From fermented foods to meatless meals, New York-based Comax Flavors highlights four hot trends likely to influence food and beverage development in 2019.
Ohio-based ‘oxygenated’ water brand 02 Natural Recovery – which has picked up a strong following online, and in CrossFit gyms, yoga studios and other fitness outlets - is expanding its presence in grocery stores including Kroger and Whole Foods in 2019....
Kellogg’s has become the latest high-profile food brand to face legal action over the alleged presence of trace levels of the herbicide glyphosate in its products, which the plaintiff argues that reasonable consumers would not expect to see in their foods...
Building a kids brand can get sticky, especially when the market is full of products that typically fall into two broad buckets: conventional products crowded with mascots, superheroes, and cartoon characters; or the stripped-down, simpler look of the...
There is good news in the impending* Farm Bill for industrial hemp – which will be removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act - but this does not suddenly make the on-trend ingredient CBD (cannabidiol) legal in foods, beverages and supplements,...
Uncertainty surrounding the US-China trade war and the renegotiated trade deal with Canada and Mexico are taking a toll on US food and agricultural industries, but experts with Rabobank say there is hope for the future if players take action now to diversify...
Given its success in other markets, Swedish oatmilk brand Oatly was quietly confident that it would do well in the US, says US general manager Mike Messersmith. “But the magnitude of demand and the speed with which it developed vastly exceeded our expectations.”
Health advocacy groups have urged schools to reject a final rule from the Trump Administration that they claim reverses hard-won progress on sodium reduction and whole grain consumption, and “continue their commitment to serve healthier foods on our kids’...
Synthetic biology specialist Amyris has embarked on a mission to capture 30% of the global stevia sweeteners market by 2022 with a Reb M sweetener produced from cane sugar by a modified yeast strain, that it claims gives it a clear competitive advantage...
Consumers are increasingly demanding transparency that goes beyond traditional label information and see it as a way to have a closer connection with their food, according to a consumer report by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Label Insight.
ADM – which is best known in the protein arena for its soy-based ingredients and edible beans - is moving into the fast-growing pea protein space early next year with an 80%+ concentrate, and is developing “legume ingredients with at least 80% protein...
Is the protein craze fizzling out? Not if you look at new product launch data, or the fact that producers of both plant and dairy proteins are continuing to add capacity, and consumers are continuing to experiment with new sources, from marine collagen...
There is a lot of science supporting both the safety and efficacy of probiotics, and the community should do more to talk about this science, says the new director of scientific affairs at the International Probiotics Association.
As predicted by legal experts, a lawsuit querying the health benefits of Trader Joe’s alkaline water has been dismissed (with leave to amend one specific claim) on the grounds that most of the words and images on the label amount to ‘nonactionable puffery.’
Under rules that came into force in 2014, schools have had to ensure that all grain foods they serve are ‘whole grain-rich’ (at least 50% of the grain is whole grain). But how challenging has this been to implement? Elaine Watson caught up with Brian...
If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit, you missed a truly awesome ensemble of academics, industry experts, health advocates, and our first parents’ panel, covering everything from the infant gut...
'In the US we have this view of what ‘kid food’ is, which is very different from what it is in other countries ...'
It’s time to stop blaming parents and accept that the food environment has to change if we are going to improve kids’ diets, says CSPI VP nutrition Dr Margo Wootan, who told delegates at the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit that trying to ensure...
Pacific Rim flavors, shelf-stable probiotics and faux meat snacks will all gain traction in 2019 according to buyers, product developers, category managers and chefs at Whole Foods Market, which has just unveiled its annual list of 10 trends to watch...
While the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ might appear to be interchangeable (they both exclude animal products), consumers do not view them in the same way, says the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), which has just launched a new ‘certified plant-based’...
Sales of Fairtrade certified goods are on the rise, with coffee, cocoa, bananas and avocados particularly strong, but more brands need to invest to create true impact in the market, says the COO of Fairtrade America.
Turkey wants to ramp up olive oil business with the US – already its biggest export destination – and sees a future in single-source, premium varietals rather than bulk. But can it spark enough interest?
Natural flavors are cheap to use and appeal to taste palates but consumers are going to start asking more questions about source materials and incidental additives, says the CEO of Buddha Teas.
US retail sales of products referencing sprouted grains on pack decreased slightly (-2.1%) to $267.2m in the 52 weeks to October 7, according to new data* from SPINS, with the largest category - bread and baked goods - experiencing a 4.2% decline. However,...
Immigrants and refugees moving from Southeast Asia to the US demonstrate a ‘westernisation’ of their gut microbiota, a study finds, that could provide insight into metabolic health issues affecting newcomers.
By James Richardson, PhD, founder, Premium Growth Solutions
Influencers. Who are they? What do they influence? How can you accelerate your brand’s influence on consumer shopping decisions? These are sociological questions, not merely marketing ones. Influence is about persuasion, after all, one of the oldest human...
