Oatly has voluntarily agreed to stop marketing its oatmilks as containing ‘no added sugars’ in ad campaigns following a complaint by Campbell Soup drawing attention to its oatmilk production process, which breaks down oat starch into simple sugars.
Four class action lawsuits have already been filed against high-protein milk brand fairlife, its founders, and JV partner Coca-Cola over alleged animal abuse at its flagship dairy farm in Indiana, but this could be just the beginning of the company’s...
Consumer interest in grass-fed meat/dairy and plant-based foods, stems from the same desire to find more humane and sustainable alternatives to factory farming, says Maple Hill Creamery CEO Tim Joseph, who was surprised to see Impossible Foods single...
Despite the ubiquity of bug consumption in some parts of the world, the tools and techniques to raise and process insects as human food on an industrial scale are still evolving, and there are still no globally agreed standards about how to do it in the...
As ingredient choices made by ‘next-generation’ plant-based meat brands attract more scrutiny, with some making a virtue of using peas over soy, and others promoting their use of non-GMO soybeans, Impossible Foods has defended its use of GM soy on sustainability...
Trying to generate excitement around an ingredient called ‘resistant starch’ in a carb-wary food culture fixated on keto and paleo diets is a tough sell, but a growing body of evidence suggests that insoluble fibers from unripe bananas, potatoes, wheat,...
While not everyone was on the same page about the legal path forward for hemp-derived CBD during Friday’s marathon FDA hearing, multiple speakers made clear that the current situation is untenable, with one predicting a wave of lawsuits, and others demanding...
“If we do not succeed in working together to reassure the card brands that they can safely support our industry, then we predict a significant decrease in CBD sales within the next few months,” the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) has warned.
True Food Innovations will steam ahead expanding its retail offering of Chef'd and True Chef meal kits this year and will also reveal an exclusive licensing deal with a major CPG brand, its president says.
Bills to prevent plant-based and/or cell-cultured products from being labeled as ‘meat’ or ‘beef’ have been introduced in 25 US states, and have already passed in states including Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, North...
Routine headlines about multi-million – or billion – dollar venture capital investments into food and beverage startups may give the impression that VC funding is the best way to scale a business, but according to one insider the model is far from perfect...
Raising the threshold above which kombucha would be classified as an alcoholic beverage from 0.5% to 1.25% abv, is not the way to deal with the industry’s alcohol problem, says Vermont-based kombucha brand Aqua ViTea, which utilizes spinning cone technology...
Do picky eating habits when children are toddlers follow them into their teenage years? And should parents be concerned that their picky eaters aren't getting as many nutrients as their non-picky eater peers?
We’re no longer in the ‘Wild West’ when it comes to hemp-derived CBD, but buyers can still get burned if they don’t do their homework, says Colorado-based BBB Labs, which has launched a quality assurance seal for its hemp extracts to reassure partners...
In the past decade, venture capitalists have emerged as a primary gatekeeper for innovation in the food and beverage industry as the amount of money they are pouring into startups in the space continues to rise exponentially, and so-called big-food continues...
Plant-based meal kit co Purple Carrot has been sold to Japan's largest meal kit and organic food delivery service Oisix ra daichi for an upfront payment of $12.8m, with another $17.2m due in 2021 if it achieves unspecified earn-out* goals.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines prompted a heated debate over the influence of industry lobby groups and the extent to which environmental factors should impact dietary advice, with some stakeholders insisting that sustainability has nothing to do with nutrition,...
The FDA’s decision to exclude allulose from the total and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts panel has removed a significant barrier to uptake in the industry, says Tate & Lyle, which says the rare sugar with 90% fewer calories than...
We’re no longer a nation of pantry stockers. Many Americans don’t know what’s for dinner tonight, never mind next week, and with grocers now competing with everyone from GrubHub to IKEA, is it time for a radical rethink of the traditional supermarket...
Leading executives at Heart & Stroke, Hypertension Canada, Diabetes Canada, and Dietitians of Canada have joined a growing number of food manufacturers and retailers urging Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to allow ‘potassium...
Attracted to recent high-dollar acquisitions, consumer demand for healthy and sustainable options, and the opportunities created by a diversifying retail landscape, the number of investors flocking to the food and beverage industry continues to grow exponentially...
Fundamental questions of identity and intended use will have to be answered before CBD can take center stage as a legal dietary ingredient. The upcoming meeting with FDA will likely provide a start, but hopes that all issues will be quickly solved seem...
By Stu Strumwasser, managing director, Green Circle Capital Advisors
These days, as I travel through the offices of natural products CEOs and investors, and grocery aisles, and trade show booths at Expos North, South, East and West, I find myself constantly informed of the protein content in food and beverage products....
Bernstein: Beyond Meat could potentially generate annual sales of $2bn in 2033
Beyond Meat’s decision to go public amounts to “an extremely rare exit strategy in the highly centralized food industry and is almost unheard of in the plant-based food space,” says The Good Food Institute (GFI), a nonprofit that promotes plant- and cell-based...
