an effort to engage consumers, General Mills called for submissions of rabbit videos doing athletic tricks to build awareness around the removal of artificial colors and flavors in some of its cereal brands. The competition goes hand-in-hand with the...
Target has seen meaningful uplifts in grocery sales in ‘LA25’ stores where it is testing new merchandising concepts, but has had a challenging quarter owing to deflationary pressures, chairman and CEO Brian Cornell told analysts this week.
New research from Euromonitor shows continued economic and political instability in the world’s biggest economies is dramatically affecting the global performance of dairy, with what initially appears to be a 9% decline in retail value sales in 2015,...
While they are pretty small fry right now in volume terms, emerging application areas for almonds from cultured nut artisanal yogurts, cheeses and desserts, and center-plate savory products to nut-butter-filled bars and ‘Paleo’ pancake mixes, could be...
Brand business valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance announced its list of the 25 most valuable soft drinks brands. Even top contender Coca-Cola, on the throne for many years, couldn’t escape the segment’s decline.
While many meal-kit delivery services seem to be targeting foodies and people that love to cook but don’t always have time to prepare meals from scratch during the week, new research from CivicScience suggests that Americans who are the least enthusiastic...
What differences in shopping habits do childless households have compared to ones with children? A lot, a new study by Packaged Facts reveals. We chat with founders of two smaller brands who market directly to children and get their take.
From teas enriched with medicines to programmable tea taps, the humble brew could see a dramatic evolution over the coming years, says Tetley. Even the concept of tea consumed as a liquid could be challenged.
Making a profit and promoting health are not mutually exclusive, and healthy food brands now generate some serious profits. But no business will willingly engage in initiatives that could damage sales of its biggest – and sometimes unhealthiest - legacy...
According to a new report by Packaged Facts, more Americans are choosing food items as gifts, and the occasions range from a holidays to special occasions to “just because.”
Seafood checks many of today’s on-trend boxes, including being high in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, sustainable, natural and minimally processed – yet consumption of it in the US continues to fall, prompting manufacturers and public health advocates...
Danone’s proposed acquisition of WhiteWave Foods will “have a serious anti-competitive effect on the organic yogurt and organic fluid milk markets in the US,” the Cornucopia Institute has told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice.
Oats not for breakfast is a novelty that has its pros and cons, Grainful co-founders Jan Pajerski and Jeannine Sacco said. But they also said Americans seem to be catching on.
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...
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...
On the heels of President Barack Obama signing into law a federal bill requiring the disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on packaged food and beverage products, we at Beverage Daily and FoodNavigator-USA asked consumers at a downtown Chicago...
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.
Tucked neatly between the major metropolitan centers of Phildalphia and Baltimore, German grocery giant Lidl’s new planned facility location reflects the company’s strategy to start strong in the US East Coast.
Analysts at Nielsen noticed a trend in grocery stores that may prove a great opportunity for retailers, suppliers, and brands alike: Consumers are counting on the perishable aisles for a packaged, personalized 'prescription' for a healthy lifestyle.
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.
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.
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...
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...
TerraVia – formerly known as Solazyme – has been telling reporters (and investors) that algae is the next big thing in food for years. But when will it really start to change the game?
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.”
A lot has changed since Abraham and Mahala Stouffer transformed their buttermilk and biscuits stand in 1920s Ohio into a chain of restaurants spanning the rustbelt, which then expanded into one of the first frozen TV dinner giants in the nation by the...
'We’ve said no to every meal kit company that’s approached us'
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.”
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.