Cargill and DSM – who have both independently developed steviol glycosides via microbial fermentation – are now teaming up in a bid to accelerate their development under the Eversweet brand.
CSPI: Consumers often cannot tell how much of the grain in a product is whole and how much is refined
Key stakeholders have urged the FDA to provide more clarity on the labeling of whole grains, with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) urging the agency to require firms to disclose either the percentage of whole grains and refined grains on pack,...
Research done by the Global Prebiotic Association shows that prebiotics as a concept is gaining traction with dedicated supplement users but has a long way to go to gain mainstream acceptance.
It is now legal to sell cannabis for recreational use in several US states - with Michigan joining the tally after yesterday's midterms, paving the way for all kinds of ‘edibles.’ But how big could this market become?
“Just because we haven’t taken enforcement action people seem to think it [CBD] is OK,” said Steven Tave, director of the FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, at a recent industry conference. “Anyone who thinks it is lawful is mistaken.”
Protein cookie brand Lenny & Larry’s has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging it overstated the protein content of its cookies, in order to avoid the cost and hassle of prolonged litigation, but says it stands by its claims and won’t be changing its...
Plant-based ‘cheese’ and ‘butter’ maker Miyoko’s Kitchen has been hit with a lawsuit alleging it is duping consumers by cashing in on the good name of [dairy] butter to promote a plant-based product that is functionally and nutritionally inferior. However,...
In the rush to market for CBD products something seems to have been left by the wayside. What do the marketers of these products believe they will do for people?
Trader Joe’s has hit back at a lawsuit querying the health benefits of its alkaline water by insisting that its labels do not state or even imply that there is any discernible benefit to drinking it “over other non-alkaline products.”
Mintel has estimated the total US chocolate confectionery sales will have grown 15% since 2012 to reach $18.5bn in 2018, with trends like bite size, functional ingredients and premium driving the overall category growth.
“…‘I should not have eaten that salad yesterday, I think I just woke up with infertility…’ says nobody, ever,” observes Jackie Bowen, executive director at nonprofit the Clean Label Project. Regulators, she argues, are great at dealing with health issues...
The FDA is issuing a request for information (RFI) on the prevalence and severity of sesame allergies in the US to inform possible regulatory action that would require sesame to be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods along with the ‘big eight’ (milk,...
The source of CBD should be of concern for the companies marketing the ingredient, said a legal expert at a recent dietary supplement industry event. But he also said the regulatory landscape for the ingredient is shifting so fast that any opinions he...
US retail sales of yogurt have continued to fall over the past year, although there have been pockets of growth in Icelandic style and full fat products, according to data from Nielsen and SPINS.
‘If we’re lab grown meat, they are lab-grown Doritos’
While no bold new suggestions about how to label cell-based meat emerged from this week’s joint FDA/USDA meeting, start-ups in the field made it clear that the term ‘lab-grown’ should be off the table, and challenged claims that they plan to use antibiotics...
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) has urged the FDA to review ‘made with real fruit’ claims, “the use of misleading images of whole fruits and vegetables when only minuscule amounts are in a serving” and terms such as ‘veggie sticks’ and ‘fruit...
The FDA should consider whether a “significant liberalization of qualified health claim language would help drive innovation and be beneficial to consumers,” says Campbell Soup Co.
Under the so-called ‘jelly bean rule,’ firms are discouraged from adding vitamins to foods of minimal nutritional value so that marketers cannot present junk foods as healthy options. But the policy should be updated when it comes to carbonated beverages,...
Ad watchdog* the National Advertising Division has referred claims from The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) that its milk is ‘easier on digestion’ and ‘may help some avoid discomfort’ to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for further review.
Market sales data – if you can afford it – will tell you what's trending now, says online platform RangeMe, which connects retail buyers and suppliers. But how do you know what buyers are looking for next? And how can you get a clearer sense of how...
It’s a food and beverage manufacturer’s nightmare: the headline on People Magazine’s website announces you were sued in a class action because your 'always 100% natural' sparkling water allegedly contains an ingredient used in 'cockroach...
Earlier this week the top scientific body studying climate change issued a dire warning that “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society,” must occur to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and ensure a “more sustainable...
Roughly three-quarters of Americans understand that plant-based ‘milk’ products (almondmilk, soymilk etc) do not contain cow’s milk, although a significant minority - 16-20% depending on the variety – say they don’t know, while 7-9% believe they do contain...
It may be possible to increase food production sustainably and feed 10 billion people by 2050, say researchers, but only if we switch to flexitarian diets, cut global food waste in half and adopt climate-smart agriculture practices.
'Ignorance is amok... not even the investors are asking the right questions. It’s total anarchy'
If you ask the FDA or the DEA if CBD (cannabidiol) is permitted in foods, beverages and supplements, the answer is a pretty unequivocal NO. If you ask the scores of companies currently selling it in everything from CBD-infused soda to smoothie kits, the...