In recent years, sugar has emerged as the primary scapegoat for unwanted weight gain and a litany of chronic diseases, and while science does not support all the allegations against the ingredient, consumer “perceptions can become reality in the form...
Defining what kombucha is – and just as importantly, what it isn’t – is mission critical if industry pioneers are to preserve the integrity of the category as more brands enter the segment, argues GT Dave, founder of market leader GT’s Living Foods.
Are zero calorie sweeteners fueling, rather than fighting, the obesity epidemic by meddling with our metabolism or negatively altering our gut bacteria, as some critics claim? Or do they remain invaluable – and exhaustively tested - tools in the formulator’s...
What came first, the chicken or the egg? Clara Foods, a San Francisco-based startup producing egg proteins via microbial fermentation, has ditched the chicken in favor of yeast, and teamed up with ingredients giant Ingredion to develop and commercialize...
Since becoming a Certified B Corp one year ago, Danone North America has made strides in improving its procurement process, meeting consumer demand for increased sustainability and rallying its employees to prioritize the company’s commitment to social...
In a large company, a bad hire can create headaches, but it may not be the end of the world. In a startup, however, it could mean the difference between success and failure.
'The number one consumer driver is natural or clean label, followed by glycemic index and keto friendly...'
Are sugar alcohols losing their luster, will allulose take off, and is stevia still hot? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Icon Foods, Cargill and Beneo to explore formulation trends as brands come under increasing pressure to reduce sugar and keep labels...
Food and beverage companies, along with other CPG manufacturers, could suffer “far-reaching negative consequences” if the Supreme Court fails to block the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 US Census, according to the consumer and market research...
A trademark dispute between Cheetos and pulse-based rival Peatos has been “amicably resolved,” after the latter agreed to remove the offending tagline, ‘Tigers live longer than cheetahs’ from its packaging and website.
By James Richardson, PhD, founder, Premium Growth Solutions
I continue to meet a remarkable number of founders who are trying to go it alone. They aren’t shut-ins either. I believe this is a strategic mistake that undercuts the ability of any young food business to stay disciplined and focused.
The hemp/CBD industry is being threatened by so-called synthetic cannabinoids that are flooding the market, attendees at a recent botanicals conference were told.
Gum acacia was not on the FDA’s list of ingredients classified as dietary fibers released last summer; however, key suppliers are preparing to submit a citizen petition to support its dietary fiber status based on new data they claim proves the ingredient...
Vegan. Vegetarian. Plant-based. Plant-strong. Plant protein... All of these terms are used in some variety on the ever-blossoming category of animal-free foods intending to compete against the conventional meat, egg, and dairy industries.
In response to the public’s growing aversion to sugar, manufacturers across categories have reformulated and launched products made with alternative sweeteners, but increasingly consumers don’t want those either – but they also can’t as easily identify...
Strap: ‘There is no difference between the molecule we make and the molecule in human milk’
Breast milk is best. But for Moms that can’t breastfeed, infant formula that contains at least some of the unique components in breast milk is the next best thing, says the co-founder of Berkeley-based start-up Sugarlogix, which is developing a platform...
FDA has reiterated its enforcment stance on CBD and hemp products, has updated a Q&A document on the subject and has specified what kind of information it is seeking in the runup to a public meeting on the subject in May, all as part of documents...
FDA has sent three companies marketing CBD products warning letters over disease claims. The warnings are the first issued under FDA’s de facto ‘enforcement discretion’ policy, which will be discussed at a meeting on CBD set for the end of May.
Regulatory hurdles notwithstanding, investors and judges at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! event in San Francisco last week were fairly bullish about hemp-derived CBD (cannabidiol), and predicted that while the market has moved ahead of the science, this will...
In a move signaling the mainstream potential of next generation plant-based meat brands, Burger King is testing the waters with a limited edition trial of the Impossible Burger in 60 locations in and around St Louis to gauge consumer interest.
What are the key elements of a great pitch, and what might send potential investors running for the hills? FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine Watson headed to San Francisco to ask judges and mentors at Rabobank's FoodBytes! pitch competition what they're...
Consumers want more natural, less processed, ‘clean’ foods. But do they give certain brands – and categories – a pass? And what cues are they looking for? Checkout what our consumer and legal experts had to say in the opening session of our Natural and...
Synthesized analogs of botanical ingredients, and ingredients of wholly artificial origin, could have a place in the dietary supplement industry. But if they do, full transparency would argue that they be labeled as such.
In order to feed a nutritious, sustainable diet to the predicted 10 billion people who will populate Earth by 2050, environmental advocates and food & beverage industry stakeholders must work together rather than apart from – or even at times against...
While modern wisdom may favor launching fast and iterating quickly based on consumer feedback, the director of innovation at Endangered Species Chocolate says when it comes to packaging and branding it is better to slow down and invest in consumer research...
'People want to reflect their values in everything they do'
While the ‘buy one give one’ business model underpinning This Saves Lives presents obvious (margin-crushing) challenges for start-ups, its ‘go big or go home’ approach to conscious consumerism has been instrumental to its success, says co-founder Ryan...
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